Ahilyanagar, District capital in Maharashtra, India
Ahilyanagar is a district capital in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, located along the Sina River in the Balaghat Range at 649 meters elevation. The urban area includes several military installations, industrial plants and residential neighborhoods that stretch along the riverbanks and surrounding slopes.
Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I founded the settlement in 1494 as capital of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, naming it after himself. The fort later served as a prison where members of the Indian independence movement were detained under British rule.
The original name Bhingar refers to an old settlement that became a new center under Ahmad Nizam Shah's rule. Today residents and visitors increasingly use the name Ahilyanagar, honoring the Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar and emphasizing the region's connection to local history.
The railway station offers connections to Mumbai, Pune and other Maharashtra cities, with 24 express trains running daily. The road network allows arrivals by bus or private vehicle from surrounding regions.
The district hosts the highest concentration of sugar factories in Maharashtra, with nearby Pravanagar home to the first cooperative sugar factory in Asia. This industrial development continues to shape the economy and landscape of the region with extensive sugarcane fields surrounding the settlements.
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