Ahmednagar, officially Ahilyanagar, is a city in, and the headquarters of, the

Ahmednagar district Ahmednagar district (Marathi pronunciation: �ɦ(ə)məd̪nəɡəɾ, officially Ahilyanagar district, is the largest district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical city of Ahmednagar is the headquarters of the district. Ahmednagar ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

, India. Ahmednagar has several dozen buildings and sites from the

Nizam Shahi The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was a medieval Marathi Muslim kingdom located in the northwestern Deccan, between the sultanates of Gujarat and Bijapur, ruled by the Nizam Shahi dynasty. It was established when Malik Ahmed, the Bahmani governor of ...

period.

Ahmednagar Fort The Ahmednagar Fort (''Ahmadnagar Qila'') is located close to the Bhingar Nala near Ahmednagar in Maharashtra state western India. It was the headquarters of the Ahmednagar Sultanate. In 1803, it was taken by the British during the Second Ang ...

, once considered almost impregnable, was used by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

to house

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

(the first prime minister of India) and other Indian Nationalists before Indian independence. A few rooms there have been converted to a museum. During his confinement by the British at Ahmednagar Fort in 1944, Nehru wrote the book ''

The Discovery of India ''The Discovery of India'' was written by the Indian freedom fighter Jawaharlal Nehru (later India's first Prime Minister) during his incarceration in 1942–1945 at Ahmednagar Fort in present-day Indian state of Maharashtra by British colonia ...

''. Ahmednagar is home to the Indian Armoured Corps Centre & School (ACC&S), the

Mechanised Infantry Regimental Centre Mechanization (or mechanisation) is the process of changing from working largely or exclusively by hand or with animals to doing that work with machinery. In an early engineering text, a machine is defined as follows: In every fields, mechan ...

(MIRC), the

Vehicle Research and Development Establishment Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (VRDE) is a laboratory of the Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) located at Vahannagar near Ahmednagar. Its primary function is research and development of various light tracked, whe ...

(VRDE) and the Controllerate of Quality Assurance Vehicles (CQAV). Training and recruitment for the

Indian Army Armoured Corps The Indian Army Armoured Corps is one of the combat arms of the Indian Army. Tracing its origins from the first regiment formed in 1776, the present corps was formed in 1947 from two-thirds of the personnel and assets of the British Indian Army' ...

takes place at the ACC&S. Ahmednagar is a relatively small town and shows less development than the nearby western Maharashtra cities of

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

and

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

. Ahmednagar is home to 19 sugar factories and is also the birthplace of the

cooperative movement The history of the cooperative movement concerns the origins and history of cooperatives across the world. Although cooperative arrangements, such as mutual insurance, and principles of cooperation existed long before, the cooperative movement bega ...

. Due to scarce rainfall, the city often suffers from drought.

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

is the primary language for daily-life communication. The city administration has recently published a plan of developing the city by year 2031.

Etymology

Ahmednagar took its name from

Ahmad Nizam Shah I Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah () was the founder of the Nizam Shahi dynasty and the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. Ahmad was the son of the Malik Hasan Bahri, Nizam ul-Mulk Malik Hasan Bahri, a Hindu Brahmin from Beejanuggar (or Bijanagar) originally named Ti ...

, who founded the town in 1494 on the site of a battlefield where he won a battle against superior

Bahamani The Bahmani Kingdom or the Bahmani Sultanate was a late medieval Persianate kingdom that ruled the Deccan plateau in India. The first independent Muslim sultanate of the Deccan, the Bahmani Kingdom came to power in 1347 during the rebellion o ...

forces. It was close to the site of the village of

Bhingar Bhingar, also known as Bhingar Camp, is a census town in Ahilya Nagar district in the state of Maharashtra, India. History Aurangzeb, the last prominent Mughal emperor, died at Bhingar in 1707. The place is known as Alamgir and a small monumen ...

. With the breakup of the

Bahmani Sultanate The Bahmani Kingdom or the Bahmani Sultanate was a late medieval Persianate kingdom that ruled the Deccan plateau in India. The first independent Muslim sultanate of the Deccan, the Bahmani Kingdom came to power in 1347 during the rebellio ...

