Amravati
Encyclopedia
This article is about the city in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

. For ancient town in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

, see Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh
Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh
Amaravathi is a small town situated on the banks of the River Krishna in the Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is famous for its Amareswara temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is one of the famous Pancharamas. Amaravati, also known as Dhanyakataka/Dharanikota was the site of a...

, or for other meanings of the word, see Amaravati (disambiguation).

Amravati (Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...

: अमरावती) is a city in the state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and the seventh most populous metropolitan area in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

. It is also the administrative headquarters of the Amravati district
Amravati district
Amravati district is a district of Maharashtra state in central India. Amravati is the administrative headquarters of the district.The district is situated between 20°32' and 21°46' north latitudes and 76°37' and 78°27' east longitudes. The district occupies an area of 12,235 km²...

. Among the historical landmarks in the city are the temples of Amba, Shri Krishna, and Shri Venkateshwara.

Amravati is also the headquarters of the "Amravati Division
Amravati Division
Amravati division is one of the six administrative divisions of Maharashtra state in India. Amravati and Nagpur divisions constitute the ancient Vidarbha region...

" which is one of the six divisions of the state of Maharashtra (Amravati and Nagpur divisions together form Vidarbha
Vidarbha
Vidarbha is the eastern region of Maharashtra state made up of Nagpur Division and Amravati Division. Its former name is Berar . It occupies 31.6% of total area and holds 21.3% of total population of Maharashtra...

 region). Apart from Amravati district itself, following four districts also come under Amravati Division:
1. Akola
Akola District
Akola is a district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city of Akola is the district headquarters. Akola district forms the central part of Amravati Division, and was a former British Raj Berar Province.Area of the district is 5,431 km²...

, 2. Yavatmal
Yavatmal District
Yavatmal district is a district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is located in the region of Vidarbha, in the east-central part of the state...

, 3. Buldhana
Buldhana district
-Buldhana district is a district in the Amravati division of Maharashtra state in western India. It is situated at the westernmost border of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra and is 500 km from the state capital, Mumbai...

 and 4. Washim
Washim district
Washim is a district in Maharashtra, India. The headquarters is at Washim. The area of the district is 5,150 km².-Demography and Geography:...

.
Amravati Municipal Corporation, established in 1983, is the first Municipal Corporation in India, which has introduced privatization of octroi.

Geography

Amravati is located at 20.93°N 77.75°E. It has an average elevation of 343 metres (1125 feet). It lies 156 km (96.9 mi) west of Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...

, and serves as the administrative center of Amravati District
Amravati district
Amravati district is a district of Maharashtra state in central India. Amravati is the administrative headquarters of the district.The district is situated between 20°32' and 21°46' north latitudes and 76°37' and 78°27' east longitudes. The district occupies an area of 12,235 km²...

 and of Amravati Division
Amravati Division
Amravati division is one of the six administrative divisions of Maharashtra state in India. Amravati and Nagpur divisions constitute the ancient Vidarbha region...

. The town is located near the passes through the hills that separate the cotton-growing regions of the Purna
Purna River
The Purna River is a river of Western India. It runs parallel to the Tapti river and empties in it at Changdev in Jalgaon, Maharashta.-Description:...

 basin to the West and the Wardha
Wardha River
- Origin :Wardha originates at an altitude of 777 meters Satpura Range near Multai in Betul District of Madhya Pradesh.- Course :From the origin it flows 32 km in Madhya pradesh and then enters into Maharastra. After traversing 528 km, it joins Wainganga together called Pranhita, which ultimately...

 basin to the East.

Climate

Amravati has a tropical wet and dry climate with hot, dry summers and mild to cool winters. Summer lasts from March to June, monsoon season from July to October and winter from November to March.

The highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded was 46.7oC on 25 May 1954 and 5.0oC on 9 February 1887 respectively.
Climate Table
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Mean daily maximum temperature (°C
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...

