Wardha District, Maharashtra

The district of Wardha in the state of Maharashtra lies in the Vidarbha region.

Area - 6,310 sq.km

Average Elevation - 318 meters

Population - 13,00,774 as per 2011 Census

Population rank in India - 377 out of 640

District Headquarters -  Wardha City

Administrative Division - Nagpur

Talukas - 8

Talukas - Ashti, Arvi, Deoli, Hinganghat, Karanja, Seloo, Samndrapur, Wardha

Villages - 1387

Languages Spoken - Marathi, Hindi, Urdu

Geographical Borders -

Northeast - Nagpur 

Southeast - Chandrapur

Southwest - Yavatmal

Northwest - Amravati

Primary Crops - Cotton, Sugarcane, Pigeon pea, Onion, Carrot, Cabbage , Tomato, Radish, Potatoes, Wheat, Sorghum, Turmeric, Oilseeds etc

Horticulture - Aonla, Bananas, Custard apple, Guava, Mangoes, Mandarin, Sweet oranges, Sour lime.

Water Sources - 

• Rivers Venna, Wardha, Erai, Jam, Kar, Bembala, Bakli, Madu, Penganga, Yashoda

• Dams Bor, Bordharan, Pothara, Madan, Kar, Dham, Lower Wardha, Upper Wardha, Lower Venna

Natural Resources - Black Cotton Soil 

Distance from 

• State Capital Mumbai -  746 km

• Nagpur - 82 km

• Latur - 404.7 km

• Solapur - 524. 3 km

• Nashik - 573 km

• Pune - 634.3 km

How to reach :-

Via Airports - 

• Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur

Via Railways - Wardha is an important junction on the Nagpur Division Line. Many major express trains like Mumbai - Kolkata, Chennai - Delhi pass through the district.

Via Roadways - 

• MSRTC ( Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation ) and State Transport ( ST ) run various buses connecting it to other towns and cities.

• NH 6 connecting Dhule - Kolkata passes through the district.

• NH 7 connecting Varanasi - Kanyakumari also passes through the district.

Unique Local handicrafts / Artefacts - Ari Embroidery, Kasuti Embroidery, Jaali Embroidery

The district of Wardha in the state of Maharashtra gets its name from the river Wardha which flows on its North, South and West boundaries. It is a major cotton crop center.It was a major epicenter of India's freedom struggle with Mahatma Gandhi's Sevagram Ashram based here. Many prominent personalities like the  freedom fighter Vinobha Bhave, social workers and reformers *Baba Amte and **Sindhutai Sapkal, sportsperson Jwala Gutta, industrialist and close associate of Mahatma Gandhi, Jamnalal Bajaj hail from Wardha district. 

*Baba Amte was a social reformer who dedicated his life to the support and upliftment of persons suffering from Leprosy.

**Sindhutai Sapkal, popularly called as Aai  provided a home to orphans and helped them better their lives. 

Image - wikipedia and mapsofindia

Recommended Reading - Wardha District, Tourism

Aurangabad District, Maharashtra

The district of Aurangabad is situated in the Marathwada region in the state of Maharashtra. 

Area - 10,100 sq.km

Average Elevation - 615 meters

Population - 37,01,282 as per 2011 Census

District Headquarters - Aurangabad City

Administrative Division - Aurangabad

Talukas - 9

Talukas - Aurangabad, Gangapur, Kannad, Khuldabad, Phulambri, Paithan, Soegaon, Sillod, Vaijapur

Villages - 1362

Languages Spoken - Marathi, Hindi, Lambadi, Urdu

Geographical Borders -

North -  Jalgaon District, Maharashtra

South - Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra

East - Jalna District, Maharashtra

West - Nashik District, Maharashtra

Primary Crops - Cotton, Sugarcane, Soybean, Linseed, Groundnut, Pearl millet, Gram, Jowar, Corn, Bajra 

