Vidarbha | |
|---|---|
      Clockwise from top left: Court inAmravati,Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium,Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve,Anand Sagar,Daitya Sudan Temple, andLonar Lake | |
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| Country | India |
| State | Maharastra |
| District(s) | Akola,Amravati,Bhandara,Buldhana,Chandrapur,Gadchiroli,Gondia,Nagpur,Wardha,Washim,Yavatmal |
| Largest city | Nagpur |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 23,003,179 |
| Time zone | Indian Standard Time |
Vidarbha (Pronunciation:[ʋid̪əɾbʱə]) is a geographical region in thewest Indianstate ofMaharashtra. Forming the eastern part of the state, it comprisesAmravati andNagpur divisions. As per the2011 Census, the region had a population of 23,003,179. The region occupies 31.6% of the total area and is home to 21.3% of the total population of Maharashtra. Situated in central India, it borders the state ofMadhya Pradesh to the north,Chhattisgarh to the east,Telangana to the south andMarathwada andUttar Maharashtra regions of Maharashtra to the west.
According to theHindu epicMahabharata,Rukmini, the wife of lordKrishna, was born toBhishmaka, the king of the Vidarbha kingdom. Vidarbha was part of theSatavahana Empire during 1st to 2nd century CE). The coins and inscriptions from the period ofParamara kingJagadeva, the son of theUdayaditya (reigned c. 1060–1086) have been found in the northern parts the region. According to theAin-i-Akbari, the region was part ofBerar Subah, in theMedieval period. In 1680, the region was captured bySambhaji, the son ofShivaji, who was the founder ofMaratha empire. In 1724,Asaf Jah, who later became theNizam of Hyderabad, declared independence and brought most of the region under his nominal rule. The administration and right of collecting taxes were held by the Marathas. In 1803, following the defeat of the Marathas, the region came under the rule ofBritish East India Company. Later, theBritish Empire took control of the region from the British East India Company in 1857, and the region was part ofBerar andCentral Provinces. AfterIndian Independence in 1947, the region was part of theBombay State. After the Re-organization of Indian states, majority of the region became part ofMaharashtra in 1960.
TheGDP of the region is estimated to be₹6,130.3 billion (US$70 billion) 2023-24. The economy of the region is largely dependent onagriculture withoranges andcotton being the major crops. The region also holds considerable mineral resources and forest cover. The region is economically under developed compared to the rest of Maharashtra with considerablepoverty andmalnutrition. Agriculture is largely dependent on seasonalmonsoons and the region receives very less rainfall due to its location in therain shadow region of theWestern Ghats.Droughts andfamines are common with more than 1.4 lakh farmersuicides in the period 1997 to 2006.
The largest and major city in the region isNagpur and other major towns includeAmravati,Akola,Chandrapur andGondia.Varhadi and Zadi dialects ofMarathi is widely spoken. There have been demands for aseparate state of Vidarbha, due to perceived neglect from theGovernment of Maharashtra. While the demand is supported by major political partiesBJP andCongress, it is opposed byShiv Sena, one of the major regional political parties in the state.
