Tikamgarh ( टीकमगढ़ ) ( ٹیکمگاڑھ ) is a town and a
tehsil in
Tikamgarh district in the
Indian state of
Madhya Pradesh. The city serves as a district headquarters. The earlier name of Tikamgarh was 'Tehri' (i.e., a triangle) consisting of three hamlets, forming a rough triangle. In Tikamgarh town there is locality still known as 'Purani Tehri' (Old Tehri). Until Indian independence in 1947, Tikamgarh, formerly called Tehri, was part of the kingdom of
Orchha, which was founded in the 16th century by the
Bundeli chief
Rudra Pratap Singh, who became the first King of Orchha. In 1783 the capital of the state was moved to Tehri, about 40 miles south of Orchha, which was home to the fort of Tikamgarh, and the town eventually took the name of the fort. The district is famous for the old fort of Kundar known as
Garh Kundar, which was built by
Khangars and remained the capital of kshatriya Khangar rulers from 1180 to 1347.