Sangli district

Sangli district is a district of Maharashtra state in west-central India. Sangli city is the district headquarters. The district is 24.51% urban.Sangli and Miraj are the biggest cities in district. [1]

The industrial town of Kirloskarwadi is also located in the Sangli District. Industrialist Laxmanrao Kirloskar started his first factory here. Kirloskarwadi is said to be one of the most beautiful industrial towns in India.

History

Kundal

Kundal the region around Sangli (now village near Sangli up to 50 km) was the capital of the Chalukyas. Kundal is a pilgrimage centre for the Digambar Jains. Every year, thousands of Jains visit this place. The palace built by the Chalukyas. As per the inscriptions the Kundal was ancient village, it is 1600 years old. Kaundanyapur (old name), It was a part of Karnataka^[1] (present day Karad) province rule by the Chalukyas. There is a temple built in the memory of Maharaja Jaising. Pulakesi I chose Vatapi (Badami in Karnataka) as his Capital.

Kundal is surrounded by hills, including Zari Parshwanath (the water from trough cascades near the idol of Mahaveer), has two caves which house the idol of Mahaveer^[2] and the images of Ram, Sita and Lakshman. Samav Sharan (large open space on top of another hill) is considered holy by the Jains, they believe that Mahaveer gave sermons to his followers here.

Bijapur prant including the district of Sangli came to be known as the Adil Sahi kingdom. As the Patvardhans have been closely associated with the history of the Marathas during the post-Panipat period and as they figured during the subsequent British rule as rulers or jagirdars of small principalities such as Sangli, Miraj and Tasganv in this district, it is convenient at this stage to follow the later history of the district along with the family history of the Patvardhans. The founder of this family was one Har or Hari Bhatt bin Ballam Bhatt, a native of the village of Kotavda in the Ratnagiri district.

This man, after distinguishing himself by a long series of devotional austerities, was appointed upadhya or family priest to Naro Mahadev, chief of Icalkaranji in the Kolhapur State. On the occasion of the marriage of this chief's son to the daughter of Bajaji Visvanath, the first Pesava, in 1713.^[3] Har Bhatt was brought to the notice of the Pesava, and his sons Govind and Ramcandra were ere long taken into the service of the latter. A third son Trimbak obtained service with the Raja of Akkalkot. After the death of Balaji Pant Pesava, Har Bhatt's family continued to enjoy the favour of his successors, and Govindrav with his son Gopalrav took an active part in the events of Balaji Bajirav's reign. In 1759 Gopalrav distinguished himself in certain opera-lions against the Nawab of Saonur, half of whose territory was surrendered to the Pesava who subsequently gave a part of it as jahagir to Rastes and Patvardhans.

References

1. ^ "Chalukya capital tells a tale of ruin". Radhesham Jadhav. http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19980928/27151504.html. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
2. ^ "Jain Glory of Maharashtra". http://jaintours.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
3. ^ [Life of Gopal Govind Patwardhan by R. A. Lagu, page 7.]