Vidarbha
Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Indian English Template:Infobox settlement
Vidarbha (Pronunciation: [ʋid̪əɾbʱə]) is a geographical region in the west Indian state of Maharashtra. Forming the eastern part of the state, it comprises Amravati and Nagpur divisions. As per the 2011 Census, the region had a population of 23,003,179. The region occupies 31.6% of the total area and is home to 21.3% of the total population of Maharashtra. Situated in central India, it borders the state of Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Telangana to the south and Marathwada and Uttar Maharashtra regions of Maharashtra to the west.
According to the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Rukmini, the wife of lord Krishna, was born to Bhishmaka, the king of the Vidarbha kingdom. Vidarbha was part of the Satavahana Empire during 1st to 2nd century CE). The coins and inscriptions from the period of Paramara king Jagadeva, the son of the Udayaditya (reigned c. 1060–1086) have been found in the northern parts the region. According to the Ain-i-Akbari, the region was part of Berar Subah, in the Medieval period. In 1680, the region was captured by Sambhaji, the son of Shivaji, who was the founder of Maratha empire. In 1724, Asaf Jah, who later became the Nizam of Hyderabad, declared independence and brought most of the region under his nominal rule. The administration and right of collecting taxes were held by the Marathas. In 1803, following the defeat of the Marathas, the region came under the rule of British East India Company. Later, the British Empire took control of the region from the British East India Company in 1857, and the region was part of Berar and Central Provinces. After Indian Independence in 1947, the region remained a part of the Central Provinces and Berar. After the Re-organization of Indian states, majority of the region became part of Bombay State in 1957. After the bifurcation of Bombay State, into Gujarat and Maharashtra, the region became part of Maharashtra.
The GDP of the region is estimated to be Template:INRconvert 2023-24. The economy of the region is largely dependent on agriculture with oranges and cotton being the major crops. The region also holds considerable mineral resources and forest cover. The region is economically under developed compared to the rest of Maharashtra with considerable poverty and malnutrition. Agriculture is largely dependent on seasonal monsoons and the region receives very less rainfall due to its location in the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats. Droughts and famines are common with more than 1.4 lakh farmer suicides in the period 1997 to 2006.
The largest and major city in the region is Nagpur and other major towns include Amravati, Akola, Chandrapur, Yavatmal and Gondia. Varhadi and Zadi dialects of Marathi is widely spoken. There have been demands for a separate state of Vidarbha, due to perceived neglect from the Government of Maharashtra. While the demand is supported by major political parties BJP and Congress, it is opposed by Shiv Sena, one of the major regional political parties in the state.
History
According to the Hindu epic Mahabharata and other Puranic scriptures, princess Rukmini considered to be an incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi and the wife of lord Krishna, was born to Bhishmaka, the king of the Vidarbha kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Vidarbha was part of the Satavahana Empire during 1st to 2nd century CE), ascertained by the Satavahana coins found in Pauni.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The coins and inscriptions from the period of Paramara king Jagadeva have been found in the northern parts the region. An inscription discovered at Jainad names Jagadeva as the son of the Paramara king Udayaditya (reigned c. 1060–1086).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Scholar M. H. Krishna argued that the Chalukya king Someshvara was known by the title "Jagadeva" ("Lord of the world") in the northern part of his kingdom, and it was he who issued these coins. However, all the known Chalukya coins featured Kannada script, while the coins of Jagadeva featured the Nagari script used by the Paramaras.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
According to the Ain-i-Akbari, the region was part of Berar Subah, known as the Gulshan-e-Berar in the Medieval period.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1680, the region was captured by Sambhaji, the son of Shivaji who was the founder of Maratha empire.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1724, following a battle at Buldana, Asaf Jah defeated the Mughal governor and declared independence. Most of the region came under the nominal rule of Jah, who later became the Nizam of Hyderabad, though the administration and right of collecting chauth were held by the Marathas. In 1803, following the defeat of the Marathas, the region came under the rule of British East India Company.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Later, the British Empire took control of the region from the British East India Company in 1857.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> After Indian Independence in 1947, the region was part of the Bombay State.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> After the States Reorganisation Act, which re-organized state boundaries, majority of the region became part of Maharashtra.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
Geography
Vidarbha lies in Central India on the northern part of the Deccan Plateau. It borders the state of Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Telangana to the south and Marathwada and Uttar Maharashtra regions of Maharashtra to the west. It lies in the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats and the terrain is largely flat. The Satpura Range lies to the north of Vidarbha region with Melghat in Amravati district forming part of the southern offshoot of the Satpura Range.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Large basaltic rock formations exists throughout the region, part of the 66-million-year-old volcanic Deccan Traps. Bhandara and Gondia district are entirely occupied by metamorphic rock and alluvium, making their geology unique in Maharashtra.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Poorna river basin lies in Western Vidarbha and comprises Akola, Amaravati and Buldhana districts. The region has extremely high innate soil and water salinity.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>
Administration
Vidarbha has 11 districts divided into two divisions: Amravati (earlier Berar) and Nagpur divisions.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
| Division | Headquarters | Districts | Tehsils |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amravati<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Amravati | Template:Bulletlist | 56 |
| Nagpur<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Nagpur | Template:Bulletlist | 64 |
