Amravati

The ancient name of Amravati is "Audumbaravati", in Prakrit, "Umravati". The variant "Amravati" is the presently accepted name. It is said that Amravati is named for its ancient Ambadevi temple. A mention of Amravati can be found on a stone inscription on the base of the marble statue of God Adinath (Jain God) Rhishabhnath. The statues date back to the year 1097. "Govind Maha Prabhu" visited Amravati in the 13th century, when Wardha was under the rule of Deogiri's Hindu King (Yadava dynasty). In the 14th century, there was drought and famine in Amravati, so people abandoned Amravati and left for Gujrat and Malwa. Though some locals returned after several years, this resulted in a scanty population. In the 17th century, Magar Aurangpura (today, 'Sabanpura') was allotted for a Jama Masjid by Mughal Aurangzeb. This indicates the existence of a Muslim population. In 1722, Chhattrapati Shahu presented Amravati and Badnera to Ranoji Bhosle; eventually, Amravati was known as Bhosle ki Amravati. The city was reconstructed and developed by Ranoji Bhosle after the treaty of Devgaon and Anjangaon Surji and victory over Gavilgad (Fort of Chikhaldara). The British general and author Wellesly camped in Amravati, the place is still known as the 'camp', by Amravati people. Amravati city was founded towards the end of the 18th century. The Union state of Nizam and Bhosle ruled Amravati. They appointed a revenue officer but neglected defence. The Gavilgad fort was conquered by the British on 15 December 1803. Under the Deogaon treaty, Warhad was presented as a token of the friendship to the Nizam.

Warhad was ruled by the Nizams thereafter. Around 1805, the Pendharies attacked Amravati city.

The Sahukars (bankers and merchants) of Amravati saved Amravati by presenting seven lakh rupees to Chittu Pendhari. The Nizam ruled for more than half-century. From 1859 to 1871, many government buildings were constructed by the British. The Railway Station was constructed in 1859; the Commissioner Bungalow in 1860, the Small Causes Court in 1886, (today, the S.D.O. OFFICE), the Tahsil Office & the Main Post Office were built in 1871. The Central Jail, Collector's Office, the Rest House, and Cotton Market were also built. During 1896, Dadasaheb Khaparde, Raghunath Narasinha Mudholkar, Sir Moropant Joshi, Pralhad Pant Jog were prominent men in Amravati. The 13th Congress Conference was held at Amravati on 27–29 Dec' 1897 due to their efforts.[1] The Municipal AV High School was inaugurated at the hands of Subhas Chandra Bose. Amravati housed the head office of 'Savinay Awagya Andolan '(The Civil Disobedience Movement). On 26 April 1930, water was taken from 'Dahihanda' for the famous 'Namak Satyagrah', Dr. Soman brought seawater from Mumbai for the occasion. About ten thousand people prepared salt under the leadership of Vamanrao Joshi.

Udumbaravati is the ancient name of Amravati. It was due to the presence of a large number of Audumber trees in the region. Umbravati, Umravati& Amravati are derivatives of Udumbaravati. The city grew rapidly at the end of the 18th century due to growth in businesses.

In 1853, the present-day territory of Amravati district, as a part of the Berar Province was assigned to the British East India Company, following a treaty with the Nizam of Hyderabad. After the Company took over the administration of the province, it was divided into two districts. The present-day territory of the district became part of North Berar district, with headquarters at Buldana. Later, the province was reconstituted and the territory of the present district became part of East Berar district, with headquarters at Amraoti. In 1864, Yavatmal District (initially known as Southeast Berar district and later Wun district) was separated. In 1867, Ellichpur District was separated but in August 1905, when the whole province was reorganized into six districts, it was again merged into the district. It became part of the newly constituted province of Central Provinces and Berar in 1903. In 1956, the Amravati district became part of Bombay State and after Bombay state's bifurcation in 1960, it became part of Maharashtra state.

The population of Amravati city in 2011 was 646,801; of which males and females are 330,544 and 316,257 respectively. The sex ratio of Amravati city is 957 per 1000 males. The population in teh age range of 0-6 yeras was 62,497. Teh effective literacy rate (population over 7 years of age) was 93.03%.[4]

Amravati is located at 20.93°N 77.75°E / 20.93; 77.75.[8] It has an average elevation of 343 metres (1125 feet). It lies 156 km (97 mi) west of Nagpur and serves as the administrative centre of Amravati District and of Amravati Division. The city is located near the passes through the hills that separate the cotton-growing regions of the Purna basin to the West and the Wardha basin to the East. There are two lakes in the eastern part of the city, Chhatri Talao & Wadali Talao. Pohara & Chirodi hills are to the east of the city. The Maltekdi hill is inside the city, it is 60 meters high. It is 685.3 km from the capital of the state Mumbai.

