| Satara district सातारा जिल्हा |
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| State | Maharashtra,  India |
| Administrative division | Pune Division |
| Headquarters | Satara |
| Area | 10,484 km2 (4,048 sq mi) |
| Population | 27,96,906[1] (2001) |
| Population density | 266.77 /km2 (690.9/sq mi) |
| Literacy | 78.52% |
| Sex ratio | 995 |
| Tehsils | 1. Satara, 2. Karad, 3. Wai, 4. Mahabaleshwar, 5. Phaltan, 6. Man, 7. Khatav, 8. Koregaon, 9. Patan, 10. Jaoli, 11. Khandala |
| Lok Sabha Constituencies | 1. Satara, 2. Madha (shared with Solapur district) Based on (Election Commission website) |
| Major highways | NH-4 |
| Average annual precipitation | 1426 mm |
| Official website | |
Satara District is a district of Maharashtra state in western India with an area of 10,480 km² and a population of 2,808,994 of which 14.17% were urban (as of 2001[update]).[2] Satara is the capital of the district and other major towns include Wai, Karad, Koregaon, Koyananagar, Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani. Pune bounds it to the north, Solapur the east, Sangli to the south, and Ratnagiri to the west.[3]
The Sahyadri range, or main range of the Western Ghats, runs north and south along the western edge of the district, separating it from Ratnagiri district. The Mahadeo range starts about 10 m. north of Mahabaleshwar and stretches east and south-east across the whole of the district. The Mahadeo hills are bold, presenting bare scarps of black rock like fortresses. The Satara district is part of two main watersheds. The Bhima River watershed, which is a tributary of the Krishna, includes the north and northeast of the district, north of the Mahadeo hills. The rest of the district is drained by the upper Krishna and its tributaries. The hill forests have a large store of timber and firewood. The whole of Satara district falls within the Deccan Traps area; the hills consist of trap intersected by strata of basalt and topped with laterite, while, of the different soils on the plains, the commonest is the black loamy clay containing carbonate of lime. This soil, when well watered, is capable of yielding heavy crops. Satara contains some important irrigation works, including the Krishna canal. In some of the western parts of the district the average annual rainfall exceeds 5 m.; but on the eastern side water is scanty, the rainfall varying from 1 m in Satara town to less than 30 cm in some places farther east. The district is traversed from north to south by a railway line, which passes 15 km east Satara town.
The Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi, near Wai, is the Kalubai temple. Located on a hill 4,650 feet above sea level, the temple, some 20 km from Satara, overlooks the picturesque Purandhar fort. Devotees attribute miraculous properties to a grove around the shrine. Lore has it that the temple is more than 400 years old and was built during Shivaji's Maratha rule. However, no definite date on the temple's construction is available. It was the scene of a tragic stampede on 25 January 2005.
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History
Historical inscriptions as old as 200 BCE indicate the oldest known place in Satara district in Maharashtra is Karad (mentioned as Karhakada). It is also believed that the Pandavas stayed in Wai, then known as 'Viratnagari', in the 13th year of exile.
The empire of Chandragupta II, known as Mahendraditya Kumargupta I, extended as far as Satara district in Deccan when he ruled between 451 AD to 455 AD. The Mauryan empire in the Deccan was followed by the rules of "Satvahans" for about two centuries between 550 A.D. to 750 AD.
The first Muslim invasion of the Deccan took place in 1296. In 1636 the Nizam Shahi dynasty came to an end. In 1663 Shivaji conquered Parali and Satara fort. After the death of Shivaji, Aurangjeb conquered Satara fort later won by Parshuram Pratinidhi in 1706. In 1708 Chattrapati Shahu was crowned within the Satara fort. The direct descendents of The Great Maratha King Chh. Shivaji continue to live in Satara. The current king of Satara, Chh. Udayanraje Bhonsale is the 13th descendent of Shivaji Maharaj.
After their victory in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818, the British Empire annexed most of the Maratha territory to Bombay Presidency, but restored the titular Raja Pratap Singh, and assigned to him the principality of Satara, an area much larger than the present district. As a result of political intrigues, he was deposed in 1839, and his brother Shahji Raja was placed on the throne. When this prince died without a male heir in 1848, Satara was annexed by the British government and added to Bombay Presidency.
Divisions
Satara district consists of 11 talukas (tahsils). These are Satara, Karad, Wai, Mahabaleshwar, Phaltan, Man, Khatav, Koregaon, Patan, Jaoli and Khandala. There are ten Vidhan Sabha constituencies in this district. Phaltan, Man, Khatav, Koregaon, Wai and Satara are part of Satara Lok Sabha constituency and Jaoli, Patan, Karad (North) and Karad (South) are part of Karad Lok Sabha constituency.
Later, in the year 2009, the Karad Lok Sabha constituency was cancelled and it fused in the Satara Lok Sabha constituency. A new Madha Lok Sabha constituency was formed in the same year. Jaoli and Khatav Vidhan Sabha constituencies were cancelled, and Man, Phaltan were added to Madha Lok Sabha Constituency.
Education
The Sainik School in Satara is one of the oldest residential school preparing boys for military career. There are also institutes run by the Rayat Shikshan Sanstha[4].
References
- ^ http://satara.nic.in/htmldocs/district_at_a_glance.htm
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Satara_district
- ^ www.rayatshikshan.edu
External links
- Satara district website
- History
- Map of Maharashtra.
- Satara District Main Roads and Railways
- Physical Map of Satara District
Further reading
- Malik, S.C. Stone Age Industries of the Bombay & Satara Districts, M. Sayajirao University Baroda 1959.
- Selections from the Historical Records of the Hereditary Minister of Baroda. Consisting of letters from Bombay, Baroda, Poona and Satara Governments. Collected by B.A. Gupte. Calcutta 1922.
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