According to theHindu epicMahabharata and otherPuranic scriptures, princessRukmini considered to be an incarnation of the goddessLakshmi and the wife of lordKrishna, was born to Bhishmaka, the king of the Vidarbha kingdom.[1] Vidarbha was part of theSatavahana Empire during 1st to 2nd century CE), ascertained by the Satavahana coins found inPauni.[2]
The coins and inscriptions from the period ofParamara kingJagadeva have been found in the northern parts the region. An inscription discovered atJainad names Jagadeva as the son of the Paramara kingUdayaditya (reigned c. 1060–1086).[3][4] Scholar M. H. Krishna argued that theChalukya kingSomeshvara was known by the title "Jagadeva" ("Lord of the world") in the northern part of his kingdom, and it was he who issued these coins. However, all the known Chalukya coins featuredKannada script, while the coins of Jagadeva featured theNagari script used by the Paramaras.[5]
According to theAin-i-Akbari, the region was part ofBerar Subah, known as the Gulshan-e-Berar in theMedieval period.[6] In 1680, the region was captured bySambhaji, the son ofShivaji who was the founder ofMaratha empire.[7] In 1724, following a battle atBuldana,Asaf Jah defeated theMughal governor and declared independence. Most of the region came under the nominal rule of Jah, who later became theNizam of Hyderabad, though the administration and right of collectingchauth were held by the Marathas. In 1803, following the defeat of the Marathas, the region came under the rule ofBritish East India Company.[8]
Later, theBritish Empire took control of the region from the British East India Company in 1857.[9] AfterIndian Independence in 1947, the region was part of theBombay State.[10] After theStates Reorganisation Act, which re-organized state boundaries, majority of the region became part ofMaharashtra.[11][12]
Vidarbha lies inCentral India on the northern part of theDeccan Plateau. It borders the state ofMadhya Pradesh to the north,Chhattisgarh to the east,Telangana to the south andMarathwada andUttar Maharashtra regions of Maharashtra to the west. It lies in therain shadow region of theWestern Ghats and the terrain is largely flat. TheSatpura Range lies to the north of Vidarbha region withMelghat inAmravati district forming part of the southern offshoot of the Satpura Range.[13] Largebasaltic rock formations exists throughout the region, part of the 66-million-year-old volcanicDeccan Traps.Bhandara and Gondia district are entirely occupied by metamorphic rock and alluvium, making their geology unique in Maharashtra.[14] The Poorna river basin lies in Western Vidarbha and comprisesAkola, Amaravati andBuldhana districts. The region has extremely high innate soil and water salinity.[15]
Vidarbha has 11 districts divided into two divisions:Amravati (earlierBerar) andNagpur divisions.[16][17]
| Division | Headquarters | Districts | Tehsils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amravati[18] | Amravati | 56 | |
| Nagpur[19] | Nagpur | 64 |
Each district has a collector's office which is responsible for day-to-day administration. TheDistrict Collector is a Central Indian Government IAS appointee who is in charge of the governance of a district in a state.[20]
Vidarbha has a total population of 23,003,179 according to the 2011 India census.[21] The region occupies 31.6% of the total area and is home to 21.3% of the total population of Maharashtra.[22] According to the 2011 census,Hinduism was the principal religion in the state at 76.91% of the total population, whileBuddhists constituted 13.08 of the total population. Vidarbha accounts for 45.91% of total Buddhists inMaharashtra.[23]
| City | Population |
|---|---|
| Hinduism | 76.91 |
| Buddhism | 13.08 |
| Islam | 8.34 |
| Jainism | 0.44 |
| Christianity | 0.34 |
| Sikhism | 0.18 |
| Others/Non religious | 0.72 |
| City | Population |
|---|---|
| Marathi | 73.72 |
| Hindi | 8.30 |
| Urdu | 6.23 |
| Lambadi | 2.58 |
| Gondi | 1.83 |
| Korku | 1.10 |
| Telugu | 1.02 |
| others | 5.22 |
| District | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akola | 936,226 | 882,391 | 1,818,617 |
| Amravati | 1,482,845 | 1,404,981 | 2,887,826 |
| Bhandara | 604,371 | 594,439 | 1,198,810 |
| Buldhana | 1,342,152 | 1,245,887 | 2,588,039 |
| Chandrapur | 1,120,316 | 1,073,946 | 2,194,262 |
| Gadchiroli | 542,813 | 528,982 | 1,071,795 |
| Gondia | 662,524 | 659,807 | 1,322,331 |
