Akkalkot () is a city and a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

in Solapur district in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. It is situated 38 km southeast of

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

and close to the border of Karnataka state. City is the home to Shri

Swami Samarth Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj (Marathi: श्री स्वामी समर्थ) also known as Swami of Akkalkot was an Indian Hindu spiritual master of the Dattatreya Tradition. He lived during the nineteenth century and is a known s ...

, a 19th-century saint who is believed by his devotees to be an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya.

Akkalkot State Akkalkot State during the British Raj, was a Maratha princely state ruled by the Bhonsle dynasty. The non-salute state came under the Deccan States Agency and was bordered by Hyderabad State and the Bombay Presidency. The area of the stat ...

during the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, was a princely state ruled by the royal

Bhonsale Bhonsle are a group within the Maratha clan system. Bhonsle or its variants may also refer to: * Anubha Bhonsle, Indian TV and print journalist, author * Nagesh Bhonsle (also Bhosle or Bhosale), Indian film, television and theatre actor * Dig ...

dynasty.

History

Princely Akkalkot

During the British Raj, Akkalkot was a princely state of ruled by the royal

dynasty. The non-salute state came under the Deccan States Agency and was bordered by

Hyderabad State Hyderabad State () was a princely state in the Deccan region of south-central India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and the ...

and the presidency of Bombay Presidency. The area of the state was 498 sq. miles. In 1911, the state enjoyed a revenue estimated at Rs.26,586/- and paid a tribute to the

of Rs.1,000/-.Its population in 1901 was 82,047, while the population of the town itself was 8,348 in that year. The population of the state in 1921 was 81,250, comparable to 1901 but having seen 9% growth followed by decline in the intervening 20 years; the population of the town in 1921 was 9,189. Between 1901 and 1911 the state's population grew by 9%, after which it declined to 81,250 by 1921. The Royal Armory Museum in New Palace is a popular attraction in the area. It was collected by Fattehsing Bhosle who was the ruler at Akkalkot from 1894 A.D. to 1923 A.D.

Religious significance

Akkalkot is widely known for its association with

, held by his devotees to be a reincarnation of

Dattatreya Dattatreya (, ), Dattā or Dattaguru, is a paradigmatic Sannyasi (monk) and one of the lords of yoga, venerated as an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Three Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who are also collectively known as the Trimurti, incarna ...

. His temple, located in Gogaon, is the main tourist attraction in Akkalkot. Swami Samarth lived for over two decades at Akkalkot, mainly at the residence of his ''disciple Cholappa'', where his samadhi (tomb) and shrine are now located. The shrine complex, which is known the ''Vatavruksh Mandir'' since it encloses the banyan tree beneath which the swami would preach his message, is the hub of devotions for his followers.

Geography

Akkalkot

taluka A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ...

is bordered by South Solapur tehsil to the west and by

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

state on all other sides. The tehsil covers an area of 1,407 km² and contains 138 villages, apart from the town. The total population of the taluka is approximately 314,570 (2011 census), giving a population density of 222 per km².

Jowar ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the grass genus ''Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain is used as food by humans, ...

, bajra and

pulses Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...

are the main crops grown in the taluka. Akkalkot is routinely hit by drought as it falls in a

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from body of water, bodies of water (such as oceans and larg ...

and also no major river pass through this taluka. Although the soil is classified as 'medium to deep black' and is of rich quality.

Demographics and languages

As of 2011 India census, Akkalkot had a population of 40,103 out of which 20,051 were male and 20,052 were female. Akkalkot has an average literacy rate of 63%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 59% of the males and 41% of females literate. 14% of the population is under 6 years of age. While Marathi is the official language,

Kannada language Kannada () is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, an ...

is the most spoken language in Akkalkot Taluka. In December 2022, 10 gram panchayats of Akkalkot tehsil in Solapur district passed resolutions to join

Education

Shri Shahaji High School is a 125 years old school. Karnatak Lingayat Education Society's Mangrule High school, Indian Model School Akkalkot & Kashiraya Kaka Patil High School are some of the large schools. Indian Model School is said to be best School in Akkalkot Besides C.B. Khedgi's Basaveshwar Science Raja Vijaysinh Commerce & Raja Jaysinh Arts College, Shri Vatavriksha Swami Maharaj Devashtan's Polytechnic offer higher education. Akkalakot taluka has large number of Kannada schools.

Transport

It is served by Akalkot Road Railway Station which is 7 km away from the city.

Chennai Mail Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian cen ...

and

Udyan Express The 11301 / 11302 Udyan Express is an express train belonging to Indian Railways that runs between Mumbai CSMT, Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Bangalore City railway station, Bangalore in India. It operates as train number 11 ...

for

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

for

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Andhra Pradesh and serves as the administrative headquarters of Tirupati district. It is known for its significant religious and cultural heritage, being home to th ...

Mantralayam Mantralayam is a pilgrim village in Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, India, on the banks of the Tungabhadra River on the border with neighbouring state of Karnataka. It is known for being the site of the samadhi of Raghavendra Tirtha, a s ...

Raichur Raichur, also pronounced as Rāyachūru (formerly Raichore), is a city and headquarters of eponymous Raichur district in the Karnataka state of India. Raichur, located between Krishna River, Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers. History Ancient His ...

Gulbarga Kalaburagi, formerly known as Gulbarga, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka, It is headquarters of eponymous Kalaburagi district and Kalaburagi division, Kalaburagi city is governed by a Municipal Corporation, It is called a Sufi c ...

, Udyan express for

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

Passenger for

have stop here. It is also served by Tadawal railway station on

Hubli Hubli (officially 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 district of ...

line around 20 km away, with trains to

Bijapur Bijapur (officially Vijayapura) is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural importa ...

Bagalkot Bagalkote, is a city in the state of Karnataka, India, which is also the headquarters of Bagalkot district. It is situated on branch of River Ghataprabha, The population of the urban agglomeration was 111,933"District Census Handbook – Guntu ...

, and

Gadag Gadaga-Betageri is a city municipal council in Gadag district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Gadag District. The original city of Gadag and its sister city Betageri (or ''Betgeri'') have a combined ...

. It is more convenient to board trains from these stations than Solapur station which is 40 km away as this saves time. There is a great demand to stop trains such as Hussainsagar Express, Dadar Chennai Egmore Express,

Konark Express The 11019 / 11020 Konark Express was one of the classless Superfast trains introduced by Shri Madhu Dandavate in 1978 as a daily service between (SC) Secunderabad and Bhubaneshwar (BBS). It used to run with train No 2119/2120 and shared rake wi ...

Shatabdi Express Shatabdi Express () are a series of fast passenger trains operated by Indian Railways. Shatabdi Express are day trains and mostly return to their origin station the same day. The trains run at a maximum permissible speed of depending on the ...

, Rajkot Express, and Karnataka Express. The nearest airport to Akkalkot is the

Solapur Airport Solapur Airport (सोलापूर विमानतळ) is a public airport located in Solapur, in the state of Maharashtra, India. History The airport was built by Indian Defence Authorities in September 1948 during the police action ...

which is 31 km away. However, there is no scheduled commercial air service available.

References

External links

Official Tourism Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akkalkot Cities and towns in Solapur district Talukas in Maharashtra