Beed
Encyclopedia
Beed is a town and administrative headquarters of the district of the same name located in central Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

 state of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. According to 2001 census, it is the largest urban area in the district with a population of 138,091. Calculated population of 2010 is 161,604. It ranks 295th in population in India. Nearly 36% of the district’s urban population lives in the town alone. It has witnessed roughly 23% population growth during 1991–2001 decade.

Its official name is Beed, though; Bhir, Bir, Bīr, Bid or Bīd can also be seen sometimes in official and unofficial documents and seals. Some references like Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...

 refer it as Bhir, Encyclopedia Encarta as Bīr and Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...

 as Bir while it is found at World Gazetteer as Bīd.
In 1990s during the government of right wing Hindu party Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena , is a political party in India founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray...

 in Maharashtra, Beed town was proposed to be renamed as Champavatinagar, which is said to be its old name.

Beed's early history is obscure. Historians speculate based on archaeological remains that the town might have been founded by the Yadava rulers (1173–1317) of Devagiri (now Daulatabad). Beed town was a part of the State of Hyderabad
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...

 (Asaf Jahi Kingdom) of Nizam
Nizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...

s. After independence the state was annexed to India in September 1948 following a military action. Beed remained in Hyderabad state until 1956 when it was included in Bombay Presidency
Bombay Presidency
The Bombay Presidency was a province of British India. It was established in the 17th century as a trading post for the English East India Company, but later grew to encompass much of western and central India, as well as parts of post-partition Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.At its greatest...

. On May 1, 1960 Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

 state was created on linguistic basis and Marathi dominant Beed town became part of Maharashtra.

There are several historical buildings located in the town of which Kankaleshwar temple is the most famous. There are remains of citadel wall which protect a part of the old town from rare but violent floods of Bendsura river.
As district headquarters, the town has several district and local administrative offices including district and municipal councils, district and session courts and offices of district collector and superintendent of police. Hospitals, schools and colleges including professional training colleges are also located in the town.

Topography and Climate

Beed is situated on the Deccan Plateau
Deccan Plateau
The Deccan Plateau is a large plateau in India, making up the majority of the southern part of the country. It rises a hundred meters high in the north, rising further to more than a kilometers high in the south, forming a raised triangle nested within the familiar downward-pointing triangle of...

 18.99°N 75.76°E, on the banks of Bendsura river (also called Bindusara) which is a sub-tributary of Godavari river. Bendsura originates in the hills of Balaghat range, 30 km south-west of the town near the village of Waghira. The river divides the town into smaller eastern and larger western parts. Balaghat Range stretches very close, up to 10 km south of the town making terrain; mainly in the eastern part, undulating. Soil is coarse and rocky largely consisting of basalt. Thin layers of fertile black soil are also seen in the northern part and in the south at the western bank of Bendsura. The town has Semi-arid
Semi-arid
A semi-arid climate or steppe climate describes climatic regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not extremely...

, hot and dry climate consisting of mainly three seasons. Summers are long, ranging almost five months from mid February to June. Temperatures in summer fall between 31 °C (87.8 °F) - 40 °C (104 °F) (1997 average). However, it may reach higher than 40 °C in searching summer. May is the hottest month of a year with an average day temperature of 42 °C (107.6 °F) in the district. Winters are short with temperatures ranging within 12 °C (53.6 °F) - 20 °C (68 °F). December is the coldest month in a year. Occasionally, due to northern cold waves temperature may fall as low as 3 °C (37.4 °F) or 4 °C (39.2 °F). Relative humidity in winter is the lowest and December is the driest month in a year with the relative humidity as low as 30%.
Rains are scarce and occur only during the Monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...

 from mid June to September. Annual average rainfall is 66.6 cm (26.22 inches). The average rain fall has got a drop of 9.6 cm from the averages recorded during 1900s. Average number of rainy days in a year is 41. September gets the maximum rainfall in a year while July has the maximum rainy days. Highest rainfall recorded in 24 hours (19.18 cm) occurred on August 17, 1887.

.
Bendsura is a rapid and seasonal river. Aiming irrigation and drinking water supply to the town, a reservoir Bendsura Project (capacity 7.106 mm3) was constructed on the river in 1955 near the village Pāli, about 10 km south of the town. At some places in the town, the river is narrow and looks like a stream. The lack of vegetation and rocky and undulating terrain contributes to violent floods in heavy rains. These have repeatedly caused substantial loss of property and life in the history of the town, most recently on July 23, 1989 when a massive flooding of three habitations in the town caused a number of dead or missing and property losses of millions of rupees. Beed falls under Seismic Hazard Zone-III in India according to the new seismic hazard map updated in the year 2000 by the of Indian Standards. Before this update, the town was under Zone-I.

History

Beed
Beed
Beed is a town and administrative headquarters of the district of the same name located in central Maharashtra state of India. According to 2001 census, it is the largest urban area in the district with a population of 138,091. Calculated population of 2010 is 161,604. It ranks 295th in population...

 is a historical town of possibly medieval origin, in Maharashtra, India. Few historians have mentioned it as it never became a place of importance. Rulers, almost always, ignored it perhaps because of its unimportant location.

Historical Accounts

The first historical mention of the town came in the Tārīkh-e-Firishta (original name Gulshan-e-Ibrahimi) compiled by Muhammad Qasim Firishta
Firishta
Firishta or Ferishta, full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah , was born in 1560 and died in 1620 and he was a Persian historian. The name Firishta means angel or one who is sent in Persian.-Life:...

 (1560–1620), a 17th century Persian-Indian historian. Famous English translation of this book History of The Rise of Mahomedan Power in India by John Briggs has been published several times in India and abroad. Firishta has given little but valuable information about the town of his time. He has also mentioned the famous Kankaleshwar temple in detail. In 1317 AH (1898), Qazi Muhammad Qutbullah, a resident and Qazi of Beed wrote a detailed history of Beed town (Tārīkh-e-Bīr) in Urdu based on the accounts available at that time. Copy of this book, now can only be found in the State Archives, Library of Salar Jang Museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

 and Library of Osmania University
Osmania University
Osmania University , , since 1918, is a public university located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established and named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India. It is the first Indian University to have Urdu and...

