Kurduvadi
Encyclopedia
Kurduvadi or Kurudwadi is a small town in Solapur district
in Maharashtra
state
of India
. It is known mainly for the railway junction connecting two different rail gauge tracks.
Kurduwadi is known mainly for the narrow gauge
railway workshop and railway junction on Central Railway
of Indian Railways
. A branch railway line takes off from Kuruwadi connecting Osmanabad
and Latur
towards East and Pandharpur
and Miraj
towards South-West. The branch line called Barshi Light Railway was narrow gauge until 2008. Now it has been converted to broad gauge
. The new broad gauge track made a detour to connect Osmanabad which was not connected by railway line. The converted broad gauge track from Latur to Osmanabad was commissioned in September 2007 and the converted broad gauge track from Osmanabad-Barshi to Kurduvadi was commissioned in October 2008.
, Kurduvadi had a population of 22,773. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Kurduvadi 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 Kurduvadi, 13% of the population was under 6 years of age.
and Daund
and a branch line track between Latur
Road and Miraj
intersect. The track from Daund continues to Pune
and Mumbai
towards west and to Manmad
towards north-northwest. The branch line from Latur
towards east of Kurduvadi connects Miraj
in south-southwest and was called Barshi Light Railway as it was a narrow gauge track. Solapur
lies southeast of Kurduvadi and connects to Bijapur
. A part of the narrow gauge Barshi Light Railway track from Kurduvadi to Pandharpur (52 km) was converted to broad gauge in 2001. The narrow gauge track from Pandharpur to Miraj was converted to broad gauge in 2010. The converted broad gauge track was commissioned in the last quarter of 2010 for freight trains and February 2011 for passenger trains. Now trains run on the broad gauge track from Miraj to Kurduvadi. These include trains from Miraj to Parbhani and from Kolhapur to Solapur via Miraj. The converted Miraj-Kurduvadi railway line has shortened the railway distance between Kolhapur, Solapur and Parbhani
.
The gauge conversion project from Latur to Miraj took almost two decades to complete.
Solapur District
- Solapur District is a district in Maharashtra state of India. The city of Solapur is the district headquarters. It is located on the south east edge of the state and lies entirely in the Bhima and Seena basins. The entire district is drained by the Bhima River.Solapur district leads in beedi...
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...
state
States and territories of India
India 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.-List of states and territories:...
of 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...
. It is known mainly for the railway junction connecting two different rail gauge tracks.
Geography
Kurduvadi / Kurduwadi is located at 18.08°N 75.43°E. It has an average elevation of 502 metres (1646 feet).Kurduwadi is known mainly for the narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
railway workshop and railway junction on Central Railway
Central Railway
The Central Railway is one of the largest of the 16 zones of Indian Railways. Its headquarters is in Mumbai at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus...
of Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
. A branch railway line takes off from Kuruwadi connecting Osmanabad
Osmanabad
Osmanabad is a city and a municipal council in Osmanabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Geography:The city of Osmanabad is located at . It has an average elevation of 647 metres ....
and Latur
LaTur
La Tur was a Mexican airline that operated from 1988 until 1992 when it was taken over by TAESA.-Company history:Set up in 1988 to help develop the tourist market, La Tur began operations using McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft. One year later, the Airbus A300-600 was introduced for flights to Europe...
towards East and Pandharpur
Pandharpur
Pandharpur is an important pilgrimage city on the Bhimā river in Solāpur district, Maharashtra, India. The Vithoba temple attracts about half a million Hindu pilgrims during the major yātrā in the month of Ashadh ....
and Miraj
Miraj
Miraj , is an historic town in southern Maharashtra, India. The history of the town dates back to the early 10th century, and the town is known for its rich tradition of Hindustani classical music and for religious harmony. It served as a stronghold and a strategic bastion because of its location...
towards South-West. The branch line called Barshi Light Railway was narrow gauge until 2008. Now it has been converted to broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
. The new broad gauge track made a detour to connect Osmanabad which was not connected by railway line. The converted broad gauge track from Latur to Osmanabad was commissioned in September 2007 and the converted broad gauge track from Osmanabad-Barshi to Kurduvadi was commissioned in October 2008.
Demographics
India censusCensus
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...
, Kurduvadi had a population of 22,773. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Kurduvadi 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 Kurduvadi, 13% of the population was under 6 years of age.
Transport
Kurduvadi is a railway junction where one major railway track between WadiWadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
and Daund
Daund
Daund is a city and a municipal council in Pune district in the state of Maharashtra, India. In ancient times a sage, 'Dhaumya Rishi' used to stay here, hence people started calling this place after him: 'Dhaum'. Gradually 'Dhaum' became 'Dhoand', then 'Dhaundh', and before it getting corrupted to...
and a branch line track between Latur
LaTur
La Tur was a Mexican airline that operated from 1988 until 1992 when it was taken over by TAESA.-Company history:Set up in 1988 to help develop the tourist market, La Tur began operations using McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft. One year later, the Airbus A300-600 was introduced for flights to Europe...
Road and Miraj
Miraj
Miraj , is an historic town in southern Maharashtra, India. The history of the town dates back to the early 10th century, and the town is known for its rich tradition of Hindustani classical music and for religious harmony. It served as a stronghold and a strategic bastion because of its location...
intersect. The track from Daund continues to 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 ...
and 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...
towards west and to Manmad
Manmad
Manmad is one of the cities in Nasik district in the state of Maharashtra state in India. It is the third largest city in Nasik district, with a population of approximately 125,000...
towards north-northwest. The branch line from Latur
LaTur
La Tur was a Mexican airline that operated from 1988 until 1992 when it was taken over by TAESA.-Company history:Set up in 1988 to help develop the tourist market, La Tur began operations using McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft. One year later, the Airbus A300-600 was introduced for flights to Europe...
towards east of Kurduvadi connects Miraj
Miraj
Miraj , is an historic town in southern Maharashtra, India. The history of the town dates back to the early 10th century, and the town is known for its rich tradition of Hindustani classical music and for religious harmony. It served as a stronghold and a strategic bastion because of its location...
in south-southwest and was called Barshi Light Railway as it was a narrow gauge track. 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...
lies southeast of Kurduvadi and connects to Bijapur
Bijapur, Karnataka
Bijapur Urdu:بیجاپور city is the district headquarters of Bijapur District of Karnataka state. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural importance built during the rule of Adil Shahi dynasty...
. A part of the narrow gauge Barshi Light Railway track from Kurduvadi to Pandharpur (52 km) was converted to broad gauge in 2001. The narrow gauge track from Pandharpur to Miraj was converted to broad gauge in 2010. The converted broad gauge track was commissioned in the last quarter of 2010 for freight trains and February 2011 for passenger trains. Now trains run on the broad gauge track from Miraj to Kurduvadi. These include trains from Miraj to Parbhani and from Kolhapur to Solapur via Miraj. The converted Miraj-Kurduvadi railway line has shortened the railway distance between Kolhapur, Solapur and Parbhani
Parbhani
Parbhani is a city in Parbhani district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Parbhani, formerly known as “Prabhavatinagar”, is a city in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Parbhani District.Parbhani is approximately situated at the centre of Maharashtra...
.
The gauge conversion project from Latur to Miraj took almost two decades to complete.
Notable Landmarks
- Mahadev Temple of Chinchgaon Tekadi - Grand temple built by Hindu priest Ramanad Sarswati . It is famous for idol of Lord ShivaShivaShiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...