| Nagpur | 2,388,558 | 2,264,613 | 4,653,171 |
| Wardha | 665,925 | 630,232 | 1,296,157 |
| Washim | 621,228 | 575,486 | 1,196,714 |
| Yavatmal | 1,425,593 | 1,349,864 | 2,775,457 |
The largest city in the region isNagpur and other major towns includeAmravati,Akola,Chandrapur andGondia.[25]
As per the 2011 census, 73.72% of the population speaksMarathi, 8.30%Hindi, 6.23%Urdu, 2.58%Lambadi, 1.83%Gondi, 1.10%Korku and 1.02%Telugu as their first language.[24]Varhadi and Zadi dialects ofMarathi is widely spoken.[26]
Hindu festivals likeHoli,Diwali andDasara are celebrated throughout the region.[27]
TheNagpur Central Museum (est. 1863) maintains collections from the region.[28]
TheGDP of the region is estimated to be₹5,445.4 billion (US$62 billion) 2022-23. The region also holds considerable mineral resources and forest cover.[29] The region is economically under developed compared to the rest of Maharashtra with considerablepoverty andmalnutrition.[30][31][32]
The economy of the region is largely dependent onagriculture withoranges andcotton being the major crops. Agriculture is largely dependent on seasonalmonsoons and the region receives very less rainfall.Droughts andfamines are common with more than 1.4 lakhfarmer suicides in the period 1997 to 2006.[33] ThoughGovernment of India has provided relief packages aimed at the region, with corruption rampant in the region.[34] Columnist and journalistP Sainath opined that the relief packages were destined to fail as corruption in the government meant that little impact happened on the ground.[35]
Nagpur is a major hub for business and healthcare.[36]MIHAN is the major cargo hub in the region, operational out ofNagpur Airport.[37][38] Nagpur also hostsInformation TechnologySpecial Economic Zone (IT SEZ).[39] for information-technology companies.[40] Amravati andYavatmal are known for cotton production.Chandrapur has athermal power station, which is one of the biggest in India.[41][42] There are other heavy industries and mines in the region.[43]
The region has mineral resources with coal andmanganese, the major minerals. Iron ore andlimestone have also been identified as potential mining resources.[44]Chandrapur district contributes 29% of all mineral output of Maharashtra.[45]
Cricket is the most popular sport in the region. Nagpur'sVidarbha Cricket Association Ground (VCA) hosted international cricket matches.[46] In 2008, the newVidarbha Cricket Association Stadium was built in Jamtha.[47]
The eastern part of Vidarbha consists of Maharashtra's oldestNational Park, theTadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, one of theProject Tiger Reserves.[48][49]Shegaon is a place of pilgrimage with temples attributed to the Hindu saintGajanan Maharaj who lived there.[50]Chikhaldara in Amravati district is ahill station and popular tourist destination.[51]
Vidarbha has tenLok Sabha constituencies.Nagpur district has two seatsNagpur andRamtek, whileGadchiroli-Chimur Lok Sabha constituency is spread across districts ofChandrapur,Gadchiroli andGondia.Yavatmal andWashim districts form part ofYavatmal–Washim Lok Sabha constituency. Other seats includeAkola,Amravati,Bhandara,Buldhana,Gondia, andWardha. Amravati and Ramtek seats are reserved forScheduled Caste candidates, while Gadchiroli-Chimur is reserved forScheduled Tribes.[52] In theMaharashtra Legislative Assembly, the region is represented by 62Vidhan Sabha seats.[53]
TheVidarbha movement started in the 1930s demanding aseparate state of Vidarbha. The demand has been raised at times due to perceived neglect of the region by theGovernment of Maharashtra.[54][55] While the demand is supported by major political partiesBJP andCongress, it is opposed byShiv Sena, one of the major regional political parties in the state.[56][57][58] Political economistShrikant Jichkar opposed the separation of the region from Maharashtra, stating that it was not sustainable. He noted that income from available natural resources would not be able to balance the subsidies given by the government, whose cooperation would be vital to any development and that the division introduces societal risks due to dividing of the Marathi-speaking state.[59]
The latest site which contributed valuable numismatic evidence confirming, once and for all, ancient Vidarbha's early Satavahana affiliation is Pauni, in district Bhandara
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