Poladpur is a

census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...

Raigad district Raigad district (Marathi pronunciation: �aːjɡəɖ, previously Colaba district, is a district in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The district was renamed to Raigad after the fort that was the first capital of the former Marath ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

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 ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

Etymology

Poladpur is a town named after Poladjung, one of the knights in the army of Mughal Emperor

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

. He was beaten and buried at Poladpur during the

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 ...

Era by the elite warriors of the Chitre clan. Hence, the name of the town. Grave of Poladjung can still be seen on the road beyond the town council joining national highway on the banks of the river Savitri. Poladpur has been the native place for Chitre clan since many centuries. There is a temple of Kalbhairav-JyogeshwariDevi whom the Chitres belong to. The temple lies on Mumbai-Goa National highway. Poladpur also has Sadguru temple build by Prabhakar Sheth. This temple has 70 idols of saints and Hindu gods found across India. It is a starting point to Mahabaleshwar. The better scenic view to Mahabaleshwar.

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

, Poladpur had a population of 5,944 . Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Poladpur has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 69%. In Poladpur, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Location

Poladpur is Located on Mumbai Goa Highway i.e. NH 17 and about seventeen kilometres from Mahad town and about 200 kilometres from Mumbai. The Ambenali ghat connects Poladpur to

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 ...

. The Kashedi Ghat On NH 17 Starts after the end of Poladpur. So Many ST buses halt here before proceeding to Kashedi Ghat. It is on the bank of

Savitri River Savitri River is one of the 5 rivers which originate from Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra state in India.It originates at Savitri point near Mahabaleshwar and flows through the bankot village and directly goes to Arabian sea Raigad district a ...

. Geographically Poladpur is on the border of Raigad district in Maharashtra State. It is the city connecting

Ratnagiri Ratnagiri (IAST:Ratnāgirī ; �ət̪n̪aːɡiɾiː is a port city on the Arabian Sea coast in Ratnagiri District in the southwestern part of Maharashtra, India. The district is a part of Konkan division of Maharashtra. The city is known for ...

district at its south and

Satara district Satara district (Marathi pronunciation: aːt̪aɾaː is a district of Maharashtra state in western India with an area of and a population of 3,003,741 of which 14.17% were urban (). Satara is the capital of the district and other major towns ...

at east. It is one of the fast growing cities in district raigad.

one of the most popular tourist destinations in India is around 40 km from Poladpur city. From Poladpur one can reach to Pratapgadh fort, a fort built by

which is 15 km from city.

Historical Importance

First biographer of

who wrote Shivbharat hailed from Poladpur. He took

samadhi ''Samadhi'' ( Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yo ...

at Poladpur. One of Shivaji's Asht Pradhan,

Khando Ballal Khanderao Ballal , popularly known as ‘Khando Ballal’, was a diplomat in Maharashtra during the late 17th century and the early 18th century. He was also the personal Assistant of Rajaram and Shahu. He is remembered for his support of Rajara ...

, also known as Balaji awaji Chitre was from Poladpur. His descendants still live there. There also live the members of Mamdhare family.

References

{{Raigad district topics Cities and towns in Raigad district Talukas in Maharashtra