The district of Ahmednagar is the largest district of Maharashtra in terms of geographical area by owing 5.66% of the
Maharashtra’s total area. District is named after its founder Ahmed Shah Nizam Shah. The district owes its own historical importance and has witnessed the historical events of Indian history of Freedom for Indpendence. It is the place where national leaders like Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru were prisoned during the freedom movement and he wrote his famous book titled
‘Discovery of India’ in Ahmednagar Jail.
History: About the history of Ahmednagar historical records reveal that the city was established by Ahmed Nizam Shah, after being separated from the Bahmani Sultanate. Bahmani Sultanate was one of the sultanates of Deccan Sultanate. The Deccan Sultanate is considered to be the Union of five Muslim rulers who ruled during the medieval kingdoms of south central India namely Bijapur, Golkonda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar, and Berar. This Deccan came to an end after the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan captured the area in 1636. After Shah Jahan, his son Aurangzeb spent the last year of his life and died at Khuldabad in 1707.
After him the area remained under the possession of Peshwa of Marathas till 1790 after which it handed over to Maratha Chief Daulat Rao Sindhia. It was after it that Ahmednagar was invaded by the British troops. However, Maratha rulers recaptured the throne but in 1817 as the result of the Treaty of Poona it again went in the hands of British rulers.
At the time Ahmednagar came under British rule it was almost in ruined shape. The main reason of this decline were frequent famines and continuous struggle between British troops and freedom fighters. The main mutineers were mostly Kolis and Bhils who were headed by their leader Raghoji Bhangria. He was finally hanged immediately after he was caught in 1847 at Pandharpur.
The city of Ahemdnagar has underseen huge disturbance during the Revolt of 1857. The bhils under the leadership of Bhagoji Naik participated in the revolt against the British. These freedom fighters were active in the hilly of Parner, Jamgao, Rahuri, Kopargaon and Nasik. Unfortunately their efforts did not succeed and finally the area was captured by the British soldier.
The city also witnessed India’s freedom movement since Mahatama Gandhi started Non-Co-operation movement in 1920. During the Quit India Movement when most of prominent Indian leaders for sent into jails. All the eminent leaders like Sardar Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Azad, Subhash Chandra Bose, Dr. Syed Mahmood, were arrested and were put in Jail of Ahmednagar Fort. It was in this fort where Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru wrote his famous book “The Discovery of India”.
Among the regional leaders Rao Saheb Patwardhan kept the movement of India’s freedom alive by staying under ground. The veteran leader of Ahmednagar District Senapati Pandurang was the daring leader and the strict follower of Gandiji’s principal of non-violence. He successfully carried out Mulshi Satyagraha bravely and was put into jail in 1937. He was set free from Jaipur after India achieved in 1947. Another freedom fighter Senapati Bapat was the dare daring fighter who never cared for his life and sacrificed his life for India’s freedom.
After India achieved Independence in 1947, the flag salutation ceremony was held every where through out India. In Ahmednagar the Flag was hosted from Ahmednagar fort by Acharya Narendra Dev who was also prisoned in fort for long time during struggle of freedom.
Geographical Features: The land of Ahmednagar is the multifarious land. Geographically the city is surrounded by Sahyadris hills in the west. The mountain hills are Kalsubai, Adula, Baleshwar and Harishchandragad hill ranges.
Mainly following forms of lands are founded in the region.
1. Western Hilly Region
2. Central Plateau Region
3. The region of northern and southern plains
1. Western Hilly Region : Akole taluka and of Sangamner taluka are included in this region. The hill ranges of Adula, Baleshwar and Harishchandragad lie in this region and various high peaks are found in the same region. Kalsubai with the height of 5427 feet, is the highest peak in the Sahyadris hills.
2. Central Plateau Region : Parner and Ahmednagar talukas and parts of Sangamner, Shrigonde and Karjat talukas are included in this region.
3. The Region of Northern and Southern plains : This region includes northern Kopargaon, Rahata, Shrirampur, Rahuri, Newasa, Shevgaon and Pathardi talukas This is the region of the Godavari and the pravara river basins. Parts of the southern talukas of Shrigonda, Karjat, jamkhed are also included in this physical division. This region covers basins of the Ghod, Bhima and the Sina rivers.
Rivers: The main rivers which traverse within the district are Godaviri and Bhima, the tributary of the Krishna.
The Godavari, crosses the largest part of the district including the tehsils of Kopargaon,Sangamner,Akole,Rahuri, Newasa,Shevgaon the northern half of Parner and parts of Nagar and Jamkhed ,rises near Trimbak in Nashik on the eastern slope of the Sahyadris. It adjoins the rivere Banganga and the Kadva from the north and Darna from the south after crossing the city of Nashik . It then flows south-east through rich alluvial plain past Kopargaon to the town of Puntamba,which is situated on the Nizam’s frontier ,where from the south it receives the combined water of Kat and Khara rivers.
