Nagpur (Marathi:[naːɡpuːɾ];ISO:Nāgapura) is the winter capital and third-largest city of the Indian state ofMaharashtra.[15] It is called the heart of India because of its central geographical location.[16] It is the largest and most populated city in central India.[17] Also known as the "Orange City", Nagpur is the 13th largest city in India by population.[18] According to an Oxford's Economics report, Nagpur is projected to be the fifth fastest growing city in the world from 2019 to 2035 with an average growth of 8.41%.[19] It has been proposed as one of theSmart Cities in Maharashtra and is one of the top ten cities in India inSmart City Project execution.[20][21][22]
According to a survey byABP News-Ipsos, Nagpur was identified as the best city in India topping inlivability, greenery,Public Transport, andHealth Care indices in 2013.[26][27][28] The city was adjudged the 20th cleanest city in India and the top mover in the western zone as perSwachh Sarvekshan 2016.[29] It was awarded as the best city for innovation and best practice inSwachh Sarvekshan 2018.[30] It was also declared as open defecation free in January 2018 underSwachh Bharat Mission.[31] It is also one of the safest cities for women in India.[32] The city also ranked 25th in Ease of Living index 2020 among 111 cities in India.[33] It was ranked the 8th most competitive city in the country by the Institute for Competitiveness for the year 2017.[34]
It is famous forNagpur oranges and is sometimes known as the Orange City for being a major trade centre of oranges cultivated in large part of the region.[35] It is also called theTiger Capital of India or theTiger Gateway of India as many tiger reserves are located in and around the city and also hosts the regional office ofNational Tiger Conservation Authority.[36][37] The city was founded in 1702 by theGond KingBakht Buland Shah ofDeogarh[38] and later became a part of theMaratha Empire under the royalBhonsale dynasty. TheBritish East India Company took over Nagpur in the 19th century and made it the capital of theCentral Provinces and Berar. After the first re-organisation of states, the city lost its status as the capital. Following the informalNagpur Pact between political leaders, it was made the second capital ofMaharashtra.
Nagpur is named after the Greatriver Nag which flows through the city.[18] The old Nagpur city (today called 'Mahal') is situated on north banks of the river Nag.Pur means "city" in many Indian languages.[39]
One of the earlier names of Nagpur was "Fanindrapura".[40] It derives its origin from theMarathi wordphaṇa (transl. hood of acobra). Nagpur's first newspaper was namedFanindramani, which means a jewel that is believed to be suspended over a cobra's hood. It is this jewel that lights up the darkness, hence the name of the newspaper.[41]B. R. Ambedkar claimed that both the city and the river are named after the 'Nags' who were opponents of the Indo-Aryans.[42] DuringBritish rule, the name of the city was spelt and pronounced as "Nagpore".[43][44]
Human existence around present-day Nagpur can be traced back 3000 years to the 8th century BCE.Mehir burial sites at the Drugdhamna (near the Mhada colony) indicate that themegalithic culture existed around Nagpur and is still followed.[45] The first reference to the name "Nagpur" is found in a 10th-centurycopper-plate inscription discovered at Devali in the neighbouringWardha District. The inscription is a record of grant of a village situated in the Visaya (district) of Nagpura-Nandivardhana during the time of theRastrakuta king Krsna III in theSaka year 862 (940 CE).[46]
Towards the end of the 3rd century, KingVindhyasakti is known to have ruled the Nagpur region. In the 4th century, theVakataka Dynasty ruled over the Nagpur region and surrounding areas and had good relations with theGupta Empire. The Vakataka kingPrithvisena I moved his capital to Nagardhan (ancient name Nandivardhana), 38 km (24 mi) from Nagpur.[47] After the Vakatakas, the region came under the rule of theHindu kingdoms of theBadami Chalukyas, theRashtrakutas. TheParamaras or Panwars ofMalwa appear to have controlled the Nagpur region in the 11th century. Aprashasti inscription of theParamara kingLakshmadeva (r. c. 1086–1094) has been found at Nagpur.[48] Subsequently, the region came under theYadavas of Devagiri. In 1296,Allauddin Khilji invaded the Yadava Kingdom after capturingDeogiri, after which theTughlaq Dynasty came to power in 1317.
Bakht Buland Shah actually founded the city of Nagpur in 1702 (according to different sources) by joining the twelve small villages formerly known as Rajapur Barsa or Barasta.[51] An able administrator, he incentivised large-scale immigration of Marathi Hindu cultivators to increase economic activity. After Bhakt Buland Shah, the next Raja of Deogarh wasChand Sultan, who resided principally in the country below the hills, fixing his capital at Nagpur, which he turned into a walled town.[52] On Chand Sultan's death in 1739, Wali Shah, an illegitimate son of Bakht Buland, usurped the throne and Chand Sultan's widow invoked the aid of theMaratha leaderRaghoji Bhosale of Berar in the interest of her sons Akbar Shah and Burhan Shah. The usurper was put to death and the rightful heirs were placed on the throne. After 1743, a series of Maratha rulers came to power, starting withRaghoji Bhosale, who conquered the territories of Deogarh,Chanda andChhattisgarh by 1751.[53]
Nagpur was burnt substantially in 1765 and again partially in 1811 by maraudingPindaris. However, the development of the city of Nagpur continued.[54] In 1803Raghoji II Bhosale joined thePeshwa against the British in theSecond Anglo-Maratha War, but the British prevailed. After Raghoji II's death in 1816, his son Parsaji was deposed and murdered byMudhoji II Bhosale. Despite the fact that he had entered into a treaty with the British in the same year, Mudhoji joined the Peshwa in theThird Anglo-Maratha War in 1817 against the British but suffered a defeat at Sitabuldi in present-day Nagpur. The fierce battle was a turning point as it laid the foundations of the downfall of theBhosales and paved the way for the British acquisition of Nagpur city.[55] Mudhoji was deposed after a temporary restoration to the throne, after which the British placedRaghoji III Bhosale, the grandchild ofRaghoji II, on the throne. During the rule of Raghoji III (which lasted until 1840), the region was administered by a British resident. In 1853, the British took control of Nagpur after Raghoji III died without leaving an heir.[56]
Map of Nagpur district with major towns and riversCentral Provinces and Berar, 1903. Princely states are shown in yellow.
