Shrigonda
Encyclopedia
Shrigonda is an old city and a municipal council
in Ahmednagar district
in the India
n state
of Maharashtra
. The place is described as Santanchi Punyabhumi (Holy Land of Saints).
'* Twelve Shivlingas, i.e. 12 temples of Lord Shiva,
All these temples are of historical importance and are worshipped by Shrigodekars (people of Shrigonda).
'
Shri Krishanand kene and ShriNana Maharaj both are the great saints. People from all over maharashtra and mostly from Mumbai come for the annual Utsav and Palakhi Sohola which is one day prior to Gatari Amavasya in the month of July–August. When Lord Krishna has taken birth the same period when all these saints were working for society. Pralhad Maharaj and Shri Shaikh Mohammad Maharaj existed in the same time between 1658 to 1710. A tale of their meeting is very interesting. Both wanted to meet each other and the venue was decided to be ‘Lake Padmavati’ (now a part of city). It is believed that Shri Shaikh Mohammad sat one feet under the water in the center of Lake Padmavati. Then came Shri Pralhad Maharaj and sat one feet above the water in the center of the lake. Thus they showed each other the Yogic powers.
Shri Sadguru Pralhad Maharaj was awarded “Mahapurush” upadhi (title) by Shrigondekars. He was a priest at Alamgir Badshah’s Darbar (palace). When Badshah ordered him to carry a dead body, he carried it without touching it, the body floated a feet above his head. After the incident Shri Pralhad Maharaj left the Darbar and returned to his ancestral home in Shrigonda. Since then his ancensters are not supposed work under any authority. Hence, none of his descendants who form the native population in this place work as an employee. Dattatray mahapursh in born 1908 in shrigonda in mahapurush family. He distribute knowlede of gyaneshwari bhagawat in people. He not expect money or other faciltey. people in shrigonda call them TATYA. Means he is prerent of all people and told them way for moksha.
Govind baba born in Belwandi Bk,themple is at Belwandi BK(Bhambhach mala)and every Dipawali fesival there is GodName week.
about 208 acre (0.84174688 km²) of land was donated to Shri Hari Mahapurush, the 7th generation descendent of Shri Pralhad Maharaj Mahapurush. Shri Hari had only one son, Narayan. Narayan had three sons – Vishnu, Dattatraya and Gopal. Of the three, Dattatraya has spent his life in Kirtan
and Pravachan
and enlightenment of Bhagwat Dharma. He was instrumental in starting a big religious movement among the illiterate class and especially farmers of Shrigonda Taluka. There are over a lakh of his followers all over Maharashtra. After his nirvana
in 1992, his followers contributed and built his Samadhi, near Samadhi of Shri Pralhad Raj and other ancestors.
The sons of Dattatraya and Gopal devoted their time in Bhajan
s and Kirtan
s.
Shri Raulbuva and Shri Godhadebuva lived in the following period. They are equally revered by Shrigondekars. However, recent influx of immigrants (without much knowledge about them) has decreased the importance of these saints in the town.
The great Maratha nobleman Mahadji Shinde was resident of shrigonda before he had moved to North India and became Maharaja of Gwalior. His descendant Maharaja Jiwajirao Shinde donated palaces and land to Rayat Shikshan Sanstha which run schools in rural areas of Maharathra.
is held for two day in the month of March when all the worshippers and believers visit the temple-mosque. During the ceremony of applying Chandan (Sandalwood) paste to the Samadhi.
The famous Shani and Jodhpurcha Maruti are quite old and are looked after by the Guravs who traditionally do the Pooja in here. Khandoba temple is outside the city on the bank of river Saraswati. Khandoba Yatra and Bhairoba Yatra are the big events in the city after Mohammad Maharaj Yatra.he is born in wahira
don't follow
, a huge number of people visit the Salvandevi Temple located about 3 km. south of city. According to mythology, a Devi-Bhakta (worshipper) asked Bhavani Mata to come to his house in Shrigonda. Mata agreed and came along, walking behind him. But he was not supposed to turn back. However just before reaching the city, he turned back to check on her and the Mata disappeared for the lack of his faith on her. The temple is believed to have been built on the place where she disappeared.
, Shrigonda had a population of 26,331. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Shrigonda has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 64%. In Shrigonda, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
s (courtyards), stony floor and wooden carved entrances.
In Shrigonda also has a Polytechnic(Diploma Engineering College) Indira Gandhi Polytechnic of Tuljabhavani seva pratishthan and at Belwandi, about 10 km. away from Shrigonda city and a Government run Industrial Training Institute in Shrigonda town.
. Business is operated on the level of small workshops and businesses, bazaars, shops, and retail market.