; all in Hyderabad. However, first detailed history of the town Riyāz-ul-Abrār (Garden of the Virtuous) was written by Qazi Muhammad Fakhruddin in 1152 AH (1739). Unfortunately this book is not available in the libraries for reference. However, Qutbullah has quoted this book in his Tārīkh-e-Bīr (History of Beed) and also has referred for the accounts. In 1361 AH (1942) Syed Basit Ali, a resident of Beed, who was a student of intermediate in the City College of Hyderabad, wrote a brief history Tārīkh-e-Bīr in Urdu. Its copies can be found in the library of Osmania University. In recent times Abdul Hamīd Nathapuri wrote Zila Bīr Kī Tārīkh (history of Beed district) in Urdu which is published in 1998 from Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

. His book gives accounts of mainly Beed town and is largely based on Qutbullah’s accounts and oral traditions. Some historical accounts can also be found in the gazette of Beed district published in 1969 by the Gazetteers Department of Beed district. This Gazette is now out of print but available online at the government of Maharashtra website. The Imperial Gazetteer of India
The Imperial Gazetteer of India
The Imperial Gazetteer of India was a gazetteer of the British Indian Empire, and is now a historical reference work. It was first published in 1881...

, compiled during the British rule also gives some important details of the town and the district.

Foundation and name

The history of the foundation of the town is unknown. According to legend, Beed was an inhabited place in the period of Pandavas and Kurus
Kurus
Kuruş is a Turkish currency subunit. Since 2005, one new Turkish lira is equal to 100 kuruş. The kuruş was also the standard unit of currency in the Ottoman Empire until 1844, and from that date until the late 1970s was a subdivision of the former lira. It was subdivided into 40 para , each of...

 as Durgavati. Its name was subsequently changed to Balni. Champavati, who was sister of Vikramaditya
Vikramaditya
Vikramaditya was a legendary emperor of Ujjain, India, famed for his wisdom, valour and magnanimity. The title "Vikramaditya" was later assumed by many other kings in Indian history, notably the Gupta King Chandragupta II and Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya .The name King Vikramaditya is a...

, after capturing it renamed as Champavatinagar. After that the town fell to Calukya (Chalukya), Rashtrkuta and Yadava dynasties before felling to the Muslim
Islam in India
Islam is the second-most practiced religion in the Republic of India after Hinduism, with more than 13.4% of the country's population ....

 rule. However, some scholars say that it was possibly founded by the Yadava rulers of Devagiri (now Daulatabad).
Tārīkh-e-Bīr (history of Beed) mentions that Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Turkic Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.He was born in Kotla Tolay Khan in Multan. His wife was daughter of the raja of Dipalpur...

 named it Bir (Arabic ‘Well’) after building a fort and several wells in and around the town. Until recent times, wells were abundant in the town. Because of modern facilities of water supply they became less important and subsequently most of them were filled.
It is unclear that as to how the present name Beed came into use. There are at least two different traditions. The first tradition says that since the district is situated at the foot of Balaghat Range as if it is in a hole, it was named as Bil (Marathi for hole) which in course of time corrupted to Bid. According to the second tradition a Yavana ruler of ancient India, named it Bhir (Persian for Water) after finding water at a very low depth and Bhir might have become Beed in course of time.
The first tradition seems to be untrue, because with no angle, the entire district can be called a ‘hole’. Only north eastern part of the district is at lower heights and a vast area of 10,615 km² can not be called a ‘hole’ just because of slight depression. Furthermore, Bil (hole) in Marathi is spoken for a deep and narrow hole not for a slight depression.
The second tradition though, have some distortion, appears to be true and in accord with Tārīkh-e-Bīr of Quazi Muhammad Qutbullah (1898). The word ‘Yavana’ in early Indian literature
Indian literature
Indian literature refers to the literature produced on the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and in the Republic of India thereafter. The Republic of India has 22 officially recognized languages....

 meant a Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

 or any foreigner. At a much later date it was frequently applied to the Muslim
Islam in India
Islam is the second-most practiced religion in the Republic of India after Hinduism, with more than 13.4% of the country's population ....

 invaders of India. It is quite possible that Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Turkic Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.He was born in Kotla Tolay Khan in Multan. His wife was daughter of the raja of Dipalpur...

 may have been referred in this tradition as Yavana ruler. Muslims invaded and ruled the Deccan for centuries and almost all Muslim rulers had Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

 as their court language. It seems that Arabic 'Bir' was eventually pronounced ‘Bhir’ in the Indian languages and the people mistakenly took this Arabic word as Persian for the court language of the rulers was Persian. Until recent times after independence, the town was called ‘Bir’ and ‘Bhir’ in the official documents.
Beed District having Taluka:
1.Ashti
2.Beed
3.Kaij
4.Ambajogae
5.Gevrai
6.Majalgaon

Historical events

According to legend, when Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...

, demon king of Lanka (Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

), abducted Sita
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...

 (wife of Hindu
Hinduism in India
Hinduism is a religious tradition of India, with 80.5% of the population identifying themselves as Hindus. The vast majority of Hindus in India belong to Vaishnavite and Shaivite denominations.The Vedic culture originated in India between 2000 and 1500 BC...

 deity Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

) and was taking her to Lanka, Jatayu (eagle) tried to stop him. Ravana cut its wings and wounded Jatayu fell on the ground. When Rama reached there in search of his beloved wife, Jatayu told him the whole story and died. The place where he died is said to be in Beed town and Jatashankar temple is standing at the place, which is; according to scholars, possibly built by Yadavas of Devagiri. Another legend also narrates that Beed was called Durgavati in the period of Pandavas and Kurus who fought a devastating war of Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

.

Early history

Early history of the town is obscure until it came under Tughluq rule. If the town was founded in Yadava era then possibly it happened in king Singhana's (1210–47) period, when Yadava dynasty reached its height. He may have built the town and Kankaleshwar temple as well. Beed came under Muslim rule for the first time in 1317 when Qutb-ud-Din Mubarak Shah (1316–20), the last Khilji
Khilji dynasty
The Khilji Sultanate was a dynasty of Turko-Afghan Khalaj origin who ruled large parts of South Asia from 1290 - 1320. They were the second dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate of India...