From 1853 to 1861, theNagpur Province (which consisted of the present Nagpur region,Chhindwara, andChhattisgarh) became part of theCentral Provinces and Berar and came under the administration of a commissioner under the British central government, with Nagpur as its capital. Berar was added in 1903.[57] The advent of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIP) in 1867 spurred its development as a trade centre.[58]Tata group started its first textile mill at Nagpur, formally known asCentral India Spinning and Weaving Company Ltd. The company was popularly known as "Empress Mills" as it was inaugurated on 1 January 1877, the day queenVictoria was proclaimed Empress of India.[59]
AfterIndia gained independence in 1947,Central Provinces and Berar became a province of India. In 1950, the Central Provinces and Berar was reorganised as the Indian state ofMadhya Pradesh, with Nagpur as its capital.[63] When the Indian states were reorganised along linguistic lines in 1956, Nagpur and Berar regions were transferred to thestate of Bombay, which was split into the states ofMaharashtra andGujarat in 1960.[64] At a formal public ceremony held on 14 October 1956 in Nagpur,B. R. Ambedkar and his supporters converted toBuddhism, which started theDalit Buddhist movement that is still active.[65] In 1994, the city of Nagpur witnessed its most violent day in modern times: in theGowari stampede, police fired onGowari protestors demandingScheduled Tribe status and caused a mass panic.[66]
Nagpur completed 300 years of establishment in the year 2002. A big celebration was organised to mark the event.[67]
Nagpur is located at the exact centre of theIndian subcontinent,[16] close to the geometric centre of the quadrilateral connecting the four major metros of India, viz.Chennai,Mumbai, New Delhi andKolkata. The city has theZero Mile Stone locating the geographical centre of India, which was used by the British to measure all distances within the Indian subcontinent.The city lies on theDeccan plateau of the Indian subcontinent and has a mean altitude of 310.5 meters above sea level.[68] The underlying rock strata are covered with alluvial deposits resulting from the flood plain of the Kanhan River. In some places, these give rise to granular, sandy soil. In low-lying areas, which are poorly drained, the soil is alluvial clay with poor permeability characteristics. In the eastern part of the city, crystallinemetamorphic rocks such as gneiss, schist and granites are found, while in the northern part, yellowish sandstones and clays of the lowerGondwana formations are found.[69]Nagpur city is dotted with natural and artificial lakes. The largest lake isAmbazari Lake. Other natural lakes includeGorewada Lake and Telankhedi lake. Sonegaon and Gandhisagar Lakes are artificial, created by the city's historical rulers.[70] Nag river, Pilli Nadi, andnallas form the natural drainage pattern for the city.[71] Nagpur is known for its greenery and was adjudged the cleanest and second greenest in India afterChandigarh in 2010.[72]
Nagpur hastropical wet and dry climate (Aw inKöppen climate classification) with dry conditions prevailing for most of the year. It receives about 163 mm of rainfall in June. The amount of rainfall is increased in July to 294 mm. Gradual decrease of rainfall has been observed from July to August (278 mm) and September (160 mm).[68] The highest recorded daily rainfall was 304 mm on 14 July 1994.[73] Summers are extremely hot, lasting from March to June, with May being the hottest month. Winter lasts from November to February, during which temperatures occasionally drop to 10 °C (50 °F).[68] The highest recorded temperature in the city was 47 °C on 30 May 2024, while the lowest was 3.1 °C on 29 December 2018.[74]
The average number ofheat wave days occurring in Nagpur in the summer months of March, April and May is 0.5, 2.4 and 7.2 days, respectively. May is the most uncomfortable and hottest month with, for example, 20 days of heat waves being experienced in 1973, 1988 and 2010. The summer season is characterised by other severe weather activity likethunderstorms,dust storms,hailstorms andsqualls. Generally, hailstorms occur during March and dust storms during March and April. These occur infrequently (1 per 10 days). Squalls occur more frequently, with 0.3 per day in March and April rising to 0.8 per day in May.[68] Due to the heat waves in the city theIndian Government with the help of New York-based National Resources Defense Council has launched a heat wave program since March 2016.[75]
Climate data for Nagpur (1991–2020, extremes 1901–2020)
Source 2: Tokyo Climate Center (mean temperatures 1991–2020)[79] Weather Atlas[80]
Nagpur has been ranked 15th best “National Clean Air City” (under Category 1 >10L Population cities) in India according to 'Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2024 Results'[81]
As of the[update]2011 census, Nagpur municipality has a population of 2,405,665. The total population constitute, 1,225,405 males and 1,180,270 females. The total children (ages 0–6) are 247,078, of whom 128,290 are boys and 118,788 are girls. Children form 10.27% of total population of Nagpur. The total number of slums number 179,952, in which 859,487 people reside. This is around 35.73% of the total population of Nagpur. The municipality has asex ratio of 963 females per 1,000 males and child sex ratio of 926 girls per 1,000 boys. 1,984,123 people are literate, of whom 1,036,097 are male and 948,026 are female. Average literacy rate of Nagpur city are 91.92%. Men are 94.44% and women are 89.31% literate.[6]
Hinduism is the majority religion in Nagpur city with 69.46% followers.Buddhism is the second most popular religion in Nagpur city with 15.57% following it. Nagpur is known for the Buddhist site ofDeekshabhoomi. In Nagpur city,Islam is followed by 11.95%, Christianity by 1.15%,Jainism by 0.90% andSikhism by 0.68%. Around 0.10% stated 'Other Religion' and approximately 0.20% stated 'No Particular Religion'.[85]
