Mangalwedha is a town in the Solapur district in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...

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 ...

. It is the birthplace of Shri Jayatirtha, also called Teekacharya, one of the prominent saints of the

Dvaita Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST: ''Tattvavāda''), is a sub-school in the Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') trad ...

school of

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompa ...

Geography

The city of Mangalwedha is situated 55 km west of the district headquarters at

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 ...

and 25 km southeast of

Pandharpur Pandharpur City (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, əɳɖʱəɾpuːɾ is a popular pilgrimage town, on the banks of Chandrabhaga River, Chandrabhagā River, near Solapur, Solapur city in Solapur district, Solapur District, Maharashtra, Ind ...

city. Mangalwedha shares boundaries with

, Sangola, Mohol, Jath, and Bijapur in

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

History

Mangalwedha is also known as the "Land of Saints" as Saint

Jayatirtha Jayatirtha (), ''also known as'' Teekacharya () (1345 – 1388), was a Hindu philosopher, dialectician, polemicist and the sixth pontiff of Madhvacharya Peetha from (1365 – 1388). He is considered to be one of the important seers in the hi ...

, Saint Damaji, Saint

Kanhopatra Kanhopatra (or Kanhupatra) was a 15th-century Marathi saint-poet, venerated by the Varkari sect of Hinduism. Little is known about Kanhopatra. According to most traditional accounts, Kanhopatra was a courtesan and dancer. These accounts typi ...

, Saint Chokhamela, saint Gopabai are said to have come from Mangalwedha during the 14th century. Mangalwedha is also known as Jwariche Kothar. The major crops that are grown in and around Mangalwedha include Jowar, Bajra, groundnut,

Sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

, and sweetcorn. Mangalwedha's Jowar and Bajra have received

geographical indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town or region). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, is inten ...

s (GI) tags. In the 14th century, Mangalwedha was ruled by the

Bidar Sultanate The Sultanate of Bidar was an early modern Indian polity that ruled a territory in the central Deccan Plateau, Deccan centred at Bidar. As one of the five Deccan sultanates, the sultanate's initial territory corresponded to that of one of the ...

followed by the Bijapur Sultanate. Huljanti village is known for the Mahalingaraya deity and Biroba deity and as well as having a large fair during

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

. Many people from

and

come there to worship their deities. Khomnal village is known for the Kamsidhha deity and Maykka deity and as well as having a large fair during Gudi Padwa. kamsiddha deity temple is managed by Sudhir Pandurang Ingale-Patil.

Cuisine

Mangalwedha is the only location where you get Tasty and Budget friendly sweets and also known for its special cuisine of jowar bhakri and salsa made from coarsely ground green chilis, kharda/ thecha, and

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

and

chutney A chutney () is a spread typically associated with cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt, or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion ...

of groundnuts. Bhaji (a fritter made from gram flour) and Laddu is another delicacy from Mangalwedha. It is also known for its spicy bhel, pav ragda vada pav, Basundi and puri bhaji. Few weeks before harvesting season of jowar there are privet Hurda Parties all over the Farms . Hurada is roasted and mixed with some spices. It is eaten with different kind of berries.

Geographical indication

Mangalwedha Jowar was awarded the

Geographical Indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town or region). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, is inten ...

(GI) status tag from the Geographical Indications Registry, under the

Union Government of India The Government of India (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 36 states and union territo ...

, on 31 March 2016 and is valid until 28 April 2030. Maldandi Jowar Vikas Sangh from Mangalwedha, proposed the GI registration of Mangalwedha jowar. After filing the application in March 2014, the jowar was granted the GI tag in 2016 by the Geographical Indication Registry in

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 ...

, making the name "Mangalwedha jowar" exclusive to the jowar crop grown in the region. It thus became the first jowar variety from Maharashtra and the 12th type of goods from Maharashtra to earn the GI tag. The GI tag protects the jowar from illegal selling and marketing, and gives it legal protection and a unique identity.

Demographics

As of the 2011 Census of India, Mangalwedha has a population of 21,824 consisting of 11,109 males and 10,715 females. There were 2,510 children ages 0–6. Marathi is the official and most spoken language of Mangalwedha.https://censusindia.gov.in/census.website/data/census-tables The town also has

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 ...

and

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

speaking demographics . Kannada is mostly spoken in villages near the karnataka border .

Villages

* Ganeshwadi * Kagasht * Maroli

References

External links

Mangalvedha on Solapur District Gazette

Mangalwedha Live
{{Solapur district topics Cities and towns in Solapur district Talukas in Maharashtra