)
29 32 36 40 42 37 31 30 31 33 30 28
Mean daily minimum temperature (°C)MG 15 17 21 25 27 25 23 23 22 20 17 15
Mean total rainfall (mm) 13 16 9 8 13 155 248 173 165 44 21 9
Source: Government of Maharashtra

Demographics

As per provisional reports of census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

,India, population of Amravati in 2011 is 646,801; of which male and female are 330,544 and 316,257 respectively. The sex ratio of Amravati city is 957 per 1000 males.

In education section, total literates in Amravati city are 543,568 of which 284,490 are males while 259,078 are females. Average literacy rate of Amravati city is 93.03 percent of which male and female literacy was 95.52 and 90.44 percent.

Total children (0-6) in Amravati city are 62,497 as per figure from Census India report on 2011. There were 32,713 boys while 29,784 are girls. Child sex ratio of girls is 910 per 1000 boys.

Governance

The current legislative member representing Amravati is Rajendra Shekhawat of the Indian National Congress (INC). He is the son of the current President of India
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...

, Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th President of the Republic of India and first woman to hold the office. She was sworn in as President of India on 25 July 2007, succeeding Dr. A.P.J...

.

The current Member of Parliament for Amravati is Anand Adsul of the Shivsena. The current Amvarati mayor is Kishor Shelke of the Indian Nationalist Congress (NCP), while Sheikh Jafar of the Indian National Congress Party (INC) is the Deputy Mayor.

Amravati is also the hometown of a number of politicians. The current President of India
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...

, Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th President of the Republic of India and first woman to hold the office. She was sworn in as President of India on 25 July 2007, succeeding Dr. A.P.J...

 originated from Amravati. The current Governor of Kerela, R. S. Gavai also came from Amravati. Both have represented the Amravati Lok Sabha constituency in the past.

Amravati Municipal Corporation

The Amravati Municipal Corporation is headed by a Mayor who is assisted by the
Deputy Mayor. Before March 1999 they had an office term of only one year, which has
now been raised to 3 years. They carry out the work through various committees such
as Standing Committee, Law Committee, Education Committee, Women and Child
Welfare Committee, City Development Committee and Four Zonal Committees for the
four zones. Amravati Municipal Corporation was established on 15th August 1983. In
Aug 1983 the area occupied by the Municipal Corporation was 121.65 sq km. The AMC
comprises of area of erstwhile Municipal Council, Amravati, and area of erstwhile
Municipal Council, Badnera along with eighteen revenue villages namely Navsari,
Tarkheda, Shegaon, Rahatgaon, Mhasala, Wadali, Benoda, Jewad, Vadad, Nimbhora
(K), Saturna, Akoli, Waruda, Kasbe, Badnera Mahajanpura, Gambhirpura and Amravati
Peth. Now the total area of the city is 270 Sq. Km of which 181 Sq Km falls under
municipal limits and about 89 Sq Km falls out off the municipal limits.

Culture and Religion

The Temple of Goddess Amba is an example of spiritual architecture in the Vidharbha Region. There's a legend that when Lord Krishna ran away with Goddess Rukhamini from her wedding ceremony, he used a tunnel laying from Ambadevi temple to Koundinyapur (another spiritual place near Amravati). This tunnel is still in existence but is now closed. Many research teams over the years have tried to investigate about the length of the tunnel but all their efforts were in vain.

In Navaratri, there's a fair which goes on for 9 days where people from nearby towns and villages participate and dance Garba/Dandiya until late in the evening. The city is also known for the Sai Temple along with Bhaktidham situated in Sai Nagar and Shree Swami Samarth temple situated in Rahatgaon. Other major Indian festivals like Diwali and Holi are also celebrated with lots of enthusiasm.

Marathi Sahitya Sammelan
Marathi Sahitya Sammelan
Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan is a conference for literary discussions by Marathi writers. Though the conference has sometimes been held in a town outside the Indian state of Maharashtra, it is typically held annually in one of the towns in Maharashtra where Marathi is the mother tongue...

