Kamthi

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?Kamthi Maharashtra • India
Kamthi
Coordinates: 21°13′60″N 79°12′00″E / 21.2333, 79.2
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 269 m (883 ft)
District(s)	Nagpur
Population	84,340 (2001)
Codes • Telephone • Vehicle	• ++91-7109 • MH 40

Coordinates: 21°13′60″N 79°12′00″E / 21.2333, 79.2 Kamthi (previously spelled Kamptee) is a city and a municipal council in Nagpur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is just below the confluence of the Kanhan River with the rivers Pench and Kolar; 10 m. N.E. of Nagpur by rail. The town is well laid out with wide roads, gardens and tanks.

1 Past and present
2 Religion
3 Education
4 Industry
5 Military History
6 Demographics
7 References

[edit] Past and present

Kampthi was founded in 1821 when the British established a military cantonment on the banks of the Kanhan River just below the confluence with the Pench and Kolar rivers. The town quickly became an important center for trade, however with the arrival of the railway in the late 19th century this importance dwindled as trade was diverted to the nearby city of Nagpur, the local native capital. Population was approximately 38,888 in 1901, showing a continuous decrease since 1881.

Today Kamptee is an outer suburb of Nagpur just 17 km NE from the city centre, it has an area of 40,706 hectares and a population, according to the 1991 census of 73,701. The town has three cinemas, two thriving markets, Gujari market and Sindhi market both over 100 years old. There are two long bridges over the Kanhan river .One is a typical railway bridge of steel girder construction with tall concrete piers, the other, much older, is a road viaduct with 12 masonry semi-elliptical arches supported on tall substantial masonry piers. Kamptee is developing into a cosmopolitan town, slowly shedding it's rural background and becoming very much a part of metro Nagpur.

[edit] Religion

Buddhist Temple in Kamptee

Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs are well represented in Kampthi, with Hindus and Muslims being the majority. The religions are well represented with the NCI's Christ Church founded in 1833. There is the famous temple Ram-Mandir built in the 19th century. There is a Roman Catholic establishment of the Order of St. Francis de Sales, with a church and convent, several mosques, the Badi Masjid mosque being 130 years old and the Kolsatal Mosque being 100 years old. The Buddhists have the Dragon Palace Temple, symbol of world peace, built in 1999.

[edit] Education

There are 94 Angawadi or pre-primary schools, 80 Government aided primary schools but only one Government funded high school. There are two tertiary colleges in Kamptee, the Seth Kesrimal Porwal College, established in 1965 with faculties of Science, Commerce and the Arts and the Smt Kishoritai Bhoyar College of Pharmacy.and very famous institute like a kamptee polytechnic,which is situated behind the railway station.

[edit] Industry

Kamptee is a developing industrial centre. Khandelwal Ferro Alloys Industry is a major steel producer employing many workers. There are many bidi (a kind of cigarette) factories. Nearby are the Kanhan Coal Mines exploiting natural mineral resources.

Map of Nagpur district with major towns(including Kamthi) and rivers.

[edit] Military History

The 'raison d'etre' for Kamptee , the military cantonment, is still operational. Kamptee Cantonment houses Officers training Academy for National Nadets Corps, which is only one of its kind. It is also the home of one of the oldest and most respected regiment in the Indian Army the Brigade of the Guards. Guards are the only group in the Indian Army which has won two PVC (Param Veer Chakra) highest gallantry awarded to soldier for war time operations. There are other important units also such as Institute of Military Law and a well equipped military hospital to care for the health of the soldiers.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^[1], Kamptee had a population of 84,340. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Kamptee has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 72%. In Kamptee, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.