Khandwa is a town in the Nimaad (commonly and unphonetically written as Nimar by the local people) region of Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

, an Administrative State in central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Khandwa District

Khandwa District

Khandwa District , formerly known as East Nimar District, is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The city of Khandwa is the administrative headquarters of the district.-Geography:...

, formerly known as East Nimar District.

Khandwa is an ancient town, with many places of worship, like many other towns in India. Mostly they are Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 and Jain temples. During the 12th century AD. it was a center of Jainism

Jainism

Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...

. During British rule, it passed nearby Burhanpur

Burhanpur

Burhanpur is an important city in Madhya Pradesh state, India. It is the administrative seat of Burhanpur District. It is situated on the north bank of the Tapti River, southwest of Bhopal and northeast of Mumbai...

 (now a separate district) as the main commercial centre of the Nimaad region. Khandwa is a major railway junction, where the Malwa line connecting Indore

Indore

Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...

 with the Deccan meets the main east-west line from Mumbai to Kolkata.

It is the birth place of famous Bollywood

Bollywood

Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...

 singer Kishore Kumar

Kishore Kumar

Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...

 Gangopadhyay. It is also famous for being the birth place of present-day Bollywood

Bollywood

Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...

 singer Shaan (singer)

Shaan (singer)

Shaan , is an Indian playback singer, and television host. He hosted the shows Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs, Star Voice of India and "Star Voice of India 2"...

. Apart from these, Khandwa is also famous for its local saint known nationally Dada Dhuniwaale, who took his last breath here. Famous Hindu temples at Omkareshwar and Jain temples at Siddhawarkoot are about 60 km away in Khandwa district.

Khandwa is located on the Main Train Junction, with daily connections to Bombay, Pune, Delhi, Goa, Cochin, Kolkata, Indore, Bhopal, Patna, Allahabad, Lucknow, Jammu, Hyderabad, Bangalore. It also has an airstrip which is rarely used for occasional aircraft landings, located on Nagchun Road.

Khandwa is famous for its local crops of cotton, wheat (Khandwa2), soyabean and a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables. Its wheat variety Khandwa2 is famous nationwide for its aroma, colour and quality.

Khandwa is also credited for inventing coloured cotton in late 90s. Dr. K. C. Mandloi (Sr. Scientist, Cotton - now Retd.) and Dr. P. P. Shastry, Plant Pathologisthis and their team from B. M. College of Agriculture successfully invented the Colored breed of cotton. For the first time in our country, the naturally colored cotton variety JCC-l (1996) has been developed, which is a unique eco-friendly gift from the nature to the textile industry and mankind.

Asia's prestigious hydro power project Indira Sagar Pariyojna is located close to Khandwa and it is a pride to district and nation. Nepa paper mills, Mansingka oil mills, and Nimar textiles are a few well known names in industry which Khandwa possesses, although all except Nepa paper mills others are defunct.

History

The name of the city is derived from "Khandav Van", which literally means Khandav Forests. When Lord Ram was on his "Vanwas"his wife ask him for water to drink for the purpose he shooted arrows from his bows in four different direction thus forming four kunds in different regions.

Ancient history

Recent explorations in the beds/tributaries of Narmada have revealed traces of the Paleolithic men in East Nimar district. Omkar Mandhata, a rocky island on the bank of Narmada river, about 47 miles North-West of Khandwa, is said to have been conquered by the Haihaya king Mahishmant, who had named the same as Mahishmati.

During the rise of Buddhism, the East Nimar region was included in Avanti Kingdom under Chand Pradyota Mahesana, which was later added to the growing empire of Magadha by Shishunaga. From the early 2nd century BC. to late 15th century AD, the Nimar Region (earlier a part of Khandesh) underwent the ruling of many emperors from many dynasties, which include Mauryas, Sungas, Early Satvahanas, Kardamakas, Abhiras, Vakatakas, Imperial Guptas, Kalchuris, Vardhanas (of Harsha Vardhana fame), Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Paramaras, Faruki Dynasty etc.