Each district has a collector's office which is responsible for day-to-day administration. The District Collector is a Central Indian Government IAS appointee who is in charge of the governance of a district in a state.<ref>Districts Of Maharashtra Template:Webarchive</ref>
Demographics
Vidarbha has a total population of 23,003,179 according to the 2011 India census.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The region occupies 31.6% of the total area and is home to 21.3% of the total population of Maharashtra.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to the 2011 census, Hinduism was the principal religion in the state at 76.91% of the total population, while Buddhists constituted 13.08 of the total population. Vidarbha accounts for 45.91% of total Buddhists in Maharashtra.<ref name="census_2011_religion"/>
Template:Bar chart Template:Table alignment
| District | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akola | 936,226 | 882,391 | 1,818,617 |
| Amravati | 1,482,845 | 1,404,981 | 2,887,826 |
| Bhandara | 604,371 | 594,439 | 1,198,810 |
| Buldhana | 1,342,152 | 1,245,887 | 2,588,039 |
| Chandrapur | 1,120,316 | 1,073,946 | 2,194,262 |
| Gadchiroli | 542,813 | 528,982 | 1,071,795 |
| Gondia | 662,524 | 659,807 | 1,322,331 |
| Nagpur | 2,388,558 | 2,264,613 | 4,653,171 |
| Wardha | 665,925 | 630,232 | 1,296,157 |
| Washim | 621,228 | 575,486 | 1,196,714 |
| Yavatmal | 1,425,593 | 1,349,864 | 2,775,457 |
The largest city in the region is Nagpur and other major cities include Amravati, Akola, Chandrapur, Yavatmal and Gondia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Language and culture
As per the 2011 census, 73.72% of the population speaks Marathi, 8.30% Hindi, 6.23% Urdu, 2.58% Lambadi, 1.83% Gondi, 1.10% Korku and 1.02% Telugu as their first language.<ref name="lang">Template:Cite report</ref> Varhadi and Zadi dialects of Marathi are widely spoken.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Hindu festivals like Holi, Diwali and Dasara are celebrated throughout the region.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Nagpur Central Museum (Template:Abbr 1863) maintains collections from the region.<ref>Nagpur District Gazetteer Template:Webarchive</ref>
Economy
The GDP of the region is estimated to be Template:INRconvert 2022-23. The region also holds considerable mineral resources and forest cover.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The region is economically under developed compared to the rest of Maharashtra with considerable poverty and malnutrition.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The economy of the region is largely dependent on agriculture with oranges and cotton being the major crops. Agriculture is largely dependent on seasonal monsoons and the region receives very less rainfall. Droughts and famines are common with more than 1.4 lakh farmer suicides in the period 1997 to 2006.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Though the federal government has provided relief packages aimed at the region, with corruption rampant in the region.<ref>relief package for Vidarbha</ref> Columnist and journalist P Sainath opined that the relief packages were destined to fail as corruption in the government meant that little impact happened on the ground.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Nagpur is a major hub for business and healthcare.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> MIHAN is the major cargo hub in the region, operational out of Nagpur Airport.<ref name="aboutmadc">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="factsheet">Template:Cite web</ref> Nagpur also hosts Information Technology Special Economic Zone (IT SEZ).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> for information-technology companies.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Amravati and Yavatmal are known for cotton production. Chandrapur has a thermal power station, which is one of the biggest in India.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> There are other heavy industries and mines in the region.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The region has mineral resources with coal and manganese, the major minerals. Iron ore and limestone have also been identified as potential mining resources.<ref>"Maharashtra Resources" Template:Webarchive</ref> Chandrapur district contributes 29% of all mineral output of Maharashtra.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Education
Sports and recreation
Cricket is the most popular sport in the region. Nagpur's Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground (VCA) hosted international cricket matches.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> In 2008, the new Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium was built in Jamtha.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The eastern part of Vidarbha consists of Maharashtra's oldest National Park, the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, one of the Project Tiger Reserves.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Shegaon is a place of pilgrimage with temples attributed to the Hindu saint Gajanan Maharaj who lived there.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chikhaldara in Amravati district is a hill station and popular tourist destination.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Politics
Vidarbha has ten Lok Sabha constituencies. Nagpur district has two seats Nagpur and Ramtek, while Gadchiroli-Chimur Lok Sabha constituency is spread across districts of Chandrapur, Gadchiroli and Gondia. Yavatmal and Washim districts form part of Yavatmal–Washim Lok Sabha constituency. Other seats include Akola, Amravati, Bhandara, Buldhana, Gondia, and Wardha. Amravati and Ramtek seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, while Gadchiroli-Chimur is reserved for Scheduled Tribes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the region is represented by 62 Vidhan Sabha seats.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Demand for statehood
The Vidarbha movement started in the 1930s demanding a separate state of Vidarbha. The demand has been raised at times due to perceived neglect of the region by the Government of Maharashtra.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> While the demand is supported by major political parties BJP and Congress, it is opposed by Shiv Sena, one of the major regional political parties in the state.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Political economist Shrikant Jichkar opposed the separation of the region from Maharashtra, stating that it was not sustainable. He noted that income from available natural resources would not be able to balance the subsidies given by the government, whose cooperation would be vital to any development and that the division introduces societal risks due to dividing of the Marathi-speaking state.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
See also
- Dehani lift irrigation scheme
- List of cities in Vidarbha
- List of Maratha dynasties and states
- Manav Vikas Mission
- Proposed states and territories of India
References
External links
Template:Coord missing Template:Maharashtra Template:Vidarbha Template:Godavari basin Template:Proposed states and territories of India