Khamgaon

Khamgaon is a city in Buldhana District,[1] Maharashtra, India. It is the largest town in Buldhana district. It is well connected to all other big cities of India as well as Maharashtra with a National Highway 6. The city also has a railway network to connect with the rest of India; this was connected in 1870.[1] Khamgaon Terminal has a single platform from where a local train runs five times daily to the main Mumbai–Kolkata line. The city needs express connectivity, so Indian Railways has decided to give halt to some express trains at Jalamb Junction so people can travel accordingly. The city has a big market as well. The city imports and exports many goods. Daily freight trains depart from and arrive in the city.

Khamgaon Khamkhed
City
Khamgaon
Nickname(s):  Silver city, Cotton City
Khamgaon Location in Maharashtra, India Khamgaon Khamgaon (India) Khamgaon Khamgaon (Asia)
Coordinates: 20.7116°N 76.5661°E
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Buldhana
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council type
• Body	Municipal Council, Khamgaon
Area
• Total	28 km^2 (11 sq mi)
Elevation	323 m (1,060 ft)
Population  (2011)increasing
• Total	278,946
• Density	10,000/km^2 (26,000/sq mi)
Marathi
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Postal Code	444303
STD Code	07263
Vehicle registration	MH 28

Khamgaon is known for being one of the hottest cities in Maharashtra with temperature often hitting 47–48 degrees Celsius during summer. Also the rainfall is least in the region which has caused drought many times in the city over the past.

Khamgaon is often called "Silver City" because it has a big silver market in Vidarbha, with a pure form of silver products available. Amitabh Bachchan had ordered a silver statue of Ganesh from Khamgaon.Along with silver, there is a vibrant gold market and a number of goldsmiths in the city. It had previously been known as "Cotton City" when it was a major trade center for cotton during the British Raj.[1] It is an important educational hub in the district. There are many primary, secondary, higher secondary schools in the town. The city is well equipped with facilities for higher education including arts, science, commerce, law, medical, polytechnic and engineering. The Dnyanganga Wildlife Sanctuary has situated 20  km from Khamgaon town of Maharashtra. There are many animals and about 150 species of birds there.

Khamgaon is an education hub with many Schools and Colleges such as Homeopathic Medical College, Siddhivinayak Technical Campus and Government Polytechnic Institution.

It also has Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools. Medical Facility in Khamgaon quite stable with affordable Critical health care hospitals .[2] Khamgaon is only a place where The "Mothi Devi" festival is celebrated. The Khamgaon is consist of top CBSE schools like S.S.D.V Dnyanpeeth and Sanskar Dnyanpeeth.

History

Khamgaon used to be a major cotton hub during the British era and has many old buildings from the British era. There are many historical and religious places around the city Sant Gajanan Maharaj Shegaon, a holy place for Hindus, is located about 17 km (11 mi) northeast of Khamgaon in Shegaon.

Dharma Baskar Sant Pachalegaonkar Maharaj Math is situated in Khamgaon. Nirgun Paduka of Dattatreya is believed to have been given to Pachalegaonkar Maharaj and is worshipped there by devotees.

Festivals

Khamgaon hosts the biggest festival called Mothi Devi festival and Ganesh Puja is celebrated Along with this Diwali, Holi, Eid Baba Mastan Urs, And Syed Thikri Shah Miya Urs, Near Syed Baada (Traditional House of Syed) Mastan chowk, Dashera, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti,Mahavir jayanti,Kawad Yatra, and Ram Navmi are the major festivals of the City.

Arvind Agashe Kaka

Khamgaon is also known as the place of Shri Arvind Agashe aka Kaka Mauli. He was one of the spiritual gurus from Datta Sampradaya. His memorial Barsana is at Jalamb Road of Khamgaon. As well as his padukas present at the house of Shri Ajay Tamhan at English School Area.[3]

Transport

Khamgaon is well connected by National Highway 6 (NH 6) and Central Railway's Mumbai–Kolkata railway line. The city is served by the Khamgaon railway station, which was built during the British Raj. A Khamgaon–Jalna Railway line was approved by the Railway Minister in 2016.[4]

Khamgoan Terminus railways station which runs a local train between Khamgaon to Jalamb there is a special direct train from Khamgaon to Pandharpur during Aashadhi Ekadashi wari the nearest railway stations are Malkapur, Jalamb Junction, Shegaon and Akola Junction, from which connections can be made to the broader rail network.

Demographics

As of the 2011 India census,[5] Khamgaon had a population of 94,191. Males constituted 51.4% of the population and females 48.6%. Khamgaon had an average literacy rate of 92%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy was 81%, and female literacy was 71%. 15% of the population was under 6 years of age. The main language spoken in Khamgaon is Marathi with hint of varhadi dialect.

Religions in Khamgaon
Religion			Percent
Hindus			60%
Muslims			20%
Buddhists			15%
Christians			1.4%
Jains			3.7%
Others†			0.3%
Distribution of religions †Includes Sikhisms (0.2%), Buddhists (<0.2%).

References

1. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Khamgaon" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 770.
2. Beckert, Sven (10 November 2015). Empire of Cotton: A Global History. ISBN 978-0375713965.
3. http://wikimapia.org/11638589/hi/Agashe-Kaka-दत्त-भक्त-सदगुरू-संत-श्री-अरविंद-आगाशे-काका-यांनी-निवास-केलेली-जागा
4. "Rail budget: Maharashtra's outlay for FY17 up 10% at Rs 4,767 cr".
5. "Census of India 2011: Data from the 2011 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)" (PDF). Census Commission of India. Retrieved 3 December 2016.