Jalna District, Maharashtra State

The district of Jalna lies in the Central part of the state of Maharashtra, to the north of Marathwada region. It is one of the 8 districts in Aurangabad division.

Area - 7,687 sq.km / 2,968 sq.m

Elevation - 293 to 933 metres

Population - 19,59,046 as per 2011 Census

Population rank in India - 237 out of 640

District Headquarters -  Jalna town

Administrative Division - Aurangabad

Tehsils - 8

Villages - 958

Languages Spoken - Marathi, Hindi, Urdu, Lambadi

Official Language - Marathi

Geographical Borders -

North -  Jalgaon district

South - Beed district

East - Parbhani and Buldana district

West - Aurangabad district

Primary Crops - Sweet lemons and Oranges

Water Sources - Rivers Godavari, Purna, Ambad, Partur, Gulati, Girija, Kundalika 

Natural Resources - Rich black soil 

Distance from 

• State Capital Mumbai - 332 km ( Straight line distance )

• Pune - 298 km

How to reach :-

Via Airports - Chikkalthana Airport, Aurangabad, 64 km. Jalna district doesn't have its own Airport.

Via Railways - Jalna station lies on the Secunderabad - Manmad line of South Central Railway Zone. All major cities are connected to Jalna district via railways.

Via Roadways - Regular State and Private buses run through the district connecting with major cities of the State. Nagpur - Aurangabad - Mumbai highway passes through the district.

Unique Features :-

1. Jalna city is the biggest steel producer in the state

2. The district is the biggest producer of Sweet limes and Oranges 

3. It is a major industrial hub of cotton ginning factories, cotton presses, rolling mills, hybrid - seed manufacturing, bidi - industry

Best time to visit - Monsoon and Winter months ( November to March )

The district of Jalna came into existence on 1 May 1981. It was carved out of regions from Aurangabad and Parbhani districts of Maharashtra. Though it was a part of Maharashtra right after Independence, previously belonging to Nizam's Hyderabad princely state. 

The district is economically well - developed due to a number of industries as well as having 85 % of its land under cultivation and fertile black soil. The banks of its many rivers provide agricultural opportunities.

The district is a good tourist destination as a pilgrimage centre with quite a few temples along with many rivers, parks and forts.

Its climate is quite pleasant due to the Ajanta and Satmala hill ranges in the North.

Here is a list of its tourist attractions :-

1. Anandi Temple ( Samadhi of Shree Sant Anandi Swami )

2. Bhokardan Tukai Caves

3. Chatrapati Sambhaji Garden

4. Durga mata Temple, Jalna city

5. Dargah of Jan Alla Shah

6. Dargah of Nur Shah Walli

7. Grishneshwar Temple

8. Ghanewadi Lake

9. Guru Ganesh Tapovan

10. Gautala Autramghat Sanctuary

11. Hemadpanthi temple of Matsyodari Devi Temple

    
    
    

12. Jalicha Dev

13. Jalna Fort

14. Jamb Samartha, Ghansawangi

15. Kali Masjid, Jalna city

    
    
    

16. Lower Dudhana Dam

17. Lord Shiva Temple, Anwa village

18. Mammo Devi Temple

19. Moti Bagh

20. Moti Talab

21. Mazar - E - Maulai Noorudin Saheb

22. Rajur Ganpati

23. Shri Mamma Devi Temple

24. Shri Ganesh Temple, Rajur

    
    
    

25. Swami Vivekanand Ashram

The many festivals celebrated include Ram Navmi, Shiv Ratri, Holi, Navratri, Dussehra, Diwali, Ganeshotsav. Quite a few fairs are also held during the festival periods specially Ram Navmi, Shivratri and Sharad Navratri.

Taluka Map - wikipedia

Images - TripAdvisor

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