Valsang (also known as Balsing) is a village between

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

Akkalkot Akkalkot () is a city and a municipal council in Solapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is situated 38 km southeast of Solapur and close to the border of Karnataka state. City is the home to Shri Swami Samarth, a 19t ...

in western

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 ...

. It is in the Solapur district 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 ...

, within the Solapur South block. Valsang is the destination of a famous pilgrimage for Shri Swami Samartha Maharaj. The village has a

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 ...

or grave shrine for Yaseen Saheb dating back five hundred years. Muslims in the village celebrate the

urs Urs (from ''‘Urs'') or Urus (literal meaning wedding), is the death anniversary of a Sufi saint, usually held at the saint's dargah (shrine or tomb). In most Sufi orders such as Naqshbandiyyah, Suhrawardiyya, Chishtiyya, Qadiriyya, etc. ...

or death anniversary of Yasin Saheb Dargah.

History

Valsang is the destination of a famous pilgrimage for Shri Swami Samartha Maharaj. In 1884, the ''Sholapur District Gazetteer'' described Valsang as a market town of some importance, with a dyeing and weaving industry that generated £10,000 (Rs. 1,00,000) a year. This estimate included the manufacture of

indigo InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...

and sarangi dyes used on locally produced cotton thread, cotton cloth, and a cheap quality of silk called "Panjam". Women's robes of Panjim are known as Valsangacha Band and were traditionally worn by all classes except Brahmans.

Geography

Valsang consists of . The village is surrounded by farms and small villages. It is from Solapur and from Akkalkot.

Demographics

Valsang has a population of 7,979 people, according to the 2011 census. Of that number, 4,039 are male and 3,940 are female. The village has a literacy rate of 67.53%, with 73.68% of males and 61.22% of females being literate. The village includes 1,579 houses.

Economy

Valsang's main industries are farming and small shops. Rice, grown in paddy fields, is the main agricultural product. The village's weekly market is held every Wednesday. Remnants of the historic dyeing and weaving industry remain. The Swami Samarth Suth Girni (cotton mill) is located on Akkakote Road. The village specializes in weaving

saris A sari (also called sharee, saree or sadi)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * is a drape (cloth) and a women's garment in the Indian subcontinent. It consists of an un-stit ...

. However, most dyes used are now chemical, which decreased the need for the manufacture of dyes. Some residents of the village work in Solapur, the nearest town for major economic activities.

Arts and culture

Events and festivals

Valsang hosts many fairs or Jatra every year. The main events are Shankar Linga Jatra, Chowdeshwary Devi Fair, Basavvana Jatra, and Siddeshwar Jatra. Shankar Linga Jatra is an annual fair. In the evening, villagers carry Nandi Kol (Long Holi Stick). The next day, a Pallaki Utsav god statue arrives and there is a Natak or staged play. At the end of the fair, there is free curry food (kharbheli). Young villagers collect money so they can make the curry, and villagers bring

roti Roti is a round flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly consumed in many South Asian, Southeast Asian, Caribbean, East African, and Southeast African countries. It is made from stoneground whole-wheat flour, kno ...

(bread) from their homes and use it to eat the curry. The Chowdamma Devi Fair takes place in May or June. The fair is well known for its ''BalBatla'' which is the Kannada word for a plate containing the fire. BalBatla is made up of silver and it is held by a person who is believed to take the form of Chowdamma Devi. During the fair, people follow this person for the whole night. This Balbatla Jatra is covered live on Solapur Vruth Darshan, the local news channel for the Solapur district. Villagers also celebrate

Shiv Jayanti Shiv Jayanti, also known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj festival, is a festival and public holiday of the Indian state of Maharashtra. This festival is celebrated on February 19, celebrating the birth anniversary of Shivaji Maharaj, the first C ...

on 19 February. During this celebration, there is music and children ride a statue of

Shivaji Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...

around the village. Muslims villager celebrate the

or death anniversary of Yasin Saheb Dargah.

Architecture

The village has a

of Yaseen Saheb dating back five hundred years. There is a Hutatma Smarak or memorial square that was constructed on the Solapur - Akkalkote Road by the

Maharashtra government The Government of Maharashtra is the executive branch of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The government is led by the chief minister (currently Devendra Fadnavis since 5 December 2024) who selects the council of ministers and is appointed by ...

; this is a gathering place for the village elders.

Government

Valsang has a post office and a police station, the

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' and 'speech' or 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, the concept of jurisdiction applies at multiple level ...

of which extends over thirty-six villages.

Education

Valsang has three

primary schools A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

, one each with

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 ...

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 ...

, and

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 the primary language of instruction. There is one high school, Shri Shankarling High School, with instruction in both Marathi and Kannada.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The government bus provides transportation between Valsang and Solapur. This route is also accessible by private jeep.

Utilities

The village is electrified. Wells are the main source of

drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...

References

{{reflist Villages in Solapur district