Vaijapur

Vaijapur is a city and a municipal council in Aurangabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is bordered by the Nashik districts to the west, Kannad tehsil to the north, Gangapur tehsil to the east, and Ahmednagar districts to the south. Vaijapur is the headquarters of Vaijapur tehsil and also known as the Gateway of Marathwada.

In 1719 Nizam ul Mulk who had been appointed the governor of Malva by the Mughal Emperor rose against the Sayyid Brothers and marched to the Deccan. He was followed by a large force under Dilawar ‘Ali Khan, and another army advanced against him from Aurangabad, commanded by the acting viceroy, ‘Alam ‘Ali Khan. Nizam ul Mulk first encountered the former, and Dilawar ‘Ali Khan was defeated and killed in engagement at Ratanpur, sixteen kos from Burhanpur. ‘Alam Ali Khan was at Fardapur when news arrived of Husain ‘Ali Khan, who was advancing to his assistance from Agra. He preferred, however, to hazard a battle, and was defeated and killed Burhanpur on 1 August 1720. Nizam ul Mulk proceeded to Aurangabad, where he was joined by Mubariz Khan, the subadar of Hyderabad, and other officers.22 Nizam ul mulk now established himself firmly in the Deccan. Next year saw the downfall of the Sayyad brothers and elevation of Nizam ul mulk as prime minister of the Mughal Empire. He took charge of his new post in 1722.1 But tired of court intrigues retired to the Deccan in 1724 when he crushed Mbariz Khan, the governor of Hyderabad in the battle of Sakharkherda which he later renamed Fatteh Kharda fought in October 1724.2 From this date the Nizam became virtually independent of Moghal power. In the next two years the Nizam consolidated his hold in the eastern parts of the province. His real enemies, however, were the Marathas who under the dynamic leadership of Peshva Bajirao were fast growing into an all India power. In 1727 Nizam ul mulk opened his campaign against the Marathas. Bajirao, also made his preparations. He laid waste the district of Jalna in the cold season of 1727, and ‘Iwaz Khan with Asaf Jah's advanced guard partially engaged him. The Marathas retired to Mahur, and then turned rapidly towards Aurangabad and made for Burhanpur followed by ‘Iwaz Khan and ‘Asaf Jah. After crossing the Ajanta ghat, Bajirao started off for Gujarat; while ‘Asaf Jah relieved Burhanpur, and returned to Aurangabad with the intention of advancing on Pune. ‘Asaf Jah went as far as Ahmadnagar, when Bajirav also returned in 1728, and crossing the Kasar Bari ghat, laid waste the talukas of Vaijapur and Gangapur. ‘Asaf Jah's Maratha allies rendered him but little assistance, and he was much harassed by the enemy. There was also great scarcity of water. The Maratha forces surrounded him at Palkhed where a battle was fought in March 1728 and forced him to sign a treaty by which the Nizam agreed to acknowledge Shahu as the head of the Marathas, and as entitled to collect chauth and sardeshmuki in the Deccan. This treaty is a landmark in the history of the Nizams as the Marathas now obtained a full right to post their officers for the collection of chauth and sardeshmukhi in the territory of the Nizam.

Vaijapur is located at Vaijapur, situated on the Narangi river. Vaijapur is located 514 m (1,666 ft) above sea level on the western margin of the Deccan plateau.

Regarding the origin of Vaijapur which was also known as Baizapur, it is related that a certain Kunbi struck upon a linga while ploughing his field. He installed this linga in a temple to Vaijanath and hence the village came to be known as Vaijapur. Yet another story tells that a certain princess Vaija was converted by a Muhammedan saint and that after her death she was laid to rest in the tomb of that saint. To commemorate this event the village was termed as Vaijapur or Baizapur. The town gives glimpses of its former prosperity in the handsome stone buildings which were erected by the savakars or capitalists of the place. The basement of the structures and the lower half of the walls are constructed of huge stone slabs, cemented and bolted together. Large kiln burn bricks have been employed in building the upper portions of the walls, and the roofs are terraced. The town had a population of 16,660 in 1971. It also has a medium size project on Nārangi Sārangi river junction, for water supply to the Vaijapur city.

Vaijapur was constituted a municipality in 1944 and according to the 1961 census its jurisdiction extended over an area of 13.6 square miles. The municipal affairs are managed by a committee of 21 members presided over by the president who is elected by the members from among themselves. Necessary administrative staff has been appointed to look after the various municipal departments. In 1973–74 municipal income and expenditure amounted to Rs. 8,04,000 and Rs. 6,81,000 respectively. Vaijapur had a population of 37,002. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Vaijapur has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 62%. In Vaijapur, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age. Vaijapur consists of 164 villages and has 7 revenue circle. The main occupation in the tehsil area is agriculture. Marathi is the official and most widely spoken language, while Hindi, Ahirani, Marwari,Rajputi dialect and English are understood and spoken widely.

The most important soils of the district are the black clayey soils on plains interspersed with occasional stretches of shallow soils on ridges. In the north, the soils are shallow and poor and in the south they are deep and fertile and particularly so in the Godavari valley. They are all derived from Deccan trap. The soils can be classified as light, medium and heavy according to the depth, texture and location.