Marathi is the most-spoken language, spoken by 60.63% of the population.Hindi andUrdu are the second and third largest languages, spoken by 22.74% and 6.36% of the population respectively. Other languages spoken in Nagpur includeChhattisgarhi (2.29%),Sindhi (1.79%),Gujarati (1.16%) andPunjabi (0.91%). There are also small numbers ofTelugu,Bengali andGondi speakers in the city.[86]
Nagpur was the capital ofCentral Provinces and Berar for 100 years. After the State Reorganisation in 1956, Nagpur andVidarbha region become part of the new Maharashtra State. With this Nagpur lost the capital status and hence a pact was signed between leaders, theNagpur Pact. According to the pact, one session of state legislature and the state legislative council takes place inVidhan Bhavan, Nagpur.[87]: 671 Usually the winter session takes place in the city exception being in 1966, 1971 and 2018 when the monsoon session took place in the city.[88] Nagpur has a district court and its own bench of theBombay High Court which was established on 9 January 1936. The city consists of sixVidhan Sabha constituencies namelyNagpur West,Nagpur South,Nagpur South West,Nagpur East,Nagpur North andNagpur Central. These constituencies are part of theNagpur Lok Sabha constituency.[89]
The Municipal Council for Nagpur was established in 1864. At that time, the area under the jurisdiction of the Nagpur Municipal Council was 15.5 km2 and the population was 82,000. The duties entrusted to the Nagpur Municipal Council were to maintain cleanliness and arrange for street lights and water supply with government assistance. The Municipal Corporation came into existence in March 1951. Nagpur is administered by theNagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), which is a democratically elected civic governing body. The Corporation elects a Mayor who along with a Deputy Mayor heads the organisation. The mayor carries out the activities through various committees such as the Standing Committee, health and sanitation committee, education committee, water works, public works, public health and market committee. The administrative head of the corporation is the Municipal Commissioner, anIndian Administrative Service (IAS) officer appointed by the state government. The Municipal Commissioner along with the Deputy Municipal Commissioners, carry out various activities related to engineering, health and sanitation, taxation and its recovery. Various departments such as public relations, library, health, finance, buildings, slums, roads, street lighting, traffic, establishment, gardens, public works, local audit, legal services, waterworks, education, octroi and fire services manage their specific activities. The activities of NMC are administered by its zonal offices. There are 10 zonal offices in Nagpur – Laxmi Nagar, Dharampeth, Hanuman Nagar, Dhantoli, Nehru Nagar, Gandhi Baugh, Sataranjipura, Lakkadganj, Ashi Nagar and Mangalwari. These zones are divided into 145 wards. Each ward is represented by a corporator, a majority of whom are elected inlocal elections.[90] NMC has various departments including healthcare, education, and a fire brigade dedicated for each service and project of the city.[91]
Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) is a local planning authority which works with the NMC and carries out the development of the civic infrastructure and new urban areas on its behalf. NIT is headed by a chairman, anIndian Administrative Service Officer appointed by the state government.[92] Since the 1990s the urban agglomeration had rapidly expanded beyond the city's municipal boundaries. This growth had presented challenges for the future growth of the city and its fringes in an organised manner. With a view of achieving balanced development within the region, theNagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) was notified as the Special Planning Authority (SPA) for the Nagpur Metropolitan Area (NMA) and entrusted with the preparation of a Statutory Development Plan as per provisions of the MRTP Act, 1966. The notified NMA comprises areas outside the Nagpur city and includes 721 villages under 9 tehsils of the Nagpur District spreading across an area of 3,567 km2.[93] In 1999, the government of Maharashtra declared that the Nagpur Metropolitan Area shall comprise all of Nagpur city, Nagpur Gramin (rural areas near Nagpur),Hingna,Parseoni,Mauda andKampteeTaluka and parts ofSavner,Kalmeshwar,Umred andKuhi. The boundaries of the "Metro region" around the municipal corporation limits of the city have been defined as per the notification. In 2002, the government extended the jurisdiction of the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) by 25 to 40 kilometres. This new area was defined under clause 1(2) of NIT Act-1936 as "Nagpur Metropolitan Area".[94]Maharashtra State Cabinet in 2016 had paved the way for NIT to becomeNagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority (NMRDA)[95] NMRDA was notified by theGovernment of Maharashtra in March 2017.[96] NMRDA has been made on the lines ofMumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. NMRDA has been mandated to monitor development in the metropolis comprising 721 villages across nine tehsils in the district. The body is headed by Metropolitan Commissioner, anIndian Administrative Service Officer appointed by thestate government as was with the NIT chairman.[97] Currently, NIT is the planning authority for developing projects around the city in land owned by it.[98]
The Maharashtra government had appointedLarsen & Toubro (L&T) as the implementation partner to convert Nagpur into the country's first large scale, integrated,smart city. The state government had also decided to develop the city complete with five hubs, from textile centres to defence sector.[99] Nagpur was selected fromMaharashtra among other cities underGovernment of India'sSmart Cities Mission. City was selected in the third round of selection. For the implementation of the projects underSmart Cities Mission a special purpose vehicle was formed which was named Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Ltd.[100]
