Kumbhoj
Encyclopedia
Kumbhoj is the name of an ancient town located in Kolhapur district in 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...

. The town is about six kilometers from Hatkanangale
Hatkanangale
Hatkanangale is a town and tehsil headquarters in Ichalkaranji subdivision of Kolhapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra....

, about twenty seven kilometers from Kolhapur and currently, also is the Taluka or Tehsil Headquarters. The famous Jain Tirtha
Tirtha
In Jainism, a tīrtha |ford]], a shallow part of a body of water that may be easily crossed") is used to refer both to pilgrimage sites as well as to the four sections of the sangha...

 (pilgrom place) known as Bahubali, is just two kilometers away from the Kumbhoj city. The Vidyapeeth's Degree College
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

 of Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

 and Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...

 is also located in Kumbhoj.

Geographically
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...

, Kumbhoj is located at a latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...

 (DMS) of 16° 49' 60 N and longitude
Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....

 (DMS) of 74° 25' 60 E.

As the name itself suggests, Kumbhoj seems to be connected with well known ancient term Kamboja
Kambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...

 of Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

/Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...

 literature.

Alternative name of Kumbhoj is Kumboj (=Kamboj
Kamboj
The Kambojs , also Kamboh, are an ethnic community of the Punjab region. They may relate to the Kambojas, an Iranian tribe known to the people of Iron Age India and mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts and epigraphy. Kamboj is frequently used as a surname in lieu of the sub-caste or the gotra name...

). The former name is apparently free from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ian or Paisaci influence since 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...

 location was far removed from the north-west division of ancient India. Kamboj is the standard name found in numerous ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

 and Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...

 texts.

Padma Vibhushan Dr. Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil
Bhaurao Patil
Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil was a social activist and educationist in Maharashtra, India. Strong advocate of education of the masses, he was the founder of Rayat Education Society, one of the most important educational institution in Maharashtra...

, a renowned social worker and philanthropist was born at Kumbhoj.

Bahubali
Bahubali
According to Jainism, Bahubali, called Gomateshwara , was the second of the hundred sons of the first Tirthankara, Rishabha, and king of Podanpur. The Adipurana, a 10th century Kannada text by Jain poet Adikavi Pampa According to Jainism, Bahubali, called Gomateshwara , was the second of the...

 at Kumbhoj is identical to the Bahubali of Shravanabelagola
Shravanabelagola
Shravana Belgola is a city located in the Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is 158 km from Bangalore. The statue of Gommateshvara Bahubali at Śravaṇa Beḷgoḷa is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in Jainism, one that reached a peak in architectural and sculptural...

 known as Gomateshwar to the south in Karnataka.

Epilogue

During second century BCE, a section of Kambojas
Kambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...

 from Central Asia had joined the great tribal movement from Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...

, and in alliance with the Sakas, Pahlavas, Abhiras etc., they are known to have spread into western and south-western parts of India. One section of those Kambojas appears to have given their name to this coastal town of south-west 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...

. There still is said to be a microscopic Jain community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...

, predominantly agrarian, called Kambhoj living near Nanded in Maharashtra.
There is a reference to sage Kumbhoja
Sage Kambhoja
Sage Kambhoja or Kumbhoja is a character in the Sanskrit epic Ramayana, presented as a close friend of sage Agasti.Sage Agasti was brother of sage Vasishtha and was living as a hermit in Dakshinapatha...

 (q.v.) who finds reference in southern Indian recensions of Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

. He seems to have lived somewhere on the banks of river Godavari, in south-west India during Ramayana times. Seems like sage Kambhoja originally belonged to north-west and had migrated to south of Vindhya on river Godawri.

Nearest Railway Junction

  • Miraj
    Miraj
    Miraj , is an historic town in southern Maharashtra, India. The history of the town dates back to the early 10th century, and the town is known for its rich tradition of Hindustani classical music and for religious harmony. It served as a stronghold and a strategic bastion because of its location...

     railway junction - Miraj is one of the busiest railway junctions in western india with four railway lines connecting it. Miraj is connected to all major indian cities by express and superfast trains which include Karnataka Sampark Kranti (KSK) express, Goa express, Suvarnajayanti express, Chalukya express, Shravati express, Bangalore Jodhpur express, Bangalore Ajmer express, Bangalore Gandhidham express, Mahalaxmi express, Sahyadri express, Koyna express, Rani Chenamma express, Haripriya express, Miraj Hubli express, Kolhapur Hyderabad express, Kolhapur Solapur express, Maharashtra express, Deekshabhoomi express and many other passenger trains. Miraj railway junction is just 24 km from Kumbhoj. You can get private cars from Miraj station and reach Kumbhoj within 20 minutes from Miraj station.

Nearest Railway Stations

  • Sangli
    Sangli
    Sangli is a city in the state of Maharashtra of India. Sangli is known as the Turmeric city for its vast production of Turmeric. Sangli is situated on the banks of river Krishna and is the largest market place for Turmeric in Asia and houses many sugar factories, which it is also noted for...

    station is 27 km from Kumbhoj. Passengers coming to Kumbhoj prefer to get down at Sangli station and then proceed to Kumbhoj for worship.
  • Hatkanangale station is 4 km from Kumbhoj. Few trains going towards Kolhapur stop at Hatkanangale. For trains running on the Pune-Miraj-Hubli mainline, you can travel from Miraj junction.
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