Sawantvadi 3830243 220911541 2008-06-22T04:59:24Z PlankBot 7310603 Robot-assisted disambiguation: Anonymous - Changed link(s) to [[Anonymity]] {{Cleanup|Coming back later for a clean up|date=August 2007}} <!-- See [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Indian cities]] for details -->{{Infobox Indian Jurisdiction | native_name = Sawantwadi | type = city | latd = 16| longd = 73| locator_position = right | state_name = Maharashtra | district = [[Sindhudurg district|Sindhudurg]] | leader_title = | leader_name = | altitude = 111.86| population_as_of = 2001 | population_total = 22,871| population_density = | area_magnitude= sq. km | area_total = | area_telephone = 91(0)2363| postal_code =416512 | vehicle_code_range = MH-07| sex_ratio = | unlocode = | website = | footnotes = | }} '''Sawantwadi''' ([[Marathi]]: सावंतवाडी) (sometimes also written as "Sawantvadi" or Savantvadi) is a [[Taluka]] place in [[Sindhudurg district]] in the [[India]]n [[States and territories of India|state]] of [[Maharashtra]]. Sawantwadi has a [[municipal council]], which is a local civic body. Sawantwadi was formerly the capital city of the 'Royal Kingdom Of Sawantwadi'. Sawantwadi is well known for its wooden toys (including life-like wooden models of fruits and vegetables) thanks to an active woodcraft industry. It is also becoming a major tourist attraction. == History == [[Image:city .jpg|thumb|left|150px|View of Savantwadi]] "Sawantwadi Town" was the former capital of the erstwhile 'Kingdom Of Sawantwadi' during the pre-independence era. It was ruled by the [[Bhonsale]] clan. In 1947, it was merged with the Independent [[Republic]] of [[India]]. (This is actually ambiguous year because it was the last independent state to merge into free India.) Since then it has been the capital town of the Sawantwadi ''taluka''. == The town == [[Image:savantwadi court3.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Savantwadi Court]] The Sawantvadi Town, also known as ''Sawantvadi'' or ''Sunderwadi'' is built around a lake called the 'Moti Talav'. Its other principalities include the "[[Khaskilwada]]" at the north-east of the lake, "Royal Palace Complex" at the north, "Vizierwada" at the north-west and newly developed housing complexes at the south. The sprawling Queen's College Of Medicine is at the west. The place is extremely scenic with the lake (Moti Talav) right in the middle, surrounded by small lanes. The whole city is surrounded by mountains on all sides, which gives it an enigmatic view. Sawantwadi is connected by road and rail to [[Mumbai]], the capital of Maharashtra and other parts of India. Sawantwadi is located on the Mumbai-[[Goa]] [[NH-17]] National Highway. By road, it is 59 km from [[Panjim]], the capital city of Goa, 390 km from Pune, 95 km from Belgaum (Belgaon) and 540 km from Mumbai. Maharashtra State Transport (ST), Kadamba Transport (State Transport of Goa) and Karnataka State Transport supply bus service to Sawantwadi from Belgaum, Panjim, Mumbai, Pune and various other places of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. Sawantwadi Road station on [[Konkan Railway]] is situated 6km from Town Centre. By railway, it is connected to Mumbai, and other Southern destinations like [[Panjim]], [[Karwar]],[[Mangalore]], [[Kochi, India|Kochi]](Cochin) and Thiruvananthpuram (Trivandrum). The nearest hill station is [[Amboli]], which comes under the Sawantvadi taluka jurisdiction. Nearby villages include [[Verle]], [[Chaukul]], [[Kumbhawade]], [[Banda, Sindhudurg|Banda]],[[Sangeli]], Kalmbist, Shirshinge, and [[Dongarpal]] ==Demographics== [[Image:shilpgram 1.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Shilpagram -1]] [[As of 2001]] India [[census]]<ref>{{GR|India}}</ref>, Sawantwadi had a population of 22,871. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Sawantwadi has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 85%, and female literacy is 79%. In Sawantwadi, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. ==Culture== '''People''' The people of Sawantvadi are ethnic [[Malvani]]s. Prior to being a separate principality, Sawantvadi was a bastion of the [[Maratha Empire]]. All religions, castes and clans live here in harmony. Majority of the population is composed of ethnic [[Marathas]]. The [[Image:shilpgram 2.