1.
Yavatmal
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Yavatmal ( pronunciation is a city and municipal council in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the headquarters of Yavatmal District. Yavatmal is around 150 kilometres away from regional headquarter Maharashtra while it is 670 km away from the state capital Mumbai, the name is derived from the Marathi Yavat and mal. Formerly known as Yeoti or Yeotmal, Yavatmal City was the town of the Berar Sultanate. The then region of Yavatmal, was part of the dominion of Aladdin Hassan Bahman Shah who founded the Bahmani Sultanate in 1347, following the death of the sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, Yavatmal was passed on to the Maratha Empire. When Raghoji I Bhonsle became ruler of the Nagpur kingdom in 1783, Yavatmal remained part of Madhya Pradesh until the 1956 reorganization of states when it was transferred to the Bombay State. With the creation of the Maharashtra state on 1 May 1960, Yavatmal city is administered by a municipal council. According to census 2011, its population is nearly 116,551, but this figure is number of inhabitants within municipal boundaries. Yavatmal city is known as Cotton City and during British rule was classified as a hill station. Both cotton-ginning and pressing are carried on in Yavatmal while the town is also the trading centre in the district. Major business establishments in Yavatmal include the Raymonds factory which produces special fibre for jeans, there is a brand new 106-acre textile Special Economic Zone under construction while HLL Unilever has also decided to restart the plant they currently have in the city. Yavatmals younger generation is slowly joining the 21st century workforce and there are a number of learning centres. Other local businesses in the town are dominated by the presence of agricultural supply facilities used by the farming community. Banking services are available in the Yavatmal, Ner, Pusad, Digras, Ghatanji and Pandharkawada, Prominent educational institutes, Medical, Shri Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College, run by the government, DM Majethia Ayurvedic College. Roads and Railways are the modes of transport in Yavatmal district. Shakuntala rail is the rail from here National Highway from Nagpur to Hyderabad passes through the district at Vadki, Karanji, Pandharkawada, Patanbori. State highway from Amravati to Chandrapur passes through Ner, Yavatmal, Jodmoha, Mohada, Umari, Karanji, Nagpur to Tulzapur state highway route passes through Kalamb, Yavatmal, Arni, Umarkhed etc. Yavatmal is the terminus of the 762 mm narrow gauge railway known locally as the Shakuntala Railway
2.
States and union territories of India
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India is a federal union comprising twenty-nine states and seven union territories. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and further into smaller administrative divisions, the Constitution of India distributes the sovereign executive and legislative powers exercisable with respect to the territory of any State between the Union and that State. The Indian subcontinent has been ruled by different ethnic groups throughout its history. Between 1947 and 1950, the territories of the states were politically integrated into the Indian Union. The new Constitution of India, which came into force on 26 January 1950, the new republic was also declared to be a Union of States. The nine Part A states were Assam, Bihar, Bombay, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Orissa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The eight Part B states were former princely states or groups of states, governed by a rajpramukh, who was usually the ruler of a constituent state. The rajpramukh was appointed by the President of India, the Part B states were Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Bharat, Mysore, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, Rajasthan, Saurashtra, and Travancore-Cochin. The ten Part C states included both the former chief commissioners provinces and some states, and each was governed by a chief commissioner appointed by the President of India. The Part C states were Ajmer, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Coorg, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Cutch, Manipur, Tripura, the only Part D state was the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were administered by a lieutenant governor appointed by the central government. The Union Territory of Puducherry was created in 1954 comprising the previous French enclaves of Pondichéry, Karaikal, Yanam, Andhra State was created on 1 October 1953 from the Telugu-speaking northern districts of Madras State. The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 reorganised the states based on linguistic lines resulting in the creation of the new states, as a result of this act, Madras State retained its name with Kanyakumari district added to from Travancore-Cochin. Andhra Pradesh was created with the merger of Andhra State with the Telugu-speaking districts of Hyderabad State in 1956, kerala was created with the merger of Malabar district and the Kasaragod taluk of South Canara districts of Madras State with Travancore-Cochin. The Laccadive Islands which were divided between South Canara and Malabar districts of Madras State were united and organised into the territory of Lakshadweep. Bombay State was enlarged by the addition of Saurashtra State and Kutch State, Rajasthan and Punjab gained territories from Ajmer and Patiala and East Punjab States Union respectively and certain territories of Bihar was transferred to West Bengal. Bombay State was split into the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra on 1 May 1960 by the Bombay Reorganisation Act. Nagaland was formed on 1 December 1963, the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966 resulted in the creation of Haryana on 1 November and the transfer of the northern districts of Punjab to Himachal Pradesh. The act also designated Chandigarh as a territory and the shared capital of Punjab
3.
Maharashtra
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Four Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India and is Indias second-most populous state and third-largest state by area. It is the wealthiest Indian state and it is also the worlds second-most populous sub-national entity. It has over 112 million inhabitants and its capital, Mumbai, has a population of approximately 18 million, Nagpur is Maharashtras second capital as well as its winter capital. Maharashtras business opportunities along with its potential to offer a standard of living attract migrants from all over India. Ancient and medieval Maharashtra included the empires of the Satavahana dynasty, Rashtrakuta dynasty, Western Chalukyas, Mughals, the major rivers of the state are Godavari, and Krishna. The Narmada and Tapti Rivers flow near the border between Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, Maharashtra is the second most urbanised state in India. The state has several popular Hindu places of pilgrimage including Pandharpur, Dehu and Alandi, other places that attract pilgrims from other parts of India and beyond include Hazur Sahib Gurudwara at Nanded, Sai Baba shrine at Shirdi and Dikshabhumi at Nagpur. Maharashtra is the wealthiest and one of the most developed states in India, as of 2011, the state had a per capita income of ₹1.0035 lakh, more than the national average of ₹0.73 lakh. Its GDP per capita crossed the ₹1.20 lakh threshold for the first time in 2013, however, as of 2014, the GDP per capita reduced to ₹1.03 lakh Agriculture and industries are the largest parts of the states economy. Major industries include chemical products, electrical and non-electrical machinery, textiles, petroleum, Jai Maharashtra The modern Marathi language developed from the Maharashtri Prakrit, and the word Mahratta is found in the Jain Maharashtri literature. The terms Maharashtra, Maharashtri, Marathi and Maratha may have derived from the same root, however, their exact etymology is uncertain. But the Marathas as a people do not seem to be mentioned before the thirteenth or fourteenth century, the most widely accepted theory among the linguistic scholars is that the words Maratha and Maharashtra ultimately derived from a combination of Maha and rashtrika. The word rashtrika is a Sanskritized form of Ratta, the name of a tribe or dynasty of petty chiefs ruling in the Deccan region. Another theory is that the term is derived from Maha and ratha / rathi, an alternative theory states that the term derives from the word Maha and Rashtra. However, this theory has not found acceptance among scholars who believe it to be the Sanskritised interpretation of later writers. Maharashtra was ruled by the Maurya Empire in the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE, around 230 BCE Maharashtra came under the rule of the Satavahana dynasty for 400 years. The greatest ruler of the Satavahana Dynasty was Gautamiputra Satakarni, in 90 CE Vedishri, son of the Satavahana king Satakarni, the Lord of Dakshinapatha, wielder of the unchecked wheel of Sovereignty, made Junnar, thirty miles north of Pune, the capital of his kingdom. The state was ruled by Western Satraps, Gupta Empire, Gurjara-Pratihara, Vakataka, Kadambas, Chalukya Empire, Rashtrakuta Dynasty, and Western Chalukya before finally
4.
Amravati division
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Amravati division is one of the six administrative divisions of Maharashtra state in India. Amravati and Nagpur divisions constitute the ancient Vidarbha region, amravati division roughly corresponds to the former province of Berar, which was ceded to Hyderabad State by the Maratha Maharajas of Nagpur in 1803. In 1853, it was occupied by the British, who decided to administer the province although it remained under the sovereignty of the Nizam of Hyderabad. In 1903 Berar Province was renamed Berar Division and added to the British-administered Central Provinces, upon Indian independence, the Central Provinces and Berar were reorganised as the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. A Divisional Commissioner, an IAS officer appointed by the Government of Maharashtra, Divisional Commissioners have included, Ganesh P. Thakur D. R
5.
