Junnar (जुन्नर) is a city with thousands of years of history in the
Pune districtPune District is situated in Maharashtra state of India. Pune city is the district headquarters. In the last census on 2001, the total population of the district was 7,232,555. Urban population comprises 58.08% of the total population...
of the
IndiaIndia, 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, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
n
stateIndia is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.- States and territories :...
of
MaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's third largest state by area and second largest by population....
. It is a taluka headquarter. Situated at the base of the Sahyadri mountains, it is around 100 km east of
MumbaiMumbai, formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city proper is the most-populous in the world, with approximately 14 million inhabitants. Along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, it forms the world's 4th largest urban agglomeration, with around...
and 94 km north of
PunePune , formerly known as Punawadi or Punya-Nagari or Poona, is the eighth largest city in India, and the second largest in the state of Maharashtra, after Mumbai...
. Also located near this city are
Shivneri FortShivneri Fort is a historic military fortification located near Junnar which is around 105 km from Pune, a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra...
, birthplace of
Chhatrapati ShivajiShivaji Raje Bhosle , popularly known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj laid the foundations of the Maratha Empire. Shivaji Maharaj was younger of the two sons of Shahaji Bhosle and Jijabai...
Raje, the famous
Maratha Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste or to the Maratha and Kunbi castes together; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people; historically, it describes the Maratha empire...
king,
LenyadriLenyadri is an Ashtavinayak temple located on the northwest bank of the River Kukadi in the state of Maharashtra in India. The temple is the only Ashtavinayak temple situated on a mountain, and the temple is also in the vicinity of Buddhist caves.-Legend:...
(girijatmak) and Ozar (vighnaher) both are from
AshtavinayakAshtavinayaka literally means "eight Ganeshas" in Sanskrit. Ganesha is the Hindu deity of prosperity and learning. The term refers to a pilgrimage to the eight Hindu temples in Maharashtra state of India that house eight distinct idols of Ganesha, in a pre-ascertained sequence.The Ashtavinayaka...
as.
Junnar (जुन्नर) is a city with thousands of years of history in the
Pune districtPune District is situated in Maharashtra state of India. Pune city is the district headquarters. In the last census on 2001, the total population of the district was 7,232,555. Urban population comprises 58.08% of the total population...
of the
IndiaIndia, 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, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
n
stateIndia is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.- States and territories :...
of
MaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's third largest state by area and second largest by population....
. It is a taluka headquarter. Situated at the base of the Sahyadri mountains, it is around 100 km east of
MumbaiMumbai, formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city proper is the most-populous in the world, with approximately 14 million inhabitants. Along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, it forms the world's 4th largest urban agglomeration, with around...
and 94 km north of
PunePune , formerly known as Punawadi or Punya-Nagari or Poona, is the eighth largest city in India, and the second largest in the state of Maharashtra, after Mumbai...
. Also located near this city are
Shivneri FortShivneri Fort is a historic military fortification located near Junnar which is around 105 km from Pune, a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra...
, birthplace of
Chhatrapati ShivajiShivaji Raje Bhosle , popularly known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj laid the foundations of the Maratha Empire. Shivaji Maharaj was younger of the two sons of Shahaji Bhosle and Jijabai...
Raje, the famous
Maratha Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste or to the Maratha and Kunbi castes together; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people; historically, it describes the Maratha empire...
king,
LenyadriLenyadri is an Ashtavinayak temple located on the northwest bank of the River Kukadi in the state of Maharashtra in India. The temple is the only Ashtavinayak temple situated on a mountain, and the temple is also in the vicinity of Buddhist caves.-Legend:...
(girijatmak) and Ozar (vighnaher) both are from
AshtavinayakAshtavinayaka literally means "eight Ganeshas" in Sanskrit. Ganesha is the Hindu deity of prosperity and learning. The term refers to a pilgrimage to the eight Hindu temples in Maharashtra state of India that house eight distinct idols of Ganesha, in a pre-ascertained sequence.The Ashtavinayaka...
as. The land surrounding Junnar is very fertile and the main crops harvested are rice, wheat, and sugarcane. The town also holds a weekly market for fruit and vegetables on Sundays. Junnar is also famous for its Ganesh decorations during the Ganesh festival, being sometimes compared with the decorations in Pune and Mumbai during the festival. Junnar taluka in Maharahtra has the largest density of leopard population within a 500 km² area. It also holds the record for the largest number of leopards trapped within that range ever. Junnar is also surrounded by much greenery and dams, such as Vadaj and Manikdoh, common picnicking locations. Also present are the ancient
NaneghatNaneghat is a mountain pass in the Western Ghats range near Junnar in Pune district of Maharashtra, India. During the reign of the Satavahana , the pass was extensively used as a trade route between Kalyan and Junnar. Literally, the name nane means "coin" and ghat means "pass"...
caves.
Junnar has attained prominence as early as 90 B.C when king Vedishri son of the Satavahana king Satakarni, the "Lord of Dakshinapatha, wielder of the unchecked wheel of Sovereignty" made Junnar the capital of his kingdom.
State Transport buses run between Pune and Junnar from Shivajinagar ST stand. from 0630 every hour.
Geography
Junnar is located at . It has an average elevation of 689 metres (2260 feet).
Demographics
India
censusA "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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
, Junnar had a population of 24,740. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Junnar has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 72%. In Junnar, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Schools and colleges
Junnar has excellent
schoolA school , is an institution designed to allow and encourage students to learn, under the supervision of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s with top class facilities for studiesas well as extra curricular activities.
Considering the need of the huge
populationIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings. Individuals within a population share a factor may be reduced by statistical means, but such a generalization may be too vague to imply anything...
of about 55 thousand, need was felt to start a school for the Hearing and Speech Impaired. In 1985 due to the combined efforts of J.E.S.,
Rotary ClubRotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. It is a secular organization open to all persons regardless of race, color, creed or political preference. There are more than 32,000 clubs and over 1.2 million members world-wide. The...
of Junnar, and Surud Mandal (Pune) an effort was made and the school for the hearing and speech impaired children was started.
Shiv Chhatrapati College (श्रि शिव छञपति महाविधालय) and
Jaihind technical college provide facilities for further studies in non-technical and technical areas respectively.
Shankararao Butte Patil Vidyalaya (शंकरराव बुटे पाटिल विधालय) previously known as
New School Junnar.
This is a well known school, which has students got placed in merit list of state board merit list. And has active alumni named
Back2School to guide new students for their career.
Ganesh Co-operative Milk Dairy
This is a milk collecting center located at village
Rajuri. For contributing to large extent to the progress of the village, this dairy was named "Shakarita Gaurav Puraskat" by the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Political background
The area is a stronghold of the Nationalist Congress party (NCP) and its leader, Sharad Pawar.
Mr. Vallabh Benke of NCP is the member of the Maharashtra legislative Assembly for Junnar.