Bhokardan
Encyclopedia
Bhokardan is a city and a municipal council
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...

 in Jalna district
Jalna district
Jalna district is an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in western India. Jalna town is the district headquarters. The district is part of Aurangabad division. The district occupies an area of 7718 km²...

  in the state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

History

Bhokardan has been identified by the modern historians with the ancient city of Bhogavardhana. During the Satavahana
Satavahana
The Sātavāhana Empire or Andhra Empire, was a royal Indian dynasty based from Dharanikota and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh as well as Junnar and Prathisthan in Maharashtra. The territory of the empire covered much of India from 230 BCE onward...

 period, this city was located on the trade route from Ujjayini
Ujjain
Ujjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River , today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...

 to Prathishthana
Paithan
Paithan , formerly Pratishthana, is a city and a municipal council in Aurangabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city was the capital of the Sātavāhana empire of ancient India that ruled from 2nd century BC to 2nd century AD...

. Its inhabitants made donations to the stupa
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....

s of Bharhut
Bharhut
Bharhut or Barhut , is a location in Satna district in Madhya Pradesh, Central India, known for its famous Buddhist stupa. The Bharhut stupa may have been established by the Maurya king Asoka in the 3rd century BCE, but many works of art were apparently added during the Sunga period, with many...

 and Sanchi
Sanchi
Sanchi is a small village in Raisen District of the state of Madhya Pradesh, India, it is located 46 km north east of Bhopal, and 10 km from Besnagar and Vidisha in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the location of several Buddhist monuments dating from the 3rd...

. The ancient site comprising two mounds, about 70 ft high, was discovered by M. N. Deshpande in 1958. During the excavations at Bhokardan in 1973 by a joint team of Nagpur University and Marathwada University
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University is located in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India.BAMU was established as "Marathwada University" on August 23, 1958. 153 colleges are affiliated to the university...

, two periods of occupation were identified:
  • Period I
    • Period Ia - early Satavahana
      Satavahana
      The Sātavāhana Empire or Andhra Empire, was a royal Indian dynasty based from Dharanikota and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh as well as Junnar and Prathisthan in Maharashtra. The territory of the empire covered much of India from 230 BCE onward...

       period
    • Period Ib - late Satavahana period
  • Period II post Satavahana period.


During the excavations, traces of foundations, brick walls, floors, post-holes, fallen roofs and a ring well discovered. The artifacts found from the site included punch-marked coins, copper coins of the Satavahanas and the Kshatrapas and a few terracotta seals and sealings. About 2000 beads made of terracotta, glass, shell and semi-precious stones were also found. A large number of terracotta, iron, copper and ivory objects were found from the site.

Geography

Bhokardan is located at 20.27°N 75.77°E. It has an average elevation of 587 metres (1925 feet).

Demographics

India census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, Bhokardan had a population of 16,950. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Bhokardan has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 70% and female literacy of 54%. 17% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Bhokardan is further divided into different part. The town next to other side of river is called Alla-Pur. Old Bhokardan has Pardesi lane where all Tharewal people lives next to it is Mali lane and then Deshmukh and Bramhan lane.

New Bhokardan is developing fast and it's where all local offices are located.

Further reading

  • Deo, S. B. and R. S. Gupte (eds.) (1974). Excavations at Bhokardan (Bhogavardhana), Nagpur: Nagpur University
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