Raigad district

Raigad district district रायगड जिल्हा
—  District of Maharashtra  —
Location of Raigad district district in Maharashtra
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
Administrative division	Konkan Division
Headquarters	Alibag
Tehsils	1. Alibag, 2. Pen, 3. Murud, 4. Panvel, 5. Uran, 6. Karjat, 7. Khalapur, 8. Mangaon, 9. Roha, 10. Sudhagad, 11. Tala, 12. Mahad, 13. Mhasala, 14. Shrivardhan, 15. Poladpur
Government
• Lok Sabha constituencies	1. Maval (shared with Pune district), 2. Raigad (shared with Ratnagiri district) (Based on Election Commission website)
Area
• Total	7,149 km2 (2,760 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	2,635,394
• Density	Bad rounding here370/km2 (Bad rounding here950/sq mi)
• Urban	36.91%
Demographics
• Literacy	83.89%
• Sex ratio	955 per 1000 male
Major highways	NH-4, NH-17
Average annual precipitation	3,884 mm
Website	Official website

Raigad District (Marathi: रायगड जिल्हा), is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. ^[1] It is located in the Konkan region. The district was renamed after Raigad, the fort that was the former capital of the Maratha leader Shivaji Maharaj, and is located in the interior regions of the district, in dense forests on a west-facing spur of the Western Ghats of Sahyadri range. In 2011 the district had a population of 2,635,394, compared to 2,207,929 in 2001. In 2011 urban dwellers had increased to 36.91% from 24.22% in 2001.^[2]

The district is bounded by Mumbai Harbour to the northwest, Thane District to the north, Pune District to the east, Ratnagiri district to the south, and the Arabian Sea to the west. It includes the large natural harbor of Pen-Mandwa, which is immediately south of Mumbai harbour, and forming a single landform with it. The northern part of the district is included in the planned metropolis of Navi Mumbai, and its port, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

The district includes towns/cities of Mangaon, Roha, Panvel, Pen, Khopoli, Kharghar, Taloja, Khalapur, Uran, Patalganga, Rasayani, Nagothana, Poladpur, Alibag, Karjat and Mahad. The largest city both in area and population is Panvel. The district also includes the isle of Gharapuri or Elephanta, located in Uran tehasil (NOT TEHASIL BUT TALUKA) which has ancient Hindu and Buddhist caves.

History [edit]

Kulaba (also spelled Kolaba) district was split from Thane district in 1869. According to the 1872 census, Kulaba district had a population of just over 350,000 people, with 94% of the population being Hindus, and most of the remaining population being Muslims.^[3] In 1881 the population was about 382,000, with 95% of the population being Hindus.

At this point the northernmost parts of modern Raigad district were retained in Thane district. Panvel, just across the bay from Mumbai, was not included in Kolaba district until 1883, and Karjat, an area in the north-east corner of modern Raigad district, was not placed in Kolaba district until 1891. Kolaba district was subsequently renamed Raigad district.

Administrative subdivisions [edit]

Raigad district is divided into four subdivisions, with fifteen talukas, and 1967 villages.^[4]

Demographics [edit]

According to the 2011 census Raigad district has a population of 2,635,394,^[6] roughly equal to the nation of Kuwait^[7] or the US state of Nevada.^[8] This gives it a ranking of 153rd in India (out of a total of 640).^[6] The district has a population density of 368 inhabitants per square kilometre (950 /sq mi) .^[6] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 19.36%.^[6] Raigadhas a sex ratio of 955 females for every 1000 males,^[6] and a literacy rate of 83.89%.^[6]

Several scheduled tribes live in Raigad district. Among these are the Mahadev, Koli, Katkari and Thakur.^[9]

Transport [edit]

Raigad District is connected to Mumbai by Sion Panvel Expressway. The Mumbai-Pune expressway and NH4 passes through Panvel. NH 17, which starts at Panvel, traverses the whole district. The Konkan Railway line starts at Roha and passes through Mangaon and Veer. The Central Railway Line of Mumbai to Pune passes through Karjat with Extension Line for Karjat to Khopoli. Panvel Junction is the most important railway station in the district; it is connected to Mumbai (by both the Harbour Line and Main Line of Central Railway), Thane (by Trans-Harbour Line), Roha, Vasai (Western Railway) and Karjat. All trains, ranging from passengers to Rajdhanis stop here, and it is considered the gateway for travelling south. There is a narrow gauge railroad from Neral to Matheran. The main ports are JNPT, Mandava, Revas, Murud and Shrivardhan.

University [edit]

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University is a unitary, autonomous university located at Lonere in Raigad district, Maharashtra, India established in 1989 under the Government of Maharashtra Act 1983.^[10]It is the one and only technical university in Maharashtra.^{[11][12] [13]}

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Site of Raigad District

	Mumbai City district	Thane district
	Arabian Sea		Pune district
		Raigad district
		Ratnagiri district	Satara district

v t e Raigad district topics History Chaul Elephanta Caves Maratha Empire Geography Karnala Bird Sanctuary Kundalika River Patalganga River Savitri River Cities and towns Alibag Karjat Khalapur Khopoli Mahad Mangaon Matheran Nagothana Panvel Pen Poladpur Roha Shrivardhan Uran Monuments Karnala fort Murud-Janjira Raigad fort Sudhagad Transport NH17 Lok Sabha constituencies Raigad Maval Vidhan Sabha constituencies Panvel Karjat Uran Pen Alibag Shrivardhan Mahad

Coordinates: 18°39′00″N 72°52′48″E / 18.65000°N 72.88000°E / 18.65000; 72.88000