Khandesh
Khandesh (Marathi/Hindi: ख़ानदेश) is a
region of central India, which
forms the northwestern portion of Maharashtra state.
Khandesh
was the terminal territorial part under the rule of Mughals. The Start of
Deccan region demarcated by the boundary of Khandesh.
Originally
The Khandesh state was found and ruled by Faruqi
dynasty with capital at Burhanpur. During 1388 to 1888 the
Khandesh State had covered the area of the today's Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar districts of Maharastra state and
Burhanpur district of Madhya Pradesh state.
The
terms "Khandesh" and "Deccan" thus connote historical and
political affiliations, as well as geographical zones. Khandesh lies on the
Northwestern corner of the Deccan plateau, in the valley of the Tapti River, and is bound to the north
by the Satpura Range, to the east
by the Berar (Vidarbha) region,
to the south by the Hills of Ajanta, belonging to the Marathwada region of
Maharashtra, and to the west by the Northernmost ranges of the Western Ghats, and beyond them the
coastal plain of Gujarat.
After
India's independence in 1947, Bombay province became Bombay state, which in 1960 was divided into
the linguistic states ofMaharashtra and Gujarat. During State formation
Burhanpur became the part of State Of Madhya Pradesh and in 1960 East Khandesh
became Jalgaon district, and West Khandesh became Dhule of the Maharastra
State.
The
principal natural feature is the Tapti River. Unlike the rest of the Deccan,
whose rivers rise in the Western Ghats and flow eastward to theBay of Bengal,
the Tapti flows westward from headwaters in eastern Maharashtra to empty into
the Arabian Sea. The Tapti
receives thirteen principal tributaries in its course through Kandesh. None of
the rivers is navigable, and the Tapti flows in a deep bed which historically
made it difficult to use for irrigation. Most of Kandesh lies south of the
Tapti, and is drained by its tributaries the Girna, Bori and Panjhra. The alluvial plain north of
the Tapti contains some of the richest tracts in Kandesh, and the land rises
towards the Satpura hills. In the centre and east the country is level, save
for some low ranges of barren hills. To the north and west, the plain rises
into rugged hills, thickly wooded, and inhabited by the tribal Bhil people.
History
Khandesh was ruled by the Faruqi dynasty from 1388 to 1601 with capital at Burhanpur,
who maintained their independence from the Bahmani Sultanate which ruled much of the Deccan from
the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries. Asir and Burhanpur were conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1601, and Khandesh became a
province of the Mughal empire. It
was conquered by the Marathas in the early eighteenth century, and
ruled by the Maratha Peshwas until their defeat in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818. After 1818 Burhanpur became the part Central province and Khandesh (Jalgaon, Dhulia), along
with most of the Peshwa's dominions, became part of Bombay Province of the British Raj. The region was
administered as Khandesh district, which was divided in 1906 into two
districts, East Khandesh and West Khandesh. East Khandesh, headquartered at
Jalgaon, had an area of 4544 mi², and a population of 957,728 in 1901, and
West Khandesh, headquartered at Dhulia (Dhule) had an area of 5497 mi² and
a population of 469,654 in 1901
Farmers of Khandesh are hardworking. There was no
major irrigation facility in Khandesh before the Girana and Hatnur dams were
commissioned. Most of the Khandesh is arid or semi arid.
Due to the efforts of great freedom fighter and
socialist leader venerable Pandurang Sadashiv Sane (popularly known as Sane
Guruji) of Shahada, Maharashtra and
generous donation of Pratap Seth of Amalner, Pratp College become an important
center of education.
Khandesh has rich cultural and literary heritage.
Mukta Bai, the younger sister of Dnyaneshwar lived at Muktai nagar (earst while
Edalabad). Near Edalabad, lived the great yogi, Changdeva in the thirteenth
century. There was also strong presence of Kabir Pantha in Khandesh due to the
proximity of Burhanpur, the seat of Kabir Panth.
Bahina Bai Choudhary regarded as one the greatest
poetess in Marathi literature belonged to a Khandeshi farmer family. Her son
Kavi Sopandeo Choudhary was famous for his poetry with a touch of humor.
Balkavi, Trambak Bapuji Thombre, the another great name in Marathi poetry
belonged to Jalgaon district. Dr. V.B. Kolte a noted scholar of Marathi hailed
from Khandesh who was the top authority on Mahanubhav literature.
The well known Marathi writers from Khandesh
region include Dr. Bhalchandra Nemade, N.D. Mahanor and Dr Sharad Rane. Dr.
Nemade is known for his Novels Kosala, Bidhar, Jarila and Zool and collection of poetry Melody.
Dr Nemade belongs to the Sangavi village in Yawal
taluka, and his novel Kosala is a semi-autobiographical account
narrating his abrasive experiences in Pune where he came for higher education.
He has poignantly exposed cultural snobbishness of people around him which,
forces him to go into the seclusion (kosala).
Poet N.D. Mahanor can be described as the true
exponent of natural poetry who seemed to have adopted himself very ably in the
shoes of Balkavi. Through his poetry on nature, Mahanor breathed fresh air in
Marathi poetry in the early 1970s.
Dr. Sharad Rane writes for children. Comrade
Sharad Patil, one of the original thinkers in Maharashtra lives in Dhule. He is
an authority on Indology, Marxism, Ambedkarism and Marathi literature. His name
is well known in the higher academic circle for his contributions.
Khandesh provided many freedom fighters to the
country, Dadasaheb Dhanaji Nana, Bhausaheb Bonde Guruji, Dadusinh, Vyankatrao
randheer, Shivaji Patil, Uttamrao Patil, Lilatai Patil, Shirishkumar were the
famous characters. Late Sonusingh Patil, Dadasaheb Raval, P.K. Patil, Udesing
Anna Pawar, Pundlik Jibhau, KakaBaba(Purmepada) are the main faces who
representated this area.
Languages
Ahirani is spoken in West Khandesh from Girana basin this language is the mix of Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati. Khandeshi is spoken in Eastern part of Khandesh.
More history about Khandesh may be located in the various books written by Prof. Dr. Gajkumar Shah. Shah has done vast research in "Peshwe kalin Khandesh" [Khandesh during the time of Peshwe] and published several research papers on economical conditions of Khandesh during Peshava's time. He got his doctorate from Poona University in 1984 and studied Peshwe Daffatar [administrative records of Peshwa] and made avaialble to the aspirants of medieval history. Khandesh is the land of learned people from ancient time, and this tradition has followed by people like Prof. G.B. Shah, Prof. P.N. Deshpande to name a few.