, captured Devagiri and Yadava dynasty was annexed to Khilji dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...

. Beed remained under Khiljis until 1320 when Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughluq (1320–25) took over. In 1327 Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Turkic Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.He was born in Kotla Tolay Khan in Multan. His wife was daughter of the raja of Dipalpur...

 (1325–51) made Daulatabad his capital. Tughluq and his army camped in the town in 1341 (AH 742 Islamic calendar
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...

) while on the journey back to Daulatabad from Warangal
Warangal
Warangal is a city and a municipal corporation in Warangal district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Warangal is located northeast of the state capital of Hyderabad and is the administrative headquarters of Warangal District. This district is a combination of three cities: Warangal,...

. The emperor lost one of his teeth here, which he ordered to be buried with much ceremony and a tomb was constructed at the place. The tomb is still present in very poor condition near the village Karjani about 13 km south of the town. Juna Khan one of the governors of Tughluq empire is said to have resided in Beed for quite some time and introduced many reforms for the welfare of the ruled. He diverted the course of Bendsura from west to east by constructing a protection wall around the town. Before his time there was no such protection for the town and it was situated on the eastern bank of the river. After that the population was largely shifted to the western part.
In 1347 Beed came under Bahmanid rule when Hasan Gangu
Hasan Gangu
Abu'l Muzaffar Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah , whose original name was Hasan Gangu or Hansan Kanku and also bore the title of Zafar Khan was the founder of the Bahmani sultanate.-Ancestry and early life:...

 (1347–58), founder of Bahmanid Sultanate
Bahmani Sultanate
The Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim state of the Deccan in southern India and one of the great medieval Indian kingdoms...

, rebelled against Tughluq rule and ascended throne of Daulatabad as Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah. Muhammad Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Turkic Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.He was born in Kotla Tolay Khan in Multan. His wife was daughter of the raja of Dipalpur...

 acted vigorously and came to Deccan to subdue the rebels. He recaptured the province of Daulatabad, of which, Beed was a part. Hasan Gangu and other insurgents fled to Bidar
Bidar
Bidar is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the north-eastern part of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Bidar District....

 and Gulbarga
Gulbarga
Gulbarga is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Gulbarga District. It was formerly part of Nizam's Hyderabad state...

. Before the matter is fully settled a rebel broke in Gujarat and the sultan approached to Gujarat appointing Imad-ul-Mulk as governor in Deccan. Meanwhile Hasan Gangu attacked Daulatabad and marched towards Beed and captured it. After that the town remained under Bahmanid rule and is said to be flourished under Firuz Shah Bahmani's (1397–1422) rule. During the reign of Humayun Shah Bahmani (1451–61), famous as Zālim (cruel), his brother Hasan Shah rebelled and came to Beed. A Jagirdar (feudatory) of Beed, Habibullah Shah was his supporter. Humayun Shah sent an army and after a fierce fighting in the grounds of Kankaleshwar temple, the rebellion armies defeated Humayun's army. Humayun became furious and sent another force to defeat the rebels. This time rebels were defeated, Habibullah Shah was killed and captured Hasan Shah was taken to the capital and was put before a hungry lion.

1600 CE to 1858 CE

After the decline of Bahmanid Sultanate the town fell to Nizam Shahi rulers of Ahmadnagar. Several wars were fought in Beed between Nizam Shahi and Adil Shahi rulers of Bijapur
Adil Shahi
The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi dynasty ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur in the Western area of the Deccan region of Southern India from 1490 to 1686. Bijapur had been a province of the Bahmani Sultanate , before its political decline in the last quarter of the 15th century and eventual break-up in 1518...

 to take the control of Beed. In 1598 Mughals captured Beed from Chand Bibi
Chand Bibi
Chand Bibi , also known as Chand Khatun or Chand Sultana, was an Indian Muslim woman warrior. She acted as the Regent of Bijapur and Regent of Ahmednagar...

 of Ahmadnagar. A year later Nihang Khan retook it but soon it fell again to Mughals
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

. Mughal army camped here for some time. During the reign of Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...

 (1569–1627), Jan Sipar Khan was administering Beed town. He constructed Jama Masjid of Beed in 1036 AH (1627). Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...

 (1658–1707), appointed Haji Sadar Shah in Beed as Naib-e-Subadar (assistant of governor). Sadar Shah did some good changes and constructions in the town. He built Eid Gah (place of Eid prayer) in 1702 and a new habitation on the heights in the eastern part as Ghazi Pura (now Islam Pura) in 1703. The remains of it are still visible. He also constructed a small citadel (1703) inside the old large citadel which was worn out after standing for several hundred years, from Tughluq period. A stone plate in Persian script at the main entry of Jama Masjid sets the year of construction of citadel by Haji Sadar Shah in the year 1115 AH (1703). In his period economy of the town also flourished. Chhagal (water container made of leather), Gupti (hidden sword in wooden stick) etc. made in Beed were popular in the region.

Beed was quite a beautiful town during Bahmanids and Mughals. Tārīkh-e-Bīr mentions many gardens and amenities of these periods. Until 1960s there were two well maintained gardens in the town.
In 1724 Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah founded Asaf Jahi kingdom, seizing Deccan against the rule of Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah (1719–48). In Nizams' era no major addition or construction was done to the citadel because the old building was serving the purpose and the citadels were losing importance with the advent of modern fighting techniques.
Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...

 ruler of Gwalior, Mahadji Scindia (1761–94) was defeated and severely injured and was missing in the third war of Panipat
Panipat
Panipat بَنِبَت is an ancient and historic city in Panipat district, Haryana state, India. It is 90 km north from Delhi and 169 km south of Chandigarh on NH-1. The three battles fought at the city were turning points in Indian history. The city is famous in India by the name of "City of...

