Chandrapur is a city and a municipal council in Chandrapur district in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is also the headquarters of Chandrapur district. Narsimha Rao, a prime minister of India, was stationed at Chandrapur during the days when Nizam ruled Hyderabad. Rao got admission to Nagpur on recommendations of one of the prominent advocates of the region, Balwantrao Deshmukh. Balwantrao Deshmukh was a follower of Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
The city of Chandrapur has ancient temples of the goddess Mahakali and of Anchaleshwar, a form of the god Shiva. Chandrapur is also known as Chanda. The region is very rich in mineral wealth such as iron ore, limestone and coal. Many cement factories are located in this region. Due to large number of coal mines present around the city, the city is also known as City of Black Gold.
Geography:
The city is located on the confluence of rivers "Erai" and "Zarpat". The northern portion of the city is at high elevation and southern at low as per topographical map i.e. 56m. The old city is surrounded by walls. These walls were called as "Parkots". These walls have four gates to enter and leave the old city namely Jatpura Gate, Pathanpura Gate, Bimba Gate and Anchaleshwar Gate. Also they have four windows (Khidki in Marathi) to enter and leave the old city namely Chor Khidki, Vithoba Khidki, Hanuman Khidki and Bagad Khidki.
Climate:
Chandrapur is known for hot and dry climate. Humidity is very low in the region with a minimum average temperature of 7.6 °C and maximum of 28.2 °C. The lowest recorded temperature is 3 °C (Northern region) and 8 °C (Southern). Temperatures begin to rise in February. In summer with a mean maximum temperature of 45 °C and minimum of 28 °C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Chandrapur was 48.3 °C on May 16, 1912 and lowest temperature recorded was 2.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is about 1420 mm.
Transport:
Chandrapur is located on main New Delhi-Chennai and New Delhi - Hyderabad - Banglore railway line of the Indian Railway. It comes under Nagpur division of the Central Railway. It is connected to Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, Allahabad, Nagpur, Jhansi, Agra, New Delhi, Jammu Tawi, Warangal, Vijaywada, Chennai, Kanyakumari, Vadodara, Bangalore, Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Puri, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mumbai Bangalore, Mysore, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Patna and Gaya by train.
Culture and Religion:
Mahakali Mandir: Mahakali Mandir in Chandrapur is an icon for Chandrapur. It is symbolic to Chandrapur City and it has prominent place in the heart of people of Chandrapur. Devotes visit Mahakali Mandir every day but Tuesdays are special days to visit Mahakali mandir. There is a small Ganesha temple and Hannuman temple inside the Mahakali Mandir premises. There are two entrances for the temple. The rear entrance has Ganesh and Hanuman temple.
Both the entrances have small shops for puja supplies like coconut, flowers and cloth. We get lot of other things for home décor & puja décor items all the time near the temple. There is also Shani temple next to the rear entrance. There are two idols (murthys) in the Mahakali Mandir. One standing murthy is the main idol decorated with red, yellow and orange color cloths. The main idol also associated with Shiv Ling. The second murthy is reclining position. The second idol is actually below the ground level and to reach there, devotes need to walk in kind of a tunnel.
Deeksha Bhoomi: The historical embracing of Buddhism, the ‘Deeksha’ ceremony, by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and his followers took place in the city in 1956. Babasaheb Ambedkar embraced Buddhism along with his family members on 14 October 1956 at Nagpur. Soon after that, Babasaheb Ambedkar, converted millions of his followers who came from several parts of the country, to Buddhism. On 16 October 1956 Dr. B. R. Ambedkar gave Diksha of Buddhism to his followers at Chandrapur.
Afterward this place is known as “Deeksha Bhoomi” Chandrapur is the birthplace of barrister Rajabhau Khobragade. Dr. Ambedkar chose only Nagpur and Chandrapur for Dharmantar (acceptance of Buddhism) and therefore Chandrapur has historical importance. A branch of Buddhivruksha from Buddha Gaya is planted in the premises and is growing gracefully. Two day function of “Dhamma Chakra pravartan din” is hosted on 15 and 16 October every year on this holy place. Thousands of pilgrims and monks visit Deekshabhoomi during the function.
Marathi Sahitya Sammelan: The conference on Marathi Literature were held twice in Chandrapur city, in 1977 and Feb 2012 . It was presided by President of the Conference Vaman Krushna Chorghade in 1977 and by Vasant Aabaji Dahake in 2012. You will also find Gajanan Mandir and Sai Baba's Temple in Chandrapur. 2 Gurudwara's are located in Chandrapur, one near to Mahakal Temple and the new one is in Tukum.
Industries:
About 6000 small and big scale industries are located at Chandrapur. Chandrapur, also known as 'City of Black Gold', has one of the oldest coal mines in the country. The mammoth coal mines around the city also contribute to the heavy industrialization of the city. The second-biggest coal producer in India, the Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) have their mines in the district. Ordnance Factory Chandrapur of the Ordnance Factories Board which manufactures products for the Indian Armed Forces.
Most of the Cement manufacturing companies have their plants in Chandrapur District as it is rich in natural resources of Limestone. The city houses various cement factories in its vicinity. Prominent among these are the ones established by Manikgarh Cement, Ulltratech Cement (formerly L&T Cement), Associated Cement Companies (ACC) and Gujarat Ambuja (Maratha Cement Works). The city also boasts of having the largest paper manufacturing unit of Ballarpur Industries Limited (BILT), largest manufacturer and exporter of paper in India, in the adjoining Ballarpur.
Other major industries include a ferro-manganese and silico-manganese plant of Maharashtra Elektrosmelt Ltd. (MEL), a subsidiary of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). The neighbouring Warora region has a manufacturing plant, for electrical household appliances, owned by Videocon. Maharashtra Electrosmelt Ltd (MEL) is a Subsidiary of Steel Authority of India Ltd, is the largest Manganese based Ferro Alloy producer in the country situated in the outskirts of city.
Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station:
The Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station (CSTPS)/Mahagenco sprawled over 12212 Hectares and employing a workforce of around 3460 people, is the biggest pit head thermal power station of the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited located 6 km from Chandrapur City . The 2,340 MW Power station complex contributes about 25 % of electricity for the entire state. It is the first ever thermal power plant in India to have commissioned a 500 MW Unit in 1991-92.
The First stage of the Plant was sanctioned in 1976 and the then Central Energy Minister Shri K. C. Pant laid the foundation stone on 16 January 1977. The first set of 210 MW unit was commissioned in August 1983 and the second set in July 1984. The first unit was dedicated to the nation on 8th Oct 1984 by the then Hon. Prime Minister, Late Smt Indira Gandhi. The Station has 4 units of 210 MW and 3 units of 500 MW each and another 2 units of 500MW are under construction. Durgapur and Padmapur Collieries of WCL are pit head mines from where the coal is transported by Ropeway.
