Shahada, Maharashtra

For the Islamic creed, see Shahada.

Distinguish from Shahad town in Thana district in Maharashtra state.

Shahada
—  city  —
Lush green farm during monsoon season near Shahada town
Shahada Location in Maharashtra, India
Coordinates: 21.5452°N 74.4721°E / 21.5452; 74.4721
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Nandurbar
Elevation	138 m (453 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	49,697
• Density	267/km2 (690/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	425409
Telephone code	91-2565
Sex ratio	975 ♂/♀
Literacy	71%%

Shahādā (Devanagari: शहादा), one of the 7 Tehsils in the Nandurbar district, is a town situated in the northwest corner (Khandesh Region) of Maharashtra state in India. Shahādā town was in Dhule District until 1 July 1998. On 1 July 1998 Dhule district was divided to create Nandurbar District. Shahada is especially known for educational facilities and religious village Dakshin Kashi which is 15 km from Shahada.

History

Prakasha village, which is around 15 km south-west of Shahada, is the second most important excavation site in Maharashtra. In 1955 B K Thapar on behalf of Archaeological Survey of India excavated site near confluence of Tapti River and Gomai River. Excavation exposed 17 meter deep occupational deposit - hammer stones, restricted use of copper, low grade bronze dating back to 1700 BC. Around 6 km north of Shahada there are several centuries old sculptures complex in Gomai River. The main sculpture is popularly known as Mahavir sculpture and the entire sculptures complex is popularly known as Pandavleni or 'Panch Pandav'. This evidence suggest that Shahada and area on the banks of Gomai River has been inhabited at least since 1700 BC. Shahada-Kukdel municipality was established in the British period, in the year 1869. As per 1961 the census population of Shahada was 13338.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Shahada had a population of 49,697, being 52% male and 48% female. Shahada has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 65%. In Shahada, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age. Languages/dialects spoken in Shahada town and Nandurbar districts are Marathi, Ahirani, Gujar, Hindi.

Religions in Shahada
Religion			Percent
Hindus			60.0%
Muslims			29.0%
Buddhist			8.0%
Jains			1.0%
Christian			1.1%%
Others†			0.9%
Distribution of religions †Includes Sikhs (1.0%), Buddhists (<0.5%).

Geography and climate

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  Sculpture in Gomai River of a Jain Tirthankar

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  Dry well showing rock 2 to 3 meters below surface of farms around Shahada town

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  Black soil in farm near Shahada 2 to 3 meters above rock

Shahada is on average 455 feet above sea level. As the Satpura Mountain Range just 30 km north of Shahada, the bedrock is on an average 5 meters below the ground level. Due to natural or human-made underground caves, the ground at Savalde village, 5 km away from Shahada, caved in during heavy rain during August 2006 and caused an earthquake of magnitude 2.8 on Richter Scale on 10 November 2006. As seismograph stations are installed away from traffic to avoid false-positive results from ground vibrations, Shahada's seismograph station of the Sardar Sarovar Project is installed in the same village.

The soil above the bedrock is good for farming except in some areas. Average rainfall is 552 mm. The climate is hot for most of the year. Maximum temperature reaches up to 48°C in summer and minimum temperature fall up to 9°C in the winter. The climate of Shahada is on the whole dry except during the south-west monsoon season and winter months December to February. The year may be divided into four seasons. The cold season from December to February. Hot and dry season from March to June. The south-west monsoon season starts from the last week of June and last up to the end of September. The post-monsoon season October and November remains hot and dry.

Economy

Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. Sugarcane, bananas, cotton, maize, jowar, wheat, etc. are the main crops harvested all year round. Villagers from nearby towns come to Shahada for shopping or health treatment. Hence Shahada town remains busy with many shopping markets. Major shopping markets are Purushottam Market No.1, Purushottam market No.2, 64 Gaala Market, Kashinathbhai Market, Pushpkamal Market, Shibaam market. Shahada town has branches of Government-owned banks - State Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Dena Bank, Bank of India, Union Bank of India. The reputed private bank, ICICI Bank, has also its branch in Shahada town. Apart from these banks, there are few local bank. Mahaveer Patpedi, Dhule District Central Co-Operative (DDCC) Bank Ltd is notable among local banks and listed by Reserve Bank of India. Only State Bank of India & Union Bank and ICICI Bank has automated teller machines.