Water Sources - 

• Rivers Kham, Godavari, Narangi, Kurla, Dudhna, Girja, Galhati

• Dams Ambadi, Anjanapulshi, Bor Dahegaon, Dheku Dam, Girija Dam, Jayakwadi, Narangi, Purnaneopur, Shivani Takli, Sukhana, Tembhapuri, Wakod

Natural Resources - 

Distance from State Capital Mumbai - 313  km

Nagpur - 499 km

Nashik - 161 km

Pune - 230 km

How to reach :-

Via Airports - Aurangabad Airport, Chikalthana is connected to all major cities of India such as Nagpur, New Delhi, Mumbai, Indore, Pune, Udaipur etc

Via Railways - Aurangabad lies on the Secunderabad - Manmad line in the South Central Indian Railways. Trains from the district connect it to places like Bhopal, Erode, Gwalior, Kurnool, Madurai, Nashik, Nagpur, Nizamabad, Pune, Parli, Vadodara 

Via Roadways - NH 211 connects the district to many major cities of Beed, Pune, Jalna, Nashik, Nagpur, Ahmednagar, Mumbai etc

Unique Features - 

• 52 gates at various entrances in the city of Aurangabad

• UNESCO World heritage sites 

The district of Aurangabad is one of the most popular tourist destinations not only in the State but as well as the Country due to its various monuments of historical and cultural importance such as the Ajanta and Ellora Caves, forts, tombs, and a few of the surviving 52 gates.

Religious tourism also ranks high as many holy and ancient temples attract hordes of pilgrims from all over the country. The district has a very rich cultural diversity due to its ancient history that includes the rules of the Mughals and the Marathas.  It is an important center of Arts, Economy, Commerce and Education. It's agricultural economy is largely based on Cotton and Sugarcane production. Sugar factories too abound. 

Recommended reading - Aurangabad Tourism

Image Courtesy - mapsofindia

Divisions of Maharashtra

The state of Maharashtra has been divided into 6 administrative divisions. Further divisions include  109 sub - divisions and 370 talukas 

1. Amravati Division ( Vidarbha Region ) - 

Area - 46,090 sq.km.

It has 5 districts.Their names and the tehsil numbers in each are mentioned below 

1. Akola - 7

2. Amravati - 14

3. Buldhana - 13

4. Yavatmal - 16

5. Washim - 6

       2 )  Aurangabad Division ( Marathwada Region ) - Area - 64,590 sq.km

It has 8 districts. Their names and the tehsil numbers in each are mentioned below. 

1. Aurangabad - 9

2. Beed - 11

3. Jalna - 8

4. Osmanabad - 8

5. Nanded - 16

6. Latur - 11

7. Parbhani - 9

8. Hingoli - 5

      

        3 ) Konkan Division ( Konkan Region ) - 

Area - 30, 746 sq.km

It has 8 districts. Their names and the tehsil numbers in each  are mentioned below. 

1. Mumbai City 

2. Mumbai Suburban - 3

3. Thane - 7

4. Palghar - 8

5. Raigad - 15

6. Ratnagiri - 9

7. Sindhudurg - 8

         4 )  Nagpur Division ( Vidarbha Region ) - 

Area - 51,336 sq.km

It has 7 districts. Their names and the tehsil numbers in each are mentioned below. 

             

1. Bhandara - 7

2. Chandrapur - 15

3. Gondia - 8

4. Gadchiroli - 12

5. Nashik - 15

6. Nagpur - 14

7. Wardha - 8

          5 )   Nashik Division ( Khanadesh) - 

Area - 57,806 aq.km

It has 4 districts. Their names and the tehsil numbers in each are mentioned below. 

1. Ahmednagar - 14

2. Dhule - 4

3. Jalgaon - 15

4. Nandurbar - 6

          

          6 )   Pune Division ( West Maharashtra ) -

Area - 56,054 sq.km

It has 5 districts. Their names and the tehsil numbers in each are mentioned below. 

