Country Population 549,510 (2001) Language spoken Area 270 km2 | State District Amravati Founded 1097 AD Mayor Reena Nanda Literacy 93.03% | |
Colleges and Universities Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University, Government College of Engineering, Amravati | ||
Short film aniamls of kanha national park by shirishkumar patil amravati maharastra
Geography
Amravati is located at 20.93°N 77.75°E? / 20.93; 77.75. It has an average elevation of 343 metres (1125 feet). It lies 156 km (97 mi) west of Nagpur and serves as the administrative centre of Amravati District and of Amravati Division. The town is located near the passes through the hills that separate the cotton-growing regions of the Purna basin to the West and the Wardha basin to the East. There are two lakes in the eastern part of the city, Chhatri Talao & Wadali Talao. Pohara & Chirodi hills are to the east of the city. The Maltekdi hill is inside the city, it is 60 meters high.
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Culture and religion
The Temple of Goddess Amba is an example of religious architecture in the Vidarbha Region. Theres a legend that when Lord Krishna ran away with Rukhamini from her wedding ceremony, he used a tunnel laid from Ambadevi temple to Koundinyapur (another spiritual place near Amravati). This tunnel is still in existence but is now closed. Many research teams over the years have tried to estimate the length of the tunnel but their efforts have been in vain.
The well known historical temple "Kondeshwar" is situated 15 km away.
Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, the conference on Marathi Literature were held twice in Amravati city. It was presided by Keshav Jagannath Purohit in 1989.
History
The ancient name of Amravati is "Udumbravati", in prakrut, "Umbravati". The variant Amravati is the presently accepted name. It is said that Amravati is named for its ancient Ambadevi temple. A mention of Amravati can be found on a stone inscription on the base of the marble statue of God Adinath (Jain God) Rhishabhnath. The statues date back to the year 1097. Govind Maha Prabhu visited Amravati in the 13th century, when Wardha was under the rule of Deogiris Hindu King (Yadava dynasty). In the 14th century, there was drought and famine in Amravati, so people abandoned Amravati and left for Gujrat and Malwa. Though some locals returned after several years, this resulted in a scanty population. In the 16th century, Magar Aurangpura (today, Sabanpura) was allotted for a Jama Masjid by Mughal Aurangzeb. This indicates the existence of a Muslim population. In 1722, Chhattrapati Shahu presented Amravati and Badnera to Shri Ranoji Bhosle; eventually Amravati was known as Bhosle ki Amravati. The city was reconstructed and developed by Ranoji Bhosle after the treaty of Devgaon and Anjangaon Surji and victory over Gavilgad (Fort of Chikhaldara). The British general and author Wellesly camped in Amravati, the place is still known as the camp, by Amravati people. Amravati city was founded towards the end of the 18th century. The Union state of Nijam and Bosale ruled Amravati. They appointed a revenue officer but neglected defence. The Gavilgad fort was conquered by the British on 15 December 1803. Under to the Deogaon treaty, Warhad was presented as a token of the friendship to the Nijam.
Warhad was ruled by the Nijams thereafter. Around 1805, the Pendharies attacked Amravati city.
The Sahukars (bankers and merchants) of Amravati saved Amravati by presenting seven lakh rupees to Chittu Pendhari. The Nijam ruled for a more than half century. From 1859 to 1871, many government buildings were constructed by the British. The Railway Station was constructed in 1859; the Commissioner Bungalow in 1860, the Small Causes Court in 1886, (today, the S.D.O. OFFICE), the Tahsil Office & the Main Post Office were built in 1871. The Central Jail, Collectors Office, the Rest House and Cotton Market were also built. During 1896, Shri Dadasaheb Khaparde, Shri Raghunath Narasinha Mudholkar, Sir Moropant Joshi, Shri Pralhad Pant Jog were prominent men in Amravati. The 13th Congress Conference was held at Amravati on 27–29 Dec 1897 due to their efforts. The Municipal A.V. High School was inaugurated at the hands of Shri Subhas Chandra Bose. Amravati housed the head office of Savinay Awagya Andolan (The Civil Disobedience Movement). On 26 April 1930, water was taken from Dahihanda for the famous Namak Satyagrah, Dr. Soman brought sea water from Mumbai for the occasion. About ten thousand people prepared salt under the leadership of Shri Vir Vamanrao Joshi.
Udumbaravati is the ancient name of Amravati. It was due to the presence of a large number of Audumber trees in the region. Umbravati, Umravati& Amravati are derivatives of Udumbaravati. The city grew rapidly at the end of the 18th century due to growth in businesses.
In 1853, the present day territory of Amravati district, as a part of the Berar Province was assigned to the British East India Company, following a treaty with the Nizam of Hyderabad. After the Company took over the administration of the province, it was divided into two districts. The present day territory of the district became part of North Berar district, with headquarters at Buldana. Later, the province was reconstituted and the territory of the present district became part of East Berar district, with headquarters at Amraoti. In 1864, Yavatmal District (initially known as Southeast Berar district and later Wun district) was separated. In 1867, Ellichpur District was separated but in August 1905, when the whole province was reorganised into six districts, it was again merged into the district. It became part of the newly constituted province of Central Provinces and Berar in 1903. In 1956, Amravati district became part of Bombay State and after Bombay states bifurcation in 1960, it became part of Maharashtra state.