, the conference on Marathi Literature were held twice in Amravati city. It was presided by President of the Conference Keshav Jagannath Purohit
Keshav Jagannath Purohit
Keshav Jagannath Purohit is a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India. He wrote using the pen name Shantaram ....

 in 1989.

The 11th Annual Pakshi Mitra Sammelan was held at Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University
Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University
Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University, named after Sant Gadge Baba, is a public university located at Amravati in the Vidarbha region of the state of Maharashtra, India.- History :...

. It was presided over by bird analyst, Raju Kasambe.

History

Amravati known as Indrapuri the Capital of Lord Indra is famous for its ancient culture. It
is said that Amravati is named for its ancient Ambadevi temple. Udumbaravati was the
ancient name of today’s Amravati. It was due to the presence of ample number of
Audumber trees in the region. The name was further abbreviated as Umbravati,
Umravati & Amravati. The city grown up rapidly at the end of 18
th century due to the growth in businesses. It was one of the richest towns of the area at that time.
The ancient proof of existence of Amravati can get from stone carved inscription on the
base of marble statue of God Adinath (Jain God) Rhishabhnath. This shows that, these
statues were set up here in 1097. Govind Maha Prabhu visited Amravati in 13
th century, at the same time Warhad was under the rule of Deogiri’s Hindu King (Yadav). In 14
th century, there was famine (drought) in Amravati & people abandoned Amravati and left
for Gujrat and Malva. In 1722, Chhatrapati Shahoo Maharaj presented Amravati and
Badnera to Shri Ranoji Bhosle, by the time Amravati was known as Bhosle ki Amravati.
The city was reconstructed and prospered by Ranoji Bhosle after the treaty of Devgaon
and Anjangaon Surji and victory over Gavilgad (Fort of Chikhaldara). The Amravati city
came in to existence at the end of 18th century. Union state of Nijam and Bosale ruled
the Amravati city. From 1859 to 1871, many government buildings were come into
existence, which were built by the Britishers. Railway station was constructed in 1859;
commissioner bungalow in 1860, Small cause court in 1886, (today’s S.D.O. OFFICE),
the Tahsil office & the Main post office were built in 1871. During 1896, Shri Dadasaheb
Khaparde, Shri Ranganath Pant Mudhodker, Sir Moropant Joshi, Shri Pralhad Pant Jog
were the leaders in Amravati. The 13th Congress Conference was held at Amravati on 27-29 Dec’ 1897 due to the efforts of these leaders

Some Another Historical Fact
Amravati, in Sanskrit, literally means ‘abode of immortals’. Amravati was the capital of Berar, which was part of present-day Vidharbha. Berar was part of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka's empire. In 1833, Berar was handed over to the British East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...

. It was divided into two districts, South Berar or Balaghat and North Berar. In 1956, due to the reorganisation of the states, Amravati was transferred from Madhya Pradesh to Bombay state. Later in 1960, with the creation of Maharashtra, Amravati became one of its districts.

India independence freedom fighters such as Rao Bahadur Raghunath Narasinha Mudholkar
Rao Bahadur Raghunath Narasinha Mudholkar
Rao Bahadur Raghunath Narasinha Mudholkar was an Indian politician who served as the President of the Indian National Congress for one term, succeeding Pandit Bishan Narayan Dar. He presided over 27th session of Indian National Congress at Bankipore in 1912.Raghunath Mudholkar was born in Dhulia,...

, Dadasaheb Khaparde, Moropant Vishvanath Joshi
Moropant Vishvanath Joshi
Sir Moropant Vishvanath Joshi KCIE was a leading Barrister of Amravati, Central Provinces and Berar. .In year 1925, the tenure of Moropant Joshi as Home Member from the Central Province was about end...

 came from the city.

