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Karanja Lad, or Karanja, is a city of a
Municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...
in
Washim district Washim district (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �aːʃim is a List of districts of Maharashtra, district in Maharashtra, India. The headquarters is at Washim. The area of the district is . Officer Members of Parliament *Sanjay De ...
in the
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n
state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
of
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 ...
. The town is named after Saint Karanj. Karanja is a holy place for
Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
,
Jains Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and ...
, and
Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
. It is the birthplace of Shri
Narasimha Saraswati Shree Narasimha Saraswati Swami or Shree Nrusimha Saraswati Swami (श्रीनृसिंह सरस्वती, 1378−1459) was an Indian guru of Dattatreya tradition(sampradaya). According to the Shri GuruCharitra, he is the second ...
Swami Maharaj, believed to be the second incarnation of Lord Dattatreya.


Demographics

As of the 2011 Indian census, Karanja had a population of 100,947. Males made up 52% of the population and females 48%. Karanja has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy rate is 78%, and female literacy is 67%. Islam is the dominant religion with 49.80% being Muslims, while Hinduism forms 39.46% of the population.


Karanja City

Karanja City is known for being an important religious center as well as its historical significance. The city is home to a number of ancient temples and ancient Mosques, including the Jain Temples (''Shri Mulsangh Chandranatha swami''), Guru Mandir ''(Shri Nrusimha Saraswati Gurumaharaj'') Jama Masjid, Nagina Masjid, Bibi Saheb dargah and Nawab Subhan Khan Masjid, which are dedicated to the ''Nawab Subhan Khan'', the ruler of the
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...
.Lad Name is kept based on the Majority of the community was from Jains in past. In addition to its religious significance, Karanja is also known for its scenic beauty, with lush green hills, fertile fields, and winding rivers. The city is located in the midst of fertile agricultural land, and is surrounded by lush green forests.


Geography

Karanja is located at . It has an average elevation of 422 metres (1387 feet). The
Adan River The Adan River () is a river in Washim district, Washim District, Maharashtra, India and a principal tributary of the Painganga River. Geography The source of the Adan River is in the Washim district of Maharashtra. The Arunavati River meets th ...
flows near Karanja city. It is an important source of domestic water supply to the city. There are three lakes situated in the city, the Rishi Talaw, the Sarang Talaw, and the Chandra Talaw.


Places of interest


Temples

Karanja is famous for its Nrusimha Saraswati Swami Maharaj temple. Shri Nrusimha Saraswati Gurumaharaj is the second avatar (incarnation) of Lord Dattatreya. Born in Karanja in 1378, he traveled far and wide in what is now known as the States of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He achieved Sainthood and performed several miracles. He imparted spiritual knowledge to his disciples, many of whom themselves attained Sainthood. The Gurumandir Temple conducts several major events to celebrate the various avatars of Lord Dattatreya. Over the past 100 years, Gurumandir has become a nucleus for religious and social welfare activities in Maharashtra's
Vidarbha Vidarbha (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the west Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Forming the eastern part of the state, it comprises Amravati Division, Amrav ...
region. Other old temples are Vitthal mandir, Chote Ram mandir and as well as famous "Kannao Ram mandir". Each year Ramnavami and other Hindu religious activities are performed in these temples.


