Shirshi

Shirshi
village
Shirshi Location in Maharashtra, India Show map of Maharashtra Shirshi Shirshi (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 17°39′56″N73°23′5″E / 17.66556°N 73.38472°E / 17.66556; 73.38472
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Ratnagiri
Languages
• Official	Kokni
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	415727
Telephone code	02356
Vehicle registration	MH-08
Climate	Very hot in Apr–May and very cold in Dec–Jan (Köppen)

Shirshi is a village in Kokan on the banks of the Jagbudi River. ^[1] It is part of Khed Taluka of Ratnagiri.

Shirshi, situated in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, is renowned for its exquisite Alphonso mangoes, alongside a variety of seasonal fruits such as jackfruit, cashew nuts, jamun, and chikoo.

The primary agricultural activity in the region is rice cultivation, supplemented by the production of three varieties of grains, collectively referred to in the Kokni language as Toor Dal.

The village is characterized by numerous residential clusters, commonly referred to as Mohallas and Vadis, which include:

Varachi Vadi Khalchi Vadi Madhli Vadi Mukadam Vadi Chauan Vadi Patil Vadi Gurav Vadi Chinkate Vadi Buddha Vadi Mali Vadi These distinct enclaves contribute to the cultural and social fabric of Shirshi, reflecting the community's heritage and agricultural practices.

Location

The village offers a picturesque view from the Konkan Railway bridge, overlooking a mile-long expanse of lush paddy fields that give way to the hills. It comprises approximately 300 houses, predominantly situated on elevated terrain, which helps protect against heavy rains and seasonal floods. Strategically located midway along the regional road between Khed and Panhalje, the village is about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from the town of Khed.

History

The history of the village is not well-documented. However, when a bulldozer leveled land near the local graveyard for public use, several ancient household items were discovered, reportedly dating back many centuries. Local folklore, passed down through generations, suggests that there were significant trade links between the village and the outside world, particularly with Arab traders. This is largely attributed to the village's proximity to the Arabian Sea.

Facilities

In juxtaposition to other rural settlements throughout India, Shirshi—and its adjacent villages—benefits from an array of contemporary facilities, including advanced media, telecommunications, television, and internet connectivity. When telephony was first introduced to the Indian populace in the mid-1980s, the then Sarpanch of the village procured the inaugural telephone line for Shirshi. A parallel advancement was observed with the advent of television; the village is served by local cable systems in conjunction with satellite broadcasting networks such as TATA, Airtel, and Reliance.

All principal mobile network operators extend their services to Shirshi, while MTNL and BSNLprovide landline telecommunication facilities. Banking operations are conducted by the preeminent financial institution in the country, the State Bank of India, which maintains a regional branch in Karji, situated approximately 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from Shirshi. Additionally, the village hosts a local Post Office responsible for both the collection and dissemination of mail, as well as the administration of Postal Savings Accounts for its denizens. Local correspondence is systematically transferred to the Karji Post Office on a daily basis, with the Taluka Post Office located in Khed.

Education

Shirshi is home to an Urdu Primary School (up to Standard 7) and a Marathi High School (up to SSC). In addition to these local institutions, several other schools and educational facilities are located nearby. Students who complete their primary education in Urdu often pursue higher studies at Adarsh High School in Karji, Haji Mukadam School in Khed, L.T.T. English Medium School and Junior College in Khed, or the National School in the neighboring village of Savnas. There is also a Marathi medium High School in Shiv, situated across the Jagbudi River.

For junior college and degree education, various institutes in Khed are available, and DBJ College in Chiplun is well-regarded for post-secondary education. Recently, the establishment of Yogita Dental College in Khed has significantly enhanced opportunities for students seeking dental education.

Transportation

Air

The nearest Airport is Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport, located at around 250.0 km (155.3 mi) to the north from the village.

Railways

Khed railway station is about 17.0 km (10.6 mi) from the village, and is one of the main stations of the Konkan Railway line. Major trains going towards Mumbai and the southern region have their halts at the Khed railway station. The famous Dadar-Ratnagiri Passenger train has one full boogie reserved for the people boarding from Khed.

Road

The village is connected to the Khed town and hence to the NH-17 (Mumbai to Goa) through the local regional road (first it connects to Khed-Dapoli SH-104 and this road then connects to the NH-17 at Bharne Naka). State Transport buses famously called the ST buses (locally pronounced as 'aeshtee') run frequently to and from the Khed ST Depot. Direct buses are available for Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Kalyan, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri, Miraj, Vitthalwadi, Chiplun and many other nearby towns like Dapoli, Mandangad etc. from the Khed depot. From the Bharne Naka (about 2.0 km (1.2 mi) from Khed depot, it is a small junction at the NH-17), one can avail buses to virtually all the corners of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. Auto Rickshaws are in abundance. With the two wheeler industry in full swing youngsters enjoy their conveyance through the motorbikes.

Notable people

The people of Shirshi have a distinction of showing their presence in some of the Maharashtra's well known cities like Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Bhiwandi, Jalgaon, Khamgaon, Jalna, Akole, Latur and Solapur. Village people also live in Kuwait, Dubai, KSA, Qatar, Oman.

Majority of the people have their surnames as Hamdulay (or Hamdule), Mukadam, Chinkate, Patil and Chauhan. The other surnames include Siddique, Mandlekar, Walapkar, Tambe and Mali.

See also

• Arabian Sea
• Ashti, Khed
• Bahirwali
• Bhoste
• Karji
• Kondivali
• Ratnagiri
• Savnas

References

1. "Adarsh High School, Karjee". Wikimapia. Retrieved 27 August 2007.