Life insurance cover is provided by life insurance companies. Life Insurance Corporation of India, which has over 2048 branches in India, has its branch in Shahada town since August 1988. Private life insurance companies Reliance Life Insurance and SBI Life Insurance has recently started life insurance business in Shahada.

Healthcare

Shahada town has many hospitals which can treat conditions including heart attack, accidents, etc.

Shahada Municipality makes sure that mosquito-borne and water-borne diseases do not spread in the town and that the town remains clean. There is a municipal hospital to treat poor people and emergency accident cases. Anti-venom injections are not available in any medical shop and it is available in Municipal hospital. All compulsory vaccines for children are given by the municipal hospital.

Transport and communication

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  Shibam shopping complex, one of the major shopping market in Shahada town

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  Prakash Barrage

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  Border sign for Shahada town on Maharashtra State Highway Number 1

• Road: One can reach Shahada through Dhule (84 km away), which is well connected with the Dhule–Nandurbar road. From Dhule, one can reach Shahada by going straight on the Mumbai-Agra highway NH-3 (National Highway) to Songir (Dhule) and at Songir turn left and you will be on MSH-1 (Maharashtra State Highway). The distance from Mumbai is approximately 424 km.
• Railways: The nearest railway stations are Dondaicha (c. 30 km away) and Nandurbar (c. 35 km away). These stations are on Bhusawal-Surat Railway line. This line is used by people for going to or coming from Gujarat
• Telephone: Until 1994 Shahada town had only one STD booth and landline telephone calls were limited to Shahada town only. Since 1995 the number of STD booths started growing and almost every road had an STD booth. Since year 2000, BSNL allowed landline calls to any place in Maharashtra. In the year 2005, BSNL started first cellphone tower. And by the end of year 2006, Shahada town has cellphone towers of almost all major mobile companies like AirTel, Vodafone, BSNL, Idea, Reliance, Tata. Due to increasing number of cellphones, STD booths and landline telephones are decreasing rapidly.
• Internet: Shahada town is well connected to Internet. Major Internet Service Provider is BSNL. Other cellphone companies like AirTel, Reliance also provide wireless GPRS facility to connect to Internet through cellphone and desktop computer. There are 5-6 Cyber cafe in Shahada town.

General information

A rare view in Shahada - Helicopter and rare event in Shahada - Rahul Gandhi, first visit to Shahada in known history by someone in the Gandhi family

• As most of the time of the year temperature remains average 35 degrees C, the daily life of Shahada town remain slow. Most of the people prefer shopping in the evening. Like all other towns in Maharashtra, power supply remains off daily for around four hours.
• The main source of entertainment of Shahada town is television. Most of the channels can be seen through cable network and satellite dish. Shahada town has only two cinemas, named Manoranjan and Yashwant. As the theatre has satellite receiver and projector, people can see movies on the day of release. Almost every Hollywood blockbuster movie, dubbed in Hindi, makes it to the theatre.
• This otherwise town becomes alive during festivals like Navratri, Dipawali, Holi, Ganesh Utsav, Eid. As there are few Christians in Shahada town, Christmas is celebrated at the missionary area but remains unnoticed to people in the town.
• Several of North Maharashtra University's professors live in Shahada.

Dr. Pankaj Gokul Pawar is the incumbent Chief Officer of Shahada Municipality.

Education

There are many colleges and schools in Shahādā: Sr.Arts Mahila mahavidyalaya,shahada

Admin Building of Shahada Engineering College

• Engineering College of Shahada, an A+ grade college, being part of North Maharashtra University.
• Belonging to Poojya Sane Guruji Vidya Prasarak Mandal:
  • D.N. Patel College of Engineering:
  • G.M. Chaudhari Polytechnic

Poojya Sane Guruji Vidya Prasarak Mandal Polytechnic College Shahada

• • College of Pharmacy
  • College of Management
  • Kanjibhai Vitthalbhai Patel College of Agriculture

Krushi Mahāvidyālay Shahādā (Horticulture College Shahādā). Shahādā spelled in Devanagari