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Shilpagram Exibition]]population also includes ''Konkanasth'' ([[Chitpavan]])and [[Karhade]] [[Brahmins]], [[Dalits]] and ''Malvani'' [[Muslims]]. Apart from this Vaishya Vani samaj is also having minority. Other small communities of [[Christians]], [[Deshis]] and [[Saraswat]]s make up a small minority. '''Entertainment''' *Govinda Natyamandeer *Govind chitramandir, erstwhile Sudarshan Cinema at Salaiwada of Dajisaheb Padgaonkar from silent movie till 1960, sold license to Vasantrao Kesarkar who built Govind Chitramandir near Gavali Titha and allowed Dajisaheb Padgaonkar to manage it till his death. '''Cuisine''' The cuisine of the city is the predominantly non-vegetarian [[Malvani cuisine]]. '''Languages''' The official language used in Sawantwadi is [[Marathi]]. Though, [[Malvani]], which is a dialect of Marathi is spoken by most of the people. [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] and [[Konkani language|Konkani]] are also spoken in this region by a small minority. Most of the people understand [[Hindi]] and few people can also communicate in [[English language|English]]. ==Arts and handicrafts == [[Image:shilpgram 3.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Shilpagram -3]] Sawantvadi City is famous for its [[arts]] and culture. It is especially known for its wooden crafts. Apart from that various traditional arts still thrive in the city. '''[[Lacquer]]ware''' - Sawantvadi is well-known for its extremely popular lacquer-ware. Earlier a languishing trade, this art form was brought in the public eye, and more importantly to foreign tourists, by [[Princess]] Satwasheela Devi. Using traditional local talent more people have been trained and the palace has proved instrumental in the production of lovely lacquer-ware furniture, chess sets, board games, candlesticks, fruit and vegetables and little dolls &mdash; all beautifully made and coloured. However, the quality of the articles render the items extremely expensive. '''Shilpa Gram''' Shilpgram (which means a community centre for performing arts). In this case it is folk dance, development of wooden toys, earthen pots, etc. It is developed to revive the arts and crafts in this region. It is a major Arts and [[craft]]s village where local manufacturers produce [[handicraft]]s. Tourists can actually watch them perform live and buy different artifacts produced by the locals. Besides this an amphitheatre for performing local arts and lakeside accommodation is also being developed by Maharashtra Tourism (M.T.D.C.) [[Image:moti talav1.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Moti Talav -1]] '''Ganjifa cards''' - The ''[[ganjifa]] card'' is a card featuring painted pictures of the Dashavatara (Ten reincarniations), Planets, and other folklore. These brightly painted cards are made by pasting layers of cloth together with tamarind seed paste, then coating the surface with chalk, before polishing it with a stone, to make a smooth base for painting with natural dyes. The back is stiffened with [[lacquer]]. '''Sawantwadi [[Moghul]] pattern cards''' - The Moghul pattern cards are brightly coloured, quite thin and flexible. They are found in a simple bazaar style and also in an elaborate [[durbar]] (court) style, with many shades of quality in between, ranging in size from 55 mm to 112 mm. The largest cards often have a small figure in the centre of every numeral card, known as 'Darchitri' format. An indication of date is that prior to around 1875 the lid of the card box has a tongue, thereafter it is square. At about the same time a high-domed crown is substituted for the stepped crown found on some of the earlier court cards. Most cards are [[Anonymity|anonymous]], but some have been recorded from the workshop of Narayan Ramchandra Kelkar, which flourished late in the nineteenth century and early in the twentieth. The initials of painters may also be found on some modern packs. === Noteworthy residents === [[Image:shilpgram 8.jpg|thumb|170px|Inside the Shilgram]] * [Late Shri. V. S. Khandekar] [Novelist] * [Shri. Mangesh Padgaonkar] [Poet] * [[Vijay