Karanja Lad
| Karanja Lad कारंजा लाड | |
|---|---|
| city | |
  Karanja Lad Location in Maharashtra, India | |
| Coordinates: 20°29′00″N 77°29′00″E / 20.4833°N 77.4833°ECoordinates: 20°29′00″N 77°29′00″E / 20.4833°N 77.4833°E | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | Maharashtra |
| District | Washim |
| Elevation | 400 m (1,300 ft) |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 60,158 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Marathi |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 444105 |
| Telephone code | 91-7256 |
| Vehicle registration | MH37 (Washim District) |
Karanja or Karanja Lad is a city and a municipal council in Washim district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Karanja is also known as Karanja Lad and mainly referred to as such. The town is named after Saint Karanj. Karanja is a holy place for Hindus, Muslims and Jains. It is the birthplace of Shri Nrusimha Saraswati Swami Maharaj, believed to be the 2nd incarnation of Lord Dattatreya.
There is a large lake in Karanja Lad, known as "Rishi Talao". The town was looted twice by the famous Maratha sardar Prataprao Gujar on the order of the then sole sovereign Hindu King, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Karanja was ruled by Nawab Subhan Khan, whose "mahal" is currently used as a Municipal Council Office. His Godowns is used as the Karanja police station. He has built a lot of structures around Karanja Lad. He constructed a wall and four doors around Karanja, namely the Delhi Gate, the Darwha Gate, the Mangrul Gate and the Poha Gate. His name and period of ruling is embossed on the Municipal Office, all gates and all structures erected by him. He had also built a Big Mosque in the Astana Area of Karanja Lad. The "Nawab Subhan Khan Masjid" mosque is named after him.
Places of interest
Temples
Karanja Lad is famous for its Nrusimha Saraswati Swami Maharaj temple. Shri Nrusimha Saraswati Gurumaharaj is the 2nd avatar (incarnation) of Lord Dattatreya. Born in Karanja, He travelled far and wide in what are now known as the States of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. He achieved Sainthood and performed several miracles. He imparted spiritual knowledge to his disciples, many of whom themselves attained Sainthood. The Gurumandir Temple conducts several major events to celebrate the various avatars of Lord Dattatreya. Over the past 70 years, Gurumandir has become a nucleus for religious and social welfare activities in the North Maharashtra (Vidarbha) region.
Other old temples are Vitthal mandir, Chote Ram mandir and as well as famous "Kannao Ram mandir". Each year Ramnavami and other Hindu religious activities are performed in these temples.
Jain temples
There are four major Digambar Jain temples in Karanja. The Kastha Sangh temple has extraordinary wooden carvings dating back to at least 14th century. The Saingan temple has a "pat" (scroll) painting depicting the Panchkalyanak ceremonies of Jain Tirthankars. This scroll is painted in the Rajasthani style and is around 800 years old. Balatkar Gana temple has a collection of rare manuscripts. Karanja is known as the "kashi" of Jainism. Also famous is the "Mahaveer Brahmacharyashram" or Gurukul. This place is the site of first Gurukul founded by Acharya Shri 108 Samantabhadra. The gurukul has a beautiful Jain temple and hostel and education facilities.
Mosques
Karanja Lad is also famous for its mosques. There are as many as 50 mosques in Karanja. The more famous are the Nagina Masjid, Jaama Masjid, Nawab Subhan Khan Masjid, Gawli Pura Masjid, Mangalwara Masjid and Daipura Masjid. Karanja is also known for the Bibi Sahab Dargah, Dulha Rahman Dargha and Lal Imam shah Dargha near jama Masjid.
Kannao Mansion
Kannao mansion is built in 1905 and each year several people visit the mansion. It is built using Italian/French architecture. It was also featured in marathi channel.[1]
Climate
Karanja is normally hot but the wells usually have water all year round. Karanja receives an average of 33 inches of rainfall during the monsoon season.
Geography
Karanja is located at 20°48′33″N 77°48′33″E / 20.80917°N 77.80917°E.[2] It has an average elevation of 422 metres (1387 feet). The Adan River flows near Karanja city. It is an important source of domestic water supply to the city. There are three lakes situated in the city, the Rishi Talaw, the Sarang Talaw and the Chandra Talaw.
Demographics
As of the 2001 Indian census, Karanja had a population of 60,158. Males made up 52% of the population and females 48%. Karanja has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy rate is 78%, and female literacy is 67%.[3]
Fruit Cultivation and Marketing
Karanja Lad is famous for Papaya and Oranges. Karanja is main center for supply of papaya in Maharashtra. Papaya is supplied across north India (Haryana, Utter Pradesh, Jammu, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, etc.) and Nepal from here.
Politics
Hindu, Jain and Muslim communities are actively involved in the municipal politics of Karanja. All communities coexist peacefully and with respect for each other's religious sentiments.Prakash Dahake used to be considered as the most powerful politician from Karanja. He was the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Karanja (Vidhan Sabha constituency).Currently after 2014 state elections Rajendra Patni was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Karanja (Vidhan Sabha constituency). Mrs Nisha Goleccha is now the president of the municipal council.
References
- ↑ <http://www.zeemarathi.com
- ↑ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Karanja
- ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.