Aundha Naganath is a town in the Aundha Nagnath subdivision of

Hingoli district Hingoli district (Marathi pronunciation: �iŋɡoliː is an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in India. The district is headquartered at Hingoli. The district occupies an area of 4,526 km2 and has a population of 11,77,3 ...

. It lies in the

Marathwada Marathwada () is a proposed state and geographical region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It was formed during the Nizam's rule and was part of the then Hyderabad State. The region coincides with the Aurangabad division of Maharashtra. I ...

region of the

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

state of Maharashtra. The town is known for the Aundha Nagnath Temple, it is the 8th Jyotirling out of 12 which is dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. The famous tourist spot along with the Temple includes the beautiful Garden and the Reserved Forest Region on the outskirts of the town. The town is also famous for the

Siddheshwar Dam Siddheshwar Dam is an earth-fill dam on Purna River, which is a tributary of River Godavari. This dam is located in the north-western part of Aundha Nagnath, in the Hingoli district of Maharashtra, India. The dam was constructed in the era of ...

, which is about 15 km away from the city in the western direction. The proposed site for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory
LIGO-India
Project, the research centre to detect

Gravitational Waves Gravitational waves are waves of the intensity of gravity generated by the accelerated masses of an orbital binary system that propagate as waves outward from their source at the speed of light. They were first proposed by Oliver Heaviside in 1 ...

lies 12 km away from the town. After its scheduled completion in 2024, worldwide this research facility will be the third such facility after

Hanford, Washington Hanford was a small agricultural community in Benton County, Washington, United States. It and White Bluffs were depopulated in 1943 in order to make room for the nuclear production facility known as the Hanford Site. The town was located in what ...

and

Livingston, Louisiana Livingston is the parish seat of Livingston Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,769 at the 2010 census. Livingston hosts one of the two LIGO gravitational wave detector sites, the other one being located in Hanford, Washin ...

in the USA. Aundha Nagnath Temple

Geography

*Aundha Nagnath town rests on the Deccan Trap in the Marathwada Region of Maharashtra. *The Aundha Lake is situated on the southern side is the major source of water for the town.

Demography

*As per the 2011 census, Aundha has a total of 2744 families residing. The town has a population of 14801 of which 7515 were males while 7286 were females. *Average Sex Ratio of the town was 970 which is higher than Maharashtra state average of 929. * The literacy rate of the town was 82.33% compared to 82.34% of Maharashtra. Male literacy stands at 89.45% while the female literacy rate was 74.98%. *

Schedule Caste The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

(SC) constitutes 15.57% while

Schedule Tribe The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are design ...

(ST) were 2.70% of total population.

Transportation

*By Air: Aurangabad is the nearest international airport which is about 210 km away from the town. Also, Nanded national airport, which is about 70 km away connects to the town. *By Rail: Chondi station, around 21 km away from the town serves as the nearest railway station. While Hingoli and Parbhani Junctions are well connected throughout the country's major cities such as Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai, Vijaywada, Kolkata, etc. *By Road: Aundha Nagnath is a major bus stop where all en-route buses halt. This bus stop is well connected to the major cities and regions of Maharashtra. There are daily luxury buses operating to Mumbai, Thane, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Nanded, Aurangabad, Nashik, Akola, Solapur, Latur, etc.

Governance

*As per

Constitution of India The Constitution of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ...

and Panchyati Raj Act, Aundha Nagnath is administrated by NagarAadhakshy (Head of Village) who is elected by the representatives of the village. *The town comes under the Basamath Assembly Constituency for the Assembly Elections of Maharashtra. At present, this constituency is being represented by MLA Rajubhaiya Nawghare, who belongs to the Nationalist Congress Party. *Aundha Nagnath region comes under the Hingoli Parliamentary Constituency for the

Parliamentary Elections of India A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

. At present, this constituency is being represented by MP Hemant Patil, who belongs to the Shiv Sena.

Culture

*Aundha Nagnath a Hindu culture, form the majority. *Thursday is the day of a weekly market in the Town. On this day, the town witnesses the influx of people from nearby villages to shop around.

Economy

*Aundha Nagnath serves as a center of the weekly market of the region. *It is the market center where agricultural commodities are bought and sold from the agricultural hinterland. *Religious tourism forms one of the important sources of income for the town.

Education

*The town has a various educational institution which offers courses in arts, science, and commerce. *The College of Agriculture, Golegaon is one of the best agricultural colleges in the region.

References

{{Reflist Cities and towns in Hingoli district Talukas in Maharashtra Hingoli district