Narsinghpur district is situated on the bank of the Narmada River; it is one of the culturally significant sub-region of Madhya Pradesh. Vindhya hills are in its north and Satpuda hill is located in its southern part. Jabalpur district is situated on its northern-western side while Shivani district is on its Southeastern side. Hoshangabad is across its western boundary. The region was introduced with the name Narsinghpur in around 1825 CE, the name was kept on the name of a Narsimha temple, which is one of the tenth incarnations of Vishnu as mentioned in the Puranas and other Hindu scriptures. In 1818 CE, when the region was handed over to the British East India Company then this region was known as Gadarwara but over time the name changed to Narsinghpur.
After the Bundela Revolt in 1842, Narsinghpur again became an independent district, earlier it was a part of the Hoshangabad Zone. The 1857 revolt in Narsinghpur was very successful against the company regime. The masses along with the local Zamindars were already struggling for the increase in revenue that was collected by the company without understanding the ground-level production. The company was not taking any interest in developing the irrigation system in the area while the land was comparatively fertile, the British officials did not look after the economic condition of commoners. People wanted to resist the oppressive nature of revenue collection but the company could not digest their voices against the revenue collection, as a result since 1842 the local landlords started opposing the company strategically and to some extent, they were successful in expressing their demands. This revolt was named as Bundela Revolt. British Company rule had overthrown the rights of landlords and Jagirdars from all the specific rights and sources. Some historians have tried to understand the nature of this revolt as the Feudal Revolt. Narsinghpur region had already a past of revolt for the emancipation of the peasants which played a crucial role during the 1857 Revolt which is considered to be the first war of India’s Independence.
Meharban Singh, the landlord of Hirapur, Delan Shah Gauda of Madanpur, Thakur Ganjan Singh of Dilheri, and others were the leading leaders of the 1857 Revolt in Narsinghpur. In the absence of an organization and influential leaders, they could not establish an interim government to encounter the existing regime. Due to the lack of planned organization, the revolt did not sustain for a long time even some regions also faced the elements of anarchy, and plunder and could not maintain peace and justice. Both the British army and the revolutionaries attacked each other. In some cases, some villages were looted and villagers were under pressure because they knew the cruelty of the company army. During the 1857 uprising, the anger of the common people was directed against those associated with colonial power and the internal order of exploitation. They targeted those who were directly connected to their everyday life which included the auction-purchasers, decree-holders, merchants, and bankers. It also seems that people wanted freedom but they also favored a peaceful environment. Some people supported the British and they acted as spies of the company in lieu of that they were awarded either land or a post in the administration. Thus, the English company suppressed the revolt by using strategic plans.
In the month of July 1857, the people of Narsinghpur district were facing the problems of instability and they were under fear. Deputy Commissioner Captain Turnun reported to Major Iscon, on 28th July 1857 that the copper coins along with silver coins are used in exchange in lieu of company currency although the district is still law and order. This episode shows how people were ready to do anything for freedom and they wanted to take any risk, it could be a model for the interim government if it were formed to encounter British rule. The neighboring districts Sagar and Damoh also were under the revolt. The news of the revolt of Jhansi reached Sagar on 8th June, meanwhile the local king/lord of Shahgadh, Bakhtawali, whose Jagirs were in both districts Damoh and Sagar. He started recruiting native sepoys to fight against the company army. The revolt started in Sagar in the morning hour of 1st July by the irregular horsemen of the company. As it spread, the army revolt was soon transformed into a popular uprising as peasants, local landlords, and the urban group cutting across caste, class, and creed, joined together to fight against the Firanghi(foreigner) rule. As a consequence of the revolt, the East India Company was abolished and India came to be directly administered by the British crown in 1858.