Manjrekar]], ''[[cricketer]]'' * [[Sanjay Manjrekar]], ''[[cricketer]]'' * [ Sagar Bandekar], [Kabbadi Player] * [ Late Dr. Vasant Sawant], [Marathi poet] * [ Shri. Harihar Athalekar] [ novelist, essayist] * [ Late Vidyadhar Bhagvat] [ novelist] * [ Shri. Jayanand Mathkar ] [ Socialist leader, Ex-MLA, Editor, Journalist, Freedom Fighter] * [ Shri. L.M.Bandekar] [ Playwright] * [ Prof.Pravin Bandekar] [ Poet, Novelist & Editor] * [Dr. Bhairu Parulekar- Gynaecologist] [famous abortionist] * [Prof.Dr.Sharayu Asolkar] [ Poetess, Critic ] * [Prof. Govind Kajarekar] [ Poet & critic ] * [Shriniwas Narwekar] [ actor, director, playwright, filmwriter] === Common surnames === Notable surnames of the people include [[Maratha clan system#Sawant|Sawant]], [[Bhonsle]], [[Maratha clan system|Parab]] and [[Gawade]]. Some other frequent surnames are pokle, Bandekar, Korgaonkar, Kesarkar, Rawool, Gawas, Dalvi, Naik,Gavkar etc. Local Christians have common [[Lusitanic]] names. Many [[Karhade Brahmin]] families, most notably [[Kirloskar]], can trace their ancestry to this region on the [[Konkan]]. ==Villages in Savantwadi Taluka== [[Image:shilpgram 9.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Main Entrance of Shilpgram]] [[Image:shilpgram 10.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Beautiful Entrance]] [[Image:shilpgram 11.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Tourist Residential Quarters in Sawantvadi]] *'''Verle''' *[[Otvane]] *Kariwade *Kalambist *Charatha * Bhalawal * Padve Mazgaon *[[Mazgaon]] *Banda, [[Sindhudurg]] *konshi (konas) *Insuli *Sarmala *Vilawada *Madkhol *Danoli *Kesari *Devasu *Phansawade *Satarda *Satose *Degwe *Parpoli *[[Dodamarg]] *Aronda *Gulduve *Malewad *Talawane *Kinale *Kondura *Aaros *Nirawade *Malgaon *Nemle *Nhaweli *Kolgoun *Talwade *malewad ==Places of interest in and around Savantwadi== [[Image:narndra hill 2.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Rocks on Narendra Hill -2]] '''[[Amboli]]''' - It is a hill station with divine natural beauty located in the Sahyadri ranges. Around 30km from Sawantwadi, this is also origin of Hiranyakeshi river. [[Image:narndra hill.jpg|thumb|right|150px|View from Narendra Hill-2]] '''Moti Talav''' - This pearl-lake formed like an open oyster under the sun that lies in front of the royal palace. Built in the era of the then King Khem Sawant Bhonsale III (1755-1803), the palace buildings which are still in pretty good condition possess the rustic beauty of Maharashtra's wadis uplifted by regal proportions. This scenic lake is situated the centre of the town. With walkways and designer lamp-posts all round, it makes evenings very beautiful. '''Ubha Bazar'''- It is a bazaar in sawantwadi famous for wooden toys. '''Aronda''' is beautiful village joining Maharashtra and Goa state. Kiran Pani-Aronda feri carries the vehicles & people through Terekhol creek. It is also the Sun Set Point. Temples of Gram Devta Sateri-Bhadrakali is famous here. ==Gallery== <gallery> Image:savantwadi garden 2.jpg|Garden -2 Image:savantwadi garden 3.jpg|Garden -3 Image:savantwadi garden 4.jpg|Childrens play-ground. </gallery> About Aronda: Aronda have hutatma memoria, plus great seenary. Also Shiroda, Aravali,Hamal all these beaches & Redi Ganesh temple, manganese mines are mere 5 KM away from Aronda each. Vitthal kamats hotel just built in Aronda & Aronda-kiranpani bridge under construction, may fuel tourism in skyrocketting direction. in Aronda the famous wadi is Bhatpawni.About bhatpawani oldest well cultural & having beautiful nature.In Aronda the famous Shri Devi Tulja Bhavani Temple.Shri Devi Bhavani is Kulswamini of Maratha (Naik) religions in Aronda. ==External links== *[http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=savantwadi&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=15.905764,73.821344&spn=0.00453,0.01075&t=k&om=1 Sawantwadi in Google Maps] *[http://www.outlooktraveller.com/aspscripts/tripout_home.asp?destname=Sawantwadi&klm=0 Sawantwadi on Outlook Traveller] <!--Spam removed--> [[Category:Cities and towns in Maharashtra]] [[Category:Indian Princely States]] [[Category:Konkan]] [[bn:সাওয়ান্তওয়াদি]] [[bpy:সাৱন্তবৱাদি]] [[mr:सावंतवाडी]] [[sv:Savantvadi]] [[vi:Sawantwadi]]