In 1897, the Indian National Congress assembled at Amraoti. It was headed by Chettur Sankaran Nair . In a masterly address he referred to the highhandedness of foreign administration, called for reforms and asked for self-government for India with Dominion Status.

Freedom fighter Bhagat Singh was hiding for 3 days in Amravati during his underground tenure and he frequently visited Hanuman Akhada (Gym) during that time. Amravati is also famous for being a land of social activists as well as political icons like Dr. Punjabrao Deshmukh, Mr. Gulabrao Honade, sane and many more.

Saints

  • Shri Sant Gadge Maharaj
    Gadge Maharaj
    Debuji Zhingraji Janorkar , popularly known as Sant Gadge Maharaj or Gadge Baba was a saintly social reformer, a wandering mendicant who held weekly festivals with the help of his disciples across Maharashtra...

  • Rashtra Sant Tukdoji Maharaj
    Tukdoji Maharaj
    Tukdoji Maharaj was a spiritual person from Maharashtra, India.He was born in 1909 in a poor family in the village of Yavali in Amravati District of Maharashtra .He was a disciple of Aadkoji Maharaj....

  • Paramhanse Adkoji Maharaj
  • Shree Sant Gunvant Maharaj Lakhanvadi
  • Sant Gulabrao Maharaj
    Gulabrao Maharaj
    Shri Gulabrao Maharaj was a Hindu saint from Maharashtra, India. Although blind, he was still credited with giving a vision of life to the people. He wrote 130 books in his life of 34 years....

     (Dnyaneshkanya)
  • Shikshan Maharshi Amolrao Khade Maharaj

Freedom Fighters and Patriots

  • Shri. Chandrabhanji Shivramaji Nagpure
  • Shri Ramdayal Ayodhyaprasad Gupta
  • Shri Kunjbihariji Gowardhandsji Kedia(Agrawal) (Sawlapur)
  • Shri Dadasaheb Khaparde
  • Veer Vamanrao Joshi
  • Umarlalji Kedia
  • Rao Bahadur Raghunath Narasinha Mudholkar
  • Barrister Moropant Vishvanath Joshi
    Moropant Vishvanath Joshi
    Sir Moropant Vishvanath Joshi KCIE was a leading Barrister of Amravati, Central Provinces and Berar. .In year 1925, the tenure of Moropant Joshi as Home Member from the Central Province was about end...

  • Mirza Azizullah Baig
  • Shri Sukhdevroji Fogoji Tidke (Krantiveer)

Social and Political Activists

  • Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh
    Panjabrao Deshmukh
    Panjabrao Shamrao Deshmukh famously known as Bhausaheb Deshmukh was a social activist and a farmer's leader in India. He was the Minister of Agriculture in the first cabinet of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1952....

  • Brijlal Biyani
  • Padmashri Dr.Shivajirao Patwardhan
  • Prof. Purushottam Nagpure
  • Barrister Ramrao Madhavrao Deshmukh
    Ramrao Deshmukh
    Ramrao Madhavrao Deshmukh was a prominent political and academic personality from Amravati, Maharashtra. He was one of the very few Barristers from the region at that time.-Political life:...

  • Shri B. T. Deshmukh
  • Shri Milind V. Chimote
  • Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil
    Pratibha Patil
    Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th President of the Republic of India and first woman to hold the office. She was sworn in as President of India on 25 July 2007, succeeding Dr. A.P.J...

  • Shri R.S. Gavai
  • Shrimati Usha Tai Chowdhary
  • Shri. Bablubhau alias Aniruddha Subhanrao Deshmukh
  • Smt. Usha Tai Utane
  • Sanjay Vinayakrao Khodke
  • Sau.Sulabhatai Khodke
  • Dr. Sunil Deshmukh
  • Harshavardhan Pratapsingh Deshmukh
  • Raosaheb Devisijgh Shekhavat
  • Ravikumar Rana
  • Yashomati Thakur

Artists

  • Shri Gopal Nilkanth Dandekar [Famous Marathi writer, born at Paratwada in Amravati Dist.]
  • Shri Suresh Bhat
    Suresh Bhat
    Suresh Bhat was a noted Marathi poet from the state of Maharashtra, India. He was known as Ghazal Samrat for his exposition of the ghazal form of poetry and its adaptation to the Marathi language.-Life:...

