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Khandesh | |
|---|---|
Region | |
 Panoramic view of Purna river nearMuktainagar | |
 Blue: Khandesh in Maharashtra Light Blue: Khandesh in Madhya Pradesh (Burhanpur) | |
| Country | India |
| State | Maharashtra andMadhya Pradesh[citation needed] |
| Districts | 1]Jalgaon 2]Dhule 3]Nandurbar 4]Burhanpur |
| Largest City | Jalgaon |
| Languages | Marathi,Khandeshi |
| Area | |
| • Land | 28,337 km2 (10,941 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 240 m (790 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 8,686,921[1] |
| • Density | 300/km2 (800/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Khandeshi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Khandesh is a geographic region in Maharashtra, India. It was made up of presentJalgaon,Dhule andNandurbar districts.[2] It also said thatBurhanpur District ofMadhya Pradesh was also its part.[3][4]
The region have seen many geographical changes, in 1906 itseponymous district was bifurcated to form two new districts that is West Khandesh, East Khandesh district;Dhule andJalgaon are their headquarters respectively. In 1990s West Khandesh further divided to form a new, district Nandurbar.[2]
The use of theKhandeshi language is prevalent in this region, and the language itself derives its name from the name of the region. This language is sometimes considered as a dialect ofMarathi due to its mutual intelligibility with it, and hence has lower numbers in the census due to people opting their language as Marathi instead.[original research?] This region is famous for banana agriculture and is a leading producer of it.[5]
Khandesh lies inWestern India on the northwestern corner of theMaharashtra, in the valley of theTapti River. It is bounded to the north by theSatpura Range, to the east by theBerar (Varhad) region, to the south by the Hills of Ajanta (belonging to the Marathwada region of Maharashtra), and to the west by the northernmost ranges of theWestern Ghats.
The principal natural feature is theTapti River.[6] Unlike the rest of the Deccan, whose rivers rise in the Western Ghats and flow eastward to theBay of Bengal, the Tapti flows westward from headwaters in southern Madhya Pradesh to empty into theArabian Sea. The Tapti receives thirteen principal tributaries in its course through Khandesh. None of these rivers is navigable, and the Tapti flows in a deep bed which historically made it difficult to use for irrigation. Most of Khandesh lies south of the Tapti and is drained by its tributaries: theGomai,Girna,Bori, andPanjhra. The alluvial plain north of the Tapti contains some of the richest tracts in Khandesh, and the land rises towards the Satpuda hills. In the centre and east, the country is level, save for some low ranges of barren hills. To the north and west, the plain rises into rugged hills, thickly wooded, and inhabited by members of theBhil tribe.[7]
TheMarkandeya Purana andJain literature describe Khanadesh region asAbhiradesa. The rule of theAbhiras over this region is not only evident from the epigraphs but from the oral traditions also. A tradition ofNandurbar (Khandesh) presents before us an account of anAhir Raja Nanda, who fought the Turks. The abhira was in Mahabharata and then it was considered as a kanhadesh (Krishna)[8]
In 1295, Khandesh was under theChauhan ruler ofAsirgarh whenAla-ud-din Khilji of Delhi wrested control.[9]: 418 Various Delhi dynasties controlled Khandesh over the next century,[9] until Khandesh gained independence as theKhandesh Sultanate in the late 14th century, established byMalik Raja as the Farooqui dynasty.[10]
TheMughals arrived in 1599, when Akbar's army overran Khandesh and capturedAsirgarh.[9]: 418 For a period of time, Khandesh was renamed as Dandesh in recognition of Akbar's sonDaniyal.[11]: 248 c. 1640,Todar Mal's revenue settlement system was introduced in Khandesh byShah Jahan (this system was used until British rule in 1818).[11]: 250 The mid-17th century has been described as the time of Khandesh's "highest prosperity" owing to trade in cotton, rice, indigo, sugarcane, and cloth.[11]: 250 Mughal rule lasted until theMarathas captured Asirgarh in 1760.[9]: 418
During Mughal rule,Burhanpur was the capital of theKhandesh Subah, an administrative provincial division of the Mughal Empire. Early in December 1670, Maratha forces under Prataprao made a raid into Khandesh. They advanced in rapid marches and plundered Bahadarpur, a village near Burhanpur 2 miles away from the city. But they didn't attack Burhanpur.[12]
Maratha raids into Khandesh began in 1670 and the following century was a period of unrest as Mughals and Marathas competed for control.[9]: 418 In 1760, thePeshwa ousted the Mughal ruler and gained control of Khandesh, following which portions were granted toHolkar andScindia rulers.[9]: 418 Baji Rao II surrendered to the British in June 1818, but sporadic war continued in Khandesh which was among the last of the Peshwa's former territories to come under completeBritish control.[13]: 9
Khandesh was a district in theBombay Presidency.[14] In 1906, the district was divided into two districts: East Khandesh, headquartered atJalgaon, had an area of 11,770 km2 (4,544 sq mi), while West Khandesh, headquartered atDhule, had an area of 14,240 km2 (5,497 sq mi); their respective populations were 957,728 and 469,654 in 1901.[15]
After India's independence in 1947, Bombay province becameBombay State, and in 1960 was divided into the linguistic states ofMaharashtra andGujarat. East Khandesh becameJalgaon district, and West Khandesh becameDhule district, both in Maharashtra state.[16] The latter was further divided intoDhule andNandurbar districts.[6]This region has a population of 8,686,921 people (including Burhanpur district of MP) as of 2011 Census.
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Khandesh, East and West".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 771.21°N75°E / 21°N 75°E /21; 75
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