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
in Ahmednagar district
Ahmednagar district
Ahmednagar district is the largest district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical Ahmednagar city is the headquarters of the district. Ahmednagar was the seat of the Ahmednagar Sultanate of late medieval period . This district is also known for the towns of Shirdi associated with...
in the 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...
n 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 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...
. The place is described as Santanchi Punyabhumi (Holy Land of Saints).
Historical monuments
The place consists of:'* Twelve Shivlingas, i.e. 12 temples of Lord Shiva,
- A famous 16th Century temple of SuryaSuryaSurya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold...
(Sun), Shriram, Shrikrishna, Datta, Vitthal and Rakhumai, Ganesh, Vishnu, Shiva , Kalikamata, Ambikamata - Famous Shani Mandir
- Jodhpurcha Maruti Temples
- Bhairoba
- Khandoba
- Salvandevi
- Shri Vitthal Kene Mandir and Narayan Ashram
All these temples are of historical importance and are worshipped by Shrigodekars (people of Shrigonda).
Saints
Eight saints are called as Eight Jewels of this holy land. They are:-'
- Shri Shaikh Mohammad Maharaj
- Shri Sant Rohidas Maharaj
- Sadguru Pralhad Maharaj Mahapurush
- Shri Sant Godhadebuva Maharaj
- Shri Sant Raulbuva Maharaj
- Shri Sant Krishnanand Maharaj
- Shri Sant Narayan Maharaj
- Shri Sant Tatya Maharaj
- Shri Sant Govind BaBa Maharaj
Shri Krishanand kene and ShriNana Maharaj both are the great saints. People from all over maharashtra and mostly from Mumbai come for the annual Utsav and Palakhi Sohola which is one day prior to Gatari Amavasya in the month of July–August. When Lord Krishna has taken birth the same period when all these saints were working for society. Pralhad Maharaj and Shri Shaikh Mohammad Maharaj existed in the same time between 1658 to 1710. A tale of their meeting is very interesting. Both wanted to meet each other and the venue was decided to be ‘Lake Padmavati’ (now a part of city). It is believed that Shri Shaikh Mohammad sat one feet under the water in the center of Lake Padmavati. Then came Shri Pralhad Maharaj and sat one feet above the water in the center of the lake. Thus they showed each other the Yogic powers.
Shri Sadguru Pralhad Maharaj was awarded “Mahapurush” upadhi (title) by Shrigondekars. He was a priest at Alamgir Badshah’s Darbar (palace). When Badshah ordered him to carry a dead body, he carried it without touching it, the body floated a feet above his head. After the incident Shri Pralhad Maharaj left the Darbar and returned to his ancestral home in Shrigonda. Since then his ancensters are not supposed work under any authority. Hence, none of his descendants who form the native population in this place work as an employee. Dattatray mahapursh in born 1908 in shrigonda in mahapurush family. He distribute knowlede of gyaneshwari bhagawat in people. He not expect money or other faciltey. people in shrigonda call them TATYA. Means he is prerent of all people and told them way for moksha.
Govind baba born in Belwandi Bk,themple is at Belwandi BK(Bhambhach mala)and every Dipawali fesival there is GodName week.
History
This place has a long history tracing back to the 13th Century.. In the ancient time Shrigonda was known by the "Chambargonda". In 17th Century, during the regime of Peshwa'sPeshwa
A Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...
about 208 acre (0.84174688 km²) of land was donated to Shri Hari Mahapurush, the 7th generation descendent of Shri Pralhad Maharaj Mahapurush. Shri Hari had only one son, Narayan. Narayan had three sons – Vishnu, Dattatraya and Gopal. Of the three, Dattatraya has spent his life in Kirtan
Kirtan
Kirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
and Pravachan
Pravachan
Pravachan is a form of Hindu religious discourse, which are lectures on scriptures. A Pravachana Pandit becomes a religious and spiritual interpreter of these Scriptures....
and enlightenment of Bhagwat Dharma. He was instrumental in starting a big religious movement among the illiterate class and especially farmers of Shrigonda Taluka. There are over a lakh of his followers all over Maharashtra. After his nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...
in 1992, his followers contributed and built his Samadhi, near Samadhi of Shri Pralhad Raj and other ancestors.
The sons of Dattatraya and Gopal devoted their time in Bhajan
Bhajan
A Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
s and Kirtan
Kirtan
Kirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
s.
Shri Raulbuva and Shri Godhadebuva lived in the following period. They are equally revered by Shrigondekars. However, recent influx of immigrants (without much knowledge about them) has decreased the importance of these saints in the town.
