Amravati
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Amravati (also 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. It lies 156 km (97 miles) west of Nagpur, and serves as the administrative center of Amravati District and of Amravati Division.
The town is located near the passes through the hills that separate the cotton-growing regions of the Purna River basin to the west and the Wardha River 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 east-west line.
Recently, it has emerged as an educational center offering many programs including medical and engineering courses. In addition to Amravati University, both a Government College of Engineering and a Government Polytechnic are located in Amravati.
Amravati District
Area 12,210 sq. km., population 2,200,000 (2001 census). Amravati district is bounded Betul district of Madhya Pradesh state to the north, and by the Maharashtra districts of Nagpur to the northeast, Wardha to the east, Yavatmal to the south, Washim to the southwest, and Akola and Buldhana districts to the west. The Wardha River forms the eastern boundary of the district, and the eastern portion of the district lies within its watershed. The Purna River drains the southwestern portion of the district, while the northwest is drained by the Tapti River.
In 1905, Ellichpur district was merged into Amravati district.
Amravati Division
- Area: 46,090 km²
- Population (2001 census): 3,941,903
- Districts: Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Washim, Yavatmal
- Literacy: 77.79%
- Area under irrigation: 2,582.02 km²
- Railways: broad gauge 249 km, meter gauge 227 km, narrow gauge 188 km.
Amravati is one of six divisions of the state of Maharashtra. Amravati district corresponds to the former province of Berar, which was ceded to Hyderabad state by the Maratha Maharajas of Nagpur in 1803. In 1853, it was occupied by the British, who decided to administer the state because the Nizam of Hyderabad had mistreated its residents. In 1903, it was added to the British-administered Central Provinces, which was renamed Central Provinces and Berar. Upon Indian independence, the Central Provinces and Berar were reorganized as the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. In 1956 the Indian states were reorganized on linguistic grounds, and Amravati and Nagpur divisions were transferred to Bombay state, which was split into Maharashtra and Gujarat states in 1960.
Amravati and Nagpur divisions make up the region of Vidarbha. Vidarbha is one of the poorer regions of Maharashtra, and there is considerable sentiment in Vidarbha to create a separate state.