Administrative divisions of India
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The Administrative divisions of India are Indian subnational administrative units, they compose a nested hierarchy of country subdivisions. Indian states and territories frequently use different local titles for the level of subdivision. The smaller subdivisions exist only in rural areas, in urban areas Urban Local Bodies exist instead of these rural subdivisions. The States have been grouped into six zones having an Advisory Council to develop the habit of cooperative working among these States, zonal Councils were set up vide Part-III of the States Reorganisation Act,1956. The North Eastern States special problems are addressed by another statutory body - The North Eastern Council, India is composed of 29 states and 7 union territories. The union territories are governed by administrators, appointed by the President of India, two of the territories have been given partial statehood, with elected legislatures and executive councils of ministers, but limited powers. The Regions of India are not official administrative divisions and they have no official administrative governmental status. They are purely geographic regions, some correspond to countries, states or provinces. A region may comprise one or more divisions, averaging about three divisions per region, however, the boundaries of the regions and the boundaries of the divisions do not always coincide exactly. So far there has no movement to give the regions official administrative status. If this was to be done, it would require that the boundaries of the regions be slightly modified so that they correspond exactly with their constituent districts. Tehsils, talukas, blocks or mandals, headed by a Tehsildar or Talukdar, the governmental bodies at the Tehsil level are called the panchayat samiti. States use varying names for their sub-districts, detailed information is as follows, The block is often the next level of administrative division after the tehsil. Villages are often the lowest level of subdivisions in India, the governmental bodies at the village level are called Gram Panchayat, of which there were an estimated 256,000 in 2002. Each Gram Panchayat covers a large village or a cluster of villages with a combined population exceeding 500 Gram Sabha. Clusters of villages are sometimes called Hobli or Patti. Certain governmental functions and activities - including clean water availability, rural development, India is composed of 1,714,556 habitations In some states, most villages have a single habitation, in others there is a high ratio of habitations to villages. A metro area usually comprises multiple jurisdictions and municipalities, neighbourhoods, townships, cities, exurbs, suburbs, counties, districts, states, as social, economic and political institutions have changed, metropolitan areas have become key economic and political regions. com
6.
Pusad
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Pusad is a town and a second largest municipal council in Yavatmal district after Yavatmal of Vidarbha region in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Pusad gets its name from River Pus, as the town is located on bank of river Pus, although officially a Taluka place, Pusad is comparable to the size of a District in terms of size and revenue. A proposal of declaring Pusad a district officially is under procedure at the moment, Pusad is located at 19. 9°N77. 58°E /19.9,77.58. It has an elevation of 315 metres. Pusad is surrounded by hills from almost all the sides and is at lower elevation than these hills. The name of the town originates from the name of the river called Pus Nadi. Pus nadi is lifeline of the town and also a source of drinking water, Pusad is also believed to have derived the name from its ancient name Pushpawanti Nagari. As of 2011 India census, Pusad had a population of 75,000, males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Pusad has an literacy rate of 70%. Male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 62%, in Pusad, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age. Pusads climate is extreme with the temperatures going as high as 49 degree Celsius in summers, experts believe this due to a phenomenon called as Basket Effect. Since Pusad is situated between hills from all four sides, maharashtras longest serving Chief Minister Vasantrao Naik and Sudhakarrao Naik were from Pusad. Pusad has many institutions and colleges some of the prominent colleges are. College of Engineering, An engineering college established in 1983, Dairy Technology College, offers UG and PG level degrees for Dairy Technology. Ayurvedic Mahavidyalaya, Medical College with degrees and diplomas offering in Ayurvedic Medical Science, dr. N. P. Hirani Institute of Polytechnic, Technical institute offering Diploma in Engineering. It also junior college for Arts, Commerce, and Science stream, some of the well-known schools in Pusad city are, K. D. College Hazrat Umar Farooque Urdu High School Jyotirgamaya English School Navjeevan Dnyanpeeth English Medium School Pusad has many temples around city, one of the Shakti Pitha Mahur is located 40 km east to the city. Following are other temples in and around the city DUDHAGIRI MAHARAJ TEMPLE* This temple is a one of the most famous temple in pusad, the Temple situated in Wonderful Village Dudhagiri
7.
Wani, Yavatmal
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Wani pronunciation is a town and a municipal council in Yavatmal district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. In earlier times, Wani was known as Wun, Wani was a district headquarters in Berar Province during British Raj. Later on Wani became a taluka with Yavatmal as district head, as of the 2011 census of India, Wani had a population of 58,820. Males constituted 51% of the population and females 49%, Wani had an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59. 5%, male literacy was 80%, and female literacy was 68%. In 2011 in Wani, 13% of the population was under 6 years of age, Wani is located at the eastern edge of Yavatmal District about 105 km from Yavatmal. It is on the Yavatmal-Chandrapur Road, nearly 55 km from Chandrapur and 135 km from Nagpur, list of villages and towns in Wani Taluka of Yavatmal, Maharashtra at Census website. A subsidiary of Coal India Ltd. has a mining area - Wani North Area in the surroundings of Wani city. There are coal mines like Ukni, Pimpalgaon, Junad, Kolarpimpri, Rajur, Kumbarkhani, Ghonsa, Kartikay Coal Washeries, the economy of the town is mostly driven by agriculture and mining businesses in the surrounding area. The town received the name Black Diamond City due to the coal deposits. Limestone is also quarried in the area, the principal crops are cotton and soyabeans. There are only two temples in India of The Shri Ranganathaswami, other one being in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. Jaitai mata a hindu goddess, has a temple in the city, during Navratri this temple organizes garbha and many religious functions. This temple attracts many people from cities and town. Sai mandir, a temple of saibaba, the distance between district head Yavatmal and wani is about 103 km, where as the division head Nagpur is about 140 km. The adjacent district head Chandrapur is about 51 km away from Wani, Wani is a regular type railway station, under Nagpur division of Central Railway. It has one platform, with signle diesel-engine line, marathi language is the most used language, among few other languages including Hindi. An annual fair takes place in the city during Navratri every year
8.
District collector
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A District Collector, often abbreviated to Collector, is the foremost Indian Administrative Service officer in charge of revenue collection and administration of a district in India. The Collector is assisted by Deputy Collectors, Assistant Collectors, Sub Collectors, District Administration in India is a legacy of the British Raj. District Collectors were members of the Indian Civil Service, and were charged with supervising general administration in the district, warren Hastings introduced the office of the District Collector in 1772. As District Magistrate, he exercised general supervision over the courts and in particular. The office was meant to achieve the purpose of collecting revenue. The Superintendent of Police, Inspector General of Jails, the Surgeon General, the Divisional Forest Officer, until the later part of the nineteenth century, no native was eligible to become a district collector. But with the introduction of competitive examinations for the Indian Civil Services. The district continued to be the unit of administration after India gained independence in 1947, the role of the District Collector remained largely unchanged, except for separation of most judicial powers to judicial officers of the district. They are appointed by the State government, from among the pool of Indian Administrative Service officers in the state, the members of the IAS are either directly recruited by the Union Public Service Commission or promoted from Provincial Civil Services. A District Magistrate, District Collector, Deputy Commissioner or District Commissioner are transferred from this post by State government, District Collectors are entrusted with a wide range of duties in the jurisdiction of the district. Acts as ex-officio chairman of the District Development Authority in absence of Divisional Commissioner, a District Magistrate/District Collector/Deputy Commissioner/District Commissioner is assisted by some I. A. S and P. C
9.
Lok Sabha
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The Lok Sabha is the Lower house of Indias bicameral Parliament, with the Upper house being the Rajya Sabha. The house meets in the Lok Sabha Chambers of the Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi, under the current laws, the strength of Lok Sabha is 545, including the two seats reserved for members of the Anglo-Indian community. The total elective membership is distributed among the states in proportion to their population, a total of 131 seats are reserved for representatives of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The quorum for the House is 10% of the total membership, term of the House The Lok Sabha, unless sooner dissolved, continues to operate for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and the expiration of the period of five years. An exercise to redraw Lok Sabha constituencies boundaries has been carried out by the Delimitation Commission based on the Indian census of 2001, the 16th Lok Sabha was elected in May 2014 and is the latest to date. The Lok Sabha has its own channel, Lok Sabha TV. A major portion of the Indian subcontinent was under British rule from 1858 to 1947, the Indian Councils Act 1861 provided for a Legislative Council consisting of the members of the Executive Council and non-official members. The Indian Councils Act 1892 established legislatures in each of the provinces of British India, although these Acts increased the representation of Indians in the government, their power still remained limited, and the electorate very small. The Indian Councils Act 1909 and the Government of India Act 1919 further expanded the participation of Indians in the administration, the Constituent Assembly was divided into two for the separate nations, with each new Assembly having sovereign powers transferred to it for the respective dominion. The Constitution of India was adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into effect on 26 January 1950, proclaiming India to be a sovereign, democratic republic. This contained the principles of the law of the land which would govern India in its new form. The Lok Sabha was duly constituted for the first time on 17 April 1952 after the first General Elections held from 25 October 1951 to 21 February 1952 and he / She should not be less than 25 years of age. He / She possesses such other qualifications as may be prescribed in that behalf by or under any law made by Parliament, a seat in the Lok Sabha will become vacant in the following circumstances, When the holder of the seat, by writing to the speaker, resigns. When the holder of the seat is absent from 60 consecutive days of proceedings of the House, when the holder of the seat is subject to any disqualifications mentioned in the Constitution or any law enacted by Parliament. A seat may also be vacated when the holder stands disqualified under the Anti-Defection Law, a member both of Parliament and of a House of the Legislature of a State. System of elections in Lok Sabha Members of the Lok Sabha are directly elected by the people of India, for the purpose of holding direct elections to Lok Sabha, each state is divided into territorial constituencies. This provision does not apply for states having a population of less than 6 million, note, The expression population here refers to the population ascertained at the preceding census of which relevant figure have been published. Lok Sabha has certain powers that make it more powerful than the Rajya Sabha, motions of no confidence against the government can be introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha
10.