, Ahmad established a new sultanate in Ahmednagar, also known as

Nizam Shahi dynasty The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was a medieval Marathi Muslim kingdom located in the northwestern Deccan, between the sultanates of Gujarat and Bijapur, ruled by the Nizam Shahi dynasty. It was established when Malik Ahmed, the Bahmani governor o ...

History

The town Ahmednagar was founded in 1494 by

on the site of a more ancient city,

. With the breakup of the

, Ahmad established a new sultanate in Ahmednagar, also known as

. It was one of the

Deccan sultanates The Deccan sultanates is a historiographical term referring to five late medieval to early modern Persianate Indian Muslim kingdoms on the Deccan Plateau between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range. They were created from the disintegrati ...

, which lasted until its conquest by

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

emperor

Shah Jahan Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...

in 1636.

Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...

, the last Mughal emperor, who spent the latter years of his reign, 1681–1707, in the

Deccan The Deccan is a plateau extending over an area of and occupies the majority of the Indian peninsula. It stretches from the Satpura and Vindhya Ranges in the north to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south. It is bound by the mount ...

, died in Ahmednagar and is buried at

Khuldabad Khuldabad, also called Rauza, is a city (municipal council) and a Taluka of Aurangabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is known as the Valley of Saints, or the Abode of Eternity, because in the 14th century, several Sufi saints ...

, near Aurangabad in 1707, with a small monument marking the site. In 1759, the

Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...

of the

Maratha The Marathi people (; Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-A ...

s obtained possession of the place from

Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I wh ...

and in 1795 it was ceded by the Peshwa to the Maratha chief

Daulat Rao Sindhia Daulat Rao Scindia (1779 – 21 March 1827) also conferred with the title "''The defender of Delhi"'' was the Maratha Maharaja of Gwalior state in central India from 1794 until his death in 1827. His reign coincided with struggles for supremac ...

. In 1803 Ahmednagar was besieged by a British force under Richard Wellesley and captured. It was afterward restored to the Marathas but again came into the possession of the British in 1817, according to the terms of the Treaty of Poona, and was known as Ahmednuggur. In 19th century American Christian missionaries opened first modern schools in this town. According to a report there were four girls' school running under the superintendence of Cynthia Farrar around the 1850s. Mahatma Jyotirao Phule visited them and got inspired to open school for girls in Poona. Later, he enrolled his wife

Savitribai Phule Savitribai Phule (; 3 January 1831 – 10 March 1897) was an Indian educator, social reformer, and poet, widely regarded as the first female teacher of modern India. Along with her husband, Jyotiba Phule, she played a pivotal role in advancin ...

in Farrar's school in a teacher's training program. Farrar was from America and spent his entire life in Ahmednagar running her schools, these girls' schools were one of the first such kind in the country. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Ahmednagar was the site of a camp for Prisoners of War, mainly for

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

civilian internees and the captured crews of German ships, but also some Turkish soldiers captured in

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

. On 31 May 2023,

Eknath Shinde Eknath Sambhaji Shinde (born 9 February 1964) is an Indian politician who has served as the List of deputy chief ministers of Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra since December 2024, alongside Ajit Pawar under Devendra Fadnavis. ...

(the

chief minister of Maharashtra The chief minister of Maharashtra (IAST: Mahārāṣṭrāce Mukhyamaṃtrī) is the head of the executive branch of the government of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Following elections to the Legislative Assembly, the governor invites ...

) announced that Ahmednagar would be renamed "Ahilya Nagar", in honour of

Ahilyabai Holkar Ahilyabai Holkar (; 31 May 1725 – 13 August 1795), also spelled Ahalya Bai, was the Rajamata and later the ruling queen of Indore within the Maratha Empire. She established Maheshwar (in Madhya Pradesh) as the seat of the Holkar Dynasty. ...

who was

Rani ''Rani'' () is a female title, equivalent to queen, for royal or princely rulers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It translates to 'queen' in English. It is also a Sanskrit Hindu feminine given name. The term applies equally to a ...

Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...

, within the

Maratha Confederacy The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent Maratha states under the nominal leadership of the former. ...

in the late 18th-century. Deputy chief minister

Devendra Fadnavis Devendra Gangadharrao Fadnavis (born 22 July 1970) is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra since 5 December 2024 with Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar as his deputies, and previously held this positi ...

spoke at the same meeting, referring to Shinde's government as "pro-

Hindutva Hindutva (; ) is a Far-right politics, far-right political ideology encompassing the cultural justification of Hindu nationalism and the belief in establishing Hindu hegemony within India. The political ideology was formulated by Vinayak Da ...

