Karanja Lad

Karanja Karanja lad
City
Small Railway Station in Karanja on Achalpur-Murtijapur-Yeotmal narrow gauge railway line.
Nickname:  Karanja
Karanja Location in Maharashtra, India
Coordinates: 20°29′00″N77°29′00″E / 20.4833°N 77.4833°E / 20.4833; 77.4833
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District Region Division	Washim Vidarbha Amravati
Government
• Type	Municipal Council
• Body	Karanja(Lad) Municipal Council
Area
• Total	13.55 km2 (5.23 sq mi)
• Rank	1st
Elevation	400 m (1,300 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	100,947
• Density	7,400/km2 (19,000/sq mi)
Demonym	karanjakar
Language
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	444105
Telephone code	91-7256
Vehicle registration	MH37 (Washim District)

Karanja Lad, or Karanja, is a city of a Municipal council in Washim district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The town is named after Saint Karanj.^{[ citation needed ]} Karanja is a holy place for Hindus, Jains, and Muslims. It is the birthplace of Shri Narasimha Saraswati Swami Maharaj, ^[1] believed to be the second incarnation of Lord Dattatreya.

Demographics

As of the 2011 Indian census, Karanja had a population of 100,947. Males made up 52% of the population and females 48%. Karanja has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy rate is 78%, and female literacy is 67%. ^[2]

Islam is the dominant religion with 49.80% being Muslims, while Hinduism forms 39.46% of the population. ^[2]

Karanja City

Karanja City is known for being an important religious center as well as its historical significance. The city is home to a number of ancient temples and ancient Mosques, including the Jain Temple (Shri Mulsangh Chandranatha swami), Guru Mandir (Shri Nrusimha Saraswati Gurumaharaj) Jama Masjid, Nagina Masjid, Bibi Saheb dargah and Nawab Subhan Khan Masjid, which are dedicated to the Nawab Subhan Khan, the ruler of the Mughal Empire.

In addition to its religious significance, Karanja is also known for its scenic beauty, with lush green hills, fertile fields, and winding rivers. The city is located in the midst of fertile agricultural land, and is surrounded by lush green forests.

Religions in Karanja
Religion			Percent
Hindus			39.46%
Muslims			49.80%
Buddhists			6.34%
Jains			4.00%
Christians			0.09%
Others†			0.3%
Distribution of religions †Includes Sikhs (0.13%), Buddhists (<0.2%).

Religion in the city (2011) ^[3]

   Islam (49.80%)

   Hinduism (39.46%)

   Christianity (0.09%)

   Sikhism (0.13%)

   Buddhism (6.34%)

   Jainism (4.00%)

  Other religions (0.03%)

   Atheist (0.16%)

Geography

Karanja is located at 20°48′33″N77°48′33″E / 20.80917°N 77.80917°E / 20.80917; 77.80917 . ^[4] It has an average elevation of 422 metres (1387 feet). The Adan River flows near Karanja city. It is an important source of domestic water supply to the city. There are three lakes situated in the city, the Rishi Talaw, the Sarang Talaw, and the Chandra Talaw.

Places of interest

Temples

Shri Guru Mandir Entrance

Karanja is famous for its Nrusimha Saraswati Swami Maharaj temple. Shri Nrusimha Saraswati Gurumaharaj is the second avatar (incarnation) of Lord Dattatreya. Born in Karanja in 1378, he traveled far and wide in what is now known as the States of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He achieved Sainthood and performed several miracles. He imparted spiritual knowledge to his disciples, many of whom themselves attained Sainthood. The Gurumandir Temple conducts several major events to celebrate the various avatars of Lord Dattatreya. Over the past 100 years, Gurumandir has become a nucleus for religious and social welfare activities in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region.

Other old temples are Vitthal mandir, Chote Ram mandir and as well as famous "Kannao Ram mandir". Each year Ramnavami and other Hindu religious activities are performed in these temples.