Washim district
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Washim is a district in Maharashtra, India. The area of the district is 5,150 km², the district had a population of 1,020,216 of which 17. 49% were urban as of 2001. Washim is located in the region of Vidharbha. Akola lies to its north, Amravati lies to its north-east, Hingoli lies to its south, Buldhana lies to its west, River Penganga is the main river of the district. It flows through the Tehsil of Risod, later it flows through the boundary of Washim and Hingoli districts. River Kas is the tributary of Penganga. River Kas meets Penganga about 1 km from the village of Shelgaon Rajgure, River Arunavati and its tributaries originates in the Tehsil of Washim and them flows through the tehsils of Mangrul Pir and Manora into the district of Yavatmal. River Katepurna originates in the areas of the district and flows northwards through the tehsil of Malegaon. There are hilly ranges extending from through the tehsils of Malegaon, Washim, Mangrul Pir, there is plain region in the basins of River Penganga in the Risod Tehsil. The important cities are Washim, Risod, Karanja, Malegaon, Mangrul Pir, Manora, Washim is the largest city in the district. There are many well known hospitals, Schools, Colleges and Banks in Washim City and it is specially famous for its Balaji Temple. It also has a railway junction, by railway is connected to Akola, Purna, Nanded and Khandwa. There are some parts covered by the forests, both the regions are protected under Katepurna Wildlife Sanctuary and Karanja Sohol Wildlife Sanctuary respectively. The account of Berar in the Ain-i-Akbari was added to work in 1596-97. The whole revenue demand for the now included in the Akola district seems to have been nearly twenty-four lakhs of rupees. The only special notice of any places in the District has reference to Balapur, Shahpur, near Balapur, says Abdul Fazl, are two streams, about the borders of which are found various kinds of pretty stones, which are cut and kept as curiosities. Six kos distant were the headquarters of Sultan Murad, which grew into a city under the name of Shahpur. Of Bashim he writes, About Bashim is an Indigenous race, for the most part proud and refractory and he adds that the Hatkars, who are Dhangar, are Rajput which is true
11.
Literacy in India
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Literacy in India is a key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate has grown to 74. 04% from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the level is well below the average literacy rate of 84%. The 2011 census, however, indicated a 2001–2011 decadal literacy growth of 9. 2%, there is a wide gender disparity in the literacy rate in India, effective literacy rates in 2011 were 82. 14% for men and 65. 46% for women. The low female literacy rate has had a negative impact on family planning. Studies have indicated that female literacy is a predictor of the use of contraception among married Indian couples. The table below shows the adult and youth literacy rates for India, Adult literacy rate is based on the 15+ years age group, while the youth literacy rate is for the 15–24 years age group. Now of the factors contributing to this relatively low literacy rate is usefulness of education. There is a shortage of classrooms to accommodate all the students in 2006–2007, in addition, there is no proper sanitation in most schools. The study of 188 government-run primary schools in central and northern India revealed that 59% of the schools had no drinking water facility, in 600,000 villages and multiplying urban slum habitats, free and compulsory education is the basic literacy instruction dispensed by barely qualified para teachers. The average Pupil Teacher Ratio for All India is 42,1, such inadequacies resulted in a non-standardized school system where literacy rates may differ. Furthermore, the allocated to education was never above 4. 3% of the GDP from 1951 to 2002 despite the target of 6% by the Kothari Commission. This further complicates the problem in India. Discrimination of lower castes has resulted in high rates and low enrollment rates. On 21 February 2005, the Prime Minister of India said that he was pained to note that only 47 out of 100 children enrolled in class I reach class VIII, putting the dropout rate at 52.78 per cent. It is estimated that at least 35 million, and possibly as many as 60 million, absolute poverty in India has also deterred the pursuit of formal education as education is not deemed of as the highest priority among the poor as compared to other basic necessities. The MRP-based poverty estimates of about 22% of poverty in 2004–05 which translated to 22 out of per 100 people are not meeting their basic needs, the large proportion of illiterate females is another reason for the low literacy rate in India. Inequality based on gender differences resulted in female literacy rates being lower at 65. 46% than that of their counterparts at 82. 14%. Due to strong stereotyping of female and male roles, Sons are thought of to be more useful, females are pulled to help out on agricultural farms at home as they are increasingly replacing the males on such activities which require no formal education
12.
Indian road network
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India has a road network of over 5,472,144 kilometres as on 31 March 2015, the second largest road network in the world. However, qualitatively Indias roads are a mix of modern highways and narrow, unpaved roads, as on 31 March 2015,61. 05% of Indian roads were paved. Adjusted for its population, India has less than 3.8 kilometres of roads per 1000 people. In terms of quality, all season,4 or more highways, India has less than 0.07 kilometres of highways per 1000 people. These are some of the lowest road and highway densities in the world, for context, United States has 21 kilometres of roads per 1000 people, while France about 15 kilometres per 1000 people – predominantly paved and high quality in both cases. In terms of all season,4 or more highways, developed countries such as United States. India in its past did not allocate enough resources to build or maintain its road network and this has changed since 1995, with major efforts currently underway to modernize the countrys road infrastructure. According to the CIA World Factbook, as of 2015, India had about 96,000 kilometers of highways and expressways. Major projects are being implemented under the National Highways Development Project, the Government of India is attempting to promote foreign investment in road projects. The first evidence of development in the Indian subcontinent can be traced back to approximately 2800 BC from the ancient cities of Harrapa. Ruling emperors and monarchs of ancient India had constructed roads to connect the cities, archaeological excavations give us fresh information about road connectivity in ancient India. The Grand Trunk Road was built by Sher Shah Suri in 1540-45 connecting Sonargaon near Dhaka in Bangladesh with Peshawar in modern-day Pakistan linking several cities from in India, India inherited a poor road network infrastructure at the time of its independence in 1947. Beyond that, between 1947 and 1988, India witnessed no new projects, and the roads were poorly maintained. Predominantly all roads were single lane, and most were unpaved, India had no expressways, and less than 200 kilometers of 4-lane highways. In 1988, an entity called the National Highways Authority of India was established in India by an Act of Parliament. The Act empowered this entity to develop, maintain and manage Indias road network through National Highways, however, even though the Authority was created in 1988, not much happened till India introduced widespread economic liberalization in the early 1990s. Road transport is vital to Indias economy and it enables the countrys transportation sector to contribute 4.7 percent towards India’s gross domestic product, in comparison to railways that contributed 1 percent, in 2009–2010. Road transport has gained its importance over the years despite significant barriers and inefficiencies in inter-state freight and passenger movement compared to railways, the government of India considers road network as critical to the countrys development, social integration and security needs of the country
13.
National Highway 7 (India)
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National Highway 7 is a highway connecting Fazilka to Mana in India. It passes through the Indian states of Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, the NH-7 connects Hindu piligrim centres of Rishikesh, Devprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, Chamoli, Joshimath and Badrinath with Dehradun and Chandigarh. This road goes to Mana Pass near India Tibetian border
14.
India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety
15.