 in 1761. His wife, who is said to be from Beed, went to a Muslim Sufi of Beed Mansur Shah and told him to prey for the return of Mahadji. After return to Gwalior Mahadji called Mansur Shah to Gwalior but he refused and sent his son Habib Shah instead. Mahadji remained thankful to Mansur Shah for all his life. His tomb is in eastern Beed.
Reign of sixth Nizam Mir Mahbub Ali Khan (1869–1911) proved eventful in the history of Beed. Rebels, great famine and floods happened in his reign. Jagirdars were replaced by Awwal Taluqdars (Collectors) in his father's reign and Jivanji Ratanji came as the first collector of Beed in 1865. Districts were created and Beed district was formally settled in 1883. He constructed one habitation and market Mahbub Gunj (now Hiralal Chowk) on the eastern bank of Bendsura, remains of that can still be seen. After a very scarce rainfall in three successive years 1897-99, great famine occurred in Beed in 1900. Thousands of cattle and Hundreds of humans died of starvation and thousands migrated to the neighbouring parts of the country. The census in 1901 reported remarkable decrease of 150,464 in the population of Beed district.
Mir Osman Ali Khan (1911–48) came after his father's death. Kotwalis, Police Stations, Schools, Hospitals and Dispensaries were built during his period. Nizams were allies of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 in India. During the countrywide movement for independence
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...

, in 19th and 20th centuries they tried to suppress the feelings of nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...

 which were spreading due to nationwide efforts of the freedom fighters. Nationalists in the state of Hyderabad did not like Nizam's friendship with the oppressor British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

. Beed was the first place in Marathwada region where freedom struggle started in 1818. In 1818 during the rule of Nizam Sikandar Jah (1803–29) first rebel broke out in Beed under the leadership of Dharmaji Pratap Rao. Nizam sent the Risala of Navab Murtaza Yar Jang under the command of British Lieutenant John Sutherland. The rebel leader and his bother were captured and a long run rebellion movement in Beed came to an end.

1858 CE to Present

Another rebel broke in 1858 and all the rebels were captured. After that many small incidents of defiance happened against British rule but all were suppressed by force. A major rebel broke under the leadership of Baba Sahab alias Rao Sahab in 1898. The important leaders of this movement were Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...

s of Beed and the Brahmin officials in police and judiciary also supported the movement. They were dreaming of Brahmin rule and started collecting money for arms by looting and donations in different parts of the district. But after a short fight the rebels were captured and the movement came to an end. But the feelings of defiance could not be suppressed and different movements under the leadership of Swami Ramanand Teerth and Govind Bhai Shroff continued in Marathwada and the state. After independence, Mir Osman Ali Khan was reluctant to join the Indian Union. Finally, on September 12, 1948 a military action Operation Polo
Operation Polo
Operation Polo code name for The Hyderabad Police Action was a military operation in September 1948 in which the Indian Armed Forces engaged those of the State of Hyderabad and ended the rule of Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union....

 was launched and the state was easily captured within six days as Nizam's army resisted little. Although Operation Polo caused relatively few casualties, the following communal carnage was all the more terrible. Beed was one of the eight worst hit districts in the state. After calm down, a team visited the town on behalf of Indian government and sent a report to the centre. According to official, Sundarlal Report, 27,000-40,000 Muslims were killed throughout the state. Horrible crimes of abduction and rape of women and girls, loot, arson, desecration of mosques, forcible conversions and seizure of houses and lands were mentioned in the report. Some unofficial reports, however, puts the figure of killings up to 50,000 and some even to a few hundred thousand.
A plebiscite was held shortly after the military action in which the population voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining the Indian Union. Many Muslims during and after 1948 migrated to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. The town has witnessed communal strife several times in modern India. In 1949 Bendsura Project was launched to provide drinking and irrigation water supply to the town and nearby villages. The project was completed in 1956. In 1952 Beed Nagar Pālika (Municipal Council) was established under the undivided Hyderabad State. In 1962, a year after the creation of Maharashtra State, Beed Zila Parīshad (District Council) came into being after dissolving all the local bodies.

Chronology

  • 13th Century (possibly) - Beed town was founded.
  • 13th/14th Century (possibly) - Kankaleshwar temple was built.
  • 1317 - Beed falls to the Khiljis as Qutb-ud-Din Mubarak Shah captures Devagiri.
  • 1327 - Beed came under Tughluqs.
  • 1341 - Emperor Muhammad Tughluq
    Muhammad bin Tughluq
    Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Turkic Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.He was born in Kotla Tolay Khan in Multan. His wife was daughter of the raja of Dipalpur...

     came to the town. On his order the citadel was built, the flow of Bendsura was turned to the south, several wells were dug in and around the town and the town was named Bir.
  • 1347 - Beed comes under Bahmanid rule as Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah founds Bahmani Sultanate
    Bahmani Sultanate
    The Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim state of the Deccan in southern India and one of the great medieval Indian kingdoms...

    .
  • 1455(roughly)- a fierce war was fought between Humayun Shah Zālim and Hasan Shah in the grounds of Kankaleshwar temple. Ruler Humayun was defeated. Humayun sent another army and the rebel was captured.
  • 1499 - Beed was annexed to the Nizam Shahi dynasty of Ahmadnagar
    Ahmadnagar
    Ahmadnagar is located in Gujranwala DistricTt, Punjab, Pakistan.-References:...

     after the capture of Daulatabad.
  • 1583 - Khazana Well constructed.
  • 1598 - Mughal
    Mughal Empire
    The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

     captures Beed from Chand Bibi
    Chand Bibi
    Chand Bibi , also known as Chand Khatun or Chand Sultana, was an Indian Muslim woman warrior. She acted as the Regent of Bijapur and Regent of Ahmednagar...

     of Ahmadnagar
    Ahmadnagar
    Ahmadnagar is located in Gujranwala DistricTt, Punjab, Pakistan.-References:...

    .
  • 1627 - Jama Masjid was constructed by Jan Sipar Khan.
  • 1702 - Eid Gah (place of Eid prayer) was built.
  • 1703 - New citadel inside the old fort and a new habitation on the eastern heights were built during the rule of Aurangzeb
    Aurangzeb
    Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...

