Udgir

Udgir
उदगीर
city
Udgir

Location in Maharashtra, India

Coordinates: 18°23′46″N 77°07′03″E / 18.39611°N 77.11750°ECoordinates: 18°23′46″N 77°07′03″E / 18.39611°N 77.11750°E
Country  India
State Maharashtra
District Latur
Taluka Udgir
Elevation 632 m (2,073 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 91,933
Languages
 • Official Marathi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 413517
Telephone code 02385
Lok Sabha constituency Latur
Vidhan Sabha constituency Udgir[2]
Website latur.nic.in

Udgir is a city with a municipal council in Latur District in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is located in the Marathwada division of the state.(one of the divisions of Maharashtra state based on geographical conditions) [3] It is also the headquarters for the Udgir subdivision and Udgir Taluka. It is located very near to Karnataka Border. The town is famous for its agricultural production, education and the historical Udgir Fort.

Demographics

Population of this town is 2,00,111 according to 2014 census data of which 100,148 are males and 99,963 are females. From 2001 to 2014 the population of Udgir saw an increase of 27.98%.[3] Literacy increased from 74.21% in 2001 to 85.78% in 2011.[3] Udgir has an average literacy rate of 85.78%, which is higher than the national average percentage: male literacy is 91.59%, and female literacy is 79.43%. According to the 2011 census, Udgir has 13% population under 6 years of age.[4] The main source of income resides agriculture and small scale industries. This town is popular for its inventory in grain materials which is the result of high grain crop production in nearby 214 villages including majors like Belshakarga, Dhondi Hipparga, Dongarshelki, Halli, Handarguli, Manjari, Mogha, Nideban, Pimpri, Rawangaon, Shekapur, Shelhal, Somnathpur, Tadlapur, Takali (udgir), Tiwatgyal, Togari, Tondar, Tondchir, Wagdari, Yenki,Loni.

History

The Mughal Army of Shah Jahan capture Udgir.

Udgir has a great historical significance. It has witnessed the war between the Maratha's and the Nizam's of Hyderabad which took place in 1761. The Maratha's led by Sadashivrao Bhau defeated the Nizam and the treaty of Udgir was signed. The fort of Udgir stands in all its glory speaking volumes about the Indian history and Indian culture. The fort is bounded by a 40-foot-deep trench as the fort is built at the ground level. In the fort are several palaces called Durbar halls and most importantly the Samadhi of Udagir Maharaj, which is 60 feet below the normal ground level. This is a place of great importance for the people of this region.

The Udgir city has a glorious historical background and is known for the well built fort from pre-Bahamani age. It is also famous for the historic between Marathas and the Nizam, led by Sadashivrao Bhau who defeated Nizam in 1759 when the treaty of Udgir was signed. Marathas got a convincing victory in the battle of Udgir under the able leadership of brave warrior Sadashivrao Bhau. Later it prompted Peshwe (Peshwas) of Pune to promote/elevate and designate him as Chief Commander of the Maratha Army for the Third Battle of Panipat fought in 1761. Nevertheless it was part of Nizam until 1948 and State of Hyderabad between 1948 and 1956 before annexing to Bombay State with entire Marathwada.

Udgir Fort

Udgir Fort

The fort of Udgir still stands in all its glory, speaking volumes about the Indian history and Indian culture. The fort is bounded by a 40-foot-deep trench, as the fort is built at the ground level. In the fort are several palaces Durbar halls and the Samadhi of Udaygiri Maharaj which is 60 feet below ground level. Udgir was named after the famous Hindu Saint Udagir Rushi. This is a place of worship and faith for the people of the region.

It is believed that the Udgir fort has a direct deep underground soorang (tunnel) connection with Bhalki and the Bidar Forts.

About the town

Situated in South East Maharashtra, the town has achieved remarkable development in various fields like administration, transport, agriculture, education, health, hospitality and entertainment.

The town is an important commercial center for nearby villages. The cattle market of Udgir is known mainly on account of the Deoni breed of oxen, which is not only a merely graceful herbivore but an equally efficient friend of the farmer.

The main occupation of about the people of Udgir is agriculture. Agriculture here is the best source of income because of vast agricultural land and sufficient water availability. The soil and vegetation of Udgir are related to the climate and the geology. The soil as a part of Deccan plateau is made up of black basalt soil. This type of soil is rich in humus. It is best suitable for cultivation of cotton. The main source of water is being monsoon rains and other private water sources. The main crops that are cultivated are whole grains including jowar, bajri, wheat, sorghum, mung, tur, urad gram, soyabeans, sugarcane, onions and other green leafy vegetables. With introduction of new and efficient machinery and agricultural equipments the production of farming is increased with increased quality of food grains.

