Ahmednagar

Ahmednagar is a city in the state of Maharashtra, India, on the left bank of the Sina river, about 100-km southeast of Pune. Population about 750,000. Ahmednagar is also the headquarters of the Ahmednagar District.

Ahmednagar (often shortened to Nagar) is located about 117-km (73 miles) northeast of Pune in a predominantly agricultural district. A drive through downtown Ahmednagar is a challenging obstacle course round yellow and red S.T. buses, trucks spewing forth smoky exhaust, three-wheeled motorized rickshaws, scooters, and bicycles that materialize out of nowhere, horse-drawn tongas, and the ever-present stray cow or dog.

Outside the city, village life still follows traditional patterns. Women dressed in brilliant saris with large brass pots balanced securely on their heads visit the village well each day to draw water. Farmers work the land with bullocks and handheld plows and carry their crops to market in small wooden carts. If there is enough rain, village fields are green with grain, wheat, sugar cane, mangos, and other fruits and flowers. In recent years, scooter factories and other industrial plants, as well as a flurry of television antennas have also begun to dot the landscape.

Meher Baba first visited the Ahmednagar area in 1923, staying at Khushru Quarters, the present site of the Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust. Throughout the years, He made Ahmednagar a center for His work, first at Meherabad near the village of Arangaon, 10 km (6 miles) to the south, and later at Meherazad near the village of Pimpalgaon-Malvi, 14 km (9 miles) to the north.

History
The town was founded in 1494 by Ahmad Nizam Shah, on the site of a more ancient city, Bhingar. With the breakup of the Bahmani Sultanate, Ahmad established a new sultanate in Ahmednagar, also known as Nizam Shahi dynasty. It was one of the Deccan sultanates, which lasted until its conquest by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1636. Aurangzeb, the last great Mughal emperor, who spent the latter years of his reign, 1681-1707, in the Deccan, died there in 1707, and a small monument marks the site.

In 1759 the Peshwa of the Marathas obtained possession of the place by bribing the Muslim commander, and in 1790 it was ceded by the Peshwa to the Maratha chief Daulat Rao Sindhia. Ahmednagar was invested by a British force under General Wellesley and captured. It was afterwards restored to the Marathas, but again came into the possession of the British in 1817, according to the terms of the Treaty of Poona.

Numerous Mughal-era buildings dot the environs. Ahmednagar fort, once considered the second most unimpregnable fort in India, was used by the British to house Nehru and other Indian Nationalists before Indian independence; a few rooms there have been converted to a museum. Formerly the Indian base of the British Army's Royal Tank Corps, amongst other units, the town houses the second-largest display of military tanks in the world; the exhibit is open to the public.

The cantonment has the Indian Armoured Corps Centre & School (ACC&S). All the training and recruiting for the Indian Armoured Corps takes place here. The Armoured Corps is the branch of the Army that has tanks and is also called the Mechanized force. As the city is a concrete jungle the Cantonment is like an oasis. It is green and very beautiful. ACC&S have a beautiful Golf Course, which has been created with great difficulty, as the soil is arid and stony. The golf course has recently had a lot of effort put into it to improve it.

Places of interest

• Siddhatek ,Siddhivinayak Temple of Ashtavinayak Ganesh
• Shirdi, home to the late Sai Baba, revered by Hindus and Muslims alike.
• Meherabad (Arangaon), where the samadhi (tomb-shrine) of the spiritual master Meher Baba is place of pilgrimage, visited by thousands each year, particularly on the anniversary of his death, January 31. His residence was at Meherazad (Pimpalgaon), approximately nine miles from Ahmednagar.
• Ralegan Siddhi, a village which is a model for environmental conservation
• Harishchandragarh, a hilly fort.
• Baleshwar Temple (Pedgaon)
• Temple of Laxmi Narayan (Pedgaon)
• Chand bibi Tomb or also known as Salabat Khan Tomb, it is a 3 storey structure made of solid stone. It is 13 kms from Ahmednagar City and being situated on the top of a hill it has a great view of the city lights at night. It is visible from almost anywhere in Ahmednagar City. This is a great place for youngsters to enjoy themselves and is really spooky at night, as there are 5 graves within the premises.

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