From Puntamba to a point beyond Paithan,a distance of sixty miles ,the godavari forms almost continuously the boundary between Ahmednagar and the Nizam’s dominions. At the village to Toka it receives on its right bank the combined waters of the Pravara and the Mula. A few miles below ,the Shiva and Ganda join it from the left and the Dhora from the right. Two miles east of Mungi the river enters the Nizam’s dominions, and hence, flowing across the peninsula ,it empties itself into the bay of Bangal after the total course of 900 miles.
The Bhima river flows through out the whole of the southern portion of the district ,comprising the greater part of the Parner and Nagar subdivisions,the whole Shrigonda and Karjat ,and nearly the whole of Jamkhed.
District Statistics
Geographical Status
|
SrNo
|
Item
|
Unit
|
District
|
State
|
|
A)
|
Geographical Location
|
|
|
|
1. North Latitude
|
Degree
|
18.2 to 19.9
|
16.4 to 22.1
|
|
|
2. East Longitude
|
Degree
|
73.9 to 75.5
|
72.6 to 80.9
|
|
B)
|
Climate
|
|
|
|
Temperature
|
|
|
1. Minimum
|
Degree Celsius
|
19.92(2001)
|
5.6
|
|
|
2. Maximum
|
Degree Celsius
|
36.38(2001)
|
45.9
|
|
|
3. Rainfall(Average) (1995)
|
mm
|
566
|
1628.00
|
|
C)
|
Administrative Divisions(2002-2003)
|
|
|
|
1. Tahsil
|
Number
|
14
|
353
|
|
|
2. Panchayat Samities
|
Number
|
14
|
347
|
|
|
3. Scarcity (Tahsils) Talukas
|
Number
|
14
|
N.A.
|
|
|
4. Integrated Rural Development Project Blocks
|
Number
|
14
|
N.A.
|
|
|
5. Town (as per 2001Census)
|
Number
|
18
|
378
|
|
|
6. Villages(as per 2001Census)
|
Number
|
1581
|
43711
|
|
|
1. Desert
|
Number
|
2
|
2616
|
|
|
2. Habitated
|
Number
|
1579
|
41095
|
|
|
7. Area
|
Sq. KM.
|
17412
|
307583
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Administrative institutes(2003-04)
|
SrNo
|
Item
|
Unit
|
District
|
State
|
|
1.
|
Panchayat Samities
|
Number
|
14
|
349
|
|
2
|
Municipal Corporation
|
Number
|
1
|
22
|
|
3
|
Nagarparishad (Excluding Nagar Panchayat)
|
Number
|
8
|
222
|
|
4
|
Nagar Panchayat
|
Number
|
1
|
|
|
5
|
Cantonment Board
|
Number
|
1
|
7
|
|
6
|
Gram Panchayat
|
Number
|
1310
|
27949
|
|
7
|
Police Stations(31.12.2003)
|
Number
|
24
|
926
|
|
8
|
Police Outposts (31.12.03)
|
Number
|
38
|
1769
|
Population as per census 2001
|
SrNo
|
Item
|
Unit
|
District
|
State
|
|
1
|
Rural Population
|
“000”
|
3284
|
55778
|
|
2
|
Urban Population
|
“000”
|
804
|
41101
|
|
3
|
Total Population
|
“000”
|
4088
|
96879
|
|
4
|
Schedule Caste Population 2001
|
“000”
|
485
|
9881
|
|
5
|
Schedule Caste Percentage
|
Percentage
|
12
|
10.20
|
|
6
|
Schedule Tribe population 2001
|
Numeric “000”
|
303
|
8577
|
|
7
|
Schedule Tribe Percentage
|
Percentage
|
7.5
|
8.9
|
|
8
|
Total Population Percentage
|
|
|
|
|
9
|
Male
|
Numeric “000”
|
2106
|
50401
|
|
9
|
Female
|
Numeric “000”
|
1982
|
46478
|
|
10
|
Ratio Male/Female (Behind 1000 Male)
|
|
941
|
922
|
|
11
|
Density (per Sq. km Area)
|
Population
|
235
|
315
|
|
12
|
Literacy (as per census 2001)
|
|
|
|
1.Total
|
Percentage
|
75.82
|
76.90
|
|
|
2.Male
|
Percentage
|
86.21
|
86.00
|
|
|
3.Female
|
Percentage
|
64.88
|
67.00
|
Connectivity: Ahmednagar town is well connected by rail and road. The distances from nearby cities to Ahmednagar are given below.
- Malegaon: 181.5 kms.
- Manmad: 144.9 kms.
- Mumbai: 279.5 kms.
- Nashik: 173.4 kms.
- Pune: 120 kms.
- Solapur: 230.6 kms.
- Surat: 432.8 kms.
- Thane: 247.8 kms.
For more information about Ahmednagar click here