History of Akola

HISTORY ======== What constitutes Akola district at present was originally a part of the Nizam’s dominion assigned in 1853 to the East India Company in liquidation of the large debt due on account of arrears of pay on the Hyderabad contingent and as a security for future payment of that force. At that time Berar was divided into two districts, South and North. In 1857 Berar was reconstituted into two districts, West Berar with headquarters at Akola and East Berar with headquarters at Amravati. In 1903,the treaties of assignment were superseded by an agreement under which the Nizam leased Berar to the Government of India for an annual rent of 25 lakhs of rupees in perpetuity. The administration of Berar was transferred from Hyderabad to the then Chief Commissioner of Central Provinces. In 1864, when the district of Buldhana was constituted, a part of the west Berar district was transferred to Buldhana district. In 1875, again when the Washim district was created some parts were transferred and the district and tahsil boundaries were completely overhauled in 1905. Murtizapur tahsil was transferred from Amravati t Akola district and Khamgaon and Jalgaon tahsils were transferred from Akola to Buldhana district. The Washim district was broken and two tahsils of Washim and Mangrulpir were included in the newly constituted Akola district. There were no major changes in the boundaries of the district between 1911 and 1955. In 1956, with the Reorganisation of the States, the district was transferred from Madhya Pradesh to the then Bombay State and in 1960 it became a part of the State of Maharashtra. On First July 1998, Akola district was divided to form two new districts – Akola and Washim. Akola district now consists of Akola, Balapur, Patur, Barshitakli, Murtizjapur, Akot and Telhara talukas. The district headquarter is Akola. Akola city is located in north-central Maharashtra state, western India, on the Morna River. An important road and rail junction in the Purna River valley, it is a commercial centre trading chiefly in cotton. There are also textile and vegetable-oil industries. Akola is an important educational center with several colleges affiliated with the University of Amravati. Historical places in Akola  A temple of Rajeshwar  Fort Asadgadh  A Sundarabai Khandelwal Tower ( 5 Floors)

