Chhindwara district, a part of Jabalpur division is a district of Madhya Pradesh state with its administrative headquarters located at Chhindwara city. The district got its name from its headquarters city, Chhindwara. The name of the place is taken from two terms i.e. "Chhind" meaning date palm and "Wada" meaning place trees. Both the words together means a place full of date palms since the place once had abundant date palms. According to another popular belief, the area had a large population of lions in the earlier times. Hence it was called ‘SinhDwar” meaning through the entrance of lion. With the passage of time the name of the place was changed to Chhindwara. Prior to the Gonds the place, Chhindwara was under the rule of Gauli. After sometime the place was became a part of the rule of King Bakht Bulund. He had a huge kingdom, spread over the Satpura range of hills and in the 3rd century his rule was ended. King Bakht Bulund was the most powerful ruler who adopted Islam as his religion during the rule of Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb. During that period power was transferred into many hands and finally the Maratha rule ended in the year, 1803. In the time of British Rule, Chhindwara district was under the Nerbudda (Narmada) division of the Central Provinces and Berar. After India got its independence in 1947, the Nerbudda division and Berar became the Madhya Bharat state which later changed to Madhya Pradesh. The Chhindwara district came into existence on 1st November, 1956.

Geographically, the district lies at 22°06'N latitude, 78°94'E longitude and 675 m Altitude. In the year 2021, there was a total 39.00% forest area of total geographical area. The district encompasses a geographical area of 11,815 sq km. and in terms of geographical area it occupies the ranks of 1st in the state and 38th in India. It is bounded by Hoshangabad district and Narsinghpur district on the North, Nagpur district of Maharashtra on the South, Seoni district on the East and Betul district on the West. The climate of the district can be characterised as sub tropical climate. The actual rainfall in the district was 1139.3 mm in the year of 2021-22

Administration wise, the district is divided into 13 tehsils namely Amarwara, Bicchua, Chand, Chhindwara, Chourai, Harrai, Junnardeo, Mohkhed, Pandhurna, Parasia, Sausar, Tamia, and Umreth. There are 1 Lok Sabha seat and 7 Assembly constituencies in the district. Moreover, the district comprises 12 sub-districts, 24 towns and 1,965 villages. The administrative language in the district is Hindi.

According to 2011 census the district has a population of 20,90,922 including 10,64,468 are males and 10,26,454 are females. The district has a sex ratio of 964 females for every 1000 males. During the year 2001-2011 the population growth rate in the district was 13.07% out of which 12.36% were males and 13.80% were females. The population density in the district is 177 persons per sq. km. In the year 2020 the number of live births in the district was 43,310 out of which 22,083 were males and 21,227 were females. In the same year the number of deaths in the district was 15,505 out of which 9,434 were males and 6,071 were females. As per 2011 census the major religion in the district is Hindu with 92.01% of the total population. According to 2011 census the principal languages in the district are Hindi and Marathi with 81.62% and 10.32%.

Both the agricultural and industrial sector of the district shares its economy. Some parts of its population are engaged in agriculture in order to earn their livelihood. The chief agricultural products in the district are wheat, gram, vegetables, groundnut, etc. The adoption of the new agricultural technologies amongst the famers of the district helps to increase the production of various agricultural items. The name of the Chhindwara city can be counted in the list of the most rapidly developing cities of the Madhya Pradesh state. The city has many old industries of pottery, leather moots and ornaments of zinc, brass and bell metal, etc. Some other principal companies located in the district are Hindustan Unilever, Raymond Group, Western Coalfields Limited, etc. Every year a huge chunk of revenue comes from these industries helps in its economy to a great extent. In the year 2019-20 the gross domestic product in the district was Rs. 30,58,633 lakhs at current price and Rs. 18,68,729 lakhs at constant prices in the year 2011-2012. The net domestic product in the district during the period 2019-20 was Rs. 28,37,507 lakh at current price and Rs. 16,93,212 lakh at constant prices in the year 2011-2012. The Per Capita Income or NDDP, At Factor Cost during the period 2019-20 was Rs. 1,18,892 at current price and Rs. 70,946 at constant prices in the year 2011-2012.

The district is an abode of several reputed educational institutions. It provides a platform for higher education. Some of its recognised educational institutions are Annie Institute of Technology & Research Centre, Jaypee Engineering College, Apparel Training & Design Centre, Footwear Design and Development Institute, Danielson Degree College, Indira Priyadarshini College, R.S. Government Girls College, Satpura Law College, etc. As per 2011 census the literacy rate in the district is 71.16% including 79.04% are males and 63.01% are females.

The district has a variety of centres of attraction which allures many travellers from different parts of the country as well as world. Patalkot, a place situated in the hilly area of the Chhindwara district is famous for its mesmerising natural sceneries. Patalkot is a wonderful landscape located at a depth of 1200-1500 feet in a valley. Devgarh, a fort of historical significance is situated at a distance of 24 miles south of the Chhindwara district. The fort is constructed on the top of a hill and surrounded by deep dense reserve forest. The two most beautiful waterfalls in the district are Kukdi Khapa waterfall and Lilahi waterfall. Visitors from far off places come to this place to enjoy the amazing view of these waterfalls. Tribal Museum, popularly known as Shri Badal Bhoi State Tribal Museum was established in the Chhindwara district on 20th April, 1954. In the year 1975 it got the status of a 'State Museum'.