Miraj (Pronunciation: iɾəd͡z ) is a city in Sangli District and also in Maharashtra, India, that was founded in the early 10th century. It was an important jagir of the

Adil Shahi The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi, was a Shia,Salma Ahmed Farooqui, ''A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century'', (Dorling Kindersley Pvt Ltd., 2011), 174. and later Sunni Muslim,Muhammad Qasim Firishta's ...

court of Bijapur. Shivaji Maharaj stayed in Miraj for two months during his South India Campaign. Because of its location, Miraj has been held as a strategic bastion. It was the capital of

Miraj Senior Miraj Senior was one of two Maratha princely states during the British Raj: 'Miraj Junior' and Miraj Senior. The two states separated in 1820. It was under the southern division of the Bombay Presidency, forming part of the southern Mahratta Jag ...

and is an important junction on the central railway network. The Pathwardhan family were the hereditary rulers of Miraj until independence. The city is part of the Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad Municipal Corporation formed in 1999. The city is recognised for

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, si ...

and medical services. Miraj is an emerging medical hub in India. The town has an unbelievable doctor patient ratio. Some of the doctors and institutions are well known all over India. Many medical tourists visit from the adjoining districts of North Karnataka and Goa, as well as all over India and from Arab countries. The

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva_(Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is ...

festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm. The annual Ganesh Visarjan procession is an attraction that lasts for an average of twenty hours. Miraj also finds its mention in

Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi ''Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi'' () is a 1988 Indian Marathi-language comedy-drama film directed by Sachin Pilgaonkar and produced by Kiran Shantaram. The film stars Ashok Saraf, Laxmikant Berde, Sachin Pilgaonkar and Siddharth Ray opposite Ashwini Bhave ...

and popular musical play and movie

Katyar Kaljat Ghusli ''Katyar Kaljat Ghusali'' is a Marathi musical play (Sangeet Natak), originally released in 1967. The play gained such popularity that more than 1,000 shows were staged in a very short period. The play was written by Purushottam Darvhekar. The ...

History

Early history

Shilahara (1000 to 1216)

At the end of the 9th century, the

Silahara The Shilahara Kingdom (IAST: Śilāhāra; also Sinhara, Shailahara, Shrilara, and Silara) was a royal dynasty that established itself in northern and southern Konkan in 8th century CE, present-day Mumbai and Southern Maharashtra (Kolhapur) du ...

s of

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is ...

gained rule of Miraj.In 1024 AD, Miraj was ruled by

Narsimha Narasimha ( sa, नरसिंह, lit=man-lion, ), sometimes rendered Narasingha, is the fourth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is regarded to have incarnated in the form of a part-lion, part-man being to slay Hiranyakashipu, to end rel ...

of the Silahar dynasty. From 1216 to 1316, the

Yadava The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and ...

s of

Devgiri Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...

ruled the town. II (circa 1000-1020 AD), the fourth ruler of Silahar dynasty, appears in the records of his son, Narasimha (circa 1050 to 1075 AD). Jattiga II was succeeded by his son, Gonka who has been described in inscriptions as the conqueror of Karahata (Karhad), Mirinj Miraj and

Konkan The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterland ...

. The Shilaharas were able to retain the rule of Miraj despite nearby military action by Chavan-raja, the general of

Chalukya The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty ...

Jayasirhha II.

Yadavas and Bahmanis (1216 to 1347)

In 1216, Miraj, along with other territories of Silaharas, was conquered by the

Yadavas The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and S ...

. In 1318, the Bahamanis gained control. Historian, Tazkirat-ul-Mulk, reported that Hasan, the founder of the

Bahmani The Bahmani Sultanate, or Deccan, was a Persianate Sunni Muslim Indian Kingdom located in the Deccan region. It was the first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan,

dynasty, was in the employ of the Shaikh Muhammad Junaidi at Gangi near Miraj. Hasan found a treasure with which he raised an army, marched on Miraj. He defeated and imprisoned Rani Durgavati, the subedar of Miraj and captured the town's fort. At the behest of Shaikh Muhammad, the name of the town was changed to Mubarakabad in 1347 (748 Hijri). In 1395, the

Bahmanis The Bahmani Sultanate, or Deccan, was a Persianate Sunni Muslim Indian Kingdom located in the Deccan region. It was the first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan,

conquered Miraj. Between 1391 and 1403, Miraj was affected by the Durgadevi famine. From 1423, Malik Imad Ul Mulk ruled Miraj. 1494 was the year of Bahadur Khan Gilani's rebellion. For two months of 1660,

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adil ...

and Adilshah battled for control of Miraj.