Industries and Trade

The main occupation of about the people of Udgir is agriculture so agri based business like pulses (Dal) industry, warehouses, cold storage, sugar factories are running in well sound

It has around 80 dal (mils) processing units.

Education

Udgir is famous in Latur District for its primary school education. It has many good primary and secondary schools, and many higher studies institutes and some other colleges.

List of important schools:

  • Al-ameen High School, and Junior College, Udgir
  • Al-ameen Primary School , Udgir
  • Baghirath High-school,Udgir
  • Vidya Vardhini High School, Udgir
  • Vidya Vardhini English School, Udgir
  • Lal Bahadur Shastri Vidyalaya High School, Udgir
  • Deccan High School, Udgir
  • Jamhoor High School, Udgir
  • Dr. Syed Mohammed Memorial Primary School, Udgir
  • Shymlal Smarak Vidyalaya High School, Udgir
  • Sangram Smarak Vidyalaya, Udgir
  • Rajarshi Shahu Vidyalaya, Udgir
  • Gnanodaya High School, Udgir
  • Bright Star High School,Udgir
Zila Parishad (boys) High School, Udgir

List of important colleges :

  • Government College of Dairy Technology, Udgir
  • Shivaji Mahavidyalay, Udgir
  • Maharashtra Udaygiri College, Udgir
  • Swami Vivekanand College of Information & Technology, Udgir
  • Government Veterinary and Animal Husbandry College, Udgir
  • Dhanvantari Ayurvedic College, Udgir
  • Maharashtra Udaygiri College of Engineering & Management, Udgir
  • Rajiv Gandhi Polytechnic College, Udgir
  • LalBahadur Shastri College of Polytechnic, Udgir
  • Hawgiswamy College of Arts, Science & Commerce, Udgir

Hotels and Lodging

List of Hotels and Lodging :

Transportation

Udgir is well connected with rest of India mainly by Roads and Railways.

Railways : Direct trains are available to Udgir from Hyderabad, Aurangabad, Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, Latur, Nanded, Osmanabad, Kakinada and Tirupati. Udgir falls under the divisional headquarters of South Central Railway.

Roadways : Udgir is 590 kilometers east of Mumbai (the state capital) by road. A 7-hour drive from Aurangabad, 8 hours from Pune and 4 hours from Hyderabad. Maharashtra State bus services operate day and night in and out of Udgir, providing easy overnight connectivity with almost every major city in Maharashtra and nearby states.

Airways : Nearest domestic airport is at Latur(65 km)from Udgir and another airport is at Nanded(120 km), from where daily flights for state capital Mumbai are available. Nearest international and also another domestic airport to Udgir is at Hyderabad (210 kilometers).

Agriculture

The main occupation of about the people of Udgir is agriculture. Agriculture here is the best source of income because of vast agricultural land and sufficient water availability. The soil and vegetation of Udgir are related to the climate and the geology. The soil as a part of Deccan plateau is made up of black basalt soil. This type of soil is rich in humus. It is best suitable for cultivation of cotton. The main source of water is being monsoon rains and other private water sources. The main crops that are cultivated are whole grains including jowar, bajri, wheat, sorghum, mung, tur, urad gram, soyabeans, sugarcane, onions and other green leafy vegetables. With introduction of new and efficient machinery and agricultural equipments the production of farming is increased with increased quality of food grains.

A vast agriculture land is situated in and around Udgir in different villages. Cattle bred here are buffalo, cow, oxen, poultry, sheep, etc. As availability of plenty of milk and milk products a milk dairy was established in the early 1980s and soared a high in milk and milk products production. The dairy also emerged as an employment resource. Due to gradually low production, the dairy has a standstill nowadays.

Udgir is a good consumer market for vegetables and fruits due to its local vendors, i.e. Easy availability from nearby farms.

Entertainment

The cinema halls in town are:

Logistics in Udgir

List of Logistics and Transports :

Banking in Udgir

References

  1. ↑ http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf
  2. ↑ "Assembly Constituencies-Post delimitation: Maharashtra: Latur District" (PDF). National Informatics Centre, Government of India.
  3. ↑ Udgīr (Approved) at GEOnet Names Server, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
  4. ↑ "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.

External links