", and asked Shinde to rename the district "Ahilyanagar"; Shinde replied: "The state government has accepted your demand to rename Ahmednagar as Ahilyadevi Holkar Nagar". The BJP demanded that Ahmednagar be renamed. Rais Shaikh (group leader of the

Samajwadi Party The Samajwadi Party ( SP; ) is a Socialism, socialist political party in India. It was founded on 4 October 1992 by former Janata Dal politician Mulayam Singh Yadav and is headquartered in New Delhi. It is the third-largest political party in ...

in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly) said that "The

Maha Yuti The Maha Yuti (; abbreviated as MY), formed in 2014, is a political coalition in Maharashtra, India. Currently the alliance consists of three major parties—the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena (2022–Present; SHS) and Nationalist ...

government is implementing the 'Yogi pattern' of creating an illusion of development by changing the names of cities without doing anything for development" and accused the government of "distorting history". On 13 March 2024, the Maharashtra state cabinet announced that they had approved the renaming of Ahmednagar at the same time as they announced the renaming of seven railway stations in

. On 4 October 2024, the Maharashtra state government notified the state revenue and forest department of the change of name, who published this in the gazette on 8 October 2024.

Military base

Ahmednagar is home to: * Indian Armored Corps Centre & School (ACC&S) * Mechanized Infantry Regimental Centre (MIRC) *

(VRDE) * Controllerate of Quality Assurance Vehicles (CQAV) Training and recruitment for the Indian Army Armored Corps take place at the ACC&S. Formerly, the city was the Indian base of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

Royal Tank Corps The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. Today, it is an armoured regiment equipped with Challenger 2 main battle tanks and structured under 12th A ...

/ Indian Armored Corps, amongst other units. The town houses the second-largest display of military tanks in the world and the largest in Asia.

Geography

Climate

Situated in the

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from body of water, bodies of water (such as oceans and larg ...

region of the Western Ghats, Ahmednagar has a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''BSh''). The climate is hot throughout the year and sweltering during the pre-monsoon months from March to mid-June, whilst monsoon rainfall averages less than a third of that received in

and about a tenth what is received in

Mahabaleshwar Mahabaleshwar () is a small town and a municipal council in Satara district, Maharashtra, India. It is a place of pilgrimage for Hindus because the Krishna River has its origin here. The British colonial rulers developed the town as a hill sta ...

on the crest of the mountains.

Demographics

As of 2011 Indian

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, Ahmednagar had a population of 350,859. Ahmednagar has a sex ratio of 961 females per 1000 males and an average literacy rate of 84%, higher than the national urban average of 79.9%. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 68.01% of the population spoke

, 9.43%

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

, 8.59%

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, 4.86%

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

, 4.31%

Marwari Marwari may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the Marwar region of Rajasthan, India, largely in the Thar Desert ** Marwari people, an Indian ethnic group originating in the Marwar region ** Marwari language, the language of the Marwari ...

, 1.35% Sindhi and 0.95% Gujarati as their first language.

Pilgrimage and tourism

Meherabad Meherabad is a universal spiritual retreat in Arangaon village about , south of Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India. It is home to Indian Spiritual Master Meher Baba's Samadhi Mandir. Meherabad was originally established as an ashram by Meher Ba ...

, the ''Samadhi of Shri Avatar Meher Baba'', is a place of pilgrimage, particularly on the anniversary of his death, Amartithi. His later residence was at

Meherazad Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani; 25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian spiritual master who said he was the Avatar, or God in human form, of the age. A spiritual figure of the 20th century, he had a following of hundreds of ...

(near Pimpalgaon village), approximately nine miles north of Ahmednagar. *

Shani Shingnapur Shani Shingnapur or Shani Shinganapur or Shingnapur is a village in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated in Nevasa Taluka in Ahmednagar district, the village is known for its popular temple of Shani, the Hindu god associated with the plane ...

- Temple of Lord

Shani Shani (, ), or Shanaishchara (, ), is the divine personification of the planet Saturn in Hinduism, and is one of the nine heavenly objects ( Navagraha) in Hindu astrology. Shani is also a male Hindu deity in the Puranas, whose iconography cons ...

*Shri Munjaba Tample, Ukkadgaon – In Shrigonda Taluka about 60 km from Ahmednagar main city. It has four big statue of Ganapati, Mahadev (Shankar), Vishnu and Hanuman. Thousands of devotees visit this place. *

(Bhuekot Killa) – Built by Ahmed Nizam Shah in 1490, this is one of the best-designed and most impregnable forts in India. , it is under the control of the military command of India. * Tomb of Salabat Khan II – also called the

Chand Bibi Palace The Tomb of Salabat Khan II is also commonly but mistakenly known as Chandbiwi's Mahel, Chand Bibi Palace or similar variations. It is a three-storey stone structure situated on the crest of a hill, 13 km from Ahmednagar city in the state o ...

, this is a solid three-storey stone structure situated on the crest of a hill 13 km from Ahmednagar city. * Cavalry Tank Museum – The Armoured Corps Centre and School has created a museum with an extensive collection of 20th-century armoured fighting vehicles. * Ralegan Siddhi – a village which is a model for environmental conservation. Social activist

Anna Hazare Kisan Baburao "Anna" Hazare (; born 15 June 1937) is an Indian social activist who led movements to promote rural development, increase government transparency, and investigate and punish corruption in public life. He was awarded the Padma Bhu ...

is from Ralegan Siddhi. * Pimpri Gawali – a village in Parner taluka, about 25 km away from Ahmednagar and known for the watershed development and

agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit ...

activities. * Avhane,

Shevgaon Shevgaon is a city in Shevgaon tehsil of Ahmednagar in the Indian state of Maharashtra Many villages of this tehsil were submerged by the floodwater of the Jayakwadi Dam in the 1970s. Shevgaon used to be known as Shivgram because there were ...

– Temple of

Ganesh Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

(Nidrista/Sleeping) * Jamgaon – Place in

Parner taluka Parner taluka is a taluka in Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra in western India. Geography Area The following are area details: Population Parner taluka has a population of 274,167 according to the 2011 census. Parner h ...

with a historic 18th-century palace built by

Mahadaji Shinde Mahadaji Shinde (23 December 1730 – 13 February 1794), later known as Mahadji Scindia or Madhava Rao Scindia, was a Maratha statesman and general who served as the Gwalior State, Maharaja of Gwalior from 1768 to 1794. He was the fifth and the ...

* Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth is an agricultural university at Rahuri, named after an activist and social reformer of 19th century. It is one of four agricultural universities in the state. *

Mula Dam Mula Dam is an earthfill and gravity dam on Mula river near Rahuri in Ahmednagar district of the state of Maharashtra in India. Specifications The height of the dam above lowest foundation is while the length is . The volume content is and gro ...

: It is 52 km from the Ahilyanagar City

Transport

Air

Ahmednagar has 1 airport, the nearest domestic airport at

Shirdi Shirdi (; also known as Sainagar) is a town and pilgrimage site in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Shirdi is located in the Rahata taluka of Ahmednagar District. It is most well known for being the home of the 19th-century Indian saint Sai B ...

at 90 km. While the nearest International Airport is at

. Ahmednagar city has air connectivity by seaplane service. The seaplane port is located at the Mula Dam water reservoir, 30 minutes away from Ahmednagar City. The service has been offered by Maritime Energy Heli Air Services Pvt. Ltd. (MEHAIR) from 22 September 2014. Ongoing flights are available from

Juhu, Mumbai Juhu (Pronunciation: ͡ʒuɦuː is a suburb of Mumbai. It is known for the sprawling Juhu Beach. It is surrounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, Versova to the north, Vile Parle to the east and Santacruz to the south. Juhu is among the most ...

Rail

Ahmednagar railway station Ahmednagar railway station serves Ahmednagar in Ahmednagar district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. History The broad gauge Manmad–Daund line was opened in 1878, and connects the two main sections (south-east and north-east) of Great ...

(station code: ANG) belongs to

Solapur Solapur () is a city located in the south-western region of the States and Territories of India, Indian state of Maharashtra, close to its border with Karnataka. Solapur is located on major highway, rail routes between Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore ...

Division of Central Railway zone of the

Indian Railways Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...

. Ahmednagar has rail connectivity with

Manmad Manmad ( ənmaːɖ is a town in Nashik district in Maharashtra, India. It is the third largest city in Nashik district, with a population of approximately 80,000. Geographically, the town lies within Nandgaon Tehsil in Nashik District. Though ...

Kopargaon Kopargaon is a town and municipality located in the Ahmednagar district of the Indian state of Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It i ...

Daund Daund is a city, municipal council, and headquarters of the Daund tehsil in the Pune district in the state of Maharashtra, India. The city of Daund is located on the Bhima River. In ancient times, a sage named Dhaumya Rishi stayed here; henc ...

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

Nasik Nashik, formerly Nasik, is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra situated on the banks of the river Godavari River, Godavari, about northeast of the state capital Mumbai. Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sit ...

and other metro-cities like

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

. 41 express trains stop at this station. There is still a demand for direct rail connectivity to other major cities of India. Ahmednagar station will now be a part of the Pune railway division. 24 stations of the Daund-Ankai section will be merged with Pune railway division. The Daund-Ankai section is currently under the management of the Solapur railway division. The change to the Pune division will increase the chances of starting

DEMU A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

services between Ahmednagar and Pune stations. One of the oldest and important railway projects of Ahmednagar railway station was Kalyan-Ahmednagar railway project which was in planning stage since British regime. It was referred to as 3rd ghat project. The survey of this project was carried out in 1973, 2000, 2006, 2014 etc. This project was in pink book in 2010. Unfortunately, this project could not be completed. The alignment length of this project was 184 km and it could have been shortest route for Marathwada, Andhra and Telangana. The major challenge for this project was proposed 18.96 km tunnel in malshej ghat section. Malshej Kriti Samiti is following for Kalyan Ahmednagar railway project. Kalyan-Murbad section, the first phase of this project, is already under survey stage. A survey of Ahmednagar-Aurangabad Railway line with 120 km length was also carried out in March 2021. The DPR Report of this project is under preparation. Ahmednagar-Karmala railway option is also getting explored. Ahmednagar railway station will become an important railway junction in future to the level similar to Daund railway junction. A Kalyan-Murbad-Ahmednagar line is also possible in future.

Road

Ahmednagar is well connected by road with major cities of Maharashtra and other states. It has four lane road connectivity to: *

Aurangabad Aurangabad (), officially renamed as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in 2023, is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Aurangabad district and is the largest city in the Marathwada region. Located on a ...

Parbhani Parbhani (, ) is a city in Maharashtra state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Parbhani District. Parbhani is one of the largest cities in Marathwada region. Parbhani is around away from regional headquarters of Aurangabad w ...

Nanded Nanded is a city in Maharashtra state, India. It is the List of cities in Maharashtra, tenth largest city in the state and the List of cities in India by population, seventy-ninth most populated city in India. It is the second largest city in ...

Nashik Nashik, formerly Nasik, is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra situated on the banks of the river Godavari, about northeast of the state capital Mumbai. Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites of the Kumbh ...

Beed Beed (Marathi pronunciation: iːɖ is a city and headquarters of eponymous Beed district of Maharashtra state in India. History Beed is a historical city of possibly medieval origin. Its early history is obscure. Historians speculate, base ...

Osmanabad Osmanabad, officially known as Dharashiv, is a city and a municipal council in Osmanabad district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Maharashtra. The city is the administrative headquarter of Osmanabad district. It is the ...

National Highway 222 from

Kalyan Kalyan (Pronunciation: əljaːɳ is a city on the banks of Ulhas River in Thane district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division. It is governed by Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation. Kalyan is a subdivision (Taluka) of Thane district ...

Nirmal Nirmal is a city and the district headquarters of Nirmal district in the Indian state of Telangana. It is famed for its toys made out of wood. The district headquarters is located in the city of Nirmal. It borders the Telangana districts of A ...

near

Adilabad Adilabad, also known as Edlawada and Eddulapuram, is a city which serves as the headquarters of Adilabad district, in the Indian state of Telangana. Telugu, Urdu, Marathi, Lambadi and Gondi are the most spoken languages of Adilabad. Adilabad ...

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

passes through the city. The

Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation abbreviated as (MSRTC, or simply ST), is the state-run bus service of Maharashtra, India, which serves routes to towns and cities within Maharashtra as well as to its adjoining states. It also of ...

(MSRTC) and different private transport operators provide bus service connecting the city to all parts of the state. Ahmednagar has three main bus stands: * MSRTC Tarakpur Bus Stand – All buses passing through Ahmednagar stop here. * Maliwada Bus Stand – The buses going to Aurangabad/ Jalgaon/ Akola halt here. * Pune Bus Stand – Buses going to Pune/Mumbai halt here.

Intra-city transport

* Autorickshaws, including share autorickshaws * Bus service established by the Municipal Corporation. The main bus routes in the city are: * Maliwada Bus Stand to Nirmalnagar via: ** Delhi Gate ** Patrakar Chowk ** Premdan Chowk ** Professor Colony ** Pipeline Road * Maliwada Bus Stand to Dr. Vikhe Patil College, Vilad Ghat via: ** Delhi Gate ** Patrakar Chowk ** Premdan Chowk ** Savedi Naka ** Nagapur MIDC ** New Nagapur * Maliwada us stand to Kedgaon via: ** Sakkar Chowk ** Kinetic Chowk ** Railway Flyover ** Ambikanagar * Maliwada Bus Stand to Bhingar via: ** Market Yard Chowk ** Nagar College ** GPO Chowk ** Ahmednagar Fort ** Shukrawar Bazaar ** Bhingar Wes * Maliwada Bus Stand to Nimbalak via: ** Delhi Gate ** Patrakar Chowk ** Premdan Chowk ** Savedi Naka ** Nagapur MIDC

Politics

Ahmednagar Municipal Council was upgraded to a municipal corporation in 2003. As of 2022, Rohini Shendage of

Shiv Sena Shiv Sena (1966–2022) (; ; SS) was a right-wing Marathi regionalist Hindutva-based political party in India founded in 1966 by Bal Thackeray, who was later succeeded by Uddhav Thackeray. The party is split into two parties: the Uddha ...

was the incumbent mayor. Ahmednagar city is represented in the central and state legislatures by the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha and Ahmednagar City Vidhan Sabha seats respectively. The sitting MP was Dr.Sujay Vikhe Patil as of 2022, while the sitting MLA was Sangram Jagtap.

Media and communication

* Newspapers: ** ''

Lokmat ''Lokmat'' ( ) is a Marathi-language newspaper published in Maharashtra, India. Founded in 1971 by Jawaharlal Darda, it is the largest read Marathi-language newspaper in India. and has presence in print, digital, TV and events.Sakaal'' ** ''

Pudhari ''Pudhari'' is a popular Marathi daily, printed in three centres and distributed in Maharashtra, Goa and North Karnataka. It is the leader in Kolhapur and Western Maharashtra and the third-largest Marathi newspaper daily in the entire state o ...

'' ** ''Sarvamat'' ** ''Deshdoot'' ** ''Punyanagri'' ** ''Saman'' ** ''

Loksatta ''Loksatta'' is an Indian newspaper. It was established on 14 January 1948. ''Loksatta'' gained notability through its coverage of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination and subsequent developments; the founder of the Indian Express Group, Ramnath Goen ...

'' ** ''Nava Maratha'' ** ''Nagar Times'' ** ''Divya Marathi'' ** ''Maharashtra Times'' ** ''Samachar'' ** ''Savedi Mitra'' * TV channels: ** CMN Channel ** News Today 24 Ahmednagar ** ATV Ahmednagar * Radio: ** 104 MY FM ** AIR Nagar FM ** Radio City ** Dhamaal 24 ** Radio Nagar FM * Internet: Internet facilities are provided by several service providers.

Notable people

Malik Ambar Malik Ambar (1548–1626) was a military leader and statesman who served as the Peshwa (Prime Minister) of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate and its ''de facto'' ruler from 1600 until his death in 1626. Originally a slave from modern day Ethiopia, ''C ...

Siddi The Siddi (), also known as the Sheedi, Sidi, or Siddhi, are an ethno-religious group living mostly in Pakistan. Some Siddis also live in India. They are primarily descended from the Bantu peoples of the Zanj coast in Southeast Africa, most ...

military leader and guerilla fighter against Mughal Empire *

Sadashiv Amrapurkar Sadashiv Dattaray Amrapurkar (11 May 1950 – 3 November 2014) was an Indian actor, best known for his performances in Marathi and Hindi films from 1983 to 2013. He acted in more than 300 movies in Hindi, Marathi, and other regional languages ...

, film and theatre actor * Rajanikant Arole, doctor,

Magsaysay award The Ramon Magsaysay Award ( Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idea ...

Winner,

Padmabhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January ...

Meher Baba Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani; 25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian spirituality, spiritual master who said he was the Avatar, or God in human form, of the age. A spiritual figure of the 20th century, he had a following o ...

, spiritual leader * John Barnabas, evolutionary biologist *

Chand Bibi Sultana Chand Bibi (1550 – 18 April 1600) was the regent of the Bijapur Sultanate during the minority of Ibrahim Adil Shah II in 1580–1590, and the regent of the Ahmednagar Sultanate during the minority of her great nephew Bahadur S ...

, Nizamshahi princess, defended Ahmednagar Fort against the Mughal forces of Akbar *

Madhu Dandavate Madhu Dandavate (21 January 1924 – 12 November 2005) was an Indian physicist and socialist politician, who served as Minister of Railways in the Morarji Desai ministry, and as Minister of Finance in the V P Singh ministry. Born in Ahmedn ...

, Indian politician * Michael J. S. Dewar, theoretical chemist * Cynthia Farrar, American missionary *

, Gandhian and social activist * Adhik Kadam, social activist, social entrepreneur and philanthropist * Pramod Kamble, painter and sculptor *

Zaheer Khan Zaheer Khan (born 8 October 1978) (''Zaheer's official records say he was born in Shrirampur, Maharashtra on October 7. But as it turns out, his actual birth date is October 8, 1978'') is an Indian former professional cricketer who played all f ...

, cricketer *

Anna Leonowens Anna Harriette Leonowens (born Ann Hariett Emma Edwards; 5 November 1831 – 19 January 1915) was an Anglo-Indian or Indian-born British travel writer, educator, and social activist. She became well known with the publication of her memoirs, ...

, educator, feminist, author of ''The English Governess at the Siamese Court'' (1870) *

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British India, where he spent his ...

, 1918–2002, comedian and author *

Shahu Modak Shahu Modak (25 April 1918 – 11 May 1993) was an Indian actor who acted in many Hindi as well as Marathi movies. Shahu Modak was mostly famous for the mythological characters that he played. He mostly played the roles of Krishna, and Jñāne� ...

, film actor * Bahirji Naik, head of Intelligence Agency of Maratha Army * Popatrao Baguji Pawar, Padmashri, Sarpanch Hiware Bazar *

Ajinkya Rahane Ajinkya Rahane (born 6 June 1988) is an Indian cricketer and former Indian captain in all formats and former vice-captain of the Indian team in Test cricket, who has played for Indian cricket team in all formats as a batsman. He currently capta ...

, cricketer * Anand Rishiji, Jain saint *

Sai Baba of Shirdi Sai Baba of Shirdi (), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master considered to be a Hindu saints, saint, and revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees during and after his lifetime. According to accounts from his life, Sai ...

, spiritual master *

Narayan Waman Tilak Narayan Vaman Tilak (6 December 1861 – 9 May 1919) was a Marathi poet from the Konkan region of then Bombay Presidency in British India, and a famous convert to Christianity from Chitpavan Brahmin Community. Life Narayan Tilak was born ...

, Christian writer, poet, pastor

References

External links

Ahmednagar: Places to Visit
* Ahmednagar sultane * Talukas of Ahmednagar district *

Ahmednagar (Lok Sabha constituency) Ahmednagar Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 48 parliamentary constituencies of the Lok Sabha in the state of Maharashtra. Assembly segments Presently, after the implementation of the Presidential notification on delimitation on 19 Februa ...

*
Ahmednagar Bus Stands Center Contact list
* {{Authority control 1494 establishments in Asia 15th-century establishments in India Populated places established in the 1490s Former capital cities in India Cities and towns in Ahmednagar district Cities in Maharashtra