Fortress

The builder of the Miraj fort is unknown. It probably predates the

Bahmani The Bahmani Sultanate, or Deccan, was a Persianate Sunni Muslim Indian Kingdom located in the Deccan region. It was the first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan,

sultans, although they may have repaired it and increased its fortifications. They used the fort as a base for military expeditions against South Konkan and

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

Firishta Firishta or Ferešte ( fa, ), full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Astarabadi ( fa, مُحَمَّد قاسِم هِندو شاہ), was a Persian historian, who later settled in India and served the Deccan Sultans as their court historian. He was ...

mentions the fort in an account of the rebellion of Bahadur Gilani in 1494, which was quelled by Sultan Muhammad II (1452–1515). Muhammad II took the fort from its governor, Buna Naik, who acquiesced to the new ruler. Gilani's troops were offered the option of joining Muhammad's army and being treated with leniency or leaving. About 2000 soldiers left the fort to join Gilani's rebel forces. The main entrance of the fortress was a huge gate about high but it has been demolished in recent times.

Fall of the Bahmani Empire

The power of the Bahmani rulers waned under the influence of powerful provincial governors. In 1490, the rule of Miraj passed to the Sultanate of Bijapur. During the later years of his reign, Ibrahim Ali Shah I (1534–1558) kept his son, Ali Adil Shah I (1558–1580), under house arrest in Miraj. On Ibrahim's death in 1580, Miraj became a point d' appui (an assembly point) for Ali's troops in his assuming the throne. Subsequently, the troops of Miraj fought with Ismail against Ibrahim Adil Shah III.

Rise of the Maratha Empire

On 28 November 1659, (within 18 days of Afzal Khan's, the Bijapuri sardar's, death at Pratapgad, Panhala), the western Adil Sahi district was surrendered to Annaji Datto (Shivaji's finance minister). Unlike other towns, the Miraj fort resisted. Shivaji, who was encamped at Kolhapur, sent Netaji Palkar to besiege Miraj. In January 1660, Shivaji arrived to personally command the three-month-long ongoing siege. However, news of attacks by Siddi Johar and Fazal Khan caused his return to Panhala. The siege of Miraj was abandoned and negotiations began. Under the rule of

Sambhaji Sambhaji Bhosale (14 May 1657 – 11 March 1689) was the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, ruling from 1681 to 1689. He was the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. Sambhaji's rule was largely shaped by the ongoing ...

, Maratha generals (

Santaji Santaji Mahaloji Ghorpade,(1645–1696) popularly known as ‘Santajirao’ or ‘Santaji Ghorpade’, was the most celebrated Maratha warrior and the sixth Sarsenapati of the Maratha Empire during Rajaram's regime. His name became inseparable f ...

Ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav) chose Miraj as a safe place for their families while they were conducting guerilla actions against the invading Aurangzeb forces of the Mughal emperor.

Mughals

In 1687, Bijapur fell to the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

. In 1680, Santaji Ghorpade became Deshmukhi of Miraj and six years later, the town was captured by Aurangzeb. In 1730, Chatrapati Shahu of Satara instructed Pant Pratinidhi to attack the town.Miraj remained under Mughal rule until 3 October 1739. On that day, it was captured by Shahu after a military campaign of two years, reflecting the fall of the last defences of the Mughals. Shahu gains power in Miraj on 3 October 1739 and brings Maratha rule. In 1761, Harbhat Patwardhan's son, Gopalrao, took the Miraj Jagir from Peshwa Madhavrao.

British Raj

The

Patwardhan dynasty The Patwardhan dynasty was an Indian dynasty established by the Chitpavan Brahmin Patwardhan family, ruling several parts of the Maratha Empire from 1733 till 1948, when it acceded to the Dominion of India. At its peak, various branches of the ...

ruled Miraj as the capital of a principality, overseen by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

rule. Miraj was part of the southern division of the Bombay Presidency which in turn was part of the southern Mahratta Jagirs, and later the

Deccan States Agency The Deccan States Agency, also known as the Deccan States Agency and Kolhapur Residency, was a political agency of British India, managing the relations of the British government of the Bombay Presidency with a collection of princely states and ...

. In 1820, the state of Miraj was divided into

and

Miraj Junior Miraj Junior was one of two Maratha princely states during the British Raj: 'Miraj Senior' and Miraj Junior. The two states separated in 1820. It was under the southern division of the Bombay Presidency, forming part of the southern Maharashtra, M ...

. The territory of both regions was distributed among other native states and British districts. The area of Miraj Senior was . In 1901, its population was 81, 467. Its revenue was £23,000 and the tax paid to the British was £800. The population of the town of Miraj in 1901 was 18, 425. It lay on a junction on the

Southern Mahratta Railway Southern Mahratta Railway (SMR) was a railway company in British India founded in 1882. History Captain C. C. Johnson, officiating as constructing engineer of railways in 1858, forwarded the proposal for a railway to be constructed and called ...

Independence

On 8 March 1948, Miraj Senior acceded to the

Dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...

