The area covered by this district was part of the Princely State of Orchha till its merger with the Indian Union. The Orchha state was founded by Rudra Pratap in 1501. After merger, it became one of the eight districts of Vindhya Pradesh state in 1948. Following the reorganization of states on 1 November 1956 it became a district of the newly carved Madhya Pradesh
Orchha was founded in the 1501 AD, by the Bundela chief, Rudra Pratap Singh, who became the first King of Orchha, (r. 1501-1531) and also built the Fort of Orchha. He died in an attempt to save a cow from a lion. The Chaturbhuj Temple was built, during the time of Akbar, by the Queen of Orchha, while Raj Mandir was built by 'Madhukar Shah' during his reign, 1554 to 1591.
During the rule of Mughal Emperor, Jahangir, his ally, Bir Singh Deo (r. 1605-1627) reigned here, and it was during this period that Orchha reaches its height, and many extant palaces are a reminder of its architectural glory, including Jahangir Mahal (b. ca 1605) and Sawan Bhadon Mahal.
In the early 17th century, Raja Jujhar Singh rebelled against the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, whose armies devastated the state and occupied Orchha from 1635 to 1641. Orchha and Datia were the only Bundela states not subjugated by the Marathas in the 18th century. The town of Tehri, presently Tikamgarh, about 52 miles (84 km) south of Orchha, became the capital of Orchha state in 1783, and is presently the district town; Tehri was the site of the fort of Tikamgarh, and the town eventually took the name of the fort.
Hamir Singh, who ruled from 1848 to 1874, was elevated to the style of Maharaja in 1865. Maharaja Pratap Singh (born 1854, died 1930), who succeeded to the throne in 1874, devoted himself entirely to the development of his state, himself designing most of the engineering and irrigation works that were executed during his reign.
In 1901, the state had an area of 2,000 sq mi (5,200 km), and population of 52,634