    .
  • 1724 - Beed became part of Asaf Jahi kingdom (Hyderabad state
    Hyderabad State
    -After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...

    ) as Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah-I seize Deccan.
  • 1739 - Qazi Muhammad Fakhruddin writes a detailed history of Beed town by the name 'Riyāz-ul-Abrār' (Garden of the Virtuous) in Urdu
    Urdu
    Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...

    .
  • 1818 - Rebel brakes under the leadership of Dharmaji Pratap Rao. British
    United Kingdom
    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

     Lieutenant John Sutherland comes with army and captures the rebel.
  • 1835 - Massive flood hits the town. Kotwali Gate and adjacent wall was constructed as a protection from frequent violent floods.

  • 1858 - A small rebel breaks but all the rebels were captured.
  • 1865 - Jivanji Ratanji became the first collector of Beed as the feudatory system was abolished by Nizams.
  • 1883 - Beed district was formally settled.
  • 1898 - A rebel broke under the leadership of Baba Sahab alias Rao Sahab. The rebels were captured.
  • 1898 - Qazi Muhammad Qutbullah, a resident and Qazi of Beed wrote a detailed history of Beed town (Tārīkh-e-Bīr) in Urdu.
  • 1898 - 1900 - Great famine occurs in Beed. Hundreds of humans and thousands of cattle die.
  • 1942 - Syed Basit Ali wrote a brief history of Beed town in Urdu.
  • 1947 - India gains independence.
  • 1948 - Operation Polo
    Operation Polo
    Operation Polo code name for The Hyderabad Police Action was a military operation in September 1948 in which the Indian Armed Forces engaged those of the State of Hyderabad and ended the rule of Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union....

     was launched to take the Hyderabad State
    Hyderabad State
    -After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...

     in the Indian Union on September 12. During the operation communal strife breaks and thousands killed in the carnage.
  • 1949 - Bendsura project was launched.
  • 1952 - Beed Nagar Pālika (Municipal Council) established.
  • 1956 - Bendsura project completed.
  • 1962 - Beed Zila Parīshad (District Council) came into being.
  • 1969 - First Gazette of Beed district under the modern India was published.
  • 1982 - Television
    Television
    Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

     transmission station was constructed.
  • 1982 - Area of 43 villages from Beed district was given to a newly created Latur district.
  • 1989 - Massive flood wipes out three habitations in the town. Several died or missing, properties of worth millions of rupees destroyed.
  • 1994 - Beed came in headlines world wide after the breakout of Bubonic Plague
    Bubonic plague
    Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...

    .
  • 1998 - Abdul Hamīd Nathapuri wrote a history of Beed district (Zila Bīr Kī Tārīkh) in Urdu.
  • 2002 - 23rd National junior Kho-Kho championship was held.
  • 2004 - First mobile phone
    Mobile phone
    A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...

     service started in the town.

Kankaleshwar Temple

It is perhaps the oldest and the most beautiful building in the town. Historians are not sure about the construction period of this temple. The architectural style suggests that it might have been constructed during Yadava period., most probably during the reign of Singhana (1210–47), who also founded Devagiri (Daulatabad). The design of this temple has some close similarities to the temples at the famous caves of Ellora. Situated in the middle of a small lake in the eastern part of the town, the temple is built with black stone and is carved with excellent human and divine figures. A fair is held in the grounds of temple during Mahashivratri.

Jama Masjid (Mosque)

Built during the period of Mughal emperor Jahangir (1605–27) by his official in Beed Jān Sipār Khan in 1036 AH (1627), it is one of the largest mosques in Beed. Situated in the centre of the town at Quila (citadel) it has three huge domes and four minarets.

Shahinshah Wali tomb

Shahinshah Wali was a Sufi of 14th century. He came to Beed during the rule of Muhammad Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Turkic Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.He was born in Kotla Tolay Khan in Multan. His wife was daughter of the raja of Dipalpur...

. His tomb and surrounding areas were built in different periods from 1385–1840. The details can be seen in the history of Beed. It is situated on the eastern elevations. Each year an Urs (fair) is held here on 2nd day of Rabi’ Al-Awwal, third month of Islamic calendar
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...

.

Khandoba Temple

It is situated on the eastern hills. Built in Hemadpanti style, it is often regarded as the symbol of town. Two symmetrical, octagonal dīpmal (tower of light) rising 21.33 meters (70 ft) are standing in front of the temple. Towers have carved figures of humans and animals, now most of them defaced. There are two stories about the construction of this temple. One says that it was built by Sultanji Nimbalkar a Jagirdar of Nizam era. The other says that it was built by Mahadji Scindia. Tārīkh-e-Bīr (History of Beed) mentions it with Nimbalkar.

Mansur Shah tomb

Mansur Shah was 18th century Sufi of Suharwardy clan of Sufis. He is said to be a Dharma Guru (spiritual teacher) of Mahadji Scindia. His tomb is in the eastern part of Beed near Khandeshwari temple. Dome of the shrine is made of marble.

Khazana Well

This historic and famous well is situated about 6 km south of the town. It was constructed in 991 AH (1583) by Salābat Khan, a Jagirdar of Beed in the period of Murtaza Nizam Shah of Ahmadnagar
Ahmadnagar
Ahmadnagar is located in Gujranwala DistricTt, Punjab, Pakistan.-References:...

. It is said that the water level in this well remains unchanged even in droughts. Three currents of water start from the well and irrigate the land of Barg o Zār (meaning 'Leaves and Flowers', pronounced in colloquial as Balguzār) around the town. During droughts municipality of the town take water from this well and supply it to some parts of the town and surrounding villages. Salābat Khan also constructed Kāranja (fountains) and a garden in the centre of the town. Tower of Kāranja is still standing in the middle of the town in a very bad condition.

