Nagpur is a city in Maharashtra State famous for its Nagpur oranges. It is the headquarters of the Vidarbha division. It is also the "second capital" of Maharashtra state, which means that some administrative functions are carried out here, and one of three sessions of the Legislative Assembly in a year occur here.
The first reference to the name Nagpur is found in a 10th century copper-plate inscription discovered at Devali in the neighbouring Wardha district. The inscription is a record of grant of a village situated in the visaya (district) of Nagpura-Nandivardhana during time of Rastrakuta king Krsna III in the Saka year 862 (940 CE). However, tradition ascribes the founding of Nagpur to Bakht Buland, a prince of the Gond kingdom of Deogarh in the Chhindwara district. In 1743, the Maratha leader Raghoji Bhonsle of Vidarbha established himself at Nagpur, after conquering the territories of Deogarh, Chanda and Chhattisgarh by 1751. After Raghoji's death in 1755, his son and successor Janoji was forced to acknowledge the effective supremacy of the Maratha Peshwa of Pune in 1769. Regardless, the Nagpur state continued to grow. Janoji's successor Mudhoji I (d. 1788) came to power in 1785 and bought Mandla and the upper Narmada valley from the Peshwa between 1796 and 1798, after which Raghoji II (d. 1816) acquired Hoshangabad, the larger part of Saugor and Damoh. Under Raghoji II, Nagpur covered what is now the east of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, and parts of Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
PLACE TO VISIT
Deekshabhoomi is famous throughout India as the site where Dr. B. R. Ambedkar embraced Buddhism to promote his efforts to overcome discrimination against lower-caste and untouchable Hindus, and is also the largest hollow stupa in the world. Dalits and Buddhists from all over the country converge to Deekshabhoomi every year on Ashoka Dashmi.
The Sitabuldi fort situated near Kasturchand Park was the site of a fierce battle between the British and the Bhonsle Empire in 1817. The battle was a turning point as it laid the foundations of the downfall of the Bhonsles and paved the way for the British acquisition of Nagpur city
Almost every part of the city has at least one major Hindu temple. The Sri
Poddareshwar Ram Mandir on Central Avenue Road (CA Rd) is arguably the most
popular religious spot in the city. The ancient Shri Mahalaxmi Devi temple 17km from
the city is the town of Koradi draws devotees to its doors throughout the year,
especially during annual Navratri festival. Other famous temples are the Telangkhedi
temple near the lake (which houses all main deities of the Hindu religion), a temple
dedicated to Lord Shiva in the same locality, which is reputed to be over one hundred
years old and the Ramdeobaba temple near the college. Prominent places of
worship for other religions are also situated in the city. The Catholic Seminary located at Seminary Hills is one of the finest in the state. A Buddhist Dragon Palace
Temple located on the outskirts of the city has become popular tourist spot in recent
times due to its exquisite architecture and serene environment.
The city also contains a number of lakes that are popular recreation spots- Ambazari, Telangkhedi (which underwent major renovation recently), Gandhisagar, Gorewada, and Sonegaon to name a few. With its scenic gardens and recreation facilities, the Ambazari Lake has historically been one of the most popular spots in Nagpur, a status that it retains to this day. Another popular spot is the Maharajbag Zoo, originally a garden developed by the Bhonsle rulers. The Zoo contains several rare species of birds and animals. Pench forest reserve, which is the setting for Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, is 45 miles to the north of Nagpur.
HOW TO REACH
Train - Nagpur is the center of India. zero milestone of India is located in the city. It is almost equidistant from all the major metros. Nagpur is connected with all major cities with trains several times a day. Trains run throught the day to all parts of the country. All metros are more or less an overnight journey.
Air - The airport is just 7 km from the city-centre. http://www.nagpurairport.com/ Nagpur is connected to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Raipur, Nashik, Bangalore, Ahemadabad, Indore, Pune, Bangkok (Thailand), Sharjah (UAE), Doha(Qatar) and Dubai(UAE). Host of airlines fly in and out of Nagpur.
Indian Airlines operates twice daily to Mumbai, Delhi and thrice-weekly to Kolkata and Hyderabad. Jet Airways has two daily flights to Mumbai and one every evening to Delhi. Air Deccan operates daily a direct flight from Mumbai with the Airbus A320 flight. Also there are flights from Mumbai to Kolkata which has a stop at Nagpur.
Many new Airlines, namely Indigo Airlines, Kingfisher Airlines have started operations recently (Aug 2006).
Air Arabia has started flying to Nagpur. They operate five times a week, slated to become daily soon. Indian Airlines also has started a direct Nagpur-Bangkok flight twice a week. Direct flights to Singapore are slated to start in June 2006 on Silk Air.
Nagpur is also a Haj terminal and in season Air India operates 747's direct to Jeddah. Recently Qatar Airways have announced launching of Nagpur - Doha bi-weekly flights.
