Sawantwadi taluka

Template:Infobox Indian urban area

Sawantwadi (Marathi: सावंतवाडी) (sometimes also spelt as "Sawantvadi" / Savantvadi) is a Taluka place in Sindhudurg district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Sawantwadi has a municipal council, which is a local civic body. Sawantwadi was formerly the capital city of the 'Royal Kingdom Of Sawantwadi'.

Sawantwadi is well known for it's wodden toys (including life-like wooden models of fruits and vegetables) thanks to an active woodcraft industry. It is also becoming a major tourist attraction.

History

"Sawantwadi City" was the former capital of the erstwhile 'Kingdom Of Sawantwadi' during the pre-independence era. It was ruled by the Bhonsale clan. In 1947, it was merged with the Independent Republic of India. (This is really ambiguous year because it was the last independent state to Merge into free India.) Since, then it has been the capital town of the Sawantwadi taluka.

The City

Beautifull view of Moti talav
Another beautifull view of Moti Talav and Sawantwadi Court

The Sawantvadi City, also known as Sawantvadi or Sunderwadi is built around a lake called the 'Moti Talav'. Its other principalities include the "Khaskilwada" at the north-east of the lake, "Royal Palace Complex" at the north, "Vizierwada" at the north-west and newly developed housing complexes at the south. The sprawling Queen's College Of Medicine is at the west.

The city is extremely scenic with the lake (Moti Talav) right in the middle, surrounded by small lanes on the other. The whole city is surrounded by mountains on all sides, which gives it an enigmatic view.

Sawantwadi is connected by Road and Rail to Mumbai and other parts of India. Sawantwadi is located on the Mumbai-Goa NH-17 National Highway. By road, it is 59 km from Panjim, the capital city of Goa, 390 kms from Pune, 331 kms from Belgaum (Belgaon) and 540 kms from Mumbai. Maharashtra State Transport (ST), Kadamba Transport (State Transport of Goa) and Karnataka State Transport ply bus service to Sawantwadi from Balgaum, Panjim, Mumbai, Pune and various other places of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. Sawantwadi Road station on Konkan Railway is situated 6kms from Town Centre. By railway, it is connected to Mumbai, and other Southern destinations like Panjim, Karwar, Kochi(Cochin) and Thiruvananthpuram (Trivandrum).

The nearest hill station is Amboli, which comes under the Sawantvadi taluka jurisdiction.

Nearby villages include Verle,Chaukul,Kumbhawade,Banda,Sangeli,Kalmbist, Shirshinge, & Dongarpal

Demographics

As of 2001 India census Template:GR, Sawantwadi had a population of 22,871. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Sawantwadi has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 85%, and female literacy is 79%. In Sawantwadi, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Places of interest in and around Savantwadi

Amboli - It is a hill station with divine natural beauty located in the Sahyadri ranges. Around 30kms from Sawantwadi, this is also origin of Hiranyakeshi river.

Moti Talav - This pearl-lake formed like an open oyster under the sun that lies in front of the royal palace. Built in the era of the then King Khem Sawant Bhonsale III (1755-1803), the palace buildings which are still in pretty good condition possess the rustic beauty of Maharashtra's wadis uplifted by regal proportions. This scenic lake is situated the centre of the town. With walkways and designer lamp-posts all round, it makes evenings very beautiful.

Shilpa Gram - It is a major Arts and crafts village. More in Arts and Handicrafts section.
Vitthal Mandir
Devbaug Beach
Hiraynakeshi
Danoli
Jaganathrao Bhosale Uddyan
Gymkhana Maidaan
Nareandra Uddyan
Nareandra Dongar (Hill)
Atmeshaver Tali
Bhalaval Dam
Chitaar Aali
Ralvanaath Mandir Otvane

Educational

Milagaris High School
R.P.D High School and Junior College
Kalsulkar High School and Junior College
Shri Pancham Khemraj Mahavidyala

Culture

People The people of Sawantvadi are ethnic Malvanis. Prior to being a separate principality, Sawantvadi was a bastion of the Maratha Empire. All religions, castes and clans live here in harmony. Majority of the population is composed of ethnic Marathas. The population also includes Konkanhast Brahmins, Dalits and Malvani Muslims. Other small communities of Christians, Deshis and Saraswats make up a small minority.