Originally, all the utility services of the city were carried out by NMC departments, but from 2008 onwards privatisation had started for major utility services.[106] The Orange City Water Private Limited (OCW), a joint venture ofVeolia Water India Pvt. Ltd and Vishwaraj Infrastructure Ltd., manages the water supply for the city as well as Nagpur Municipal Corporation's water treatment plants at Gorewada, all the elevated service reservoirs, ground service reservoirs, master balancing reservoirs commonly known as water tanks.[107] This joint venture was established in November 2011 and was awarded the contract to execute 24x7 water supply project and operational and maintenance of waterworks for 25 years.[108] Kanak Resources Management Ltd. was awarded the contract for garbage collection in the city as per Nagpur Bin Free Project in 2009 by NMC.[109][110] It was replaced by AG Enviro Infra Project Pvt Ltd and BVG India in 2019.[111] Inelectricity supply, which was first managed byMSEB was then replaced byMSEDCL.[112] Nagpur Fire Brigade has nine fire stations at various locations in the city.[113][114][115]India Post which is a governmental postal department has two head post offices and many post offices including sub-post offices at various locations in the city and are part of the logistics services in the city along with various other private operators.[116]
NMC in collaboration with Central Government,State Government,UNICEF,World Health Organization and Non-governmental organisation conducts and maintains various health schemes in the city. City health line is an initiative started byNMC dedicated to the health of citizens of Nagpur. This includes providing computerised comparative information and action in the field to local citizens.[117] NMC runs three indoor patient hospitals including Indira Gandhi Rugnalaya at LAD square, Panchpaoli Maternity Hospital in Panchpaoli and Isolation Hospital in Immamwada. Besides, the civic body runs three big diagnostic centres at Mahal, Sadar and also at Indira Gandhi Rugnalaya. Apart from these, NMC has 57 outpatient dispensaries (OPDs), including 23 health posts sanctioned under Union Government's schemes, 15 allopathy hospitals, 12 ayurvedic hospitals, three homoeopathy hospitals, three naturopathy hospitals and one Unani hospital.[118] In 2013,ABP News-Ipsos declared Nagpur the country's best city for health care services.[119] The city is home tonumerous hospitals, some run by the government and some private and consists of various super-specialty and multi-specialty ones. Recently various cancer speciality hospitals providing treatment until tertiary care for cancer patients have been established in the city making it a natural medical hub for nearby areas and boosting healthcare system in the city.[120][121][122] Nagpur is a health hub for Central India and caters to a large geographical area arbitrarily bounded by Delhi in the north, Kolkata in the east, Mumbai-Pune in the west and Hyderabad in the south. People fromMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,Uttar Pradesh, Orissa,Andhra Pradesh andTelangana regularly come to Nagpur for their health needs.[72] Nagpur boasts of super-specialty physicians and surgeons[123] serving its population in both public sector government-run hospitals and well equipped private hospitals catering to all strata of society.[124]AIIMS has also been established inMIHAN, Nagpur.[125]
According to 2005 National Family Health Survey, Nagpur has a fertility rate of 1.9 which is below thereplacement level.[126]: 46, 47 The infantmortality rate was 43 per 1,000 live births, and the mortality rate for children under five was 50 per 1,000 live births.[126]: 47, 48 About 57% slum and 72% non-slum children have received all the mandatory vaccines which includeBCG,measles and full courses ofpolio andDPT.[126]: 48, 49 In Nagpur, 78 per cent of poor children are anaemic, including 49 per cent who have moderate to severe anaemia.[126]: 55 About 45% of children under five years of age and 31% of women are underweight.[126]: 54, 55 The poor people from the city mostly cite the reason of the lack of a nearby facility, poor quality of care and excessive waiting time for not visiting any government hospitals for treatment.[126]: 61 According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) of 2015-16 for Nagpur, households having improved drinking water source is 95.3%, households having improvedsanitation facility is 77.3% and households havingclean fuel for cooking is 87.6%.Health Insurance coverage among households in the city are 19.5%.Female sterilisation is more prominent than male sterilisation in Nagpur. Institutional births in the city is 97%. Children below 5 years who are anaemic are 43.50%, while women and men in the age group of 15 to 49 years who are anaemic are 45.00% and 21.20%, respectively.[127]
The ordnance factory and staff college of ordnance factory Ambazari and National Academy of Defence Production for Group A officer of ordnance factories are in the western part of the city.Sitabuldi Fort is managed by the Uttar Maharashtra and Gujarat sub area hq.of theIndian Army and citizens are allowed to visit the premises on Republic day, Maharashtra day and Independence day.[129]
The 'raison d'être' for Kamptee, the military cantonment, is still operational.Kamptee Cantonment houses the Officers Training Academy forNational Cadets Corps, which is the only one of its kind. It is also the regimental centre of one of the oldest and most respected regiments in the Indian Army, theBrigade of the Guards. Guards, located at Kamptee, are the only regiment in the Indian Army which have won two PVC (Param Veer Chakra), the highest gallantry awarded to soldiers for wartime operations.[130] There are also other military establishments and a well equipped military hospital to care for the health of the armed forces personnel. The Army Postal Service centre is also operational in the cantonment since 1948, to provide training to personnel of Department of Post who volunteer themselves for the Army. Nagpur'sNational Civil Defence College provides civil defence and disaster management training to pupils from all over India and abroad.[131] Indian Air Force's IL-76 transport planes nicknamed "Gajraj" are also based in Nagpur.[132]