Jain temples and institutions

Karanja is the only place in India that had been the set of three Bhatarakas representing three Digambar Jain traditions: Balatkar Gana, Sena Gana and Kastha Sangh. The Balatkar Gana seat had relocated from Manyakheta. ^[5]

There are four major Digambar Jain temples in Karanja. The Kastha Sangh temple has extraordinary wooden carvings dating back to at least 14th century. The Sena Gana temple has a pat (scroll) painting depicting the Panchkalyanak ceremonies of Jain Tirthankars. This scroll is painted in the Rajasthani style and is around 800 years old. Balatkar Gana temple has a collection of rare manuscripts. In 1926, Prof. Hiralal Jain had discovered 12 unknown Apabhramsha manuscripts here. They were later edited and published, supported by local donors. ^[6]

Karanja is known as the "Kashi" of Jainism. Also famous is the "Mahaveer Brahmacharyashram" or Gurukul. This place is the site of the first Gurukul founded by Acharya Shri 108 Samantabhadra in 1918 AD, it celebrated its ‘Shatakpurti Mahotsav’ in 2018. The Karanja institution was the first of 11 Gurukuls established by Acharya Samantabhadra. Gurukuls based this pattern was later started in Maharashtra (Bahubali, Ellora, Kunthalgiri), Khurai in Madhya Pradesh, ^[7] and Karnataka (Stawawidhi, Karkal, Terdal, Bellad Bagewadi). ^[8] The famous Berkeley scholar of Buddhism and Jainism Padmanabh Jaini was a student of the Karanja Gurukul.

Mosques

white gumbad jama masjid karanja lad made by mughals.

Karanja is also known as Karanja Bibi, referring to BiBi Saheba's Dargah in the Bibi Sahebapura. Karanja is also famous for its mosques (masjids). There are as many as 60 mosques in Karanja, most notably the Jama Masjid, which is a historical mosque built in 981 Hijri (1573/74 AD).

Kannao Mansion

Built in 1905, Kannao Mansion is famous for its use of French/Italian architecture. Kannao Mansion is more than a century-old replica of Shrilanka Queen Bungalow. It was also featured in the Marathi channel.

Historical places

Delhi Gate Karanja Lad

The Kannao Bungalow has 307 doors. Nawab Subhan Khan constructed a wall and four doors around Karanja, namely the Delhi Gate, the Darwha Gate, the Mangrul Gate, and the Poha Gate.

Politics

Hindu, Muslim, and Jain communities are actively involved in the municipal politics of Karanja. All communities coexist peacefully and with respect for each other's religious sentiments.^{[ citation needed ]} Prakash Dahake and Yusuf Punjani are considered the most powerful politicians from Karanja. Mr. Dahake was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Karanja and Yusuf Punjani is indirectly ruling Karanja Municipal Council. After the 2014 state elections, Rajendra Patni was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Karanja defeating Yusuf Punjani by a very narrow margin.

Fruit cultivation and market

Karanja is famous for its fruit market.^{[ citation needed ]} Karanja has a profitable market of papayas, and distributes the fruits across India, Nepal, and Bhutan.

References

1. "Sri Narasimha Saraswati". ShreeSwami.org. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
2. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
3. "Population by religion community - 2011". Census of India, 2011. The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived from the original on 25 August 2015.
4. "Maps, Weather, and Airports for Karanja, India". www.fallingrain.com.
5. The Bhaṭṭārakas of Kārañjā (Lāḍa): Triveṇī Saṅgama at Jaina Kāśī, Tillo Detige, SANMATI: Essays Felicitating Professor Hampa Nagarajaiah on the Occasion of his 80th Birthdaypp.143–176
6. "Jasaharacariu of Puṣpadanta. Edited by P. L. Vaidya. Karanja Jain Series, Vol. I. 6½ X 9½. pp. 220. Karanja (Berar): Karanja Jain Publication Society, 1931. - ṆāYakumāracariu of Puṣpadanta. Edited by Hiralal Jain. Devendrakirti Jain Series, Vol. I. 6½ x 9½, pp. lxiv, 210. Karanja (Berar): Balatkara Gana Jain Publication Society, 1934". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 7 (2): 392–393. 12 June 1934. doi:10.1017/S0041977X0008544X – via Cambridge University Press.
7. "Shri Parswnath Jain Brahmachary Ashram (Jain Gurukul)". gurukulkhurai.org.
8. "A century-old Gurukul, spreading light of Jainism, The Hitavada, 15 Apr 2018".

External links

• "S.S.S.K.R. Innani mahavidyalaya karanja lad"
• Gurumandir Karanja
• "Smt. Shakuntalabai Dhabekar Mahavidyalaya Karanja Lad"
• "Weekly Janta Parishad Karanja Lad District Washim" "साप्ताहिक जनता परिषद कारंजा लाड जिल्हा वाशिम"
• "Newsportal - Janta Parishad Karanja lad & Washim District News blog" "न्यूज पोर्टल - जनता परिषद"