Medieval history

Khandwa has no remarkable history but the nearby Burhanpur has an interesting past during Moghul-period. The historic Asirgarh fort was connected to Burhanpur by underground tunnel for obvious military reasons. In 1536 AD, the Mughal Emperor Humayun, after his conquest of Gujarat, had visited Burhanpur and Asirgarh (both are now in Burhanpur District) via Baroda, Broach (Bharuch) & Surat. Raja Ali Khan (1576-1596 AD), also known as Adil Shah, was asked to submit to Akbar, when the latter had sent an expedition to Khandesh, in the summer of 1577 AD. The former, to avoid the unequal contest with the mighty Akbar, dropped his royal title of Shah and accepted the Suzerainty of Akbar. This marked an epoch in the Deccan policy of the Mughals, for Khandesh was used as a base for the future Conquest of Deccan. Raja Ali Khan constructed many buildings like Jama Masjid in the upper portion of the fort of Asir in 1588 AD, Jama Masjid at Burhanpur in 1590 AD, Idgah at Asir, mausoleums & Serai at Burhanpur and Serai & Mosque at Zainabad (Near Burhanpur in Burhanpur District).

Bahadur Khan (1596-1600 AD) successor of Raja Ali Khan declared his independence & refused to pay homage to Akbar & his son Prince Daniyal, which enraged Akbar, who marched towards Burhanpur in 1599 and occupied the City without any opposition on 8 April 1600 AD. Akbar paid a visit to Asirgarh, so as to inspect it personally, where he stayed for 4 days before returning to his Head Quarter at Burhanpur.
The very famous and ideal character of Syed Sibte Hassan Jaffri

Shahjahan's operation

Prince Khurram was nominated as the Governor of the Deccan in 1617 AD, by Jahangir to succeed Prince Parviz, and was bestowed the title of Shah by Jahangir. Khurram led the Mughal army to a peaceful victory by which Jahangir was pleased with his success & conferred him the title of Shah Jahan on 12 October 1617 AD. After the death of Jahangir in 1627, Shah Jahan ascended the throne of Mughal empire. Due to troubled conditions in the Deccan,When Shah Jahan travelled to Balapur fort, Burhanpur, mother of Mirza Azam and elder daughter of Shahzada Badi uz-Zaman Mirza, alias Shah Nawaz Khan of the Safawi dynasty Dilrus Banu, wife of Auranzeb along with Mumtaz and cousin/brother Shah Beg Khan along with military personnel stayed three nights near Argaon at Hiwarkhed, before the birth of their fourteenth child.He reached Burhanpur (Deccan) on 1 March 1630, where he stayed for the following two years, conducting operations against Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, and Golkunda. On 7 June 1631, Shah Jahan lost his beloved & favourite wife Mumtaz Mahall at Burhanpur, and her body was buried at first in the Garden of Zainabad, across the river Tapti. Early in December of the same year (1631 AD), the remains of her body were sent to Agra. Later on 6 March 1632, Shah Jahan left Burhanpur for the north, after appointing Mahabat Khan as the viceroy of the Deccan.

Modern history

From the mid 16th century to the early 18th century, the Nimar region (including East Nimar), was under the rule or influence of Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb

Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...

, Bahadur Shah

Bahadur Shah

Bahadur Shah may refer to*Bahadur Shah of Gujarat *Bahadur Shah I , Mughal Emperor*Bahadur Shah II , the last Mughal Emperor and final ruler of the Timurid dynasty...

 (Mughals), the Peshwa

Peshwa

A Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...

s, Sindhia, Bawaniya, Holkar

Holkar

The Holkar dynasty , whose earliest known clan-man was Malhar Rao, who joined the service of the Peshwa in 1721, and quickly rose to the ranks of Subedar...

 and Pawar (Marathas), Pindaris etc. Later from early part of the mid 18th century, the management of the Nimar region came under the British.

The East Nimar district did not remain unaffected by the Great Uprising of 1857, which swept the country, against the British rule. In connection with the so called Riots of 1857, Tatya Tope had gone through the region of East Nimar district, and Khandwa and before marching out of the district, burnt the police stations and Government buildings at Khandwa, Piplod and a number of other places and escaped again to central India by way of Khargone.