• • College of Education (B. Ed and D. Ed)
  • College of Science, Arts and Commerce
• Two other Junior Colleges:
  • Vikas (Kai. Sau. G.F.Patil) Junior College
  • Municipal Corporation Junior College
• Shri Saibaba Bhakta Mandals
  • Junior College of Education, Mhasawad Tal: Shahada
• T S K V S Commerce College
• ST Co-op Educational Society's, Shahada
  • College of Science and Arts
  • Junior College of Education
• Vasant Dada College

Main Building of Vasant Rao Naik Jr/Sr College Shahada

• Satpuda Shikshan Prasarak Mandals.
  • College of Arts Mahila, Shahada
  • Vasantrao Naik Arts & Science College, Shahada
  • Vasantrao Naik Junior College, Shahada
• Mahatma Gandhi Shikshan Prasarak Mandals
  • Adhyapak Vidyalaya
• Kalpataru Shaikshanik Seva Mandals
  • Junior College of Education
  • College of Arts
• There are also three or four English medium schools in Shahada.
  • Chavra
  • S. A. Mission
• There are many good Marathi schools also.

Religion

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  Pandave Leni, in Gomai River, Shahada

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  Saptashrungi Nivasini Mataji Mandir, Shahada

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  Ambaji Mata Mandir, Shahada

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  Hanuman Mandir near Susri Dam, Shahada

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  Hazrat Pir Kalandar Shah Baba Mausoleum, opposite Purushottam Market, Shahada

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  Ashtavinayak Ganesh Mandir, Damarkheda

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  Pandavleni Complex A, statues of Jain Tirthankars

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  Pandavleni Complex B, statues of Jain Tirthankars

• Mandirs in Shahada town: There are many mandirs in Shahada. The most devoted mandir is 'Dada Wadi Jain TEmple & Saptashrungi Nivasini Mataji Mandir'. Hundreds of people visit this mandir every day. Especially during Navratri and Vijayadashami thousands of people visit this mandir. Another beautiful recently constructed mandir is 'Ambaji Mata Mandir'.
• Prakasha, one of the famous religious places, also known as Dakshin Kashi, is also in this Tehsil. The temple of Prakasha is very old.
• One of the famous temples of the god Shree Ganesha (Heramb) is at Jaynagar, 24 km away from Shahādā. Hundreds of thousands of people visit on the occasion of Mangli Chathurthi.
• Datta temple is at Sarangkheda. Every year a big fair is organised there.
• Hingani is a small village between Shahādā and Shirpur. People there conduct the Mahavakya and Mahakavya of the Mahanubhav panth. See Hinagani Panchayat.
• There are Pandava leni in the Gomai River at Shahada.
• Damerkheda - on the bank of the Gomai river, 10 km from Shahada on the Nandurbar road with the renowned structure of Ashtavinayak Ganesh temple. (Sanskrit Ashtāvināyaka means "(having) eight removers (of obstacles)" or "removers of eight (obstacles)".)
• Bamkheda T.T., on state highway Ankaleshwar - Burhanpur, 23 km from Shahada, a renowned place

Industry

Shahādā has:

• A sugar mill, oil mill
• A paper mill, Croft Paper Mill, particle board plant
• A wine distillery, ice and carbon dioxide factory
• A cotton mill
• An ethyl alcohol factory
• Chemical factories
• Ozone Antivirus unit situated in Shahada at Madina Colony
• A maker of enzyme additive ingredient for animal feed
• There also some proposed cooperative industrial estates coming into Shahada taluka at Mohide and Amode villages.

Other notable places in or near Shahādā

Unapdev - Hot Water Spring in Shahada

• Toranmal is the 2nd coolest hill station in Maharashtra state and is near Shahādā (approx. 40 km). It is the second highest place in Maharashtra, and its coolest place; there is the Yashwant Lake which is natural and full of flowering lotus; many people think that it is one of the best place for holidays.
• Unapdev (25 km from Shahādā) is a pleasant picnic point in Shahādā tahsil. It is famous for a permanent natural hot water source, which always flows even in hot summer. It always had water coming from a structure in the shape like a cow's mouth, until the river side structure was destroyed partially by a flood caused by a heavy rainfall in the region in June 2007.