     (was popularly known as "Gazal Samrat" or emperor of Gazals)
  • Shri Pradeep Choudhary (Mrular and Painter from J J School of Arts, Mumbai)

Schools

Amravati is served by the following private schools in addition to the public schools operated by Amravati Municipal Corporation.

  • Adarsha Prarthmik Shala
  • Bhawarilal Samra English High School
  • Deepa English Primary School
  • Dnyanmata High School Amravati
    Dnyanmata High School Amravati
    St. Joseph English Primary School and Dnyanmata High School Amravati, Amravati, India, is an educational institute which provides primary and high school education.The school provides primary education from junior KG to fourth standard...

  • DRS Kids School
  • Friends Urdu High School
  • Friends English High School
  • Golden Kids English High School

  • Holy Cross Convent
  • Latebai School
  • Manibai Gujarati High School
  • Mohanlal Samra Primary School
  • Narayan Das Laddha Highschool
  • New High School
  • Pragati Vidyalaya
  • Rajeshwari Vidya Mandir

  • Saraswati Vidyalaya
  • School of Scholars
  • Shri Ganeshdasji Rathi Vidyalaya
  • Shri Ramkrishna Krida Vidyalaya
  • Shri Samarth High School
    Shri Samarth High School Amravati
    Shri Samarth High School is a school in Amravati, Maharashtra.On the entrance there is a big statue of Samarth Ramdas, a prominent Marathi saint who guided Shivaji. The institute was created in their name.-History:...

  • St. Francis High School, Amravati
    St. Francis High School, Amravati
    St. Francis High School is a school in the Central Indian District of Amravati providing language and science education for primary and high schoolers...

  • Takhatmal English High School
  • Vanita Samaj

These schools are affiliated to Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE).

Navodaya Vidyalaya and Abyasa English School follow CBSE pattern of learning. The Management of Abyasa English School has also decided to start an ICSE
Indian Certificate of Secondary Education
The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education or ICSE examination is an examination conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, a private, non-governmental board of school education in India, for class 10, i.e., grade 10...

 affiliated school, which will be known as Amravati Public School. The plan is in its initial stage.

Colleges

At the heart of the city is the oldest and famous government institute known as the Govt. Vidarbha Institute Of Science And Humanities, formerly Vidarbha Mahavidyalaya. It started out as King Edward College. It is the only college serving Amravati with maximum branches for humanities at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. The college has several renowned alumni. The institute has over 500 teaching and non-teaching staff, the maximum in any college under Amravati University.

Renowned educationalist and former Agricultural Minister of India, Dr. Punjabrao Deshmukh is the founder of Vidharbha’s largest Shivaji Education society
Shivaji education Society
Shree Shivaji Education Society is the largest Educational society in Vidarbha. It was established by Dr.Panjabrao Deshmukh at Amrawati. Now this society is one of the largest of its kind in India. This society has arts, commerce, Science colleges, along with a medical college at Amrawati and...

. More than 265 educational institutes operate under the management of Shivaji Education Society, providing great contribution in the field of education especially in rural areas.

Amravati is a major educational center in Central India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Major colleges affiliated to Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University
Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University
Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University, named after Sant Gadge Baba, is a public university located at Amravati in the Vidarbha region of the state of Maharashtra, India.- History :...

 include
  • Government College of Pharmacy
  • Government College of Engineering, Amravati
    Government College of Engineering, Amravati
    The Government College of Engineering, Amravati is one of the oldest engineering colleges in Maharashtra, India. It was started in 1964 by the Maharashtra government. It was initially affiliated to Nagpur University then transferred to Amaravati University and it is now an autonomous institute of...