                  1.  Kolhapur - 12

                  2.  Pune - 15

                  3.  Satara - 11

                  4.  Sangli - 10

                  5.  Solapur - 11

Image source - wikipedia

                     

Maharashtra - Glorious Mahan Rashtra

 Maharashtra - Mahan Rashtra 

Maharashtra literally means Maha - Rashtra, A Great State.

Where to  even begin  trying to encompass the greatness of this beautiful, historical , religious, culturally rich ,  wonderful land of the great Maratha warrior King , Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the birthplace of one of the greatest minds ever born in the world,the architect of our Indian Constitution, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the revolutionary Sants like Namdeo, Dnyaneshwar, Tukaram, Ekanath , the birthplace of the  Bhakti - movement by the Varkari sect , the rich cultural heritage of Abhangs, Powadas, Lavni, Tamashas,  Bhajans, Keertans, the lush fields of Konkan, the Alphonso mango of Ratnagiri,  the finest wines from Nashik, Oranges of Nagpur , Wada Pav of Mumbai , Puneri Misal Pav, the fervour of Ganeshotsav, the sky high Dahi Handis, the Christmas and New Year revelry….Sigh….Where to even begin….!!

Just the idea of tasting Chowpatty's Kala-khatta and  Bhelpuri, catching sight of larger-than-life celebrities from the Film and TV world , a visit to  the humongous Movie studios of the Hindi film industry , Bollywood, craning ones neck to see  the Sky scrapers , getting a glimpse of the lifestyles of the multi - billionaire Industrials, going for a ride in ferries of the Gateway of India , gawking at endless treasures in the Prince of Wales Museum, catching a local train from the UNESCO certified cultural heritage CST, going for a safari in Lush green forests , enjoying the cool breezes on the endless beaches , the dizzying journeys through the  heart-stopping western ghats, the mind boggling beauty of the Sahyadri mountain range, the vast plains of the Deccan plateau, the unmatched ambiance of the hill stations is an unparalleled experience that is bound to remain with the traveller no matter wherever in the world he may go.

Lying on the coast of the Arabian Sea, this land of pious Sants has innumerable pilgrimage places like Pandharpur, Shirdi , Ganpatipule.

For the history buffs, there are unparalleled historical caves of Ajanta , Elora , Elephanta ,Karla , hill and sea forts of the Great Maratha warrior kings like Raigad, Pratapgad, Rajgad, Sinhagad, unmatched treasures in the Prince of Wales museum , the Gateway of India , Cultural heritage sites of Flora fountain, CST.

The nature traveller looking for wildlife has a number of options for visiting  Tadoba, Tansa , Koyna sanctuaries , just to name a few.

For a cosmopolitan traveller , there are world class shopping havens be it Bandra hill road , Breach Candy , Zaveri Bazaar, Chor Bazaar, Linking road ,fashion street , Colaba Causeway.

Tourists looking to enjoy the festivals may visit the huge , elaborate Ganpati pandals of Lalbagcha Raja ( Average waiting time in queue touches 12 - 15 hours ) the tallest murti of Khetwadicha Ganraj,  Dagdu Maharaj in Pune. 

Foodies can endlessly drool over cuisines ranging from local to international be it the road side stalls or the high end 5 - star hotels. 

Ideal Visiting months for the State depend on the location as well.

Summer months are apt for visiting the various Hill-Stations like Matheran, Khandala, Amboli etc.

The monsoon provides many attractions in the form of waterfalls of Malshej-Ghat , Bhandardara, Mahabaleshwar,. Khandala, Alibag ,Amboli etc 

Beach resorts attract the traveller who wishes to laze in the sun and sand and take a dip in the vast Arabian Sea

No matter the season ,the budget , the preference a visitor to the State of Maharashtra will find something up to his alley and will leave with lifelong memories to cherish.