Gajanan Maharaj

The origin of Gajanan Maharaj is untraceable. Gajanan Maharaj is prince amongst saints who first appeared in Shegaon on 23rd February 1878 . A rich moneylender Bankatlal Agarwal is credited with discovering Maharaj at 12.22 pm while scratching food particles from abandoned patravalis to give credence to the saying that Food is Bhahma and should not be wasted. " Annam Brahmeti " is what Maharaj seemed to have expressed. Maharaj was scantily attired and made gesticulations befitting an insane person. But it is the greatness of Bankatlal who did not consider him as insane and logically argued as to why Maharaj must be scratching food particles when sumptuous food was available nearby in a family celebrating a fertility ritual. There are different schools of thought as to the origin of Maharaj. However no one has been able to conclusively prove when and where Maharaj was born and how he came to Shegaon. According to Shri Dada saheb Khaparde , a close associate of Lokmanya Tilak , Maharaj was a erudite Brahmin from Telanghana or modern Andhra Pradesh and was well versed in Vedic scriptures and knowledge . Some people have had heard Maharaj speak in Telugu dialect. Many are of the opinion that Maharaj seldom spoke and often made utterances which were cryptic which people could not immediately relate or understand. Some researchers are of the opinion that Maharaj ran away from home when a small child of 11 or 12 years . He is supposed to have born to a couple identified as Bhavaniram and Shahubai. Gana Sable is supposed to be Maharaj’s name according this group.It is claimed that Maharaj was born in Thal , a hamlet close to Shegaon. A group of people headed by Shri Dada Pandey of Nagpur are setting up a Pratisthan called Sri Gajanan Maharaj Janmasthan Pratishthan in Thal. There is however no clinching evidence , but Pandey swears otherwise . Those with inquisitive bent of mind may contact Shri Dada Pandey at Sri Gajanan kripa , Near Nehru Putla, Itwari , Nagpur 440 002 on Tel No 0712-761578. It is said that Maharaj was seen by his mother in a fair and when she pleaded with to return home , Maharaj then unknown is supposed to have said – "Ab hum tumhare nahin aur tum hamare nahin" ( now I am not yours, nor you, mine ) In his book " Shegavicha Saavla Deva " the author Sumanbandhu has tried to examine the origin of Maharaj . According to one source in Khamgaon , Shri Pethare , Maharaj was from a family of Deshastha Brahmins of Latkar lineage and Gargya gotra. Another scholarly source from Nagpur Late Shri Aprabuddha claimed that Maharaj was from the family of Gokhales. It is believed that Maharaj was in the ashram of Akkalkot Swami Samartha for a few days. The young boy when on the way to Akkalkot made Swami say " Ganapati aala re aala " while playing chess, with a reference to Bal Gajanan ( Maharaj). A photo of 11 year old maharaj can be seen in Amravati in Narayan Jamkar’s temple. After getting initial lessons, Maharaj was directed to go and seek training from Yashwant Deo Mamlatdar in Nasik. Maharaj is supposed to have abandoned all his clothes and ran towards Nasik. There in Nasik, Maharaj used to hold several parleys with Brajabhooshan , a great devotee of the Sun God. Deo is supposed to have also put Maharaj in contact with Raghunathdas who was staying near Kapildhara . Thus a rough cut diamond was being polished to attain glitter. Maharaj imbibed lessons in Yoga sadhana, meditation, and detachment. and later attained tremendous prowess in Yoga sadhana under Narsing baba of Akot, a disciple of Kotashya Valli who came from Punjab to Akot in 1850. While Maharaj was performing sadhana , one Balshastri Gadge of Laad- Karanjya was impressed with the young boy and waited till he finished with his sadhana. Upon completion, Bal shastri is supposed to have invited Maharaj to Lad Karanjya in Vidhabha and Maharaj seems to have obliged. This period is reckoned as 1865when Maharaj stepped into Vidharbha as a young shining star on the horizon. Maharaj and Bal shastri went to Murtizapur and Maharaj was taken in procession from the Rly Station to Karanja. From there Maharaj suddenly disappeared putting Balshastri in a quandry . However he was traced later and brought back to Shastri’s house. In Shastri’s house, Maharaj imbibed finer points of Vedshastra and music. From here Maharaj went to Baggi via Chandur where he took darshan of Maniram Baba , a realised soul who hailed from Ayodhya. From here Maharaj came to Akot and spent a couple of years with Narsing baba . Narsing baba was senior in age, wearing a cloth turban and a " cloth" to cover the vital organs , carrying a stick in his hand. Narsing Baba used to live in a small hut and would wander in the thick jungles fearlessly where wild animals would wander. Perhaps his power was so large that even wild animals must have been tamed by his prowess. Gajanan Maharaj performed the yogic feet of getting the water level in the well to rise upon which Narsing Baba is supposed to have cautioned him not to demonstrate his prowess as devotees would trouble him. Maharaj used these powers sparingly thereafter . In the jungles of Akot , while Maharaj without any clothes on his body , was in deep meditation . A nomadic woman got attracted to Maharaj’s strong frame and sharp features and under the act of touching Maharaj’s feet , came physically close to Maharaj with a view to fufill her biological desires. Maharaj had achieved great control over His five senses and was not to be tempted by such desires - " jitendriya " that He was - just a seminal discharge of a drop rendered the dry grass scorch and turn black. This woman then realised that if the biological union with her was to really happen , she could be turned to ashes herself. She then apologised for her conduct and went away. ( source - V K Phadke in the souvenir released to inaugurate GM temple in Kanhor, Badlapur ) After supervising Narsing Baba’s samadhi arrangements on 28-1-1888 , Maharaj is supposed to have calmed the bereaved devotees/disciples of Narsing Baba with some soothing and comforting advice and then, moved to Shegaon at the behest of HIS MASTER, Guru Swami Samartha. Shri Swami Samarth Narsing Baba himself had asked his devotees to turn to Maharaj when in trouble. From Akot , Maharaj moved to Shegaon in February 1888 . There is a controversy regarding the dates but Tulshiram Nagalkar whose father was in the company of Maharaj has recorded the dates in his diary carefully and later published the biography in 1957. However , from some strange reason T R Nagalkar’s biography has not been given official recognition and Dasganu’s "Gajanan Vijay" written in 1940 based on papers made available by Ratansa Bhavsar is the official biography recognised by the sansthan. Devotees are requested to read Gajanan Vijay for other incidents in Maharaj’s life . Maharaj had a number of contemporaries -atleast 15 to 16 saints - and it is difficult to trace the origin of all of these saints eg Narsing Maharaj, Sai Baba of Shirdi , Tajjuddin Baba, Gulab Maharaj of Madhan, Bhamte maharaj, Manirambaba ,Sonaale baba, Madhavnath Maharaj of Chitrakoot, Tembe Swami , Anant Maharaj, Brahmachari Maharaj and so on.. Some have suggested that the revolutionary freedom fighter Tatya Tope is Gajanan Maharaj . He put on this garb to escape the clutches of the British . But this seems to be a figment of some fertile imagination. Maharaj was said to be tall, dark and handsome. His hands were particularly long and he had a very attractive pair of eyes and nose. He had tremendous strength in his frame and even a wrestler like Hari Patil had to bite dust when he failed to even move Maharaj by an inch in a wrestling contest. He was a regular smoker of the Chilim and would take puffs deeply with a hissing sound. Mind you he was no addict but took to the chilim in response to a request from a devotee who came from Banaras.