Historic Gates

The town had several gates and a small fort in the past. Now only four are remaining and are in poor condition. Only one out of several were built in the eastern part in Mahbub Gunj (now Hiralal Chowk). Kotwali gate (known as Kotwali Ves) is situated at the western bank of river Bendsura. This has got its name because a police station (Kotwali) was situated adjacent to the gate. Another gate, which is also in a bad condition, is found at Quila near Milliya campus. Fourth gate is in Bashīr Gunj area and perhaps is in a little better condition than the other gates, most probably due to the grave on its Burj which is said to be of some Sufi Buland Shah.

Kankaleshwar Temple

It is perhaps the oldest and the most beautiful building in the town. Historians are not sure about the construction period of this temple. The architectural style suggests that it might have been constructed during Yadava period., most probably during the reign of Singhana (1210–47), who also founded Devagiri (Daulatabad). The design of this temple has some close similarities to the temples at the famous caves of Ellora. Situated in the middle of a small lake in the eastern part of the town, the temple is built with black stone and is carved with excellent human and divine figures. A fair is held in the grounds of temple during Mahashivratri.

Jama Masjid (Mosque)

Built during the period of Mughal emperor Jahangir (1605–27) by his official in Beed Jān Sipār Khan in 1036 AH (1627), it is one of the largest mosques in Beed. Situated in the centre of the town at Quila (citadel) it has three huge domes and four minarets.

Shahinshah Wali tomb

Shahinshah Wali was a Sufi of 14th century. He came to Beed during the rule of Muhammad Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Turkic Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.He was born in Kotla Tolay Khan in Multan. His wife was daughter of the raja of Dipalpur...

. His tomb and surrounding areas were built in different periods from 1385–1840. The details can be seen in the history of Beed. It is situated on the eastern elevations. Each year an Urs (fair) is held here on 2nd day of Rabi’ Al-Awwal, third month of Islamic calendar
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...

.

Khandoba Temple

It is situated on the eastern hills. Built in Hemadpanti style, it is often regarded as the symbol of town. Two symmetrical, octagonal dīpmal (tower of light) rising 21.33 meters (70 ft) are standing in front of the temple. Towers have carved figures of humans and animals, now most of them defaced. There are two stories about the construction of this temple. One says that it was built by Sultanji Nimbalkar a Jagirdar of Nizam era. The other says that it was built by Mahadji Scindia. Tārīkh-e-Bīr (History of Beed) mentions it with Nimbalkar.

Mansur Shah tomb

Mansur Shah was 18th century Sufi of Suharwardy clan of Sufis. He is said to be a Dharma Guru (spiritual teacher) of Mahadji Scindia. His tomb is in the eastern part of Beed near Khandeshwari temple. Dome of the shrine is made of marble.

Khazana Well

This historic and famous well is situated about 6 km south of the town. It was constructed in 991 AH (1583) by Salābat Khan, a Jagirdar of Beed in the period of Murtaza Nizam Shah of Ahmadnagar
Ahmadnagar
Ahmadnagar is located in Gujranwala DistricTt, Punjab, Pakistan.-References:...

. It is said that the water level in this well remains unchanged even in droughts. Three currents of water start from the well and irrigate the land of Barg o Zār (meaning 'Leaves and Flowers', pronounced in colloquial as Balguzār) around the town. During droughts municipality of the town take water from this well and supply it to some parts of the town and surrounding villages. Salābat Khan also constructed Kāranja (fountains) and a garden in the centre of the town. Tower of Kāranja is still standing in the middle of the town in a very bad condition.

Historic Gates

The town had several gates and a small fort in the past. Now only four are remaining and are in poor condition. Only one out of several were built in the eastern part in Mahbub Gunj (now Hiralal Chowk). Kotwali gate (known as Kotwali Ves) is situated at the western bank of river Bendsura. This has got its name because a police station (Kotwali) was situated adjacent to the gate. Another gate, which is also in a bad condition, is found at Quila near Milliya campus. Fourth gate is in Bashīr Gunj area and perhaps is in a little better condition than the other gates, most probably due to the grave on its Burj which is said to be of some Sufi Buland Shah.

Demographics

India census, Beed town had a population of 138,091. Male population is 71,790 and females constitute 66,301. There are 923.54 females per thousand males in the town. Birth rate is 15.9 which is lower than the national average of 22. Death rate is 3 which is lower than the national average of 8.2. Infant mortality rate is 71 per thousand live births which is much higher than the national average of 54.6 deaths for thousand live births. Maternal mortality rate however, is 1 which is extremely lower than the national average of 540.
Beed district has got the lowest sex ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....

 in Maharashtra State. Beed has the lowest male-female sex ratio in the age group of 0–6 years (801 as against 1000 male children) as per the 2011 census. Maharashtra's sex ratio in the age group of 0–6 years is 883 girls as against 1000 boys.

Even this small town is an evidence of India’s religious and cultural diversity. 69.15 km² of land is home for Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Jain, Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 and Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...

 communities. A calculated Hindu population in the town comprises around 40% - 41%. 12,307 Hindus were living in the town in 1901, which was 69.64% of the then population. This proportion was reduced after a mass conversion of Dalits to Buddhism and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

. Moreover, Jain population was also considered as Hindu at that time. Nearly 25% of population in Beed comprises Muslims. 4,993 Muslims were living in the town in 1901 which was 28.25% of the then population. Calculated Muslim population in Beed as per 2001 census reaches 34522. Percentage of Dalit (Scheduled Casts & Scheduled Tribes) population in the district is 14.13% (SC 13.01% - ST 1.12%) in the 2001 census. Calculated Dalit population in the town as per 2001 census is 19512. By religion, nearly all Dalits are Buddhist; however, some still follow Hindu customs. A Buddhist temple is located at Mali Chowk area.
According to Crusade Watch there were 662 Christians living in the town in the year 2000 which was 0.5% of the then population. In 1901 only 68 Christians were living in the town and most of them were native. Protestant (Assemblies of God) and Roman Catholic (Saint Ann’s) churches are located in the town. A missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

 Saint Ann’s school has a reputation of elite with excellent infrastructure. Jain community (both Svetambar and Digambar Jain) also has presence with the temples of both communities. Digambar Jain temple is located in Juna Bazar, almost entirely Muslim area. Sikhs are perhaps the smallest religious entity in the town but have their Gurdwara
Gurdwara
A Gurdwara , meaning the Gateway to the Guru, is the place of worship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism. A Gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib ....

 which is said to be built in 1895. Urdu (Deccani accent) is the mother tongue for Muslims. Hindus and Dalits speak Marathi. Other communities use Marathi and Hindi as a mode of communication. Officially Marathi, Hindi and English languages are in use.