Jain temples and institutions

Karanja is the only place in India that had been the set of three Bhatarakas representing three Digambar Jain traditions:
Balatkar Gana Balatkara Gana is an ancient Jain monastic order. It is a section of the Mula Sangh. It is often termed ''Balatkara Gana Sarasvati Gachchha''. Until the beginning of the 20th century it was present in a number of places in India. However all it ...
, Sena Gana and
Kastha Sangh ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvetāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing n ...
. The
Balatkar Gana Balatkara Gana is an ancient Jain monastic order. It is a section of the Mula Sangh. It is often termed ''Balatkara Gana Sarasvati Gachchha''. Until the beginning of the 20th century it was present in a number of places in India. However all it ...
seat had relocated from
Manyakheta Malkheda originally known as Manyakheta (IAST: Mānyakheṭa, Prakrit: "Mannakheḍa"), and also known as Malkhed,Village code= 311400 Malkhed (J), Gulbarga, Karnataka is a town in Karnataka, India. It is located on the banks of Kagina river ...
. There are four major
Digambar ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvetāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing n ...
Jain temples A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings gen ...
in Karanja. The
Kastha Sangh ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvetāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing n ...
temple has extraordinary wooden carvings dating back to at least 14th century. The Sena Gana temple has a ''pat'' (scroll) painting depicting the Panchkalyanak ceremonies of Jain
Tirthankars In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''saṃsāra'', the sea of interminable birth ...
. This scroll is painted in the Rajasthani style and is around 800 years old.
Balatkar Gana Balatkara Gana is an ancient Jain monastic order. It is a section of the Mula Sangh. It is often termed ''Balatkara Gana Sarasvati Gachchha''. Until the beginning of the 20th century it was present in a number of places in India. However all it ...
temple has a collection of rare manuscripts. In 1926, Prof. Hiralal Jain had discovered 12 unknown Apabhramsha manuscripts here. They were later edited and published, supported by local donors. Karanja is known as the "Kashi" of Jainism. Also famous is the "Mahaveer Brahmacharyashram" or Gurukul. This place is the site of the first Gurukul founded by Acharya Shri 108 Samantabhadra in 1918 AD, it celebrated its ‘Shatakpurti Mahotsav’ in 2018. The Karanja institution was the first of 11 Gurukuls established by Acharya Samantabhadra. Gurukuls based this pattern was later started in Maharashtra (Bahubali, Ellora, Kunthalgiri), Khurai in Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka (Stawawidhi, Karkal, Terdal, Bellad Bagewadi). The famous Berkeley scholar of Buddhism and Jainism
Padmanabh Jaini Padmanabh Shrivarma Jaini (October 23, 1923 – May 25, 2021) was an Indian-American scholar of Jainism and Buddhism, living in Berkeley, California, United States. He was from a Digambar Jain family; however he was equally familiar with bo ...
was a student of the Karanja Gurukul.


Mosques

Karanja is also known as Karanja Bibi, referring to BiBi Saheba's
Dargah A Sufi shrine or dargah ( ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargāh'' दरगाह درگاہ, ''dôrgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervi ...
in the Bibi Sahebapura. Karanja is also famous for its mosques (''masjids''). There are as many as 60 mosques in Karanja, most notably the
Jama Masjid A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.See: * * * * ...
, which is a historical mosque built in 981 Hijri (1573/74 AD).


Kannao Mansion

Built in 1905, Kannao Mansion is famous for its use of French/Italian architecture. Kannao Mansion is more than a century-old replica of Shrilanka Queen Bungalow. It was also featured in the Marathi channel.


Historical places

The Kannao Bungalow has 307 doors. Nawab Subhan Khan constructed a wall and four doors around Karanja, namely the Delhi Gate, the Darwha Gate, the Mangrul Gate, and the Poha Gate.


Karanja APMC

Karanja Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) is first ever APMC in India built in year 1900 by Britishers to mainly purchase cotton from Vidarbha region farmers in low cost and send it to Manchester (UK) so the raw material is available to mills at low cost. Market has surplus income. The total arrival of agriculture produces every is nearly ₹700 crores.


Politics

Hindu, Muslim, and Jain communities are actively involved in the municipal politics of Karanja. All communities coexist peacefully and with respect for each other's religious sentiments. Prakash Dahake and Yusuf Punjani are considered the most powerful politicians from Karanja. Mr. Dahake was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Karanja. After the 2014 state elections, Rajendra Patni was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Karanja defeating Yusuf Punjani by a very narrow margin.


Fruit cultivation and market

Karanja is famous for its fruit market. Karanja has a profitable market of papayas, and distributes the fruits across India,
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
, and
Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...
.


References

{{Reflist


External links


"S.S.S.K.R. Innani mahavidyalaya karanja lad""Smt. Shakuntalabai Dhabekar Mahavidyalaya Karanja Lad""Weekly Janta Parishad Karanja Lad District Washim" "साप्ताहिक जनता परिषद कारंजा लाड जिल्हा वाशिम""Newsportal - Janta Parishad Karanja lad & Washim District News blog" "न्यूज पोर्टल - जनता परिषद"
Cities and towns in Washim district Talukas in Maharashtra