& Princedom of Miraj becomes part of the Republic of India. At the present day, it is a part of the Maharashtra

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Climate

Demographics

As of the 2011 census, the population of the Miraj area is as follows. Marathi is the official and most widely spoken language of the city. A unique kind of Hindi (Dakhini hyderabadi type) blended with Marathi is also spoken.

Hindustani classical music

Miraj is a popular place for artists to perform at Urus. The administrative office of the

Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya New Delhi is an institution established in 1939 to popularize Indian classical music and dance. The Mahavidyalaya (school) came into being to perpetuate the memory of Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, the great reviver of ...

is at Miraj. The city is known for its finesse in playing and manufacturing Sitars.

Musicians

Vishnu Digambar Paluskar Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (18 August 1872 – 21 August 1931) was a Hindustani musician. He sang the original version of the bhajan Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram, and founded the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya on 5 May 1901. He is also credited wit ...

Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (10 August 1860 – 19 September 1936) was an Indian musicologist who wrote the first modern treatise on Hindustani classical music, an art which had been propagated for centuries mostly through oral traditions. ...

Hirabai Badodekar Hirābai Barodekar (1905 – 1989) was an Indian Hindustāni classical music singer, of Kirana gharana. She was disciple of Ustād Abdul Wahid Khān. Early life and background Hirabai was born as Champākali to Kirānā Gharānā master U ...

Vinayakrao Patwardhan Pandit Vinayak Narayan Patwardhan (22 July 1898 – 23 August 1975) was an Indian vocalist of Gwalior gharana (style of singing) of Indian classical music. __TOC__ Early life Vinayakrao's uncle Keshav Rao Koratkar was his first music ...

Bal Gandharva Narayan Shripad Rajhans, popularly known as Bal Gandharva, (26 June 1888 – 15 July 1967) was a famous Marathi singer and a stage actor. He was known for his roles in female characters in Marathi plays, since women were not allowed to act on ...

made his debut performance at Hans Prabha Theatre, Miraj. In the same location, the Balgandharva Natyagruha was named for him. *

Ustad Abdul Karim Khan Ustad Abdul Karim Khan (Devanagari: उस्ताद अब्दुल करीम ख़ान, Persian language, Persian: ) (11 November 1872 – 27 October 1937)Kirana gharana Kirana gharana is one of the Indian classical khyal gharanas, and is concerned foremost with perfect intonation of notes (swara). Singing style The central concern of the Kirana style is swara, or individual notes, in particular precise tunin ...

, lies interred within the Hazrat Khawaja Shamna Mira RH and Hajrat Mira Saheb RH Dargah. An annual music festival at the

dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

takes place in his memory. * Ram Kadam (composer), Marathi Films Musician

String instruments

Miraj supplies Indian string instruments such as the

Sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...

Sarod The sarod is a stringed instrument, used in Hindustani music on the Indian subcontinent. Along with the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent instruments. It is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the sweet ...

, and

Tanpura The tanpura (), also referred to as tambura and tanpuri, is a long-necked plucked string instrument, originating in India, found in various forms in Indian music. It does not play melody, but rather supports and sustains the melody of an ...

. These are made of wood and specially treated gourds. The art of instrument making was developed by Faridsaheb Sitarmaker in the 18th century, and his descendants follow this tradition. The small area of Miraj is responsible for creating sitars and are renowned for their craftsmanship. The traditional craft of making this instruments is passed down generation to generation instilling the vitality of the small markets of Miraj.

Transportation

Railway

Miraj Junction railway station Miraj Junction railway station RJ'' is a major junction railway station in the city of Miraj, Maharashtra.The Pune – Yeshwantpur railway line passes through Miraj where it meets the Miraj – Kolhapur Branch line. The Miraj - Nagpur secti ...

is an important junction on the Central Railway. It was the only junction to have all three rail gauges - broad gauge,

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

and metre gauge. The last

train departed on 1 November 2008. Miraj now has only broad gauge railway tracks. Miraj is connected by railway to

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

on the north,

Kurduvadi Postal information Pin Code: 413208 Kurduvadi is big town in Solapur district in Maharashtra state of India. It is situated on Barshi Light Railway It is known mainly for the railway junction connecting two different rail tracks. Prior ...

via Pandharpur on north-northeast and Belgaum and

in the south. In February, 2011, passenger trains from

Solapur Solapur () is a city located in the south-western region of the Indian state of Maharashtra, close to its border with Karnataka. Solapur is located on major highway, rail routes between Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, with a branch lin ...

began running on the converted Miraj- Pandharpur-

broad gauge track. Prestigious trains of South Western Railways Rani Chennamma Express bound to Bengaluru city originates from Miraj Jn.