Nagpur is an emerging metropolis. Nagpur's nominal GDP was estimated to be around₹202,438 crore (US$24 billion) in 2023-24, making it the largest economic centre in entire central India. Nagpur district has a per-capita GDP of₹322,927 (US$3,800) as of 2023-24 financial year, being the highest in the central India[133] In 2004, it was ranked the fastest-growing city in India in terms of the number of households with an annual income of ₹10 million or more.[134] Nagpur has been the main centre of commerce in the region ofVidarbha since its early days and is an important trading location. Although, Nagpur's economic importance gradually declined relative toMumbai andPune after the merging ofVidarbha into Maharashtra because of a period of neglect by the state government, the city's economy later recovered.[135]
Sitabuldi Market, one of the busiest commercial areas of NagpurNagpur branch of theReserve Bank of India
The city is important for the banking sector as it hosts the regional office ofReserve Bank of India, which was opened on 10 September 1956. The Reserve Bank of India has two branches in Nagpur, one of which houses India's entire gold assets.[136]Sitabuldi market in central Nagpur, known as the heart of the city, is the major commercial market area.[137]
Nagpur is home toice-cream manufacturer Dinshaws,[138] Indian dry food manufacturerHaldiram's, Indian ready-to-cook food manufacturer Actchawa, spice manufacturer Suruchi International,[139]Ayurvedic products companyVicco,Baidyanath, Vithoba,[140] & Aroma,[141] Water Tank & Pipe manufacturing company R C Plasto[142] andExplosives &Ammunition company Solar Industries.[143]
For centuries, Nagpur has been famous for its orange gardens in the country, hence the name "Orange City". Orange cultivation has been expanding and it is the biggest marketplace for oranges in the country.[144] The Maharashtra Agro Industrial Development Corporation has its multi fruit processing division called Nagpur Orange Grower's Association (NOGA) which has an installed capacity of 4,950 MT of fruits per annum.[145] Orange is also exported to various regions in the country as well to other countries.[146][147][148] Nagpur is also famous for the cotton and silk which is woven by its largeKoshti population of handloom weavers which are around 5,000.[144]
The city also has a well developed defence industry with the majorpublic sectordefense company,Yantra India, located in the city. Also private sector defence companies such asBrahMos Aerospace, Solar Industries and Economic Explosives Limited[181] are located in the city.
The city contains people from other Indian states as well as people belonging to the world's major faiths, and yet is known for staying calm during communal conflicts in India.[185] Nagpur plays host to cultural events throughout the year. Cultural and literary societies in Nagpur includeVidarbha Sahitya Sangh (for development ofMarathi),Vidarbha Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti (promotion and spreadingHindi) andVidarbhaHindi Sahitya Sammelan (for promotingHindi).Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, the conference onMarathi Literature were held twice in Nagpur city.[186] Nagpur also hosts the annual Orange City Literature festival since 2019 and Vidarbha Literary Fest since 2020, featuring local and international authors.[187][188] Nagpur is the head office of Aadim Samvidhan Sanrakshan Samiti (working for the rights of scheduled tribes).
TheSouth-Central Zone Cultural Centre also sponsors cultural events in Nagpur city, such as the Orange City Craft Mela and Folk Dance Festival,Vidarbha which is noted for its numerous folk-dances such as thehuman tiger.[189] Newspapers are published from Nagpur in Marathi, English and Hindi. In addition, theGovernment of Maharashtra organises a week-long Kalidas Festival, a series of music and dance performances, by national level artists.[190]Nagpur Municipal Corporation in partnership withMaharashtra Tourism Development Corporation organises Nagpur Mohotsav at Yeshwant Stadium, in which many distinguish artists participate.[191] The Nagpur Municipal Corporation also organises the Orange City International Film Festival (OCIFF) annually, in association with Saptak, Pune Film Foundation, Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh, andRashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU).[192]
TheNagpur Central Museum (est. 1863) maintains collections are mainly for Vidarbha region.Three brothers Ghulam Ali (Kotwal), Mohammad Saaduddin (Subedar) and Mohammad Saladuddin (Minister andKotwal) fromJhajjar are remembered as great scholars of Urdu and Persian during the reign of Maharaja Senasaheb Subha Chhatrapati Raghuji Bapusaheb Bhonsle III. They founded 'Jhajjar Bagh' at Hansapuri (Now Mominpura). In this location, they built their residence 'Aina-e Mahal', a well and a Masjid (now Masjid Ahle Hadith). 'Jhajjar Bagh' also known as 'Subedar ka Bada' was located where nowadays Mohammad Ali Road at Mominpura, Jamia Masjid, Mohammad Ali Sarai and Furqania Madrasa are located.[193]
Deekshabhoomi, the largest hollowstupa or the largest dome shaped monument and an important place of theBuddhist movement is, located in Nagpur.[185] Every year on the day ofVijayadashami, i.e. Dussehra, followers ofAmbedkar visit Deekshabhoomi to mark theconversion ceremony of Ambedkar and his followers in Nagpur intoBuddhism that took place on 14 October 1956.[196] It has been given 'A' grade tourist place status by Maharashtra Government in March 2016.[197] 14 April, which is the birthdate of Ambedkar, is celebrated asAmbedkar Jayanti.