  • Government Polytechnic Amravati
    Government Polytechnic Amravati
    Government Polytechnic, Amravati is an autonomous institute of government of Maharashtra which is one of the oldest & finest institute established in 1955 located in Gadage Nagar in the city of Amravati.The institute is approved by All India Council for Technical Education, New Delhi & Government...

  • V.Y.W.S.'s Prof. Ram Meghe Institute of Technology & Research
  • Prof Ram Meghe College of Engineering and Management.


New engineering colleges have sprung up in past few years including HVPM's Engg. College and the Sipna College of Engg. and Technology.

Old Amravati

Amravati was once surrounded by four gates: Jawahar Gate, Kholapuri Gate, Nagpuri Gate and Amba Gate. The jewellery market (also known as Sarafa Bazaar) is located inside Jawahar Gate with renowned shops like Mangalam, Gogate Saraf, Soni jewellers, etc. There are mainly two parts inside the Fort wall, Bhaji Bazar and Budhwara, famous for the Ganeshotsava ( Lord Ganesh Festival ). In Bhaji Bazar, two Ganesh Mandal are famous (1) Chhatrapati Shivaji Mandal and (2) Sarvajanik Mandal, In Budhwara, the Famous Mandals are (1) Azad Hind Mandal (2) Nilkanth Mandal, who organize various programs during the 10 days. Also there are famous Temples located in old Amravati (1)Balkrishna temple, Someshwar Temple, Murlidhar and bhrahmachari maharaj Temple (Renewd by Deodia family in 1938), Laxmi Narayan Temple, Jain Shwetamber Temple, Kala Maroti Temple all in Bhaji bazar, (2) Nilkanth Temple, Shri Krishna temple, Ekvira Devi temple, all in Budhwara, Amba Devi and Ekvira Devi temple, Amba Gate

Road

Two wheelers and Amravati Municipal Corporation run city buses are the major form of transport within the city. Auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaw provide are also widely available.

Maharashtra State road transport Corporation (MSRTC) provides transport service for intercity and interstate travel. Many private operators also ply on the highly travelled Amravati - Pune and Amravati - Indore route.

NH6, which runs from Hazira (Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...

) to Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

, passes through Amravati.

Railway

Amravati is situated on the branch line from Badnera
Badnera
Badnera is a part of Amravati district of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra state in India.Badnera is a railway junction on Bhusawal-Badnera railway line of Central Railway...

 on Bhusawal
Bhusawal
Bhusawal or Bhusaval is a city and a municipal council in Jalgaon district in the state of Maharashtra, India.-Geography:Bhusawal is located at . It has an average elevation of 209 metres ....

 - Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...

 section of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

 (CSTM
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus , is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and historic railway station in Mumbai which serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways. Situated in the Bori Bunder area of Mumbai, it was built as a new railway station on the location of the Bori Bunder Station in 1887...

) - Howrah main railway line of Central Railways.

President Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th President of the Republic of India and first woman to hold the office. She was sworn in as President of India on 25 July 2007, succeeding Dr. A.P.J...

 laid the foundation stone for the New Amravati model railway station building on September 7, 2008. Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav
Lalu Prasad Yadav
Lalu Prasad Yadav is an Indian politician from Bihar. He was the Minister of Railways from 2004 to 2009 in the ruling United Progressive Alliance government, and the President of the Rashtriya Janata Dal political party...

 announced the decision to set up a new divisional railway office in Amravati which will be housed in the model railway station building. This will be the sixth divisional railway office of Central Railways, the other five divisions being in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

, Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...

, Solapur
Solapur
Solapur is a city in South Western Maharashtra, India governed by municipal corporation.Solapur is one of the four districts that form the region of Western Maharashtra . It is the fourth largest district in Maharashtra in terms of land area and seventh largest in terms of population...

, Bhusawal
Bhusawal
Bhusawal or Bhusaval is a city and a municipal council in Jalgaon district in the state of Maharashtra, India.-Geography:Bhusawal is located at . It has an average elevation of 209 metres ....

 and Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...