The East Nimar district was greatly affected with the beginning of freedom movement, Non-Co-operation movement, Civil Disobedience movement, Quit India Movement etc., to obtain the independence of India, from late 18th century till 15 August 1947. During this time Khandwa was visited by Swami Dayanad Saraswati of Arya Samaj

Arya Samaj

Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayananda on 10 April 1875. He was a sannyasi who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya...

 fame, Swami Vivekanand, the great monk and founder of Ramkrishna Mission, Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...

 in 1921, Lokmanya Tilak, and others.

Young Nationalists of the district, like Haridas Chatterjee, Makhanlal Chaturvedi

Makhanlal Chaturvedi

Pandit Makhanlal Chaturvedi , also called Panditji, was an Indian poet, writer, essayist, playwright and a journalist who is particularly remembered for his participation in India's national struggle for independence and his contribution to Chhayavaad , the Neo-romanticism movement of Hindi...

, Thakur Laxman Singh (of Burhanpur District), Abdul Quadir Siddique attended the Calcutta Session of Congress in 1917. Tilak visited the district during his whirlwind tour of the central province in 1918. The district took part in the non-co-operation movement. Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930 has also been participated by many people of the district. The Karmavir weekly was seized and its editor, Makhanlal Chaturvedi

Makhanlal Chaturvedi

Pandit Makhanlal Chaturvedi , also called Panditji, was an Indian poet, writer, essayist, playwright and a journalist who is particularly remembered for his participation in India's national struggle for independence and his contribution to Chhayavaad , the Neo-romanticism movement of Hindi...

 was sentenced to two years. Editor of Swarajya S. M. Agarkar was also arrested and imprisoned. Nav Jawan Sabha was established at Khandwa in 1931. Students also participated in this movement. They removed Union Flag

Union Flag

The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...

s from high school building and hoisted the tricolor. In this connection Raichand Bhai Nagda was fined and imprisoned.

The District also has contribution in Quit India Movement. The District Political Conference was held at Harsud sometime before August, 1942 had alerted the people for impending struggle. The Students of Robertson High School, Burhanpur ( Burhanpur is now a new district but, formally part of Khandwa District) hoisted Tri-colour on the school building on the 15th August. But it was removed by the police.The students organized the processions against this act of police till their demands of hoisting tricolor and pasting of photographs of national leaders did not met. Many monuments can be seen in Khandwa which were made at the time of British era. Like local Nagar Nigam building and girls degree college.

Celebrities from khandwa

Some notable celebrities

Kishore kumar(singer)

Kishore Kumar

Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...

Makhanlal chaturvedi(writer)

adaji Dhuniwale Khandwa|Dadaji Dhuniwale(sant)

Geography

Khandwa is located at 21.83°N 76.33°E. It has an average elevation of 313 metres (1026 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...

, Khandwa had a population of 171,986. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Khandwa has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 66%. In Khandwa, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Trivia

• Khandwa Airport is the only airport in the whole district.
• Khandwa is the 6th Largest city of Madhya Pradesh.
• The Hottest city in terms of temperature(Usually as high as 43'C during hot Summers).
• Khandwa is known for its great TOMAR(Punasa) & GOUR(Pandhana) ruler.
• The TOMAR ruler made a fort in PUNASA.
• The famous temple of 'Dadaji Dhuniwale
  Dadaji Dhuniwale Khandwa
  Khandwa is a place in Madhya Pradesh state of India, where hundreds of devotees come everyday to get darshan of Shree Dadaji's samadhi.Shree Dadaji Dhuniwale took samadhi in Khandwa in 1930. No one knows how Dadaji incarnated on this planet....
  
  ' is visited my thousands every year during the time of Guru Purnima.

Category:Cities and towns in Khandwa district

Category:Railway stations in Madhya Pradesh

bn:খান্দোওয়া
es:Khandwa
gu:ખંડવા
hi:खंडवा
bpy:খান্দোৱা
it:Khandwa
pam:Khandwa
new:खन्द्वा
pl:Khandwa
pt:Khandwa
sv:Khandwa
vi:Khandwa
war:Khandwa