Jainism has a good presence in Nagpur. There are nearly 30 Jain temples. The old ones are Sengan Jain temple Ladpura, Parwarpura Jain temple, Kirana oli Jain temple, and Juna oli Jain temple. In west Nagpur Shri 1008 Shantinath Digamber Bhagwan temple is situated.[198]
Shri Ganesh
The most famous temple in Nagpur isTekdi Ganesh Mandir, and is said to be one of theSwayambhu ("self-manifested") temples in the city.[199] Sri Poddareshwar Ram Mandir[200]
Koradi Shree Mahalaxmi Jagdamba Mata Mandir popularly known as Koradi Devi Temple Located in Koradi City near Nagpur. It is one of the famous devi temple in Vidarbha. There are 51 Shakti-peeths of Devi. The Koradi Devi Temple is considered as one of the Shakti-peeths. On Navratri more than 50,000 lamps were lighted at the temple premises.
Religious events are observed in the city throughout the year.Ram Navami is celebrated in Nagpur withshobha yatra with a procession of floats depicting events from theRamayana.[201] Processions are also held on important festivals of other religions such as Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din, Vijayadashami,Eid E Milad,Guru Nanak Jayanti,Mahavir Jayanti,Durga Puja,Ganesh Chaturthi andMoharram. Like the rest of India, Nagpurkars celebrate major Hindu festivals likeDiwali,Holi andDussera with enthusiasm. Celebrations lasting for several days are held onGanesh Chaturthi andDurgaPuja festivals in virtually every small locality in the city.
Dargah Baba Tajuddin
The city also contains a sizeable Muslim population, and famous places of worship for Muslims include the Jama Masjid-Mominpura and Bohri Jamatkhana-Itwari. The most famous shrine(dargah) ofTajuddin Muhammad Badruddin is at Tajabad. Annual Urs is celebrated in great enthusiasm and unity on 26th ofMuharram. Nagpur Is also called as Tajpur as the holy shirine of Sufi Saint Baba Tajuddin.
The St. Francis De Sales Cathedral is located in Sadar as well as the All Saints Cathedral church.[202] There are many south Indian temples in Nagpur like Sarveshwara Devalayam, where all south Indian festivals are celebrated like Sitarama Kalyanam, Radha Kalyanam Dhanurmasa celebration with Andal Kalyanam, Balaji temple in seminary hills where every year Bramhotsavam to Lord Balaji and Lord Kartikeya is celebrated here. There are 2 Ayyapa temples, one at Ayyapa Nagar and the other at Harihara Nagar, Raghvendraswami Mutt, Murugananda Swami Temple at Mohan Nagar, Nimishamba Devi temple Subramanyiam devastanam at Sitabuldi and many more such south Indian temples are here in Nagpur as there is quite a good populations of south Indians in Nagpur.[203]
Seminary Hills of Nagpur
Marbat Festival is a unique festival for Nagpur and is organised every year a day after the bullock festival of 'Pola'. The tradition of taking out the Marbat processions of 'kali' (black) and 'pivli' (yellow) Marbats (idols), started in 1880 in the eastern part of the city. A number of 'badgyas' (Marathi) (Meaning Mascots in English), representing contemporary symbols of evil, comprise another feature of the annual processions. This festival dates back to the 19th century when the Bhonsla dynasty ruled.[204][205]
There is aParsiZoroastrian Agiary (Dar-e-Meher) in Nagpur, where the Parsi New Year is celebrated by the Parsi community in Nagpur.[206]
The tradition of painting in Nagpur was patronised by the Royal House of theBhonsales as well as common people. Illustrated manuscripts, including of theBhagavat, Jnaaneshwari,Shakuntala, andGeeta, and the folk patachitras related to some festivals are available besides murals. The community of artists was calledchitaris (painters), and this community has today turned to sculpt.