.

Amravati railway station provides multiple shuttle services to Badnera throughout the day. Along with this, following trains originate from here.
  • Amravati - Jabalpur Super Fast Express
    Jabalpur - Amravati Express
    The Jabalpur - Amravati Express is a Mail/Express Train of Indian Railways, which runs between Jabalpur Junction railway station of Jabalpur, the major tourist city of Central Indian state, Madhya Pradesh and Amravati railway station of Maharashtra, India...

  • Amravati - Nagpur Intercity Express
  • Amravati - Mumbai Superfast Express
  • Amravati - Surat Fast Passenger
  • Amravati - Nagpur Passenger
  • Amravati - Bhusaval Passenger

Air

Amravati has an aerodrome at Belora 15 kms off NH-6 towards Akola. Presently it's not used for commercial purposes. It also has a helipad facility.

Growth

Like many other small cities, Amravati is ramping up its infrastructure. New flyovers and roads are being built under the Integrated Road Development Programme (IRDP) of the Government of Maharashtra
Government of Maharashtra
Government of Maharashtra is the government for the state of Maharashtra in Western India.It is an elected government with 288 MLAs elected to the legislative assembly for a 5 year term.-Ministers:...

.

The city is rapidly expanding towards Badnera
Badnera
Badnera is a part of Amravati district of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra state in India.Badnera is a railway junction on Bhusawal-Badnera railway line of Central Railway...

, 10 km to the south, an important railway junction where the branch railway line serving Amravati joins the main Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

 - Bhusawal
Bhusawal
Bhusawal or Bhusaval is a city and a municipal council in Jalgaon district in the state of Maharashtra, India.-Geography:Bhusawal is located at . It has an average elevation of 209 metres ....

 - Wardha
Wardha
Wardha is a city and a municipal council in Wardha district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Wardha district. Wardha gets its name from the Wardha River which flows at the North, West and South boundaries of district. Founded in 1866, the town is now an...

 - Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...

 - Howrah rail route.

Amravati is growing as an industrial center, with cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 mills leading the way. Amravati district is home to Vidarbha Sugar Mills Ltd., Kurha. It is the sole surviving sugar factory in Amravati region.

Indiabulls
Indiabulls
Indiabulls is an Indian company with its presence in the Real Estate, Infrastructure, Financial Services, Securities, Retail, Multiplex and Power sectors....

 is developing a 2640MW Thermal Power Plant at Nandgaon Peth/Sawardi MIDC. Once finished, it will be India's third largest.

Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) plans to make air defense missiles at a proposed site at Nandgaon Peth/Sawardi MIDC.

Communications

Landline services in the city are currently provided by 4 operators, viz. BSNL, Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications Ltd. is an Indian broadband and telecommunications company headquartered in Navi Mumbai, India. RCOM is the world's 16th largest mobile phone operator with over 144 million subscribers. Established on 2004, a subsidiary of the Reliance Group...

, Airtel and Tata Teleservices. WLL
Wireless local loop
Wireless local loop , is a term for the use of a wireless communications link as the "last mile / first mile" connection for delivering plain old telephone service and/or broadband Internet to telecommunications customers....

 services are currently offered by Tata Teleservices, BSNL and Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications Ltd. is an Indian broadband and telecommunications company headquartered in Navi Mumbai, India. RCOM is the world's 16th largest mobile phone operator with over 144 million subscribers. Established on 2004, a subsidiary of the Reliance Group...

. The current GSM mobile operators in the city are namely, Airtel, Tata DoCoMo
Tata DoCoMo
TATA DoCoMo, referred to as DoCoMo , is a Tata Teleservices Limited owned cellular service provider on the GSM and CDMA platform-arising out of the Tata Group's strategic joint venture with Japanese telecom giant NTT Docomo in November 2008...