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Krishi mahavidyalaya Akola

Akola District At a Glance

Akola District At a Glance Geographical Area Total Area 5417 Sq. K.M. Area under Forestry 467 Sq.K.M. Climate & Rainfall Average Rainfall in Disrict 730 M.M. Minimum Temperature 5.6 Degree Censius Maximum Temperature 45.9 Degree Celsius Geographical Location North Altitudes. 20.170 to 21.160 East Altitudes. 76.700 to 77.400 Population (2001 Census) Total 16,30,239 Male 8,41,253 Female 7,88,986 Urban 6,27,497 Rural 10,02,742 Schedule Cast 1,68,474 Schedule Tribes 1,00,088 Literacy (2001 Census) Total 81.41 % Male 88.91% Female 73.43% Administrative Divisions Revenue Subdivisons Akola, Murtizapur,Akot,Balapur Tahasil Offices Akola,Barshitalki, Murtizapur, Akot, Telhara,Balpur,Patur Municipal Corporation Akola Municipal Councils Murtizapur, Akot, Telhara, Balapur, Patur Panchayat Samities Akola,Barshitalki, Murtizapur, Akot, Telhara,Balpur,Patur Gram Panchayats 541 Villages 1009 Police Stations 18 Police Out Posts 14 Agriculture Total Cultivable area 4.96 Lakh ha. Ava . Area Under Fallow land 0.18 Lakh. ha No. of total cultivators 290165 Total Ava . Area under kharip crops 4.82 Lakh. ha Total Ava . Area under rabi crops 0.46 Lakh. ha Total Ava . Area under summer crops 0.02 Lakh. ha Major Crops in District Soyabean, Cotton, Jowar, Toor, Pulses etc. Soil Type(area in 000 hect.) Light soil 87.00 ( 17.7%) Medium soil 149.00 (30.3%) Heavy soil 255.00 (52%) Area Under Irrigation Area under Irrigation 1,01,512 Hector. Major Projects 2 (Katepurna & Wan) Medium Projects 3 ( Morna, Nirguna & Uma) Other Projects 3 (Popatkhed, Vishwamitra,Shivankhurd) Health Major Private Hospitals 133 Medical Colleges 3 Civil Hospital 1 Rural Hospitals 5 Primary Health Centres 50 Ayurvedic Hospitals 1 Alopathic Hospitals 133 Maternity Homes 86 Power Sector Electrified cities 6 Electrified Villages 843 Electrified Pump sets 11000 Road Development As per year 2004 National Highways 118 Kilometer. State Highways 517 Kilometer. District Roads 581 Kilometer. Villages connected by roads All Seasons 574 , Seasonal 276 Total Railway Track 193 Kilometer. Animal Husbandry As per year 1997 Total Live Stock 6,65,000 Co-operative Sector As per year 2004 Total Co-operative Society 1,635 Total Members in Society 524000 Spinning Mills 5 Sugar Factories 1 Folklores and Folkdances Khanjeri, Bhajan, Dandar,Gondhal, Powada Freedom Fighters 76 Education University 1 (Agriculture) Primary School (As per year 2003) 1,136 Secondary Schools (As per year 2003) 341 Sr. Colleges (As per year 2003) 13 Adivasi Ashram Schools 16 (10 Primary , 6 Secondary) Engineering College 1 Medical Colleges 3 Technical/Vocational Education Technical Schools 33 Industrial Training Inst. 9 Major Historical and Turist Places Akola,Akot (Narnala) , Balapur, Wan, Mahan , Mana