The great Maratha nobleman Mahadji Shinde was resident of shrigonda before he had moved to North India and became Maharaja of Gwalior. His descendant Maharaja Jiwajirao Shinde donated palaces and land to Rayat Shikshan Sanstha which run schools in rural areas of Maharathra.
Mohamad Maharaj Yatra
Shri Shaikh Mohammad Maharaj Samadhi is worshipped by people of all the religions in the region. Hindus worship Mohamad Maharaj with Haldi and Kumkum. It is an example of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood. The Mohamad Maharaj YatraYatra
' , in Hinduism and other Indian religions, generally means pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, places associated with Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and other sacred pilgrimage sites. Tīrtha-yātrā refers to a pilgrimage to a holy site, and is...
is held for two day in the month of March when all the worshippers and believers visit the temple-mosque. During the ceremony of applying Chandan (Sandalwood) paste to the Samadhi.
The famous Shani and Jodhpurcha Maruti are quite old and are looked after by the Guravs who traditionally do the Pooja in here. Khandoba temple is outside the city on the bank of river Saraswati. Khandoba Yatra and Bhairoba Yatra are the big events in the city after Mohammad Maharaj Yatra.he is born in wahira
don't follow
Salvandevi Yatra
Salvandevi Yatra is celebrated in Navratra. In these 9 days before DashamiDashami
Dashami is the Sanskrit word for "ten", and is the tenth day in the lunar fortnight of the Hindu calendar. Each month has two Dashami days, being the tenth day of the "bright" and of the "dark" fortnights respectively...
, a huge number of people visit the Salvandevi Temple located about 3 km. south of city. According to mythology, a Devi-Bhakta (worshipper) asked Bhavani Mata to come to his house in Shrigonda. Mata agreed and came along, walking behind him. But he was not supposed to turn back. However just before reaching the city, he turned back to check on her and the Mata disappeared for the lack of his faith on her. The temple is believed to have been built on the place where she disappeared.
Geography
Shrigonda is located at 18.616°N 74.698°E. It has an average elevation of 561 metres (1840 feet).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...
, Shrigonda had a population of 26,331. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Shrigonda has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 64%. In Shrigonda, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
People
The people of Shrigonda are called Shrigondekar. The inhabitants of Shrigonda are divided in two. The first category consist of people who have been residing there for generations. They run small businesses or shops or do farming. The second category consist of people who migrated and settled in Shrigonda. They are mostly working or retired government employees, professionals or new generation guys from nearby villages. In various district government offices at Ahmednagar, Pune and Nasik, Shrigondekars are found employed. On an average, one person from every Shrigondekar family is living in Pune city.Transportation
Despite its quietness, there is now much life on the muddy roads of Shrigonda. The transport facilities are increased recently and the mobility is increased. The new big ST stand with regular buses plying to Daund, Pune and Ahmednagar make people convenient to go anywhere easily. With Railway connectivity to south and north side, goods transport is also easy. The nearest big railway station is Ahmednagar and Daund and Manmad are the nearest rail junctions.Education
Being the nearest and low cost education provider, the city has two senior colleges : Maharaja Jivajirao Shinde College and Chhatrapati Shivaji College. The primary and secondary schools are run quite well with good quality teachers. Mahadaji Shinde Vidyalaya is well known for its quality education. The old school building was constructed in 17th century. This Shinde Wada was said to be seven stories high, now it is only two stories comprises. This consists of two big ChowkChowk
Originally in Urdu , a chowk is a Town square, an open area commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings, Market square or simply traffic intersection:* Ashram Chowk Delhi* Banaras Chowk, Karachi...
s (courtyards), stony floor and wooden carved entrances.
In Shrigonda also has a Polytechnic(Diploma Engineering College) Indira Gandhi Polytechnic of Tuljabhavani seva pratishthan and at Belwandi, about 10 km. away from Shrigonda city and a Government run Industrial Training Institute in Shrigonda town.
Politics
Shrigonda’s political atmosphere has always been very active revolved around two prominent political figures Shivajirao Nagawade, Founder Chairman of The Shrigonda Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana and Babanrao Pachpute, Minister for Tribal Development. However, latter being a MLA for 25 years and Minister for 5 years has failed in providing fundamental infrastructure and solving the major problems like Electricity, Roads and Irrigation.Industry and business
There are three sugar mills in Shrigonda Taluka namely The Shrigonda Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana founded by Shri. Shivajirao Nagawade, Kukadi Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana founded by Shri. Kundlikrao Jagtap and Saikrupa Sugar Factory Pvt Ltd. Lack of industrial growth has made educated class to migrate to nearby cities like PunePune
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 ...
. Business is operated on the level of small workshops and businesses, bazaars, shops, and retail market.