Textile was once an important industry in Nagpur. Good quality cotton was produced in abundant quantities thanks to a suitable soil and climate. With the introduction of the railways, cotton sales and goods transport flourished. Besides cotton textiles, silk and wool weaving was also practised in the district. Silk sarees and pagota, patka, dhoti, and borders were woven with the silk thread.[207]
Every year Nagpur celebrates Orange City Literature Festival in the month of November.[208]
TheVidharbha region has its own distinctive cuisine known as the Varhadi cuisine orSaoji cuisine.[209] Saoji or Savji cuisine was the main cuisine of the Savji community.[210] This traditional food is known for its spicy taste.[211] The special spices used in the gravy include black pepper, dry coriander, bay leaves, grey cardamom,cinnamon,cloves, and ample use ofpoppy seeds.[212] Non-vegetarian food especially chicken andmutton are commonly eaten in Saoji establishments in Nagpur. There are numerousSavji bhojanalays[213][214] in Nagpur which are so popular in Maharashtra that the Indian chefSanjeev Kapoor once featured Savji mutton on one of his TV shows and the recipe is listed on his website.[215] Nagpur is also famous for its oranges, which have some typical qualities have recently begun to attract international attention. Numerous beverages are made out of the oranges.[216] Santra Barfi is also a famous dish, arising from orange which is produced locally in Nagpur.[217] Mominpura is a majorityMuslim area of the city and it is famous for itsMughal dishes andBiryani.[218][219] The city is also famous for rare black chickens calledKadaknath Chicken which are cooked in varhadi style.[220]
Nagpur is also famous fortarri poha, a variety offlattened rice, with a spicy chana curry and has many food joints; each having their own way of preparing and serving it.[221][222]Samosas are also famous in Nagpur and is available at many restaurants and food spots.[223] Another famous food isPatodi andKadhi.[224]
The city consist of various natural and man made lakes.Khindsi Lake,Ambazari Lake andGorewada Lake are the natural lakes of the city whileFutala Lake,Shukrawari Lake, Sakkardara Lake, Zilpi Lake and Sonegaon lake are the man made lakes.[234][235] Futala Lake is being redeveloped as the world's second largest Lighting and Musical fountain which would be available for public show on tickets.[236] The city also has various gardens which consist ofAmbazari Garden, Telankhedi Garden,[237][238] Satpuda Botanical Garden,[239] Japanese Garden[240] and Children's Traffic Park.[241] Apart from gardens the city also consists of various water parks.
Virendra Kumar, Union Minister of Social justice and Empowerment 26 August 2022 announced that the central government with the help of the state government will create Maharashtra's First ever "Divyang Park" and the procedure in this endeavour has started. This park will be peculiar and will have different types of facilities for Divyangjans such as textiles pathways, smell, and touch gardens,sensory gardens, Skill training facilities, sports, rehabilitation facilities, andinfotainment.[242][243]
Nagpur boasts many religious structures that hold importance for differing religious beliefs.Deekshabhoomi andDragon Palace are important religious places forBuddhists across India and the world.Deekshabhoomi is the place where B. R. Ambedkar with millions of his followers embracedBuddhism in the year 1956.[244]Dragon Palace Temple is situated atKamptee which is around 15 km (9.3 mi) from the city. It also has a state of the artVipassana centre which was inaugurated byPresident of IndiaRam Nath Kovind on 22 September 2017.[245] Other prominent religious structures includeRamtek Fort Temple atRamtek which is a temple built inside a fort and is 55 km (34 mi) away from Nagpur, Adasa Ganpati Temple located nearSavner is one of the eight Ashta Vinayaks inVidarbha,[246]Baba Tajjuddin Dargah, Shri Shantinath Digambar Jain Mandir atRamtek,[247] Shree Ganesh Mandir Tekdi, located nearNagpur Railway Station and one of theSwayambhu temple ofLord Ganesha,[248] Sai Baba Mandir at Wardha road,[249] Telankhedi Hanuman Temple,[250]Swaminarayan Temple,[251] Koradi Temple, located at Koradi,[252] Shri Poddareshwar Ram Temple,[253] Balaji Temple,[254] Siddhivinayak Temple at Zilpi, Hingna, Shri Devguru Brihaspati Dham Kshetra Chowki, at Chowki Vangram under Sawali Bibi Gram Panchayat in Hingna, All Saints Cathedral[255] and Gurudwara Guru Nanak Darbar.[256]
The city also has some museums which areNagpur Central Museum and Narrow Gauge Rail Museum.[257]Raman Science Centre is a premium Science Centre of Central India, that has of late become a must see feature on the city's tourist landscape with many scientific experimental edutainment installations which also has a planetarium and a unique facility called theScience on a Sphere inside.
Railways started in Nagpur way back in 1867 when portion of Bombay-Bhusaval-Nagpur line was opened for traffic and train service from Nagpur to Calcutta was started in 1881.[258][259] Today, a total of 254 trains stop at Nagpur railway station. These includePassenger,Express/Mail,Duronto,Rajdhani,Garib Rath,Humsafar Express,Vande Bharat Express trains. Of these 65 are daily trains and 22 terminate/originate from Nagpur. Almost 160,000 passengers board/leave Nagpur Railway Station[260]Nagpur railway station, one of the oldest and busiest Stations of India was inaugurated in its present from on 15 January 1925 by the then Governor Sir Frank.[259] Apart from theNagpur railway station,Ajni railway station andItwari railway station are the important stations in the city. Other railway stations in the city include Motibagh, Kamptee, Kalamna, Khapri and Godhani. Nagpur-Ajni rail route which is just three km (1.9 mi) long, is the shortest train run inIndian Railways primarily meant for crew to travel from Nagpur station to the workshop at Ajni.[261]
Nagpur Metro is a rapid transit system of the city which is operated byMaharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (erstwhile Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.) and started its operations on 8 March 2019.[262] Full-fledged operation of the Phase I was inaugurated byPrime MinisterNarendra Modi on 11 December 2022.[263] On 1 January 2023, Nagpur Metro made the record for single-day ridership of 2,02,608 passengers.[264] Construction of Phase II has also started.[265]
TheNagpur broad-gauge Metro is a commuter rail project planned Nagpur and extending up to adjacent districts ofWardha andBhandara. The project is estimated to costINR 4.18 billion and consists of four routes, each originating from Nagpur and terminating atNarkhed,Ramtek,Wardha andBhandara.[266]
Nagpur is a major junction for roadways as India's two majornational highways, Srinagar-Kanyakumari (National Highway 44) and Mumbai-Kolkata (National Highway 53) pass through the city.[267]National Highway 47 connects Nagpur to Bamanbore inGujarat. Nagpur is at the junction of twoAsian Highways namelyAH43Agra toMatara, Sri Lanka andAH46 connectingKharagpur, India toDhule, India. The highway to Mumbai via Aurangabad, a shorter route, was re-built on the national highway basis. This highway significantly reduces the distance travelled byNH 6 andNH 3 between two cities. In 2009,NHAI announced the extension of the existingNH 204 to Nagpur viaKolhapur-Sangli-Solapur-Tuljapur-Latur-Nanded-Yavatmal-Wardha and connecting it to theNH-7 atButibori near Nagpur. The entire NH 204 highway has been included in the national highway mega projects for upgradation to 4-lanes,[268] which is now completed. One more national highwayNH-547Savner-Chhindwara-Narsinghpur has connected withNH 47 at Savner near Nagpur providing another optional connectivity with the northern part of India.
Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) runs cheaper transport service for intercity, interstate, and intrastate travel. It has two bus stations in Nagpur: Nagpur Bus Sthanak (CBS-1) at Ganeshpeth and MorBhawan (CBS-2) at Jhansi Rani Square, Sitabuldi. It operates 1600 daily services from CBS-1 to long and short distances within the state and to places in other surrounding states. It also operates 750 daily services from CBS-2 to short distances withinVidarbha.
TheNagpur Municipal Corporation through its bus operators (three red and one green) plies 487 buses, by which over 160,000 people commute. The city bus operation is named asAapli Bus (your bus).[269] The operators consist ofdiesel,ethanol andCNG run buses.[270] A total of 5,500 trips of 123 routes are covered by city buses. A common mobility card, called MAHA-CARD, has also been issued which will help people commute with buses and the metro rail.[271][272] A Green bus project featuring India's firstethanol-powered buses was established in August 2014.[273]
The Nagpur Airport has received Special Achievement Award 2012–2013 fromAirports Authority of India. Nagpur became the first airport in India to commission the INDRA system and also hasADS-B system. No other airport in the country had commissioned INDRA yet.[286] Nagpur Airport became the first airport in the country to receive anISO 27000 certificate. In fact, Nagpur is not only the first in India but also the first in world to be certified forAir navigation service provider (ANSP). There are seven airports in the world which have ISO 27000, but none of them have it for ANSP.[287]
Thegovernment of India has identified Nagpur Airport as one of the safe airports for diverted flights andemergency landing. In fact, many flights have used the airport during emergencies. This is because all international and domestic airlines had already been informed by the government to go to Nagpur during emergencies. The availability of excellent fire fighting equipment, air traffic control equipment with latest radar, along with availability of good hospitals and hotels in the city, made the airport a good choice during emergencies.[288]
Nagpur Airport has an annual capacity of 1 million passengers, but it handles more passengers than its capacity.[289] Airport expansion and improvement of service is in the cards and privatisation of the airport has been proposed by the government.[290]
Nagpur has two major management institutes,Indian Institute of Management established in 2015 andInstitute of Management Technology, private management college, established in 2004.[307] College of Agriculture is an old college in the city and was one of the first five agriculture colleges in the country founded in 1906 by the then British Government.[308]
All India Radio is the oldest radio broadcaster in the city and has its office in the Civil Lines area.Vividh Bharati, the entertainment radio station, andGyan Vani, the educational radio station, are the FM radio stations ofAll India Radio and are available in the frequency 100.6 FM & 107.8 FM, respectively.[317] Other private FM broadcasting channels with their frequencies includeRadio City at 91.1 FM,Red FM at 93.5 FM,My FM at 94.3 FM,Radio Mirchi at 98.3 FM,Mirchi Love FM at 91.9 FM andBig FM at 92.7 FM.[318]
Nagpur District Football Association(NDFA) is the district governing body forfootball in Nagpur,Maharashtra and is affiliated with theWestern India Football Association, the state sports governing body. The Nagpur District Football Association is a district level football body and conducts various matches among the schools and clubs. It has its own league.[347] NDFA Elite division Champions League, another football tournament, was held at Nagpur annually since 2010 until 2014 byLokmat Group in Yeshwant Stadium.[348] Indian Friends Football Club (IFFC), Rabbani, Rahul CLub and Young Muslim Football Club (YMFC) are notable football clubs in the city.[citation needed] Other clubs include, Rabbani Club, Rahul Club, City Police, South East Central Railway, Qidwai Club, SRPF, New Globe and City Club.[349] Nagpur FC has its own Football Academy in Dhanwate National College, Congress Nagar.[350] Slum Soccer is a social initiative started byVijay Barse for young runaways and former drug addicts to rehabilitate them through football.[351]
Badminton tournaments in the city are organised by Nagpur District Badminton Association (NDBA) which is affiliated to Maharashtra Badminton Association which in turn is a member ofBadminton Association of India.[352][353] Nagpur District Table Tennis Association organises table tennistournaments at district level and is affiliated to Maharashtra Table Tennis Association.[354][355] The city also has a divisional sports complex which consist of Indoor stadium and othergymnastic facilities.[356][357]
^"Nagpur University". Rajiv Gandhi College of Engineering, Research, and Technology website. Archived fromthe original on 7 September 2006. Retrieved12 August 2006.
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