RAISEN

city, central Madhya Pradesh state, central India. The city lies at the foot of a spur of the Vindhya Range, on which stands an ancient sandstone fort with several palaces and a mosque. A strategic community in the history of eastern Malwa (q.v.), Raisen was the 16th-century stronghold of Silhari, a Rajput (warrior caste) chief, and was an important administrative centre under the Mughals. Annual festivals are held. Raisen lies in a region that was one part of the Bhopal princely state. Wheat, jowar (sorghum), and cotton are the major crops of the region; sandstone deposits are worked. A Buddhist stupa at nearby Sanchi dates from about 250 BC. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 24,145.