ashwamedh 2010

Panjabrao Shamrao Deshmukh

Panjabrao Shamrao Deshmukh (December 27, 1898 – April 10, 1965) famously known as Bhausaheb Deshmukh was a social activist and a farmer's leader in India. He was the Minister of Agriculture in the first cabinet of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1952. Birth and childhood He born at Papal in Amrawati district of Vidarbha, Maharashtra on December 27, 1898. His childhood had gone happily at Papal. His original surname was "Kadam".[citation needed] After completing his primary education at home, he was sent to Songaon at first and then to Karanja Lad. He got his highschool education at Karanja lad up to ninth standard. Then he took admission in Hind Highschool, Amrawati. After that he went to Fergusson College at Pune. In England In those times there were no facilities of higher education in India. Many Students used to go to England for further education. So he also wanted to be a Barrister from Cambridge University. Despite too much poverty at home, he managed to make money to go to England. He took barrister degree in 1921. He also took M.A. honours in Sanskrit and done Ph.D. with the subject Origin and development of religion in vedic literature. Social activities He was attached with Satya Shodhak Samaj of Mahatma Phule.He did satyagraha for entry to untouchables in Ambabai Temple, Amrawati, which was a very strongly condemned by the upper castes. Dr.Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was pro to him in this movement. Educational activist Deshmukh knew that prosperity would come only when the weapon of knowledge became available to all. For this purpose he established Shivaji Education Society. There is an Agricultural university by his name at Akola, i.e. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth. He was a well known educationalist who well cemented the foundation of education in not only in Vidarbha but throughout the Maharashtra region Political career He was elected thrice for the Loksabha. Dr. Deshmukh was selected by Nehru as the first agriculture minister of India. He played an important role in the making of the Indian Constitution. He was a staunch supporter of the mission by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. He was the secretary for Vidarbha region of the Indian Labour Party, established by Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar. Leader of peasants He dedicated all his talents and energy for formulation and implementation of the policies that would bring prosperity to agriculture and the agriculturist. He established the Bharat Krishak Samaj and launched a campaign called Food for Millions in 1955. He brought in the Japanese method of rice cultivation in 1958 and organized the World Agriculture Fair in 1959, which was inaugrated by Dwight Eisenhower, the then President of the US. The fair was visited by dignitaries across the world some of them being Nikita Khrushchev, the then president of USSR, Lord and Lady MountBatten and many others. He started the process of establishment of Agricultural Universities all across the country and gave fillip to agricultural education and research. As a lawyer He appeared many cases in the district court of Amrawati from the side of poor peasants. But the main case was British govt vs. Azad Hind Sena,in which he assisted to Jawaharlal Nehru. Death and legacy Dr. Deshmukh died on April 10, 1965 at Delhi. References ^ a b c "Life-sketch of Dr Punjabrao Deshmukh". http://www.shivajiedusocamt.org/LifeSketch.htm. Retrieved January 21, 2009. ^ a b c d "A great Philanthropist of Vidarbha Region". Shivaji Education Society. http://www.shivajiedusocamt.org/DeshmukhFile.htm. Retrieved January 21, 2009.

Executive Council of the University

Executive Council of the University Sr.No Name & Address Honour Phone(O)/ Mobile Phone (Res) 1. Dr. V.M. Mayande, Vice Chancellor, Dr. PDKV, Akola Chairman 0724-2258365 0724-2258184 2. Shri Jainuddin Mohsin Bhai Javeri Member, Legislative Council (MS) Mahatma Gandhi Nagar Ta: Ballarpur, Dist :Chandrapur Member 07172-272977 07172-240577 3. Shri. Vasantrao Dadarao Khotare Member, Legislative Assembly (MS) Third Line, Tapadiya Nagar Tah-Dist : Akola Member 9422160575 0724-2421137 4. Shri. Rahul Bondre Member, Legislative Assembly (MS) Vivekanand Marg, Ward No. 14 Ta: Chikhali, Dist: Buldhana Member 9822224100 5. Shri. Harish Pimple Member, Legislative Assembly (Maharashtra State) Lakadganj Ta: Murtizapur Dist: Akola Member 9421894765 9011525537 6. Shri. Vijayraj Shinde Member, Legislative Assembly (MS) Ramnagar Ta-Dist : Buldhana Member 9422180505 7. Dr. S.R. Khonde Agriculture Scientist Plot No.16-B Narmada Society, Bhupesh Nagar Gorewada Road, Nagpur-13 Member 9960465828 8. Dr. Dipak Sarkar, Director, NBSS&LUP Amravati Road, Shankarnagar PO, Nagpur-440 010 Member 0712- 2500386 9422507143 9830261075 0712- 26451643 9. Shri. Yogendra Rajendra Gode Progressive Farmer Dr. Gode Niwas Chikhali Road Dist: Buldana Member 9422180902 07262-242401 10. Director Agriculture(Extn.and Training) Office of Agriculture Commissioner(MS) Pune - 5 Member 020-25512830 -- 11. Director Horticulture Directorate of Horticulture Office of Agriculture Commissioner(MS) Pune – 5 Member 020-25538095 -- 12. Chief Conservator of Forest Yavatmal Division Yavatmal – 445001 Member 07232-242894 07232-242194 07232-242426 13. Commissioner (Animal Husbandry) Central Admn. Building Pune – 1 Member 020-26123843 -- 14. Deputy Director (Fisheries) Regional Office Congress Nagar Amravati Member 0721-2662801 -- 15. Commissioner, Dairy Development, Maharashtra State Administrative Building, Abdul Gafarkhan Road Phase-C, Worali Mumbai-18 Member 022-24937064 -- 16. Dean (Agriculture) Dr. PDKV Akola Member 0724-2258093 0724-2258969 17. Director of Extension Education Dr.PDKV Akola Member 0724-2258174 0724-2400944 18. Registrar, Dr. PDKV, Akola Member-Secretary 0724-2258372 0724-2426989 19. Comptroller (Invited), Dr.PDKV, Akola Member 0724-2258469 0724-2258781