Katol

Katol is a city and a municipal council in Nagpur district of Maharashtra state, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Katol taluka, one of the 14 talukas of this district. Being located in orange belt it is a major centre for orange trading.

In Dvapara Yuga, during the reign of Raja Chandrahasa, Katol's name was Kuntalapur. Katol is also mentioned in the Ashwamedh canto of the Mahabharat as Kuntalapur. Katol is the location of two of the Hemadpanthi temples, Maa Chandika and Maa Saraswati, which are said to date from the days of Rawan and to have been built in one night by his demons. The mud fort dates from the time of the Gond dynasty.

Katol is located at It has an average elevation of 417 metres (1368 ft). Katol is approximately 56 km to the west of Nagpur, with which it is connected by a road of fair quality that also passes through the town of Kalmeshwar, 18 km from Nagpur. The town now includes the large adjoining village of Peth Budhwar, which lies on the Jam, a tributary of the Wardha River. The combined population of Katol and Peth Budhwar was 7040 in 1891 and 7313 in 1901, but as the town is the trade centre of a wide cotton growing tract, it has grown considerably since the last census. The old town site is crowded, lying in a hollow, but the recent trend of extension has been towards the higher ground on the southeast where the cotton factories stand. Katol has a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen climate classification) with dry conditions prevailing for most of the year.

As of 2011 Indian Census, Katol had a total population of 43,267, of which 22,064 were males and 21,203 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 4,174. The total number of literates in Katol was 35,231, which constituted 81.4% of the population with male literacy of 83.6% and female literacy of 79.2%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Katol was 90.1%, of which male literacy rate was 92.8% and female literacy rate was 87.4%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 6,086 and 3,425 respectively. Katol had 9866 households in 2011. YearMaleFemaleTotal PopulationChangeReligion (%)HinduMuslimChristianSikhsBuddhistJainOther religions and persuasionsReligion not stated2001193041813137435 85.0097.0740.0750.1746.9960.6460.0130.013201122064212034326715.57985.0216.8320.1730.3007.0220.4550.0050.192

The Corporation of Katol was established in 1919. Katol reached the first stage of modern municipal development in 1905 when it was designated as a Town Fund area. For the first year its income was only Rs. 4761, but it has now risen to about Rs. 7176. Its prosperity depends chiefly on cotton trading, and in recent years most of the municipal income has for that reason been expended on a cotton market. This is a large enclosure of about , securely fenced, and provided with a weighing shed, well, water trough, young shade trees, and an arc light.

The weekly market of Katol has long been important and is now attended by from 6000 to 8000 people. Commodities of all kinds are dealt in but the bazar is more especially important as being the second largest cattle market in the town. In the month of Ashvin (October) the Saraswati fair (Navaratra) is held and is usually attended by about 20,000 people a day. The orchards of the town are, noted for their growth of fine & world famous oranges. But cotton is the staple of Katol trade. In the year 1905 06 26,723 carts of raw uncleaned cotton were sold in the market, and that number is liable to be exceeded in years of heavy harvest, for the town draws produce from the rich valleys of the Jam and Wardha rivers and from many villages of the Amravati and Wardha Districts. There are now four ginning factories at work, and three of these have presses also. They are fitted with 216 gins, which in 1905 06 turned out 32,000 bales (or 512,000 maunds) of cleaned cotton. The Katol tahsil has a total area of 800 square miles (2,072 km2), of which 56 are comprised in Government forest. Katol has, on the whole, the poorest soils of the four tahsils as regards composition, although it has all the kali soils of the first class in the District The percentages of the various soils are 2 for kali, 55.9 for morand, 28.5 for khardi and 13.2; for bardi. Nevertheless, from an agricultural point of view Katol is the most advanced of the four tahsils, and its lands produce kharif crops as valuable as the wheat of the other tahsils. The cultivators are intelligent and enterprising to an unusual degree and spend much time and money on improvements to their fields. Of the of irrigated garden land at settlement were in Katol. Of the total area of at settlement, 358,000 were occupied and 332,000 were in cultivation. The actual area cropped has risen since the thirty years' settlement from to in 1906–07, an increase of 29 percent, which is the largest in any tahsil. Of the total area 75 percent is occupied, 8.7 is scrub jungle, 4.2 tree forest, and 11.8 unculturable.

Chandika Devi Mandir – The temple is believed to have been built during the reign of one king Chandrahasa, who is supposed to have ruled over this territory in the dim and distant past. The construction of the temple is. in the Hemadpanthi style. It is situated in the old Basti. The 'Gabhara', which contains the idol of the goddess, measures 9.290 m.2 (10' x 10'). It is beautifully carved out of black rock and is in a standing position. On either side of the entrance to the 'Gabhara' are two images in standing posture which appear to be the bodyguards of the goddess Chandika. Outside is the ' Sabhamandap' having windows on all the four sides which serve as inlets for the sunlight. In the center exactly facing the goddess is a 'Honikunda' housed by a little dome. On the 'Mandap' wall, to the left of the goddess, is engraved the image of Lord Gajanan with exquisite skill. Against the outer side of the Mandap walls are carved the images of animals, wild as well as domestic, and numerous deities which add a tinge of glory and glamor to the solid and grave structure of the building. The architectural designs speak eloquently of the architects of those times. In Navratra , Shardotsava is celebrated with great éclat when thousands of people gather to pay homage to the goddess. Sharada Mandir— The idol is supposed to be ' Svayambhu'. It is a small building housing two images of the same goddess of unequal size. The images depict a sort of crude and rough architecture. In front of the temple is a tank of water of the size of a square measuring 37.161 m.2 (20' x 20'), whose water, it is said, never dries up. The place is venerated by the Hindus as a ' Tirtha Ksetra'. By the side of the tank is another small temple which houses the images of Maruti, Ganapati and Shivling. To the left of the Sharada Mandir is housed yet another Shivling by the side of which are three small samadhis of unknown persons. Two fairs, one on the occasion of Shardotsava and the other on Chaitra Shuddha 15th, are held when devotees of the goddess gather in large numbers. Shiv Mandir – The Mandir is situated on the southern bank of a beautiful tank, now let on lease to the Government for pisciculture, with a lovely hillock at the hack and a giant Pimpal tree in the front. The inner shrine or 'Gabhara' of the temple is 5.945 m.2 (8' x 8') with Ling occupying the central position. The Ling is donned with a brass plaque. On the wall facing the visitor are engraved the images of innumerable deities in beautiful and attractive designs. Outside is the 'Mandap' of the temple enclosed on all the four sides with walls having a single entrance in the front. It is used to deliver Kirtans and hold religious discourses in praise of the God. To the south of the temple of Shiv there is a temple of Maruti whose image is about 3 meters (10 ft) tall. The idol of Maruti has become the major attraction to the people. The Pimpal tree protects under its shade one more Shivling and an image of Nandi both carved out of black stone. The natural surroundings like the tank, the hillock and the Pimpal tree provide an excellent setting and add charm and beauty to the temple. Especially the evenings, at the time of sunset, are lively and pleasant. It has become a good spot of recreation.