Entertainment

Govinda Natyamandeer
Govind chitramandir, erstwhile Sudarshan Cinema at Salaiwada of Dajisaheb Padgaonkar from silent movie till 1960, sold licence to Vasantrao Kesarkar who built Govind Chitramandir near Gavali Titha and allowed Dajisaheb Padgaonkar to manage it till his death.

Cuisine The cuisine of the city is the predominantly non-vegetarian Malvani cuisine.

Languages The official language used in Sawantwadi is Marathi. Though, Malvani, which is a dialect of Marathi is spoken by most of the people. Portuguese and Konkani are also spoken in this region by a small minority. Most of the people understand Hindi and few people can also communicate in English.

Arts and Handicrafts

Sawantvadi City is famous for its arts and culture. It is especially known for its wooden crafts. Apart from that various traditional arts still thrive in the city.

Lacquerware - Sawantvadi is well-known for its extremely popular lacquerware. Earlier a languishing trade, this art form was brought in the public eye, and more importantly to foreign tourists, by Princess Satwasheela Devi. Using traditional local talent more people have been trained and the palace has proved instrumental in the production of lovely lacquerware furniture, chess sets, board games, candlesticks, fruit and vegetables and little dolls — all beautifully made and coloured. However, the quality of the articles render the items extremely expensive.

Shilpa Gram Shilpgram is developed to revive the arts and crafts in this region. It is a major Arts and crafts village where local manufacturers will manufacture handicrafts. Tourists will be able to watch them manufacturing crafts and will also to purchase them. Besides this an amphitheatre for performing local arts and lakeside accommodation is also being developed by Maharashtra Tourism (M.T.D.C.)

Ganjifa cards - The ganjifa card is a card featuring painted pictures of the Dashavatara (Ten reincarniations), Planets, and other folklore. These brightly painted cards are made by pasting layers of cloth together with tamarind seed paste, then coating the surface with chalk, before polishing it with a stone, to make a smooth base for painting with natural dyes. The back is stiffened with lacquer.

Sawantwadi Moghul pattern cards - The Moghul pattern cards are brightly coloured, quite thin and flexible. They are found in a simple bazaar style and also in an elaborate durbar (court) style, with many shades of quality in between, ranging in size from 55 mm to 112 mm. The largest cards often have a small figure in the centre of every numeral card, known as 'Darchitri' format. An indication of date is that prior to around 1875 the lid of the card box has a tongue, thereafter it is square. At about the same time a high-domed crown is substituted for the stepped crown found on some of the earlier court cards. Most cards are anonymous, but some have been recorded from the workshop of Narayan Ramchandra Kelkar, which flourished late in the nineteenth century and early in the twentieth. The initials of painters may also be found on some modern packs.

Eminent People

Shivram Raje Bhonsale, erstwhile king
Vijay Manjrekar, cricketer
Sanjay Manjrekar, cricketer
Mangesh Padgaonkar, Marathi poet, was born in Sawantwadi
Ramesh Anaokar, Marathi Poet

Common Surnames

Surnames of the people include Sabnis, Chitnis,Gaonkar, Rane, Sawant, Gawas, Bhosale, Palav, Parab, Kadam, Arekar, Naik & Manjrekar,Padgaonkar. Some other surnames include Gawade, Pandit, Kashelikar, Ambolikar, Bilal Banglekar, Malewadkar, Pawaskar, Satavalekar, Nerurkar & Rawool, Narvekar,Sutar others.

External links

Villages in Savantwadi Taluka