Akola district

History

[The Battle of Argaon] Bk village is located in Telhara Tehsil, took place on 28 November 1803, between the British under the command of Governor Arthur Wellesley and the forces of Maratha under Bhonsle of Nagpur during Second Anglo-Maratha War.

Many old forts are located in Akola District viz.

• Narnala Fort
• Akola Fort
• Balapur Fort
• Vari Bhairavgad fort, Telhara Tehsil.

Geography

Akola district lies in the northern plains of the Deccan Plateau. Akola district covers mostly plain topology with isolated hills and mounds except for the mountain ranges of Ajintha (Ajanta), located in the Southern tehsils of Patur and Barshi Takli, and the Satpuda mountain range that occupies some areas in the Northern tehsils of Akot and Telhara. The elevation profile of the district falls sharply as we proceed towards the central region from the North and then rises steadily as we head to the South from the centre. Highest point in the District is located within the premises of the hill-fort of Narnala measuring 932m above sea level.

Rivers and lakes

The Purna River forms the part of north boundary of the district, and the top north portion of the district lies within its watershed along with Aas River and Shahnur River. The Vaan River forms the part of northwest boundary of the district after entering from the Amravati district.

The Mun River drains the southwestern portion of the district, Morna River drains the midsouth portion of the district, while the southeast is drained by the Katepurna River and Uma River.

Here are some of the rivers in Akola, with their tributaries

• Uma River
• Katepurna River
• Shahanur River
• Morna River
• Mun River
• Mas River
• Utawali River
• Vishwamitri River
• Nirguna River
• Gandhari River
• Aas River
• Vaan River

Prominent persons

• Vijay P. Bhatkar, Architect of India's First Super Computer.
• Vasantrao Deshpande, legendary classical singer.
• Anand Modak, famous marathi music composer and musician.
• Patrick Barr, British TV and Film actor.

Climate

Akola district shows a little variation in its climate along the north–south direction. Akola district mainly features Tropical Savannah Climate. But the Northern parts of the district consisting of hills and mountains that are raised to about 950 to 1000 meters shows a subtropical climate featuring cool winters. The summers are extremely hot while the winters are dry and mild to cool as the temperature may drop to or below 2 °C. The district has recorded a minimum temperature of 2 °C while a maximum of 47.7 °C. Akola has recorded a minimum temperature of 11.9 °C in the month of May which is considered to be the hottest month in the state of Maharashtra.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Akola district has a population of 1,813,906, roughly equal to the nation of Kosovo or the US state of Nebraska. This gives it a ranking of 262nd in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 321 inhabitants per square kilometre (830/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 11.6%. Akola has a sex ratio of 942 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 88.05%. 39.68% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 20.07% and 5.53% of the population respectively.

Religion

Hindus are the majority religion. Muslims and Buddhists are both substantial minorities with nearly equal populations. Muslims are mainly urban while Buddhists are mainly rural.

Languages

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 70.39% of the population in the district spoke Marathi, 17.33% Urdu, 6.30% Hindi, 2.04% Lambadi and 0.93% Marwari as their first language.

Varhadi dialect of Marathi is the main spoken language of Akola district. Deccani Urdu is popular among the Muslim community.

Subdivisions

Akola District consists of talukas namely Akot, Telhara, Akola, Balapur, Patur, Barshitakli and Murtajapur.

Transport

Important railway stations with their codes are Paras, Gaigaon, Akola Junction (AK), Murtijapur Junction (MZR) and are under Bhusawal-Badnera Section of Bhusawal Railway Division of Central Railway.

The other stations under meter gauge are Hiwarkhed, Adgaon Buzurg (ABZ), Akot (AKOT), Patsul (PTZ), Ugwe (UGWE), Akola Junction, Shivani Shivpur (SVW), Barshitakli (BSQ), Lohogad (LHD), Amna Vadi (AMW), Jaulka (JUK) are under Purna - Khandwa Section of South Central Railway.

The stations under narrow gauge are Lakhpuri, Murtajapur Junction, Karanja under two Narrow Gauge Branch lines viz Murtajapur-Achalpur and Murtajapur-Yavatmal of Bhusawal Railway Division of Central Railway.

Economy

Akola district has a predominantly agriculture-based economy, with cotton, soybean, tur (pigeon pea), and jowar as major crops, reflecting its location in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. According to Economic Survey of Maharashtra 2023- 2024, the district's Gross District Domestic Product (GDDP) at current prices was estimated at US$5–6.6 billion in 2023–24. The services sector contributes the largest share to the district economy (49.2%), followed by industry (22.5%) and agriculture (17.4%). Industrial activity in the district includes cotton ginning and pressing, oil processing, and agro-based small and medium enterprises, while Akola city functions as an important regional center for trade, education and healthcare. While the nominal GDP per capita of the district being ₹1,97,334.