Phaltan () is a town, a

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

, and 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, rural coun ...

in the

Satara district Satara district (Marathi pronunciation: aːt̪aɾaː is a district of Maharashtra state in western India with an area of and a population of 3,003,741 of which 14.17% were urban (). Satara is the capital of the district and other major towns ...

in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indep ...

of Maharashtra. The town is about northeast of the city of Satara and about 110 km from

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

History

Phaltan was one of the non-salute Maratha

princely states A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, subject to ...

of British India, under the central division of the

Bombay presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

. It measured 397 square miles (1,028 km²) in area. According to the 1901 census, the population decreased by 31% to 45,739; the town's population was 9,512 in that year. In 1901, the state enjoyed revenue estimated at £13,000, and paid a tribute of £640 to the British Raj. Its flag was a rectangular bicolor, orange over green. The Hindu ruling family was descended from Naik Nimbaji Nimbalkar (1284–1291). The ruler had the title of ''raja'' or Naik Nimbalkar. The first wife, Maharani Sai Bhonsale of 17th century

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adi ...

, was from Phaltan. Major HH Raja Bahadur Shrimant Malojirao Mudhojirao Nanasaheb Naik Nimbalkar IV was the last ruler of Phaltan.

Geography

Phaltan has an average elevation of 568 meters (1,863 feet). Phaltan's climate is an inland climate of Maharashtra. The temperature ranges from . Summer in Phaltan is comparatively hot and dry when compared to neighboring inland cities. Maximum temperatures exceed every summer and typically range between . Lows during this season are around . The city receives less rainfall from June to September, and it has been declared as a drought-prone place by the government. Phaltan sometimes does not get rainfall during the rainy season. Winter starts in Phaltan from November to February. The winter temperatures are significantly higher compared to other cities in Maharashtra such as

and

Nashik Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nash ...

. Lowest temperatures range from , while highests are in the range of . Humidity is low in this season. Phaltan crosses a drought-prone area; a dry area is present to the south and south-west of Phaltan, a dry area begins. Water for drinking and irrigation is provided by the Veer Dam on the Nira river. Dhumalwadi Waterfall

Demographics

According to the

2001 Census of India The 2001 Census of India was the 14th in a series of censuses held in India every decade since 1871. The population of India was counted as 1,028,737,436 consisting of 532,223,090 males and 496,514,346 females. Total population increased by 182 ...

, Phaltan had a population of 60,172. Males constituted 51% of the population and females 49%. Phaltan has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 70%. In Phaltan, 12% of the population was under six years of age.

Culture

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages e ...

, Phaltan was part of ''Dandakaranya'', and Ram, Laxman, Seeta had come here during

Vanvas Vanvas ( sa, वनवास, ) is a Sanskrit term meaning residence (''vās'') in a forest (''van''). While it can be undertaken voluntarily, it usually carries a connotation of forced exile as a punishment. It commonly figures as a harsh penalty ...

. Sri Ram is the local deity ''(Gram-daivat)'' of the city, and the Sri Ram Temple in Phaltan is an important landmark in the city. Phaltan is the birth place of Shri Chakrapani Prabhu, to whom the followers of Mahanubhava Sampradaya consider as an avatara among the 5 Krishnas. R. M. Bhusari, Prachin Maharashtracha Dharmik Itihas (प्राचीन महाराष्ट्राचा धार्मिक इतिहास), Marathi Sahitya Parishad, Hyderabad, 1966, p. 136 The city also has some ancient

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

temples of historic significance.

Industry

As a tehsil, Phaltan has two sugar factories: New Phaltan Sugar Works Ltd.,

Sakharwadi Sakharwadi is a town and Gram panchayat of Phaltan tehsil, Satara district Satara district (Marathi pronunciation: aːt̪aɾaː is a district of Maharashtra state in western India with an area of and a population of 3,003,741 of which 14. ...

and Shri Ram Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Pvt. Ltd., Phaltan. Cummins India Ltd. has its 300-acre "mega-site" plant in Phaltan, which is being used to manufacture engines. Phaltan M I D C Surawadi (Cummins)

Education

The Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute is located in Phaltan. It focuses on agriculture, renewable energy, animal husbandry and sustainable development. Its work on energy self-sufficient tehsils (which became a national policy) was based on the extensive research on biomass availability in Phaltan Taluka.

Notable residents

Sai Bhonsale Saibai Bhonsale (''née'' Nimbalkar) ( 1633 – 5 September 1659) was the first wife and chief consort of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. She was the mother of her husband's successor Sambhaji. Family Saibai was a member of the promi ...

Nandini Nimbkar Nandini Nimbkar is an agricultural scientist from India, and currently the President of the Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI). She is the daughter of B. V. Nimbkar and granddaughter of Irawati Karve and Kamala Nimbkar Kamala ...

* Anil K. Rajvanshi

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is confe ...

awardee 2022 Director of Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute, Anil Rajvanshi selected for Padma Shri
/ref> * B. V. Nimbkar

awardee 2006. *

Shivajirao Bhosale Shivajirao Bhosale (Marathi: शिवाजीराव भोसले; July 15, 1927 – June 29, 2010), born in Kaledhon near Karad, was a noted orator and thinker from Maharashtra, India. He was vice-chancellor of Marathwada University fr ...

References

{{Reflist Cities and towns in Satara district Talukas in Maharashtra