Gadchiroli

Gadchiroli
city
Nickname(s): Green city or Queen of Forest
Gadchiroli Location in Maharashtra, India
Coordinates: 20°06′N 80°00′E / 20.10°N 80.0°E / 20.10; 80.0Coordinates: 20°06′N 80°00′E / 20.10°N 80.0°E / 20.10; 80.0
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Gadchiroli
Government
• Body	municipal council
Languages
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Vehicle registration	MH-33
Nearest city	Nagpur, Brahmapuri

Gadchiroli  pronunciation (help·info)(Marathi: गडचिरोली) is a town and a municipal council in Gadchiroli district in the state of Maharashtra, central India.It is located at eastern side of maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of the district. Main river flown through city is the Vainganga. It is green lush in Monsoon season (July to September) but also prone to flooding. Gadchiroli is known for its forest. 'Teak' is grown commercially and Bamboos are used for various crafts.

Geography

Gadchiroli is located at 20°06′N 80°00′E / 20.10°N 80.0°E / 20.10; 80.0.^[1] It has an average elevation of 217 metres (715 feet). Gadchiroli District is one of the biggest in Maharashtra in terms of area. The main languages spoken are Marathi, Hindi, Gondi, Madiya and Telugu. Also it is considered to be beautiful during the monsoon season. It is surrounded by a teak wood forest. People celebrate many indigenous festivals. Literacy rate is improving with increasing educational facilities.

Climate

As it is located at centre of Indian peninsula far from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, Gadchiroli has a tropical wet and dry climate with dry conditions prevailing for most of the year. It receives an annual rainfall of about 1000 mm from monsoon rains during June to September. Summers are extremely hot lasting from March to June, with maximum temperatures occurring in May.

History

Gadchiroli tehsil was created in 1905 by transfer of zamindari istate from Brahmapuri and Chandrapur tahsil. Gadchiroli district was created on August 26, 1982 by bifurcating the Chandrapur district in the place of Brahmapuri, which is part of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. In ancient times the region was ruled by the Rashtrakutas, the Chalukyas, the Yadavas of Deogiri and later the Gonds of Gadchiroli. In the 13th century Khandkya Ballal Shah founded Chandrapur. He shifted his capital from Sirpur to Chandrapur. Chandrapur subsequently came under Maratha rule. In 1853, Berar, of which Chandrapur (then called Chanda until 1964) was part, was ceded to the British East India Company. In 1854, Chandrapur became an independent district of Berar. In 1905, the British created the tehsil of Gadchiroli by transfer of zamindari istate from Chandrapur and Brahmapuri. It was part of the Central Provinces till 1956, when with the reorganisation of the states, Chandrapur was transferred to Bombay state. In 1960, when the new state of Maharashtra was created, Chandrapur became a district of the state. In 1982 Chandrapur was divided, with Gadchiroli becoming an independent district in the place of Brahmapuri. Naxalism is highly prevalent in Gadchiroli and subsequently has been highlighted as part of the Red Corridor, used to describe areas in India that are plagued by Naxalites.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[2] Gadchiroli had a population of 42,464. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Gadchiroli has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 67%. In Gadchiroli, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Education facilities

University

• Gondwana University

High Schools

Rampuri Primary School

• Shri. Shivaji High School,Gadchiroli
• Z.P. High School,Gadchiroli
• Carmel High School
• Platinum Jubilee High School
• Vasant Vidyalaya high School
• Rani Durgavati High School & Junior College
• Netaji Subhash Chandra Jr. College, Sundernagar
• Indira Gandhi Memoriyal High School & Junior college SUBHASHGRAM

Junior colleges

• Z.P.Junior Science College
• Shivaji Junior Science College
• Govt ITI complex gadchiroli

Senior (Degree) colleges

• Shivaji Science college Gadchiroli
• Mahila Mahavidyalaya , gadchiroliu
• Government Science College, Gadchiroli
• Government Polytechnic, Gadchiroli
• Government Agriculture college ,Sonapur complex Gadchiroli
• Model college Gadchiroli
• Namdeorao Poreddiwar College Of Engineering And Technology [Website^[3]]

University

• Gondwana University

All the degree colleges are now affiliated to recently established Gondwana University gadchiroli^[4]

• Gondwana University:Government of Maharashtra had established Gondwana university , bifurcating RTM Nagpur university, supposed to be the major revolution in education for the tribal youth in district.

Places to visit in town

Semana:- Hanuman Temple which about 4 km from center of town (Gandhi Chowk) Hemalkasa Situated in Bhamragarh Block (east side of dist) 186 km from Gadchiroli.

• Allapalli is the centre place of district. known as Teak City of District all forest offices and forest administration are governed from Allapalli is the main marketline of central District, educational and other resources are available in this place.
• Markhanda - The temple dedicated to Lord Shiva on the banks of Wainganaga. There is a big fair on Mahashivratri
• BILT (Ashti) - An unit of Ballarpur Paper Mills is located on Allapali - Chandrapur highway.
• Gadchiroli lake : It is located at centre of the city.
• Vairagad Fort : Built by the Gond kings, the fort was meant to be the former residence of the ruling kings and protect it from enemy attacks.
• Chaprala Wildlife Sanctuary : About 80 km from district centre.
• Five Carved Stones : The Five Carved Stone is situated at Pachpande, a sacred place near Gadchiroli town. The structure is about a kilometer north of Vairagad which makes the Five carved stones the major interest here. It is believed that the Pandava brothers had stayed here during their exile.
• Bhandareshwar : Bhandareshwar Temple is an ancient temple situated to the west of Vairagad village near Gadchiroli in Maharashtra. It lies high on a mound, at the confluence of Khobragadi and Vainlochna rivers. The presiding deity here is Lord Shiva.

This shrine is a very good example of quality architecture and the walls are carved and are believed to be of the period of Hemadpanth. People throng here from far and near. The temple has a natural echo system.

• Adishakti Temple : Adishakti Devi Temple is situated at Vairagad near Gadchiroli town. The temple enshrines the idol of Adishakti Devi, found during the excavation conducted in 1986. The idol has four hands and is an example of the excellent quality of carvings undertaken by the sculptors of the erstwhile era. Devotees throng the place throughout the year.

Transport

Gadchiroli is well connected with Chandrapur, Nagpur, Bhandara and Gondia. Gadchiroli has no rail route traversing it, except the only route that passes through Vadsa (Desaiganj) . Roads are being repaired due to latest Naxilite insurgency.

Politics

Currently, the M.P. of Gadchiroli-Chimur constituency is Mr. Marotrao Sainuji Kowase.^[5] The other M.L.A. from different constituencies within Gadchiroli are:

• Aheri - Mr. Atram Dipak Mallaji
• Gadchiroli - Mr. Namdevrao Usendi
• Armori - Mr. Anandrao Gedam

References