Administration

The municipal council (established in 1952) is the administrative body for the town which is directly responsible for the affairs within the town limits which is 69.15 square kilometers presently. The town has been divided into 40 Wards, each ward has its elected representative called 'Councilor'. The councilors elect the 'President' of the council which is always from the party which has majority in the council. The municipal elections are held after every five years. The district has Superintendent of police who's office is in the town. Two police stations covering eastern and western parts of the town are operational under the superintendent of police.

Culture

Culture, though not typical, is predominantly Maharashtrian. Customs are followed religiously in marriages and other functions. Family, customs and religion still holds importance in the society. Food is largely vegetarian, but spicy non-vegetarian food is also popular. Several restaurants, Dhabas and roadside food shops offer non-vegetarian food. Chicken is perhaps the most popular non-vegetarian food in all sects of society. Achār (pickle), pāpad (poppadom) and spices are part of a common high chilli diet.

New generation; especially males, wear western outfits. Shalwar Khamis is popular in young girls. Married women wear Saris (a long piece of colourful fabric) and bodice. Traditional outfits are popular, if any, only in elderly. Diwali
Diwali
Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...

, Holi
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...

, Dasehra, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha and Buddha Jayanti are major festivals. New housing constructions are mainly concrete based, but in poor, mud-and-mortar houses with metal sheet roofs are common.
There are no amenities in the town except cinema halls and a small, little maintained garden. Few years back there were seven cinema halls, now four are remaining; of which ‘Ashoka’ is the oldest. Two parks were maintained until 1969 by the municipal council. One small but well maintained garden including a small zoo was situated at the eastern bank of Bendsura. A massive flood on July 23, 1989 wiped it off leaving no traces. A small garden cum zoo is recently been constructed in Khas Bagh area but it needs much improvements.

Transport

The town is accessible only by road. National Highway 211, linking Dhulia to Solapur
Solapur
Solapur is a city in South Western Maharashtra, India governed by municipal corporation.Solapur is one of the four districts that form the region of Western Maharashtra . It is the fourth largest district in Maharashtra in terms of land area and seventh largest in terms of population...

 passes through the town. Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) a state owned transport company provides bus access to the major towns in Maharashtra and neighbouring states. Some private travel agencies also have services to the major cities of the state. Nearest domestic airport is Aurangabad (133 km); nearest international airports are Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

 (418 km), Hyderabad (428 km) and Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...

 (250 km). Nearest railway stations are Jalna
Jalna (city)
Jalna is a city and a municipal council in Jalna district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Jalna was formerly a part of Nizam State as a tahsil of Aurangabad district....

 (110 km), Parli
Parli
Parli is short for Parliament. Parli may also mean:* Parli, India, a town in Maharashtra, India* Parliamentary Debate* Parliament * Parli...

 (120 km), Aurangabad (133 km) and Ahmadnagar
Ahmadnagar
Ahmadnagar is located in Gujranwala DistricTt, Punjab, Pakistan.-References:...

 (145 km). Auto rickshaw is the only mode of public transport inside town. Roads inside the town are of average width and below average quality. Railway line access is probably the most awaited thing for the people of town.

Economy

Beed has a backward economy with a negligible growth. In 1997 Sarma committee has listed Beed as one of the 100 most backward districts in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. After this listing the government of India and the government of Maharashtra specified Beed town as 'D' zone and declared tax holiday and concessions to lure the investors in the district. Without proper arrangement of water supply and transport facility, this declaration resulted nothing. Economic backwardness is attributed to the lack of natural resources, frequent droughts, lack of good transport facilities and corruption. Economy entirely depends on monsoon dependent agriculture, service sector and small businesses. Beed is one of the poorest districts of Maharashtra with Per capita GDP
Gross domestic product
Gross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....

 of Rs
Rupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...

 15,303 (about $380) which is lower than the Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

 State average GDP Rs
Rupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...

 17,079 (about $427). There are some small scale industries of ginning, PVC and plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...

 pipes, wood cutting and local based soft drink. Business sector comprises small and medium scale retail and wholesale businesses of daily needs, textile and automobiles. Small business includes roadside shops and vendors of vegetables, spices, food and snacks, cloths and toys etc. Beed has a good wholesale market of cloths and small vendors from neighbouring towns and districts approach here for purchase.

Education

English, Marathi and Urdu are the mediums of education. Many schools and colleges have very good infrastructure and facilities. Primary education is managed by the Zila Parishad (district council), headquarters in Beed. All the secondary schools and junior colleges are affiliated to Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education in Pune. One Engineering College, one Agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 Engineering college, one Dairy Technology college, one Dental College, one Ayurvedic Medical College, two diploma Engineering Colleges (one is state run), one Homoeopathic Medical College, one Diploma Pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...

 College and one Industrial Training Institute are offering professional education in the town. Other colleges offer arts, science, commerce and vocational faculties up to post graduation level. All the colleges are affiliated to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar
B. R. Ambedkar
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar , popularly also known as Babasaheb, was an Indian jurist, political leader, philosopher, thinker, anthropologist, historian, orator, prolific writer, economist, scholar, editor, a revolutionary and one of the founding fathers of independent India. He was also the Chairman...

 Marathwada University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

in Aurangabad.

Beed town has the highest literacy rate in the urban areas of the district.

Health

Under its health policy, the state government runs a 300 bed hospital (District Hospital) in the town with some modern facilities like Computed Tomography Scan
Computed tomography
X-ray computed tomography or Computer tomography , is a medical imaging method employing tomography created by computer processing...

 (CT scan
Computed tomography
X-ray computed tomography or Computer tomography , is a medical imaging method employing tomography created by computer processing...

