Gadchiroli
City
Gadchiroli Location in Maharashtra, India
Coordinates: 20°11′06″N 79°59′02″E / 20.185°N 79.984°E / 20.185; 79.984
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Gadchiroli
Founded by	Khandkya Ballal Shah
Government
• Type	Municipal Council
• Body	Gadchiroli Municipal Council
• Chairperson	Yogita Pipare[1]
Area
• Total	30 km2 (10 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	54,152
• Density	1,800/km2 (4,700/sq mi)
Language
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
8999862636	07132
Vehicle registration	MH-33
Website	www.gadchiroli.gov.in

Gadchiroli (pronunciation^ⓘ [ɡəɖt͡ʃiɾoliː]) is a city and a municipal council in Gadchiroli district in the state of Maharashtra, central India. It is located on eastern side of Maharashtra, and is the administrative headquarters of the district. Gadchiroli is called a lung of Maharashtra as it has almost 35% of this district has forest cover. The main river flowing through city is the Wainganga River. The landscape is lush and green during the monsoon season which is prone to flooding. Gadchiroli is known for its forests. Teak is grown commercially and bamboos are used for various crafts.

Notable places and Personalities

Some notable places and personalities in the town include:

• Chaprala Wildlife Sanctuary^[2]
• Semana-Hanuman Temple – About 4 km (2.5 mi) from center of town (Gandhi Chowk)
• Hemalkasa – Situated in Bhamragarh Block (east side of district), 186 km (116 mi) from Gadchiroli.
• Allapalli – Known as Teak City of District, where all forest administration offices and the main marketline, educational and other resources.^[3]
• Markhanda ^[2]– A temple dedicated to Lord Shiva on the banks of Wainganga. There is a big fair on Mahashivratri
• BILT (Ashti) – A unit of Ballarpur Paper Mills in Ashti.
• Gadchiroli lake – located at the centre of the city.
• Vairagad Fort – Built by the Gond kings as their residence and fortress, near Armori town^[4]
• Bhandareshwar – An ancient temple to Lord Shiva situated to the west of Vairagad village, high on a mound at the confluence of the Khobragadi and Vainlochna rivers. This shrine is a good example of architecture and the carved walls are believed to be from the Hemadpanth period.
• Adishakti Temple – Situated at Vairagad, this temple enshrines an idol of Adishakti Devi, found during a 1986 excavation. The idol has four hands and is an example of the carvings undertaken by the sculptors of the erstwhile era.
• Wadadham Fossils Park.^[2]

History

In ancient times the region was ruled by the Rashtrakutas, the Chalukyas, the Yadavas of Deogiri and later the Gonds of Gadchiroli. In the 13th century Khandkya Ballal Shah founded Chandrapur and made it his capital. Chandrapur subsequently came under Maratha rule. In 1853 Berar, of which Chandrapur (then called Chanda) was part, was ceded to the British East India Company. In 1854 Chandrapur became an independent district of Berar.

In 1905 the British created the tehsil of Gadchiroli by transfer of a zamindari estate from Chandrapur and Bramhapuri. It was part of the Central Provinces until 1956 when, with the reorganisation of the states, Chandrapur was transferred to Bombay state. In 1960, when Maharashtra was created, Chandrapur became a district of the new state. On 26 August 1982 Chandrapur was divided, with Gadchiroli tehsil becoming an independent district.

Naxalism is highly prevalent in Gadchiroli, with the guerrilla fighters taking to the hills and dense forests, 15 soldiers have been killed in an IED blast at Kurkheda area in 2019.^[5] Gadchiroli has also been designated as part of the Red Corridor.^[6] Settlements are being explored by many social workers.

Geography

Gadchiroli is located at 20°06′N 80°00′E / 20.10°N 80.0°E / 20.10; 80.0.^[7] It has an average elevation of 217 metres (715 feet). Gadchiroli District is one of the largest in Maharashtra by land area. The town and surrounding area is considered to be beautiful during the monsoon season (July to September), and is surrounded by a teak wood forest.

Demographics

According to the 2001 India census,^[8] Gadchiroli had a population of 42,464. Males constituted 51% of the population and females 49%. Gadchiroli had an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy was 80%, and female literacy was 67%. 13% of the population was under 6 years of age.

The main languages spoken are Marathi, Hindi, Gondi, Madiya, Bengali and Telugu. The literacy rate is improving with an increase in educational facilities.

The people of Gadchiroli celebrate many indigenous festivals.^[2] Adivasi peoples celebrate festivals like Mohram, Pola, etc. The Bengali community here celebrate festivals like Durga Pooja, Basanti Pooja, Kali pooja, etc.

Administration

Transport

Gadchiroli is connected by roads to Chandrapur, Nagpur, Bhandara and Gondia. There are no rail connections to Gadchiroli, with the nearest line passing through Wadsa (Desaiganj).Wadsa is the only railway station in Gadchiroli District. The condition of roadways in the area is being improved to provide improved security against the recent Naxilite insurgency.^[2]

Education

All the degree colleges in Gadchiroli are now affiliated with the recently established Gondwana University, Gadchiroli.^[11] The government of Maharashtra established Gondwana university by splitting RTM Nagpur University, purported to be a major revolution in education for the tribal youth in the district.

Namdeorao Poreddiwar College of Engineering and Technology was a technical college located at Mouza Bodli, Gadchiroli but now is closed due to some administrative reasons.^[12]

• Chanakya Academy Aheri & Alapalli (Competitive Exam Coaching Center)
• Chanakya Academy Police Bharti Physical Ground, Aheri

See also

• Make In Maharashtra

References