Vidarbha
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Vidarbha is the eastern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra, comprising Nagpur Division and Amravati Division. It occupies 31. 6% of total area and holds 21. 3% of total population of Maharashtra and it borders the state of Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Telangana to the south and Marathwada and Khandesh regions of Maharashtra to the west. Situated in central India, Vidarbha has its own cultural and historical background distinct from rest of Maharashtra. The largest city in Vidarbha is Nagpur, a majority of Vidarbhians speak Hindi, Varhadi and Zadi dialect of Marathi. The Nagpur region is famous for growing oranges and cotton, Vidarbha holds two-thirds of Maharashtras mineral resources and three-quarters of its forest resources, and is a net producer of power. Throughout its history, Vidarbha has remained much calmer during the communal troubles than the rest of India and it is less economically prosperous compared to the rest of Maharashtra. In recent times, there have been calls for a state of Vidarbha, due to perceived neglect from the Government of Maharashtra. The living conditions of farmers in this region are poor compared to India as a whole, there have been more than 200,000 farmers suicides in Maharashtra in a decade, of which 70% being in the 11 districts of Vidarbha region. Statehood demands have not fructified mainly due to the opposition from a state political party. The Pravarapura-Nandivardhana branch ruled from various sites like Pravarapura in Wardha district and Mansar and this branch maintained matrimonial relations with the Imperial Guptas. The Vatsagulma branch was founded by Sarvasena, the son of Pravarasena I after his death. King Sarvasena made Vatsagulma, the present day Washim in Washim district of Maharashtra his capital, the territory ruled by this branch was between the Sahydri Range and the Godavari River. They patronized some of the Buddhist caves at Ajanta, prabhavatigupta was queen and regent of the Vākāṭaka Empire. Her father was Chandragupta II of the Gupta Empire and her mother was Kuberanaga and she married Rudrasena II of the Vākāṭaka. After his death in 385, she ruled as regent for her two sons, Divakarasena and Damodarasena, for twenty years. The region is named for the Vidarbhas, Raghuji Bhonsle I In 1732 Raghuji Bhonsle Iappointed Military officer for collection of revenue and chauth for sultan chand shah family. Then Bhonsle dynasty of Marathas who in the century created an independent Hindu princely state that covered much of east-central India. After their defeat in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818, the Bhonsle dominions were reduced to the Nagpur division, in 1853 the last Maharaja of Nagpur died without a male heir and subsequently Nagpur division was incorporated into mainstream British India
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Berar Province
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Berar Province, known also as the Hyderabad Assigned Districts, was a province of British India. The province, formerly ruled by the Nizam of Hyderabad, was administered by the British after 1853, after 1 October 1903 the administration of the province was placed under the commissioner-general for the Central Provinces as the Berar Division. In 1936 with the establishment of the assembly of the Central Provinces and Berar the territory was renamed the Central Provinces. Berar had a population of 2,672,673 in 1881, the total area of the territory was 113,281 square miles. It is now part of Maharashtra state, and where it is part of Vidarbha region. The boundaries of Berar have changed historically, but the British province corresponds to Maharashtras Amravati Division, before the Mughal occupation, Berar was part of the Nizam Shahi sultanate of Ahmadnagar. It was ceded to the emperor Akbar by Chand Bibi in 1596, after this initial victory Prince Mirza Murad settled in Berar with Balapur as his headquarters. Near Balapur he founded a new city named Shahpur and constructed a palace for himself. As his relationship was deteriorating with Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan, the commander of the army, Akbar recalled Khan-i-Khanan, after his death, Prince Daniel was given the charge as governor of Berar, Ahmadnagar and Khandesh, Khan-i- Khanan was sent along with Mirza Daniel. In 1611, the provinces of Ahmadnagar, Berar and Khandesh defied Mughal sovereignty under Malik Ambar. Jahangir sent Man Singh and others to crush the revolt, Man Singh died a natural death on 6 July 1614 at Ellichpur. During Jahangir’s rule, Malik Ambar till his death in 1626 recovered a part of the Deccan from the Mughals including Berar. In 1628, the first year of reign of Shah Jahan, in 1636, the Mughal possessions in Dakhin were divided into 4 Subahs. Berar Subah was one of them with Ellichpur as its capital, aurangzeb was appointed viceroy of four Deccan Subahs for the first time and he occupied the post for eight years. He was again appointed viceroy for the time in 1653. In 1720, Maratha Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath obtained the grant of the right to collect chauth, the claim was contested by the Maratha Bhonsla rajas of Nagpur, and for more than half a century the country was devastated by wars between the two. This condition of things was ended by Wellesleys victories at Assaye and Argaon, the forts of Gavilgad and Narnala remained subject to Bhosale raja of Nagpur. In 1860, by a new treaty which modified in the Nizams favor that of 1853, under British control Berar rapidly recovered its prosperity
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Mahabharata
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The Mahābhārata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Rāmāyaṇa. The Mahābhārata is a narrative of the Kurukṣetra War and the fates of the Kaurava. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four goals of life or puruṣārtha, traditionally, the authorship of the Mahābhārata is attributed to Vyāsa. There have been attempts to unravel its historical growth and compositional layers. The oldest preserved parts of the text are thought to be not much older than around 400 BCE, the text probably reached its final form by the early Gupta period. The title may be translated as the tale of the Bhārata dynasty. According to the Mahābhārata itself, the tale is extended from a version of 24,000 verses called simply Bhārata. The Mahābhārata is the longest known epic poem and has described as the longest poem ever written. Its longest version consists of over 100,000 śloka or over 200,000 individual verse lines, and long prose passages. About 1.8 million words in total, the Mahābhārata is roughly ten times the length of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined, or about four times the length of the Rāmāyaṇa. W. J. Johnson has compared the importance of the Mahābhārata in the context of civilization to that of the Bible, the works of Shakespeare. The epic is traditionally ascribed to the sage Vyāsa, who is also a character in the epic. Vyāsa described it as being itihāsa and he also describes the Guru-shishya parampara, which traces all great teachers and their students of the Vedic times. The first section of the Mahābhārata states that it was Gaṇeśa who wrote down the text to Vyasas dictation, the epic employs the story within a story structure, otherwise known as frametales, popular in many Indian religious and non-religious works. It is recited by the sage Vaiśampāyana, a disciple of Vyāsa, the text has been described by some early 20th-century western Indologists as unstructured and chaotic. Hermann Oldenberg supposed that the poem must once have carried an immense tragic force. Moritz Winternitz considered that only unpoetical theologists and clumsy scribes could have lumped the parts of disparate origin into an unordered whole, Research on the Mahābhārata has put an enormous effort into recognizing and dating layers within the text. Some elements of the present Mahābhārata can be traced back to Vedic times, the background to the Mahābhārata suggests the origin of the epic occurs after the very early Vedic period and before the first Indian empire was to rise in the third century B. C
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Maurya Empire
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The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power founded by Chandragupta Maurya which dominated ancient India between c. 322 and 187 BCE. Originating from the kingdom of Magadha in the Indo-Gangetic Plain in the side of the Indian subcontinent. The empire was the largest to have existed in the Indian subcontinent. By 316 BCE the empire had fully occupied Northwestern India, defeating and conquering the satraps left by Alexander, Chandragupta then defeated the invasion led by Seleucus I, a Macedonian general from Alexanders army, gaining additional territory west of the Indus River. The Maurya Empire was one of the largest empires of the world in its time and it declined for about 50 years after Ashokas rule ended, and it dissolved in 185 BCE with the foundation of the Shunga dynasty in Magadha. After the Kalinga War, the Empire experienced nearly half a century of peace, Mauryan India also enjoyed an era of social harmony, religious transformation, and expansion of the sciences and of knowledge. Ashoka sponsored the spreading of Buddhist ideals into Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, West Asia, the population of the empire has been estimated to be about 50–60 million, making the Mauryan Empire one of the most populous empires of Antiquity. Archaeologically, the period of Mauryan rule in South Asia falls into the era of Northern Black Polished Ware, the Arthashastra and the Edicts of Ashoka are the primary sources of written records of Mauryan times. The Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath has been made the national emblem of India, the Maurya Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya, with help from Chanakya, at Takshashila. Chanakya swore revenge and vowed to destroy the Nanda Empire, meanwhile, the conquering armies of Alexander the Great refused to cross the Beas River and advance further eastward, deterred by the prospect of battling Magadha. Alexander returned to Babylon and re-deployed most of his troops west of the Indus River, soon after Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BCE, his empire fragmented, and local kings declared their independence, leaving several smaller disunited satraps. Chandragupta Mauryas rise to power is shrouded in mystery and controversy, on one hand, a number of ancient Indian accounts, such as the drama Mudrarakshasa by Vishakhadatta, describe his royal ancestry and even link him with the Nanda family. A kshatriya clan known as the Mauryas are referred to in the earliest Buddhist texts, however, any conclusions are hard to make without further historical evidence. Chandragupta first emerges in Greek accounts as Sandrokottos, as a young man he is said to have met Alexander. He is also said to have met the Nanda king, angered him, Chanakyas original intentions were to train a guerilla army under Chandraguptas command. The Mudrarakshasa of Vishakhadatta as well as the Jaina work Parishishtaparvan talk of Chandraguptas alliance with the Himalayan king Parvatka, Chanakya encouraged Chandragupta Maurya and his army to take over the throne of Magadha. These men included the general of Taxila, accomplished students of Chanakya, the representative of King Porus of Kakayee, his son Malayketu. The Macedonians may then have participated, together with other groups, the Mudrarakshasa of Visakhadutta as well as the Jaina work Parisishtaparvan talk of Chandraguptas alliance with the Himalayan king Parvatka, often identified with Porus
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Ashoka
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Ashoka was an ancient Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from c. 268 to 232 BCE. One of Indias greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over a realm that stretched from the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan to the state of Bangladesh in the east. It covered the entire Indian subcontinent except parts of present-day Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, the empires capital was Pataliputra, with provincial capitals at Taxila and Ujjain. In about 260 BCE, Ashoka waged a destructive war against the state of Kalinga. He conquered Kalinga, which none of his ancestors had done and he embraced Buddhism after witnessing the mass deaths of the Kalinga War, which he himself had waged out of a desire for conquest. Ashoka reflected on the war in Kalinga, which reportedly had resulted in more than 100,000 deaths and 150,000 deportations, Ashoka converted gradually to Buddhism beginning about 263 BCE. He was later dedicated to the propagation of Buddhism across Asia, Ashoka regarded Buddhism as a doctrine that could serve as a cultural foundation for political unity. Ashoka is now remembered as a philanthropic administrator, in the Kalinga edicts, he addresses his people as his children, and mentions that as a father he desires their good. Ashokas name Aśoka means painless, without sorrow in Sanskrit, in his edicts, he is referred to as Devānāmpriya, and Priyadarśin. His fondness for his names connection to the Saraca asoca tree, along with the Edicts of Ashoka, his legend is related in the 2nd-century CE Ashokavadana, and in the Sri Lankan text Mahavamsa. The emblem of the modern Republic of India is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka, Ashoka was born to the Mauryan emperor, Bindusara and a relatively lower ranked wife, Subhadrangī. Ashoka became a great emperor despite having an appearance that was unfavorable to his father. He was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, founder of the Mauryan dynasty, since, according to Roman historian Appian, Ashokas grandfather Chandragupta had made a marital alliance with Seleucus, there is a possibility that Ashoka had a Seleucid Greek grandmother. The Avadana texts mention that his mother was queen Subhadrangī, according to the Ashokavadana, she was the daughter of a Brahmin from the city of Champa. Though a palace intrigue kept her away from the emperor, this eventually ended and it is from her exclamation I am now without sorrow, that Ashoka got his name. The Divyāvadāna tells a story, but gives the name of the queen as Janapadakalyānī. Ashoka had several siblings, all of whom were his half-brothers from the other wives of Bindusara. His fighting qualities were apparent from an age and he was given royal military training
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Satavahana dynasty
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The Satavahanas were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. The Satavahana kingdom mainly comprised the present-day Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, at different times, their rule extended to parts of modern Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka. The dynasty had different capital cities at different times, including Pratishthana, the origin of the dynasty is uncertain, but according to the Puranas, their first king overthrew the Kanva dynasty. In the post-Maurya era, the Satavahanas established peace in the Deccan region, in particular their struggles with the Saka Western Satraps went on for a long time. The dynasty reached its zenith under the rule of Gautamiputra Satakarni, the kingdom fragmented into smaller states by the early 3rd century CE. The Satavahanas were early issuers of Indian state coinage struck with images of their rulers and they formed a cultural bridge and played a vital role in trade and the transfer of ideas and culture to and from the Indo-Gangetic Plain to the southern tip of India. They supported Brahmanism as well as Buddhism, and patronised Prakrit language instead of Sanskrit, the date and place of origin of the Satavahanas, as well as the meaning of the dynastys name, are a matter of debate among the historians. According to one theory, the word Satavahana is a Prakrit form of the Sanskrit Sapta-Vahana and this would indicate that the Satavahanas originally claimed association with the legendary solar dynasty, as was common in ancient India. According to Inguva Kartikeya Sarma, the name is derived from the words sata and vahana. Another theory connects their name to the earlier Satiyaputa dynasty, yet another theory derives their name from the Munda words Sadam and Harpan, implying son of the performer of a horse sacrifice. Several rulers of the dynasty bear the name or title Satakarni, Satavahana, Satakarni, Satakani and Shalivahana appear to be variations of the same word. Damodar Dharmanand Kosambi theorized that the word Satakarni is derived from the Munda words sada, the Puranas use the name Andhra or Andhra-Bhritya for the Satavahanas. The term Andhra may refer to ethnicity or territory of the dynasty and it does not appear in the dynastys own records. The use of the name Andhra in the Puranas has led scholars to believe that the dynasty originated in the eastern Deccan region. At Kotilingala in Telangana, coins bearing the legend Rano Siri Chimuka Satavahanasa were found, coins attributed to Simukas successors Kanha and Satakarni I were also discovered at Kotilingla. Based on these discoveries, historians such as D. R. Reddy, S. Reddy, however, the coin samples from Kotlingala are small, and it is not certain if these coins were minted there or reached there from somewhere else. Sastry also later changed his view, and stated that the two kings were different, as for the Puranas, these texts were compiled much later, during the Gupta period, and it is not certain if the Satavahanas were referred to as Andhras during their time. Another section of scholars believe that the Satavahanas originated in western Deccan, all of the four extant inscriptions from the early Satavahana period have been found in and around this region
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Vakataka dynasty
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The Vakataka Empire was a dynasty from the Indian subcontinent that originated from the Deccan in the mid-3rd century CE. They were the most important successors of the Satavahanas in the Deccan, the Vakataka dynasty was a Brahmin dynasty. Little is known about Vindhyashakti, the founder of the family, territorial expansion began in the reign of his son Pravarasena I. It is generally believed that the Vakataka dynasty was divided into four branches after Pravarasena I, two branches are known and two are unknown. The known branches are the Pravarapura-Nandivardhana branch and the Vatsagulma branch, the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II married his daughter into Vakataka royal family and with their support annexed Gujarat from the Saka Satraps in 4th century CE. The Vakataka power was followed by that of the Chalukyas of Badami in Deccan, the Vakatakas are noted for having been patrons of the arts, architecture and literature. They led public works and their monuments are a visible legacy, the rock-cut Buddhist viharas and chaityas of Ajanta Caves were built under the patronage of Vakataka emperor, Harishena. The founder of the dynasty was Vindhyashakti, whose name is derived from the name of the goddess Vindhya, the dynasty may be originated there. Almost nothing is known about Vindhyashakti, the founder of the Vakatakas, in the Cave XVI inscription of Ajanta he was described as the banner of the Vakataka family and a Dvija. It is stated in this inscription that he added to his power by fighting great battles, but no regal title is prefixed to his name in this inscription. The Puranas say that he ruled for 96 years and he was placed variously at south Deccan, Madhya Pradesh and Malwa. Jayaswal attributes Bagat, a village in the Jhansi district as the home of Vakatakas, but after refuting the theory regarding the northern home of the Vakatakas, V. V. This Grihapati in all probability was the progenitor of Vidhyashakti and it appears from the Puranas that Vindhyasakti was a ruler of Vidisha but that is not considered to be correct. As per Dr Mirashi, who has rejected the identification of Rudra deva in the Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudra Gupta with Rudra sena I and he has also pointed out there are no coins of Vakataka and there are no inscriptions of them in the north of Vindhyas. Hence, a home of Vakatakas is correct. However, it is true that they have ruled on some of these places, the next ruler was Pravarasena I, who maintained the realm as a great power, he was the first Vakataka ruler, who called himself a Samrat and conducted wars with the Naga kings. He has become an emperor in his own right, perhaps the only emperor in the dynasty, with his kingdom embracing a portion of North India. He carried his arms to the Narmada in the north and annexed the kingdom of Purika which was being ruled by a king named Sisuka, in any case, he certainly ruled from Bundelkhand in the north to the present Andhra Pradesh in the south
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Chalukya dynasty
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The Chalukya dynasty was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties, the earliest dynasty, known as the Badami Chalukyas, ruled from Vatapi from the middle of the 6th century. The Badami Chalukyas began to assert their independence at the decline of the Kadamba kingdom of Banavasi, after the death of Pulakeshin II, the Eastern Chalukyas became an independent kingdom in the eastern Deccan. They ruled from Vengi until about the 11th century and these Western Chalukyas ruled from Kalyani until the end of the 12th century. The rule of the Chalukyas marks an important milestone in the history of South India, the political atmosphere in South India shifted from smaller kingdoms to large empires with the ascendancy of Badami Chalukyas. A Southern India-based kingdom took control and consolidated the entire region between the Kaveri and the Narmada rivers, the rise of this empire saw the birth of efficient administration, overseas trade and commerce and the development of new style of architecture called Chalukyan architecture. Kannada literature, which had enjoyed royal support in the 9th century Rashtrakuta court found eager patronage from the Western Chalukyas in the Jain, the 11th century saw the birth of Telugu literature under the patronage of the Eastern Chalukyas. While opinions vary regarding the origins of the Chalukyas, the consensus among noted historians such as John Keay. Sircar, Hans Raj, S. Sen, Kamath, K. V. Ramesh, a theory that they were descendants of a 2nd-century chieftain called Kandachaliki Remmanaka, a feudatory of the Andhra Ikshvaku was put forward. This according to Kamath has failed to explain the difference in lineage, the Kandachaliki feudatory call themselves Vashisthiputras of the Hiranyakagotra. The Chalukyas, however, address themselves as Harithiputras of Manavyasagotra in their inscriptions, which is the lineage as their early overlords. This makes them descendants of the Kadambas, the Chalukyas took control of the territory formerly ruled by the Kadambas. A later record of Eastern Chalukyas mentions the northern origin theory and claims one ruler of Ayodhya came south, defeated the Pallavas and she had a child called Vijayaditya who is claimed to be the Pulakeshin Is father. However, according to the historians K. V. Ramesh, Chopra and Sastri, there are Badami Chalukya inscriptions that confirm Jayasimha was Pulakeshin Is grandfather and Ranaranga, his father. Kamath and Moraes claim it was a practice in the 11th century to link South Indian royal family lineage to a Northern kingdom. The Badami Chalukya records themselves are silent with regards to the Ayodhya origin, while the northern origin theory has been dismissed by many historians, the epigraphist K. V. Ramesh has suggested that an earlier southern migration is a distinct possibility which needs examination. Hence, the place of origin of their ancestors may have been of no significance to the kings of the empire who may have considered themselves natives of the Kannada speaking region. The writing of 12th century Kashmiri poet Bilhana suggests the Chalukya family belonged to the Shudra caste while other sources claim they were Kshatriyas, the historians Jan Houben and Kamath, and the epigraphist D. C
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Rashtrakuta dynasty
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Rashtrakuta was a royal dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian Subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their rule from Manapura, other ruling Rashtrakuta clans from the same period mentioned in inscriptions were the kings of Achalapur and the rulers of Kannauj. Several controversies exist regarding the origin of these early Rashtrakutas, their native home and this clan came to be known as the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta, rising to power in South India in 753. At the same time the Pala dynasty of Bengal and the Prathihara dynasty of Malwa were gaining force in eastern and northwestern India respectively, an Arabic text, Silsilat al-Tawarikh, called the Rashtrakutas one of the four principal empires of the world. The early kings of this dynasty were influenced by Hinduism and the kings by Jainism. During their rule, Jain mathematicians and scholars contributed important works in Kannada, Amoghavarsha I, the most famous king of this dynasty wrote Kavirajamarga, a landmark literary work in the Kannada language. Architecture reached a milestone in the Dravidian style, the finest example of which is seen in the Kailasanath Temple at Ellora in modern Maharashtra. Other important contributions are the Kashivishvanatha temple and the Jain Narayana temple at Pattadakal in modern Karnataka, the origin of the Rashtrakuta dynasty has been a controversial topic of Indian history. The relationship of these medieval Rashtrakutas to the most famous later dynasty, the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta, the sources for Rashtrakuta history include medieval inscriptions, ancient literature in the Pali language, contemporaneous literature in Sanskrit and Kannada and the notes of the Arab travellers. Scholars debate over which ethnic/linguistic groups can claim the early Rashtrakutas, possibilities include the north western ethnic groups of India, the Kannadiga, Reddi, the Maratha, or the tribes from the Punjab region. Scholars however concur that the rulers of the dynasty in the 8th to 10th century made the Kannada language as important as Sanskrit. Rashtrakuta inscriptions use both Kannada and Sanskrit, and the rulers encouraged literature in both languages, the earliest existing Kannada literary writings are credited to their court poets and royalty. Though these Rashtrakutas were Kannadigas, they were conversant in a northern Deccan language as well, the heart of the Rashtrakuta empire included nearly all of Karnataka, Maharashtra and parts of Andhra Pradesh, an area which the Rashtrakutas ruled for over two centuries. He then helped his father-in-law, Pallava King Nandivarman regain Kanchi from the Chalukyas and defeated the Gurjaras of Malwa, dantidurgas successor Krishna I brought major portions of present-day Karnataka and Konkan under his control. During the rule of Dhruva Dharavarsha who took control in 780 and he led successful expeditions to Kannauj, the seat of northern Indian power where he defeated the Gurjara Pratiharas and the Palas of Bengal, gaining him fame and vast booty but not more territory. He also brought the Eastern Chalukyas and Gangas of Talakad under his control, according to Altekar and Sen, the Rashtrakutas became a pan-India power during his rule. The ascent of Dhruva Dharavarshas third son, Govinda III, to the throne heralded an era of success like never before, there is uncertainty about the location of the early capital of the Rashtrakutas at this time. During his rule there was a three way conflict between the Rashtrakutas, the Palas and the Pratiharas for control over the Gangetic plains and his military exploits have been compared to those of Alexander the Great and Arjuna of Mahabharata
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Western Chalukya Empire
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The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. The dynasty is called Western Chalukyas to differentiate from the contemporaneous Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi, prior to the rise of these Chalukyas, the Rashtrakuta empire of Manyakheta controlled most of Deccan and Central India for over two centuries. The dynasty quickly rose to power and grew into an empire under Someshvara I who moved the capital to Kalyani. For over a century, the two empires of Southern India, the Western Chalukyas and the Chola dynasty of Tanjore fought many wars to control the fertile region of Vengi. During these conflicts, the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi, distant cousins of the Western Chalukyas but related to the Cholas by marriage took sides with the Cholas further complicating the situation. His exploits were not limited to the south for even as a prince, during the rule of Someshvara I, he had led military campaigns as far east as modern Bihar. The Western Chalukyas developed a style known today as a transitional style. Most of its monuments are in the districts bordering the Tungabhadra River in central Karnataka, well known examples are the Kasivisvesvara Temple at Lakkundi, the Mallikarjuna Temple at Kuruvatti, the Kallesvara Temple at Bagali and the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi. This was an important period in the development of arts in Southern India, especially in literature as the Western Chalukya kings encouraged writers in the native language Kannada. The genealogy of the kings of this empire is still debated, the records suggests a possible rebellion by a local Chalukya King, Chattigadeva of Banavasi-12000 province, in alliance with local Kadamba chieftains. This rebellion however was unfruitful but paved the way for his successor Tailapa II, however, some inscriptions indicate that Balagamve in Mysore territory may have been a power centre up to the rule of Someshvara I in 1042. The Western Chalukyas and the Chola Dynasty fought many wars over control of this strategic resource. The imperial Cholas gained power during the time of the famous king Rajaraja Chola I, the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi were cousins of the Western Chalukyas but became increasingly influenced by the Cholas through their marital ties with the Tamil kingdom. As this was against the interests of the Western Chalukyas, they wasted no time in involving themselves politically and militarily in Vengi and his successor, Jayasimha II, fought many battles with the Cholas in the south around c. 1020–21 when both these powerful kingdoms struggled to choose the Vengi king,1024, Jayasimha II subdued the Paramara of central India and the rebellious Yadava King Bhillama. It is known from records that Jayasimhas son Someshvara I, whose rule historian Sen considers a brilliant period in the Western Chalukya rule, moved the Chalukya capital to Kalyani in c. Hostilities with the Cholas continued while both sides won and lost battles, though neither lost significant territory during the struggle to install a puppet on the Vengi throne. In 1068 Someshvara I, suffering from an illness, drowned himself in the Tungabhadra River
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Seuna (Yadava) dynasty
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The Yadavas initially ruled as feudatories of the Western Chalukyas. Around the middle of the 12th century, as the Chalukya power waned, they declared independence, the Seuna dynasty claimed descent from the Yadavas and therefore, its kings are often referred to as the Yadavas of Devgiri. The correct name of the dynasty, however, is Seuna or Sevuna, the inscriptions of this dynasty, as well as those of contemporary kingdoms, the Hoysala, Kakatiya dynasty and Western Chalukyas call them Seunas. The name is derived from the name of their second ruler. Scholars are divided regarding the origin of the Seuna dynasty, however, most archelogical evidence point to Kannada origin. Scholars such as C M Kulkarni, Colin Masica, and Shrinivas Ritti believe that the Seuna rulers were originally Kannada speaking people, Dr. Shrinivas Ritti speculates that the Seunas were originally from a Kannada-speaking region and migrated northwards owing to the political situation in the Deccan. Many Seuna rulers had Kannada names and titles such as Dhadiyappa, Bhillama, Rajugi, Vadugi and Vasugi, some kings had names like Singhana and Mallugi, which were also used by the Southern Kalachuris of Kalyani dynasty. Records show that one of the rulers, Seunachandra II, had a Kannada title. The Seunas had very close relationships with royal Kannada families throughout their rule. Bhillama II was married to Lachchiyavve, who was from a Rashtrakuta descendant family in Karnataka, vaddiga was married to Vaddiyavve, daughter of Rashtrakuta chieftain Dhorappa. Wives of Vesugi and Bhillama III were Chalukya princesess, over five hundred inscriptions belonging to the Seuna dynasty have been found in Karnataka, the oldest being of the rule of Bhillama II. Most of these are in Kannada language and script, others are in the Kannada language but use Devanagari script. The Seuna coins from the part of their rule have Kannada legends. Scholars such as Dr. O. P. Varma believe that Kannada was a language, used along with Marathi. During the rule of the Seunas, ruling chieftains who were related to the Seuna kings were from Kannada-speaking families, like the Seunas of Masavadi in present-day Dharwad. Dr. A. V. Narasimha Murthy opined that during the part of the Rashtrakuta rule from Manyakheta. The Seuna dynasty claimed descent from the Chandravanshi of north India, according to verse 21 of Vratakhand, the Seunas were originally from Mathura and later moved to Dwaraka. The Marathi saint Dnyaneshwar describes them as yadukulvansh tilak, some Seuna inscriptions call them Dvaravatipuravaradhishvaras
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Daulatabad, Maharashtra
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Daulatabad also known as Devagiri, is a town which includes the Devagiri-Daulatabad fort It is a 14th-century fort city in Maharashtra state of India, about 16 kilometres northwest of Aurangabad. The place was originally named Devagiri when it was an important uplands city along caravan routes, however it is also considered to be one of the seven wonders of Maharashtra and a developing tourist spot. The historical triangular fort of Daulatabad was built by first Yadav king Bhilan in 1187, there is a belief that Devagiri was built in 1203 AD by a Dhangar or herdsman who acquired vast wealth by his good fortune. He had a brother who was a shepherd named Raja Ram, lord Shiva is believed to have been stayed on the hills surrounding this region. Hence the fort was known as Devagiri literally. The area of the city includes the hill-fortress of Devagiri and it stands on a conical hill, about 200 meters high. Much of the slopes of the hill has been cut away by Yadava dynasty rulers to leave 50 meter vertical sides to improve defenses. The fort is a place of extraordinary strength, at the summit, and at intervals on the slope, are specimens of massive old cannon facing out over the surrounding countryside. Also at the mid way, there is a cave entrance meant to confuse the enemies, Daulatabad fort was one the most powerful forts of the medieval Deccan. The fort was built by the Seuna king Bhillama V in 1187 AD, the region was then called Devgiri or Deogiri. The fort had the following specialities which are listed along with their advantages,1, no separate exit from the fort, only one entrance/exit - This is designed to confuse the enemy soldiers to drive deep into the fort in search of an exit, at their own peril. No parallal gates - This is designed to break the momentum of theconfusing the invading army, also, the flag mast is on the left hill, which the enemy will try to capitualte, thus will always turn left. But the real gates of the fort are on the right & the false ones on the left, spikes on the gates - In the era before gun-powder, intoxicated elephants were used as a battering ram to break open the gates. The presence of spikes ensured that the elephants died of injury, the hill is shaped like a smooth tortoise back - this prevented the use of mountain lizards as climbers, because they cannot stick on it. However, Allauddin Khilji sent his slave general Malik Kafur to conquer Deccan and he laid a seize around the fort in 1295 AD, being unable to capture it by force. Finally he bribed the son -in-law of the then king Ramachandra, eventually Ramachandra was defeated & forced to being a vassal to Alauddin Khilji. He was also given the Gujrat and one of his daughters and this alliance was to prove to be of great value to Alauddin in his further aggrandizement in Deccan. But, after the death of Rai Ramachandra in 1315, his sons threw off the yoke of Delhi, Malik Kafur quickly came and crushed the rebellion and assumed direct administration of the area
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Muslim
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A Muslim is someone who follows or practices Islam, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion. Muslims consider the Quran, their book, to be the verbatim word of God as revealed to the Islamic prophet. They also follow the teachings and practices of Muhammad as recorded in traditional accounts, Muslim is an Arabic word meaning one who submits. Most Muslims will accept anyone who has publicly pronounced Shahadah as a Muslim, the shahadah states, There is no god but the God and Muhammad is the last messenger of the God. The testimony authorized by God in the Quran that can found in Surah 3,18 states, There is no god except God, which in Arabic, is the exact testimony which God Himself utters, as well as the angels and those who possess knowledge utter. The word muslim is the active participle of the verb of which islām is a verbal noun, based on the triliteral S-L-M to be whole. A female adherent is a muslima, the plural form in Arabic is muslimūn or muslimīn, and its feminine equivalent is muslimāt. The Arabic form muslimun is the stem IV participle of the triliteral S-L-M, the ordinary word in English is Muslim. It is sometimes transliterated as Moslem, which is an older spelling, the word Mosalman is a common equivalent for Muslim used in Central Asia. Until at least the mid-1960s, many English-language writers used the term Mohammedans or Mahometans, although such terms were not necessarily intended to be pejorative, Muslims argue that the terms are offensive because they allegedly imply that Muslims worship Muhammad rather than God. Other obsolete terms include Muslimite and Muslimist, musulmán/Mosalmán is a synonym for Muslim and is modified from Arabic. In English it was sometimes spelled Mussulman and has become archaic in usage, the Muslim philosopher Ibn Arabi said, A Muslim is a person who has dedicated his worship exclusively to God. Islam means making ones religion and faith Gods alone. The Quran states that men were Muslims because they submitted to God, preached His message and upheld His values. Thus, in Surah 3,52 of the Quran, Jesus disciples tell him, We believe in God, and you be our witness that we are Muslims. In Muslim belief, before the Quran, God had given the Tawrat to Moses, the Zabur to David and the Injil to Jesus, who are all considered important Muslim prophets. The most populous Muslim-majority country is Indonesia, home to 12. 7% of the worlds Muslims, followed by Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Egypt. About 20% of the worlds Muslims lives in the Middle East and North Africa, Sizable minorities are found in India, China, Russia, Ethiopia. The country with the highest proportion of self-described Muslims as a proportion of its population is Morocco
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Alauddin Khalji
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Ala ud-Din Khilji, born Juna Muhammad Khilji, was the second ruler of the Khilji dynasty reigning from 1296 to 1316. He is considered to be one of the most powerful rulers in Indian history, Malik Kāfūr returned to Delhi in 1311 laden with spoils. Thereafter the fortunes of ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn and the dynasty declined, the sultan died in early 1316, and Malik Kāfūr’s attempted usurpation ended with his own death. He was a strategist and military commander who commanded forces across the Indian subcontinent, Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji is also noted in history for being one of the few rulers in the world to have repeatedly defended his empire against Mongol invasions. He defeated large Mongol armies and then launched punitive expeditions against them in Central Asia, contemporary chroniclers have not written much about Alauddins childhood. According to the 17th century writer Haji-ud-Dabir, Alauddin was 34 years old when he started his march to Ranthambore, assuming this is correct, Alauddins birth can be dated to 1266-1267 CE. His original name was Ali Gurshasp and he was the eldest son of Shihabuddin Masud, who was the elder brother of the Khilji dynastys founder Sultan Jalaluddin. He had three brothers, Almas Beg, Qutlugh Tigin and Muhammad, Alauddin was brought up by Jalaluddin after Shihabuddins death. Both Alauddin and his younger brother Almas Beg married Jalaluddins daughters, after Jalaluddin became the Sultan of Delhi, Alauddin was appointed as Amir-i-Tuzuk, while Almas Beg was given the post of Akhur-beg. Alauddins marriage to Jalaluddins daughter was not a happy one, having suddenly become a princess after Jalaluddins rise as a monarch, she was very arrogant and tried to dominate over Alauddin. According to Hajib-ud-Dabir, Alauddin married a woman named Mahru. Once, while Alauddin and Mahru were together in a garden, the incident was reported to Jalaluddin, but the Sultan did not take any action against Alauddin. Alauddin was not on terms with his mother-in-law either. According to the 16th century historian Firishta, she warned Jalaluddin that Alauddin was planning to set up an independent kingdom in a part of the country. She kept a watch on Alauddin, and encouraged her daughters arrogant behaviour towards him. When Malik Chhajju, the governor of Kara revolted against Jalaluddin, Alauddin played an important role in crushing the revolt, as a result, Jalaluddin appointed him as the new governor of Kara in 1291. Malik Chajjus former Amirs at Kara considered Jalaluddin as a weak and ineffective ruler and this, combined with his unhappy domestic life, made Alauddin determined to dethrone Jalaluddin. To finance his plan to dethrone Jalaluddin, Alauddin decided to raid the neighbouring Hindu kingdoms, in 1293, he raided Bhilsa, a wealthy town in the Paramara kingdom of Malwa, which had been weakend by multiple invasions
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Delhi Sultanate
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The Delhi Sultanate was a Muslim kingdom based mostly in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years. Five dynasties ruled over Delhi Sultanate sequentially, the Mamluk dynasty, the Khilji dynasty, the Tughlaq dynasty, the Sayyid dynasty, the first four dynasties were of Turkic origin, and the last dynasty was of Afghan origin. Qutb-ud-din Aibak, a slave of Muhammad Ghori, was the first sultan of Delhi. Afterwards the Khilji dynasty was able to conquer most of central India. The sultanate reached the peak of its reach during the Tughlaq dynasty. This was followed by due to continuing Hindu-Muslim wars, states such as the Vijayanagara Empire asserting independence. The Delhi Sultanate caused destruction and desecration of politically important temples of South Asia, in 1526 the Sultanate fell, to be succeeded by the Mughal Empire. By 962 AD, Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms in South Asia were under a wave of raids from Muslim armies from Central Asia. Among them was Mahmud of Ghazni, who raided and plundered kingdoms in north India from east of the Indus river to west of Yamuna river seventeen times between 997 and 1030, Mahmud of Ghazni raided the treasuries but retracted each time, only extending Islamic rule into western Punjab. The wave of raids on north Indian and western Indian kingdoms by Muslim warlords continued after Mahmud of Ghazni, the raids did not establish or extend permanent boundaries of their Islamic kingdoms. The Ghurid Sultan Muizz al-Din Muhammad began a war of expansion into north India in 1173. He sought to carve out a principality for himself by expanding the Islamic world, Mu’izz sought a Sunni Islamic kingdom of his own extending east of the Indus river, and he thus laid the foundation for the Muslim kingdom called the Delhi Sultanate. Some historians chronicle the Delhi Sultanate from 1192 due to the presence, Muizz al-Din was assassinated in 1206, by Ismāʿīlī Shia Muslims in some accounts or by Hindu Khokhars in others. After the assassination, one of Mu’izz slaves, the Turkic Qutbu l-Din Aibak, assumed power, Qutb al-Din Aibak, a slave of Muizz ad-Din Muhammad Ghori, was the first ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. Aibak was of Cuman-Kipchak origin, and due to his lineage, Aibak reigned as the Sultan of Delhi for four years. After Aibak died, Aram Shah assumed power in 1210, but he was assassinated in 1211 by Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, iltutmishs power was precarious, and a number of Muslim amirs challenged his authority as they had been supporters of Qutb al-din Aibak. After a series of conquests and brutal executions of opposition, he consolidated his power and his rule was challenged a number of times, such as by Qubacha, and this led to a series of wars. Iltumish conquered Multan and Bengal from contesting Muslim rulers, as well as Ranathambhore and he also attacked, defeated, and executed Taj al-Din Yildiz, who asserted his rights as heir to Muizz ad-Din Muhammad Ghori
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Bahmani Sultanate
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The Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim state of the Deccan in South India and one of the major medieval Indian kingdoms. Bahmanid Sultanate was the first independent Muslim kingdom in South India, the empire was established by Turkic general Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah after revolting against the Delhi Sultanate of Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Nazir Uddin Ismail Shah who had revolted against the Delhi Sultanate stepped down on day in favour of Bahman Shah. His revolt was successful, and he established an independent state on the Deccan within the Delhi Sultanates southern provinces, the Bahmani capital was Ahsanabad between 1347 and 1425 when it was moved to Muhammadabad. The Bahmani contested the control of the Deccan with the Vijayanagara Empire to the south, the sultanate reached the peak of its power during the vizierate of Mahmud Gawan. The south Indian Emperor Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire defeated the last remnant of Bahmani Sultanate power after which the Bahmani Sultanate collapsed. After 1518 the sultanate broke up into five states, Nizamshahi of Ahmednagar, Qutb Shahi of Golconda, Baridshahi of Bidar, Imadshahi of Berar and they are collectively known as the Deccan Sultanates. Later rulers of the dynasty believed that they descended from Bahman, the Bahamani Sultans were patrons of the Persian language, culture and literature, and some members of the dynasty became well-versed in that language and composed its literature in that language. The craftspersons of Bidar were so famed for their work on copper and silver that it came to be known as Bidri
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Ahmadnagar Sultanate
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The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was a late medieval Indian kingdom, located in the northwestern Deccan, between the sultanates of Gujarat and Bijapur. Initially his capital was in the town of Junnar with its fort, in 1494, the foundation was laid for the new capital Ahmadnagar. In 1636 Aurangzeb, then Mugal viceroy of Deccan finally annexed the sultanate to the Mughal empire, Malik Ahmad was the son of Nizam-ul-Mulk Malik Hasan Bahri. After the death of his father, he assumed the appellation of his father and he founded the new capital Ahmadnagar on the bank of the river Sina. After several attempts, he secured the fortress of Daulatabad in 1499. After the death of Malik Ahmad in 1510, his son Burhan, in the initial days of his reign, the control of the kingdom was in the hands of Mukammal Khan, an Ahmadnagar official and his son. Burhan Shah I died in Ahmadnagar in 1553 and he left six sons, of whom Hussain succeeded him. After the death of Hussain Shah I in 1565, his minor son Murtaza ascended the throne, during his minority, his mother Khanzada Humayun Sultana better known in history as Chand Sultana or Chand Bibi ruled as a regent for several years. Murtaza Shah annexed Berar in 1572, on his death in 1588, his son Miran Hussain ascended the throne. But his reign could last only a more than ten months as he was poisoned to death. Ismail, a cousin of Miran Hussain was raised to the throne, but the power was in the hands of Jamal Khan. Jamal Khan was killed in the battle of Rohankhed in 1591 and soon Ismail Shah was also captured and confined by his father Burhan, winning the kingdom, Chand Bibi ascended the throne. After the death of Chand Bibi in July,1600 Ahmadnagar was conquered by the Mughals, although, Ahmadnagar city and its adjoining areas were occupied by the Mughals, an extensive part of the kingdom still remained in possession of the influential officials of the Nizam Shahi dynasty. Malik Ambar and other Ahmadnagar officials defied the Mughals and declared Murtaza Shah II as sultan in 1600 at a new capital Paranda, Malik Ambar became prime minister and Vakil-us-Saltanat of Ahmadnagar. Later, the capital was shifted first to Junnar and then to a new city Khadki, soon, Shah Jahan ordered the Subhedar of Deccan, Mahabat Khan to finish off the Nizamshahi when the commander-in-chief, Shahaji Bhosale was away. But soon, Shahaji with the assistance of Bijapur, placed an infant scion of the Nizam Shahi dynasty, Murtaza on the throne, the scion Nizam and Shahajis family was stationed in the Mahuli Fort. Shah Jahan quickly made an alliance with Mohammed Adilshah of Bijapur, Shahaji tried to break the siege externally several times, but failed. So Jijabai along with young Shivaji successfully escaped from Mahuli in disguise, however, the mother of scion Nizam, Sajeeda was caught while fleeing along with the Nizam
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Ahmednagar
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Ahmednagar pronunciation is a city in Ahmednagar District in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 114 km from Aurangabad. Ahmednagar takes its name from Ahmad Nizam Shah I, who founded the town in 1494 on the site of a battlefield where he won a battle against superior Bahamani forces and it was close to the site of the village of Bhingar. With the breakup of the Bahmani Sultanate, Ahmad established a new sultanate in Ahmednagar, Ahmednagar has several dozen buildings and sites from the Nizam Shahi period. Ahmednagar Fort, once considered almost impregnable, was used by the British to house Jawaharlal Nehru, a few rooms there have been converted to a museum. During his confinement by the British at Ahmednagar Fort in 1944, Ahmednagar is home to 19 sugar factories and is also the birthplace of the cooperative movement. Due to scarce rainfall, Ahmednagar often suffers from drought, Marathi is the primary language for daily-life communication. Hindi is also understood and spoken, though of the Dakhani dialect, with a lot of grammar. Ahmednagar has recently published a plan of developing the city by year 2031, the town Ahmednagar was founded in 1490 by Ahmad Nizam Shah I on the site of a more ancient city, Bhingar. With the breakup of the Bahmani Sultanate, Ahmad established a new sultanate in Ahmednagar and it was one of the Deccan sultanates, which lasted until its conquest by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1636. Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar was born on 31 May 1725 in Chondi village of Jamkhed taluka in Ahmednagar district. In 1759, the Peshwa of the Marathas obtained possession of the place from Nizam of Hyderabad, Ahmednagar was invaded by a British force under General Wellesley and captured. It was afterwards restored to the Marathas, but again came into the possession of the British in 1817, the town houses the second-largest display of military tanks in the world and largest in Asia. Situated in the region of the Western Ghats, Ahmednagar experiences primarily hot. As of 2011 Indian census, Ahmednagar had a population of 347,549, males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Ahmednagar has an literacy rate of 84%, higher than the national urban average of 79. 9%. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age, Sant Dnyaneshwar, Marathi sant, wrote Dnyaneshwari, a discourse on the Bhagavad Gita. S. Meherabad, where the samadhi of the spiritual master Meher Baba is a place of pilgrimage, visited by each year, particularly on the anniversary of his death. His later residence was at Meherazad, approximately nine miles north of Ahmednagar, Ahmednagar Fort - Built by Ahmed Nizam Shah in 1490, this is one of the best-designed and most impregnable forts in India
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Mughal Empire
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The dynasty, though ethnically Turco-Mongol, was Persianate in terms of culture. The Mughal empire extended over parts of the Indian subcontinent. The beginning of the empire is conventionally dated to the victory by its founder Babur over Ibrahim Lodi, the Mughal emperors were Central Asian Turco-Mongols belonging to the Timurid dynasty, who claimed direct descent from both Genghis Khan and Timur. During the reign of Humayun, the successor of Babur, the empire was briefly interrupted by the Sur Empire, the classic period of the Mughal Empire started in 1556 with the ascension of Akbar the Great to the throne. Under the rule of Akbar and his son Jahangir, the region enjoyed economic progress as well as harmony. Akbar was a warrior who also forged alliances with several Hindu Rajput kingdoms. Some Rajput kingdoms continued to pose a significant threat to the Mughal dominance of northwestern India, the reign of Shah Jahan, the fifth emperor, between 1628 and 1658 was the golden age of Mughal architecture. He erected several monuments, the best known of which is the Taj Mahal at Agra, as well as the Moti Masjid, Agra, the Red Fort, the Jama Masjid, Delhi. By the mid-18th century, the Marathas had routed Mughal armies, during the following century Mughal power had become severely limited, and the last emperor, Bahadur Shah II, had authority over only the city of Shahjahanabad. He issued a firman supporting the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and following the defeat was therefore tried by the British East India Company for treason, imprisoned and exiled to Rangoon. Contemporaries referred to the empire founded by Babur as the Timurid empire, which reflected the heritage of his dynasty, another name was Hindustan, which was documented in the Ain-i-Akbari, and which has been described as the closest to an official name for the empire. In the west, the term Mughal was used for the emperor, and by extension, the use of Mughal derived from the Arabic and Persian corruption of Mongol, and it emphasised the Mongol origins of the Timurid dynasty. The term gained currency during the 19th century, but remains disputed by Indologists, similar terms had been used to refer to the empire, including Mogul and Moghul. Nevertheless, Baburs ancestors were sharply distinguished from the classical Mongols insofar as they were oriented towards Persian rather than Turco-Mongol culture, ousted from his ancestral domains in Central Asia, Babur turned to India to satisfy his ambitions. He established himself in Kabul and then pushed steadily southward into India from Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass, Baburs forces occupied much of northern India after his victory at Panipat in 1526. The preoccupation with wars and military campaigns, however, did not allow the new emperor to consolidate the gains he had made in India, the instability of the empire became evident under his son, Humayun, who was driven out of India and into Persia by rebels. Humayuns exile in Persia established diplomatic ties between the Safavid and Mughal Courts, and led to increasing Persian cultural influence in the Mughal Empire, the restoration of Mughal rule began after Humayuns triumphant return from Persia in 1555, but he died from a fatal accident shortly afterwards. Humayuns son, Akbar, succeeded to the throne under a regent, Bairam Khan, through warfare and diplomacy, Akbar was able to extend the empire in all directions and controlled almost the entire Indian subcontinent north of the Godavari River
pronunciation (help·info), formerly known as Yeotmal, 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. It is Vidarbha's third-largest district by population, after Nagpur and Amravati.[2] Yavatmal town is the administrative headquarters of the district. The incumbent district collector is Ashwin Mudgal.[not verified in body]
Yavatmal district