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

The highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded were 49.1 °C on 25 May 2013 and 5.0 °C on 9 February 1887 respectively.

Board Office Amravati

Amravati Municipal Corporation is the local authority in the city. It is headed by a mayor who is assisted by a deputy mayor elected for a tenure of three years.[12] It was established on 15 August 1983. The area governed by the Municipal Corporation at that time was 121.65 km² comprising the erstwhile Municipal Councils of Amravati and Badnera along with eighteen revenue villages. Now the total area of Amravati city is 270 km² of which 181 km² falls under municipal limits and about 89 km² does not fall within the municipal limits.

Amravati district's police are headed by Police Commissioner. The city has ten police stations. Regarding Public Health System, The District General Hospital, Previously Known as The Lord Irwin Hospital is Situated at the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Square, previously known as the Irwin Square. This Hospital is Headed by the civil Surgeon.

Dnyanmata High School, Amravati

At the heart of the city is the Government Vidarbha Institute of Science And Humanities, formerly Vidarbha Mahavidyalaya established in -1923 It started out as King Edward College. It is a college serving Amravati with many branches for humanities at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. The college has several renowned alumni. All the colleges in the city are affiliated to Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University[13] including Government College of Engineering, Amravati and Medical college named Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Memorial Medical College.

Shree Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal was established in 1914 and is serving as a sports institution. Its members are known to have participated in the Indian independence movement. It has diversified its activities to the field of Ayurveda, education (in tribal areas), Engineering and Technology.

In 2011, the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication has set up its regional center at Amravati University.

Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, the conference on Marathi Literature was held twice in Amravati city. It was presided by Keshav Jagannath Purohit in 1989.

Temples of goddesses Amba and Ekvira are examples of religious architecture. There's a legend that when Lord Krishna ran away with Rukhamini from her wedding ceremony, he used a tunnel laid from Ambadevi temple to Koundinyapur (another spiritual place near Amravati). This tunnel is still in existence but it is now caved in.

An artistic mosque was built by the Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, this Masjid was named "Osmania Masjid".

There are well-known temples located in the city, examples include the Balkrishna temple, Someshwar Temple, Murlidhar, Vitthal Mandir, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Jain Shwetamber Temple, Kala Maroti Temple, Nilkanth Temple, Shri Krishna temple, and Mrugendraswami math.

Hinduism is the majority religion in Amravati city with 61.83% followers. There are several places of worship for Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, and Christians in Amravati.

The city has been rapidly expanded beyond Badnera, 10  km to the south, an important railway junction where the branch railway line serving Amravati joins the main Mumbai–Bhusawal–Akola–Nagpur railway line.

Amravati is growing as an industrial center, with cotton mills leading the way. Amravati district is home to Vidarbha Sugar Mills Ltd., Kurha. It is the sole surviving sugar factory in the Amravati region. A 2,700 MW Thermal Power Plant is being developed at Nandgaon Peth/Sawardi MIDC. Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) plans to make air defence missiles at a proposed site at Nandgaon Peth/Sawardi MIDC. Many major textile industries such as siyaram's, Raymonds, Finlay mills have been established on the outskirts of the city.

This includes places in Amravati and surrounding areas.

• Ambadevi Temple – the city gets its name from 'Ambadevi', the temple is situated in the center of the city. The construction date of Ambadevi temple is unknown.
• Bamboo Garden – park having a collection of 11 species of bamboo plants.[21]
• Bhim Tekadi Hill – This hill is situated on the east side of the city. Notable Buddhist temples are built on the hill.
• Maltekdi – This hill is situated in the heart of the city. It has now become a notable picnic spot. It does owe a jogging track in its premises.
• Wadali Talao – picnic spot with recreational facilities.
• DCS Badnera CAD CAM Training Center - Design institute for engineers

• Vikas Mahatme
• Prabhakar Vaidya
• Neha Khan

• Make in Maharashtra
• Amravati division
• List of districts of Maharashtra

• Official website