, Vodafone, Idea Cellular
Idea cellular
Idea Cellular, usually referred to as Idea, is an Indian wireless telecom company based in Mumbai, India. Idea is the 3rd largest mobile services operator in India, in revenue terms, and recorded of over 98.4 million customers as of August 2011....

, BSNL, Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications Ltd. is an Indian broadband and telecommunications company headquartered in Navi Mumbai, India. RCOM is the world's 16th largest mobile phone operator with over 144 million subscribers. Established on 2004, a subsidiary of the Reliance Group...

, Uninor
Uninor
Uninor is a mobile operator in India. The company holds Unified Access Service licences to offer mobile telephony services in each of India’s 22 telecom circles, and has received spectrum to roll out services in 21 of these...

 and Etisalat
Etisalat
Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, branded trade name Etisalat is a UAE based telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa...

. Operators providing CDMA and EVDO services in the city are Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications Ltd. is an Indian broadband and telecommunications company headquartered in Navi Mumbai, India. RCOM is the world's 16th largest mobile phone operator with over 144 million subscribers. Established on 2004, a subsidiary of the Reliance Group...

, MTS, BSNL and Tata Indicom.3G network provider are BSNL 3G & Tata DoCoMo
Tata DoCoMo
TATA DoCoMo, referred to as DoCoMo , is a Tata Teleservices Limited owned cellular service provider on the GSM and CDMA platform-arising out of the Tata Group's strategic joint venture with Japanese telecom giant NTT Docomo in November 2008...

 3G.BSNL and MTS are also providing EVDO coverage on their CDMA network.
In recent years internet penetration in the city has seen enormous growth. Hence, broadband
Broadband
The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...

 internet services are gaining increasing popularity as against the traditional and now obsolete, Dial-up internet service. The current Internet Service Providers in the city are namely, BSNL, Tata Indicom and Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications Ltd. is an Indian broadband and telecommunications company headquartered in Navi Mumbai, India. RCOM is the world's 16th largest mobile phone operator with over 144 million subscribers. Established on 2004, a subsidiary of the Reliance Group...

.
Also AIR FM radio station which is now broadcasting test signals is soon to be working on 101.5 MHz.

Entertainment, Recreation and Retail Infrastructure

Many shopping centers like Big-Bazaar, D-Mart, N-Mart and ITC Choupal Sagar have cropped up in recent years. This has happened as a result of increase in standard of living and due to a drastic increase in the city's Gross domestic product (by purchasing power parity)
Purchasing power parity
In economics, purchasing power parity is a condition between countries where an amount of money has the same purchasing power in different countries. The prices of the goods between the countries would only reflect the exchange rates...

.

Lifestyle brand
Lifestyle brand
A lifestyle brand is a brand that attempts to embody the values and aspirations of a group or culture for purposes of marketing.Each individual has an identity based on their choices, experiences, and background...

s have a retail presence in the city. Additionally other retail brands like Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...

, Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...

, Levi Strauss
Levi Strauss
Levi Strauss was a German-Jewish immigrant to the United States who founded the first company to manufacture blue jeans. His firm, Levi Strauss & Co., began in 1853 in San Francisco, California.-Origins:...

, John Players, Raymond
Raymond Group
Incorporated in 1925, Raymond Group is one of India's largest branded fabric and fashion retailers. It is one of the leading, integrated producers of worsted suiting fabric in the world, with a capacity of producing 31 million meters of wool & wool-blended fabrics.The Group owns apparel brands...

, Titan Watches & Eye-wear
Titan Industries
Titan Industries is the world's fifth largest wrist watch manufacturer and India's leading producer of watches under the Titan, Fastrack, Sonata, Nebula, RAGA, Regalia, Octane & Xylys brand names. It is a joint venture between the Tata Group, and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation...

 operate stores.

The city has many single screen Film theaters
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....

. Multiplexes such as E-orbit (Big Bazar) and Rajesh (Jaistambh) are already operational.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK