Ahmednagar district (Marathi pronunciation: �ɦ(ə)məd̪nəɡəɾ, officially Ahilyanagar district, is the largest

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

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 ...

state in western India. The historical city of

Ahmednagar Ahmednagar, officially Ahilyanagar, is a city in, and the headquarters of, the Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. Ahmednagar has several dozen buildings and sites from the Nizam Shahi period. Ahmednagar Fort, once considered almost impre ...

is the headquarters of the district. Ahmednagar and Sangamner are the largest cities in the district. It was the seat of the Ahmednagar Sultanate of late medieval period (1496–1636 CE). This district is known for the towns of

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 ...

associated with Sai Baba, Meherabad associated with

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 ...

, Shani Shinganapur with Shanidev, and Devgad with Lord

Dattatreya Dattatreya (, ), Dattā or Dattaguru, is a paradigmatic Sannyasi (monk) and one of the lords of yoga, venerated as an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Three Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who are also collectively known as the Trimurti, incarna ...

. Ahmednagar district is part of Nashik Division. The district is bordered by Aurangabad district to the northeast,

Nashik district Nashik district,(Marathi: Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪ɑɕɪk formerly known as Nasik district, is a district in Maharashtra, India. The city of Nashik is the administrative headquarters of the district. Nashik is well known for the production of win ...

to the northwest,

Thane Thane (; previously known as Thana, List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1996) is a metropolitan city located on the northwestern side of the list of Indian states, state of Maharashtra in India and on ...

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 ...

districts to the southwest, Solapur district to the south and Beed district to the southeast.

History

Although Ahmednagar district was created as early as 1818, modern history of Ahmednagar may be said to have commenced from 1869, the year when parts of Nashik and Solapur, which till then had comprised Nagar, were separated and the present Nagar district was formed.

District was created after the defeat of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

in the

Third Anglo-Maratha War The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire, Maratha Confederacy in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an in ...

in 1818, when most of 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 ...

's domains were annexed to

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. The district remained part of the Central division of Bombay Presidency until India's independence in 1947, when it became part of

Bombay State Bombay State was a large Indian state created in 1950 from the erstwhile Bombay Province, with other regions being added to it in the succeeding years. Bombay Province (in British India roughly equating to the present-day Indian state of Mah ...

, and in 1960 the new state of Maharashtra.

Economy

In 2006 the

Ministry of Panchayati Raj The Ministry of Panchayati Raj () is a branch of the Government of India. The Ministry is in charge of the Panchayati Raj and Panchayati Raj Institutions. It was created in May 2004. The Ministry is headed by a minister of cabinet rank / Min ...

named Ahmednagar one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of

640 Year 640 ( DCXL) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 640 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming y ...

). It is one of the twelve districts in Maharashtra currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). The district has the maximum number of sugar factories in the state. The first cooperative sugar factory in Asia was established at Pravanagar. A role model of water conservation work can be seen at Ralegaon Siddhi, which is also called the Ideal Village.

Tourism

Newase where

Dnyaneshwari The ''Dnyaneshwari'' () (IAST: Jñānēśvarī), also referred to as ''Jnanesvari'', ''Jnaneshwari'' or ''Bhavartha Deepika'', is a commentary on the ''Bhagavad Gita'' written by the Marathi saint and poet Sant Dnyaneshwar in 1290 CE. Dnyane ...

was written, Shri Saibaba's Shirdi, one of Ashtavinayaks at Siddhatek, the famous Kanifnath temple, attract devotees. The Palace of Chand Bibi, the Bhandardara dam,

Harishchandragad Harishchandra Fort is a Forts in India, hill fort in the Ahmednagar district of India. Its history is linked with that of Malshej Ghat, Kothale village and it has played a role in guarding and controlling the surrounding region. History The fo ...

Fort, the Maldhok (Indian Bustard) sanctuary and the Rehkuri sanctuary are some of the places of tourist attraction. * Ahmednagar Fort * Bhandardara *

Kalsubai Kalsubai () is a mountain in the Western Ghats, located in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Maharashtra. Kalsubai is the highest peak in Maharashtra and is located in Ahilyanagar district in Akole Taluka. Its summit, si ...

* Nighoj * Shani Shingnapur *

* Siddhatek * Devgad- Shree Datt Mandir * Newasa - Pais Khamb Mandir

Divisions

Ahmednagar district consists of fourteen talukas. These talukas are * Akole * Jamkhed *

Karjat Karjat (Pronunciation: əɾd͡zət̪ is a city administered under a Municipal Council in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. It forms a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and is located approximately from both Mumbai and Pune ...

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 ...

* Nagar *

Nevasa Nevasa is a city in Nevasa tehsil of Ahmednagar district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mohiniraj Temple The city of Nevasa is the location of a 75 - foot tall temple of Mohini, built in 1773, which houses an image of Mohiniraj (Vishn ...

* Parner *

Pathardi Pathardi is a town and a municipal council in Ahmednagar district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Geography Although politically/governmentally it is considered to be in the Western Maharashtra, geographically and according to climate i ...

* Rahata * Rahuri *

Sangamner Sangamner is a city and a municipal council located in the Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra state in India. It derives its name from the site of the ''sangam'' (confluence) of three rivers in the area: the Pravara, Mhalungi, and Adhala. Sa ...

* Shevgaon * Shrigonda *

Shrirampur Shrirampur () is a city and a municipal council located in the Ahmednagar district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Climate Shrirampur has a tropical wet and dry climate with average temperatures ranging between . Shrirampur experiences ...

. Ahmednagar district has twelve Vidhan Sabha constituencies, six in each of the two parliamentary constituencies. ;For the Shirdi Parliamentary Constituency (SC) * #216 Akole (ST) * #217

* #218

* #219 Kopergaon * #220

(SC) * #221 Newasa. ;For the Ahmednagar Parliamentary Constituency * #222 Shevgaon * #223 Rahuri * #224 Parner * #225 Ahmednagar City * #226 Shrigonda * #227 Karjat-Jamkhed. The Ahmednagar district is under proposal to be divided and a separate Sangamner district and it can be carved out of existing Ahmednagar district with the inclusion of the northern parts of Ahmednagar district which include Rahata, Rahuri,

, Akole,

, and

talukas in the proposed district. Sangamner is geographically at centre for ease of administration and well connected by Roads. Sangamner having its separate Vana Vibhag, Bandhakam Vibhag Office, District Court etc. Ralegaon Siddhi is a village in the district that is considered a model of

environmental Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...

conservation.

Demographics

In the 2011 census Ahmednagar district recorded a

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 4,543,159, roughly equal to the nation of

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

or the US state of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. This gave it a ranking of 33rd among the

districts of India A district (''Zila (country subdivision), zila''), also known as revenue district, is an Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of an States and union territories of India, Indian state or territory. In some cases, districts ...

(out of a total of 640). The district had a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 12.43%. Ahmadnagar had a

sex ratio A sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. However, many species deviate from an even sex ratio, ei ...

of 934

females An organism's sex is female (symbol: ♀) if it produces the ovum (egg cell), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete (sperm cell) during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females and male ...

for every 1000 males, and a

literacy rate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

of 80.22%. 20.09% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 12.63% and 8.63% of the population respectively. In the 2011 census, the vast majority of the population in Ahmednagar was Hindu, but there was a significant population of Muslims. Jains and Buddhists are small minorities. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 88.89% of the population in the district spoke

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 ...

, 4.74%

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 ...

and 2.74%

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 ...

as their first language. Other languages include Telugu and its dialect Waddar, as well as Marwari.

Culture

Islam arrived in Ahmednagar during the

Tughlaq dynasty The Tughlaq dynasty (also known as the Tughluq or Tughluk dynasty; ) was the third dynasty to rule over the Delhi Sultanate in medieval India. Its reign started in 1320 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the throne under the title of Ghiyath ...

. There are many Muslim monuments like salabat khan's Tomb known as chandbibi, Faria Baug, Ground Fort and many dargas (mosques), and they are found in main town and cities. During the British era Ahmednagar was part of Bombay presidency. Christian missionaries, particularly from the United States of America, arrived in early 19th century when the British parliament allowed proselytizing in areas under the control of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

. In

Christians are a result of the American Marathi mission and the mission of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

's Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.The first

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Christian mission in the district was opened in 1831.The Hume Memorial Congregational Church in Ahmednagar city was built in 1833 by WIDER CHURCH MINISTRIES OF USA later known as American Marathi Mission. Christianity has been Ahmednagar's third-largest religion, found all over the district except in the south-west. It is called as

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

of Maharashtra. Every village has one or more resident families as Christian and every village has its own church for worship. Ahmednagar's Christians are called Marathi Christians and a majority of them are

Renaming as Ahilyanagar

At a public meeting at Choundi on 31 May 2023, the then 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 ...

made a speech asking that both Ahmednagar and Ahmednagar district be renamed ''Ahilyanagar'' in honour of Ahilyabai Holkar, the

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 ...

. Later at the same meeting, the then chief minister

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. ...

, seconded the proposal. The state cabinet approved the change of name on 13 March 2024. Other politicians criticised the move; Rais Shaikh said: "The Maha Yuti government is implementing the ' Yogi pattern' of creating an illusion of development by changing the names of cities without doing anything for development".

Officer

Members of Parliament

* Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke ( NCP(SP)) -

* Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure ( SHS(UBT))

Guardian Minister

list of Guardian Minister

District Magistrate/Collector

list of District Magistrate / Collector

Notable people

* C Ramchandra - Music Director and Playback singer. *

- spiritualist, has Ashram's in Meherabad & Meherazad, Ahmednagar * Balasaheb Bharde (1912–2006), Former Minister, former speaker of the State Legislative Assembly and

Padma Bhushan 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 Januar ...

recipient. *

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 ...

- social activist * Indian guru shri

Gaur Gopal Das Gaur Gopal Das (; born 24 December 1973) is an Indian monk, motivational speaker, and former electrical engineer. He is a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Early life and education Gaur Gopal Das was born i ...

an internationally renowned motivational speaker and a well-known

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

ISKCON The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 ...

organization, was born in Vambori village. * *

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 ...

, Indian Cricketer born at Shrirampur City on 7 October 1978, who has been a Key member of the Indian cricket team since 2000. He also played for Worcestershire in County Cricket and plays for Mumbai in Indian domestic cricket. He is currently the second-most successful Indian pace bowler in Test match cricket, behind Kapil Dev. * B. J. Khatal-Patil Ex. Cabinet Minister of Maharashtra, a senior Maharashtra leader and a veteran Congressman. * Indurikar Maharaj - comedian kirtankar, and social educator * Dagdu Maruti Pawar (1935–1996), a

author and poet known for his contributions to Dalit literature. He was born in Dhamangaon, Akole taluka. *

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 ...

, Indian cricketer born at Ashvi village, Sangmner on 6 June 1988. * Bhausaheb Thorat (12 Jan 1924-14 Mar 2010), a leader of farmers and

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

legislator. He was well known in the cooperative movement, founder of the Sangamner Cooperative Sugar Mill, and former president of the Sangamner taluka and State Cooperative Bank. He is recognized for his work in Sangamner taluka and Akole taluka. Concerned about global warming, Bhausaheb Thorat has led a campaign to plant 45 million trees every year. In the epic

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

, the sage

Agastya Agastya was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the Indian subcontinent. He is regarded in some traditions to be a Chiranjivi. He and his wife ...

turned the arid

Dandakaranya Dandakaranya (), also rendered Dandaka (, IAST: ), is a historical region and the name of a forest mentioned in the ancient Indian epic ''Ramayana''. It covers about of land, which includes the Abujhmar Hills in the west and borders the East ...

into a green heaven through a massive drive of tree planting. A book, ''

The Man Who Planted Trees ''The Man Who Planted Trees'' (French title: ''L'homme qui plantait des arbres''), also known as The Story of Elzéard Bouffier, is an Allegory, allegorical tale by French author Jean Giono, published in 1953. It tells the story of one shepherd' ...

,'' an allegorical tale by French author Jean Giono, also inspired Bhausaheb Thorat. For this, he started the Dandakaranya Abhiyaan in June 2006 at Sangamner.* Rev. D. S. Salvi- A missionary who was involved in Farmers development work, through his charitable organization, FEADER India. He built the road connection Rahuri to Taharbad and Taharabad to Rahuri Factory so that the farmers and the shepherd community could be connected to the markets in Rahuri and Factory
/billiontreecampaign/CampaignNews/Dandakaranya.asp Ulhas Latkar, "Dandakaranya Movement in India: Millions of trees planted", United Nations Environment Program.
* Balasaheb Vikhe Patil - member of parliament and a former minister,

recipient * Vithalrao Vikhe Patil - Indian industrialist, the founder of the first sugar factory in the cooperative sector in India at Loni, in

and the founder of a group of industries and institutions composed of ''Institute of Business Management and Rural Development'', ''Padmashri Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Foundation's Medical College and Hospital'' and ''Padmashri Dr. Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Limited'', operating under Padmashree Dr. Vithalrao Foundation. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

honoured him in 1961, with the award of

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for his services to the nation.

Villages

* Dadh budruk * Vambori * Wadgaon Gupta

References

*https://cultural.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/Ahmadnagar/about_ahmadnagar.html

External links

Travel to Ahmednagar

Pictures of Ahmednagar

Some more vintage pictures of Ahmednagar city

Ahmednagar Directory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmednagar District Districts of Maharashtra States and territories established in 1818 Nashik division 1818 establishments in India