Buldhana

This article is about the municipality in Maharashtra, India. For its namesake district, see Buldhana district.

Buldana
—  city  —
Buldana Location of Buldana in Maharashtra and India
Coordinates	20°32′N 76°11′E
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District(s)	Buldana
Population	162,979 (2001)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 639 metres (2,096 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 444xxx, 4443xxx • Telephone • +91-726x, 91-725x • Vehicle • MH-28

Buldhana is the district headquarters of Buldhana district. It consists of a Municipal Council.

Geography

Buldana is located at 19.98°N 76.51°E / 19.98; 76.51. It has an average elevation of 639 metres (2096 feet).

It is the headquarters of Buldhana district. It is located on the top of mountains in the Ajanta mountain range and is about 900 m above sea level.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Buldana had a population of 162,979. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Buldana has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 82% and female literacy of 72%. 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Transportation

The only means to connect with this city is through roadways. Public transport as well as private through roads is possible.

Roads

The city has a good connectivity to all other important cities of Maharashtra like Nagpur, Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Akola, Amravati etc. and also Indore. Many State Highways pass through the city.

Railways

As it is situated in mountainous area, railway connection has always been difficult and hence not pursued. The nearest railhead is at Malkapur (50 km). The nearest rail junctions are Akola (105 km) and Aurangabad (140 km).

Airways

Buldhana has no airport of its own. However,a very long time demand has been done to establish a domestic airport in Buldhana as it has many important pilgrimage and historical centres such as Shegaon, Lonar and Sindkhed Raja. The nearest airport is at Aurangabad (140 km).

Places to visit

Although Buldhana is a district place, development of other taluka places like Malkapur and Chikhli has shunted its growth and development, economically as well as culturally. The population of the city is also less as compared with the populations of these other towns. Hence very few attraction places can be found here. They are:

• Sunset Point, on ghats of Buldhana - Malkapur highway
• A zoo called Ranicha Baag (Queen's Garden)
• Sangam Lake
• Gavdevi Temple
• Shri Balaji Mandir (Temple) at Rajur Ghat on Malkapur Road.
• Sailani Baba Dargah (18 km)

Industries

The city has Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. However,there are not sufficient industries here as expected. There are some small scale industries in the MIDC.

Historic and pilgrimage centres

A salt-lake (Lonar crater lake) formed due to an impact is one of the main tourist attractions of this region. The crater is believed to be formed by the sheer impact of a meteorite weighing 2 million tones, 60 meters wide, travelling at a speed of 90,000 kilometres per hour. This collision is said to have happened some 52,000 years ago creating a dent in the earth, and is 1830 meters in diameter and 150 meters deep. The crater gets its name from the place where it impacted, Lonar. This crater is the worlds oldest meteorite crater and the only meteorite crater in basaltic rock.

Shegaon, a religious place made famous by the saint Gajanan Maharaj is also in Buldhana district.

Sindkhed Raja,the birth place of Maa Jijau, mother of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is also located in Buldhana district.