Road

Miraj lies off the

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...

highway,

NH 48 National Highway 48 (NH 48) is a National Highway of India that starts at Delhi and terminates at Chennai traversing through seven states of India. It has a total length of 2807 km (1744 miles). NH 48 passes through the states of Del ...

. * Exit

at Peth Naka while driving from north (from

and

). * Exit

at Shiroli Naka while driving from south (from

, Belgaum or

). The two exits from

form a triangle with

Sangli Sangli () is a city and the district headquarters of Sangli District in the state of Maharashtra, in western India. It is known as the Turmeric City of Maharashtra due to its production and trade of the spice. Sangli is situated on the banks ...

and Miraj which lie about 50 km from each exit. Though the time taken to travel from Miraj is variable, depending on speed and other factors,

is about 7 hours and

is about 11 hours drive away.

Bus

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation operates a bus station a Miraj. Approximately 400 buses are estimated to arrive and depart from the terminus. Buses of the

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation - (Karnataka SRTC), is a state-owned public road transport corporation in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is wholly owned by the Government of Karnataka. It serves routes to towns and cities in ...

also pass through the bus station. Shivshahi Miraj bus

Buses bound for Satara,

Karad Karad is a city in Satara district of Indian state of Maharashtra and it is 320 km (180.19 miles) from Mumbai and 159 km from Pune. It lies at the confluence of Koyna River and the Krishna River known as the "Priti sangam". The ...

, Belgaum,

Hubli Hubli, officially known as Hubballi, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. The twin cities Hubli–Dharwad form the second largest city in the state by area and population and the largest city in North Karnataka. Hubli is in Dharwad distr ...

, Ratnagiri,

Chiplun Chiplun ( ͡ʃipɭuːɳ is a city in Ratnagiri district in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is the financial and commercial Hub of Ratnagiri, and the headquarters of Chiplun taluka. It is about 320 km south of Mumbai in the Konkan ...

Palus Palus may refer to: * Palus, Maharashtra, a place in India * 24194 Paľuš, a main belt asteroid, named for Pavel Paľuš (born 1936), Slovak astronomer * Palus tribe, or Palouse people * ''Palus'', a grade of gladiator See also * Palu (dis ...

Mahabaleshwar Mahabaleshwar () is a small town and a municipal council in Satara district, Maharashtra, India. It is a place of pilgrimage for Hindus because Krishna river has its origin here. The British colonial rulers developed the town as a hill station ...

ichalkaranji Ichalkaranji ( t͡səlkəɾəɳd͡ʒiː is a city in Kolhapur District, Indian state of Maharashtra, governed by a municipal corporation. It is known for its textile manufacturing industry and "Manchester City of Maharashtra". Ichalkaranji ...

, Pandharpur,

Tasgaon Tasgaon Tasgaon is a city in Maharashtra and a municipal council in Sangli district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Tasgaon city is developing city in Maharashtra. Tasgaon was given as Jahagir to Parshuram Bhau Tasgaonkar by Narayanrao Ba ...

Ichalkaranji Ichalkaranji ( t͡səlkəɾəɳd͡ʒiː is a city in Kolhapur District, Indian state of Maharashtra, governed by a municipal corporation. It is known for its textile manufacturing industry and "Manchester City of Maharashtra". Ichalkaranji ...

, Gargoti, Gadhinglaj, Ajara,

Shirala Shirala also called Battis 2Shirala is a town and tehsil in Sangli District, India, away 60 kilometres west of the district headquarters, Sangli and about 350 kilometres from Mumbai, capital of Maharashtra state. It is particularly known ...

, Islampur, Vita,

Jath Jat is a town and taluka headquarters in Miraj subdivision of Sangli district in southern Maharashtra. History Jat was the capital of a former Maratha jagir ruled by Dafales. Most of the dynasty period it was affiliated with Bijapur. For ...

Wai Wai or WAI may refer to : Places * Wai, Maharashtra, a small town in India ** Wai (Vidhan Sabha constituency), a Maharashtra Legislative Assembly constituency centered around the town * Wao State (Vav, Wai, Way), a former princely state in Banas K ...

Thane Thane (; also known as Thana, the official name until 1996) is a metropolitan city in Maharashtra, India. It is situated in the north-eastern portion of the Salsette Island. Thane city is entirely within Thane taluka, one of the seven taluk ...

, and

leave from the Miraj ST station.

City Bus

here Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation operates a bus station a Miraj city stand. Approximately 100 buses are estimated to arrive and depart from the terminus. Miraj City Bus stand

Buses bound for entire Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad city and also Near by villege like Malgaon,Shubhasnagar,Maishal,Vaddi,Dhavali,Khanderajuri,Dongarwadi,Vishrambug,Shirol,Kurundwad,Bhose and many more.

References

External links

The Municipal Corporation home page - Marathi language only as of 2006/10/09

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Sangli district Princely states of India Talukas in Maharashtra