). Hospital receives average 18000 patients and performs 250 HIV test
HIV test
HIV tests are used to detect the presence of the human immunodeficiency virus , the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , in serum, saliva, or urine. Such tests may detect antibodies, antigens, or RNA.- Terminology :...

s monthly. Various private clinics and hospitals and a state run veterinary hospital are also providing services. Prominent among them is Vithai Hospital, which is the Largest Charitable Multi speciality hospital in district having 200 beds.

One Homoeopathic hospital is running with ‘Sonajirao Kshirsagar Homoeopathic Medical College’. No facilities are available in super specialities like Neurology
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...

, Oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...

 etc. Beed was in headlines throughout the world in August 1994 for the outbreak of Bubonic Plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...

. To some researchers, though, the disease detected here resembled Plague but could not be substantiated as per WHO criteria.

Sports

Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

 is undisputedly, the most popular game in the town. There are many small clubs playing cricket. State level soccer competitions held in the recent times have also fuelled love for soccer and few Soccer clubs have also been emerged. There is a medium size District Stadium in the town with a good shopping complex but poor sports facilities. 23rd National junior Kho-Kho championship was held in the stadium in 2002. State level volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

 and Kabaddi
Kabaddi
Kabaddi is a South Asian team sport...

 competitions were also held in late 90s. Sports Like Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...

 are gaining popularity. The district also held the 22nd State Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...

 Championship in 2008.

Media and communication

More than a dozen Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...

 and two Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...

 dailys are published from the town. Zunjar Neta, Lok Prashn, Champavati Patr, Parshv Bhumi, Lokasha and Beed Reporter are major Marathi dailies. Local and regional news, crime stories and articles on local issues and politics are common features of the dailies. Marathi, Urdu, Hindi and English dailies including national dailies publishing from different cities of India also have penetration. No magazines are published in the town, but all the major national magazines do have readers.
In 1961 there were only 51 working telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...

 connections in Beed exchange. Today Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is a state-owned telecommunications company headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is the largest provider of fixed telephony and fourth largest mobile telephony provider in India, and is also a provider of broadband services...

 (BSNL), a state owned telephone service provider, has more than 15,000 customers. It has also introduced broadband internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

 lines. In 2004 district’s first mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...

 service was started in the town by ‘Idea’. After that BSNL, Airtel, Vodafone, BPL, Tata Indicom and Reliance also jumped in the growing market.
In 1982 the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...

 put the foundation stone of terrestrial television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 relay centre, situated on eastern hills. Only Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...

 was available until 1990s when satellite channels and cable operators started the business. Some enthusiasts have started a local cable channel ‘Beed News’. It provides local news coverage and plays movies rest of the time.
All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...

 Beed, at FM
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...

 102.9 MHz, broadcasts news, film and folk music, programmes of Vividh Bharti and programmes based on agriculture and health education.

Issues and challenges in the 21st century

Beed district as a whole
  • Population below poverty line = 32.4%
  • Literacy = 68.48%
  • Literate females = 55.38%
  • Estimated coverage of safe drinking water (habitations) = 66.1%
  • Villages not connected by paved roads = 52.82%


Beed town
  • Female literacy = 65.26%
  • Sex Ratio = 923.54 females per thousand males India census,


Beed has a long history as a neglected and backward area. Industrial and economic backwardness, lack of good transport facility, electricity and literacy were the issues in 1960s and they are the same even today. Many elections have been fought with the issue of railway line facility. In the recent times the list of issues has gone up with shortage of drinking water supply and electricity, frequent droughts, failing crops and suicide of farmers, unemployment, corruption and increasing crimes. Beed also records highest power theft in Maharashtra. Nearly 60% power supplied to the district is stolen before it can reach to the consumers who pay for it. Further, unpaid electricity bills runs to almost Rupee
Rupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...

s 4540 million (about $113 M) .

Social and environmental issues are no different than that of the whole country. Human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

 (especially women’s and children’s), child labor, poverty, rising HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...

 infections, religious strife, human trafficking and sexual abuse are some major social issues of concern in Beed. Sex Ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....

 in the town is also on decline as is the case of the whole country due to foeticide of female babies.

The district ranks 143rd in literacy in India based on IndianNgos.com research and analysis of 586 districts throughout India. On Human Development Index
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index is a composite statistic used to rank countries by level of "human development" and separate "very high human development", "high human development", "medium human development", and "low human development" countries...

 (HDI), using UNDP
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...

 method, Beed ranks 18th out of 30 districts in the State of Maharashtra, with 0.47 HDI. It is 7th poorest district in the state with Human Poverty Index
Human Poverty Index
The Human Poverty Index is an indication of the standard of living in a country, developed by the United Nations . For highly developed countries, the UN considers that it can better reflect the extent of deprivation compared to the Human Development Index....

(HPI) of 21.21.
Deforestation, desertification, frequent droughts, shrinking water reservoirs and extreme shortages of drinking water, especially in rural areas are major issues which needs urgent attention. Beed district, according to the official statistics, has only 2.47% forest area, that too of lower quality.

Further reading

  • Qazi, M. Q. Bīri (1898): Tārīkh-e-Bīr (History of Beed in Urdu).
  • Nathapuri, Abdul Hamīd (1998): Zila Bīr Kī Tarīkh (History of Beed District in Urdu). Asian Printing Press, Gulshan Colony, Jogeshwari (W) Mumbai.
  • Gazette of Beed district (1969) Gazetteers department–Bhir (Beed). Out of print but available online at the government of Maharashtra web site.
  • Official website of Beed district
  • The Imperial Gazetteer of India. New edition, published under the authority of His Majesty's secretary of state for India in council. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1908-1931. Editors - Hunter, William Wilson, Sir, 1840-1900 /Cotton, James Sutherland, 1847-1918 ed./Burn, Richard, Sir, 1871-1947 joint ed./Meyer, William Stevenson, Sir, 1860-1922. joint ed.
  • From the Sundarlal Report Frontline, Volume 18, Issue 05, March 3–16, 2001
  • Noorani, A. G. Of a Massacre Untold. Frontline, Volume 18, Issue 05, March 3–16, 2001

External links

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