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Amravati
Amravati (also known as Amrawati or Amraoti) is a city in the state of Maharashtra in India. It is believed to be the city of Lord Indra, the king of all gods. The city boasts of historical temples of Goddess Amba, Lord Shri Krishna and Shri Venkateshwara.
Geography
Amravati is located at 20.93° N 77.75° E. It has an average elevation of 343 metres (1125 feet). It lies 156 km (97 miles) west of Nagpur, and serves as the administrative center of Amravati District and of Amravati Division. As with so many other small cities in India, Amravati is growing rapidly in terms of living quality. New flyovers and roads are being built to renovate the city, and other improvements like new traffic signals are underway under IRDP (Integrated Road Development Programme) implemented by government of Maharashtra
The town is located near the passes through the hills that separate the cotton-growing regions of the Purna basin to the West and the Wardha basin to the East. Amravati is a growing industrial center, with cotton mills as an important industry. The town is expanding toward Badnera, 10 km to the south, which is the location of the railway junction where the branch railway line serving Amravati joins the main Mumbai - Bhusawal - Wardha - Nagpur - Howrah rail route. National Highway 6 from Hajira (Surat) to Kolkatta passes through the city, which is part of Asian Highway 6.
It is also home to "Shivtekdi", a popular hilltop place with hundreds of people jogging in that area. Efforts are being done to revamp the "Maaltekdi", to make it a healthy destination for all early exercisers.
Climate
Amravati has a tropical wet and dry climate with hot, dry summers from March to June, the monsoon season from July to October and warm winters from November to March. The highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded was 49.7oC on 25 May, 1954 and 5.0oC on 9 February, 1887 respectively.
Demographics
As of 2001 India census, Amravati, as a district, had a population of 2,606,063. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%.The population of the city now has reached upto 9,00,000.Amravati has an average literacy rate of 83%, much higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 89% of the males and 76% of females literate. 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. The major setback comes from the fact that 66% of the population is below the poverty line.
Spirituality
The Temple of Goddess Amba is a famous example of spiritual architecture in the Vidharbha Region. There's a legend that when Lord Krishna ran away with Goddess Rukhamini from her wedding ceremony, he used a tunnel laying from Ambadevi temple to Koundinyapur (another spiritual place near Amravati). This tunnel is still in existence but is now closed. Many research teams over the years have tried to investigate about the length of the tunnel but all their efforts were in vain. In Navaratri, there's a fair which goes on for 9 days where people from nearby towns and villages participate and dance Garba/Dandiya until late in the evening. The city is also known for the Sai Temple along with Bhaktidham situated in Sai Nagar. Other major Indian festivals like Diwali and Holi are also celebrated with lots of enthusiasm.
History
Amravati means 'abode of immortals'. Amravati was the capital of Berar, which was part of present-day Vidharbha. Berar was part of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka's empire. In 1833 Berar was handed over to the British East India Company. It was divided into two districts, South Berar or Balaghat and North Berar. In 1956, with the reorganisation of the states, Amravati was transferred from Madhya Pradesh to Bombay state, and in 1960 with the creation of Maharashtra, Amravati became one of its districts. Freedom fighter Bhagat Singh was hiding for 3 days in Amravati during his underground tenure and he frequently visited Hanuman Akhada (Gym) during that time. There were many other freedom fighters who laid their lives seeking Indian Independence.
Transport
Road
The "NH6", which runs through Amravati, is an important National Highway, which runs from Hajira (Surat) to Kolkata. NH6 is apart of Asian Highway 46. Maharashtra state transport buses are most commonly used by people to travel to rural parts of the region. They are the cheapest means of transport. These bus frequency is extremely good.
Railway
Amravati is situated on the branch line from Badnera on Bhusawal - Badnera - Wardha - Nagpur section of Mumbai CSTM - Howrah main railway line.
Air
Amravati has an aerodrome which is about 15km off NH-6 towards Akola. It is in the area called Belora. The aerodrome is not used for commercial purposes. It is used only by the politicians and other people with private jets. It has a 1.5km runway and also has a helipad. The overall facility is not worth much talking about. The control tower lies in shabby state. There are talks that Amravati would be getting an international airport but there is not a surety whether this aerodrome would be the one.
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