Beed district is undoubtedly one of the prominent districts of the state of Maharashtra. Apart from having a rich history, the district is also rich in its culture, tradition and economy. The people of the district like to enjoy all the major festivals together, irrespective of religion or caste divisions. The systematically arranged administrative divisions of the district seek to cater to the needs of the entire population, and the Zilla parishad takes care of development administration at the rural level. The numerous tourist destinations located in the district are playing a major role in the promotion of tourism not just in the district but in the state of Maharashtra as well. The district occupies an area of 10,615 sq. km. and its headquarters is at Beed town.
Location of Beed District
Beed District is situated at the central-Western portion of Aurangabad. It lies between the latitudes of 18.28 and 19.28 and the longitudes of 74.54 and 76.57. The district is bounded by Aurangabad and Jalna in the North, Parbhani and Latur in the East, Ahmednagar and Osmanabad in the South and Ahmednagar in the West.
History of Beed District
History of Beed district is quite rich, and the district has been under the rule of a number of different rulers. The city of Beed located here was called "Champavati Nagari" in the ancient period and there are still some old monuments showing the signs of past glory in the form of city entry doors (called Ves in local language) and city protection walls. The district was a part of the Nizam state before the independence of India and was included within the area of the Hyderabad State, till 1956. When the Indian states were reorganised in 1956, the Marathwada region was included in the state of Mumbai and the Mumbai state was further divided into Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960. Since then, Beed district has been an integral part of the state of Maharashtra.
Geography of Beed District
The Balaghat range is the main range here in the district running from Ahmednagar in the west to the border of Beed district in the east. This range divides the district of Beed into two parts. One is the plains area in the north called the Gangathadi and the other is the highland region of the Balaghat range called the Ghats. There are many hills in the district. Most of the hills in the Balaghat range rise more than 2500 feet above sea level from the Balaghat range, whereas the plains have heights ranging between 1200 and 1500 feet from sea-level. The main rivers flowing through the district include the Godavari River, Manjara, Sindphana, Wan and Bindusara. The climate in the district is mostly pleasant. There are three main seasons here- summer, winter and the monsoons.
Administration of Beed District
The Beed District is divided into 11 talukas namely Beed, Georai, Ashti, Patoda, Shirur, Wadwani, Ambajogai, Majalgaon, Kaij, Dharur and Parli. For administrative purpose two parts have been formed. One section is at Beed and it includes 1)Beed, 2)Georai, 3)Patoda, 4)Ashti, 5)Shirur(Kasar) Tehsils while other section is Ambajogai that includes 1)Ambajogai, 2)Kaij, 3)Majalgaon, 4)Dharur, 5)Parli(V), 6)Wadwani Tehsils. There are special Deputy Collector offices in these two sections. There are 11 Tehsils and excluding the urban area, there are 11 Panchayat Samities. At Beed, the Zilla Parishad governs all these 11 Panchayat Samities. The district is comprised of 1282 villages, 1115 Gram Panchayats and 6 Municipal Councils. The Beed Nagarpalika is the largest municipal council in the district. There is a huge network of rural hospitals, primary health centres, sub-centres and cottage hospitals for providing health services in the Beed district.
Culture of Beed District
The culture in Beed district is predominantly Maharashtrian. Family, customs and religion hold great importance in the society. The people religiously follow various local customs in marriages and other functions. Most of the people in the district are vegetarian, however, though non-vegetarian foods are also popular among various groups in all sects of society. Achar (pickle), Papad (poppadom), etc are a common part of the diet in the district. The young men of the district mostly wear western outfits and the young women wear Salwar Kameez Dupata. A majority of the married women wear Saris and the elderly males like to wear traditional outfits. The major festivals in the Beed district include Diwali, Holi, Dussehra, Id-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Azha, Buddha Jayanti, etc.
Economy of Beed District
The economic status of Beed district is quite impressive. Though the district is considered industrially backward, the people of the district are engaged in a variety of business. There are many dairies located in the district and the milk and dairy business is growing at a fast rate. The fishery business is also doing quite well in the district. Many people in Beed district are involved in electricity production and supply industry as well. Apart from these, there are several sugar factories, spinning mills and a Thermal Power Station in the district. There are also about 36 ginning factories in the district, as cotton is one of the major crops cultivated in Beed district. Brick manufacturing activity is also an important occupation of this district. Though gradual industrial progress is being made, agriculture remains the main occupation of the people of the district. There are two major agricultural seasons in the district, Kharif and Rabi. Jowar, Bajara, Cotton and Pulses are the main crops cultivated during the Kharif season and in Rabi season, the major crops cultivated include jowar, wheat, gram, safflower, oil seeds, etc. The other crops like sugarcane, groundnut and sunflower, etc. are also cultivated in the district.
Tourism in Beed District
Tourist attractions abound in the district of Beed, and the district makes a major contribution to the tourism sector in Maharashtra. There are many places of tourist attractions located within the district and several people visit the places on a regular basis. The most popular tourist spots in Beed district include Parli Vaijinath, one of the Jyotrilingas of Lord Shiva. The other notable tourist destinations in the Beed district are the Peacock sanctuary at Naigaon, Bendsura Dam at Beed, Shivaji Chouk, Sautada Waterfall, Khajana Bawadi, Dharur Fort, Rameswhar Temple, Kapil Dhar Water Fall, Kapil Dhar Temple, Khadeshwari Mata, Shaheshawali Dargah, Shri Vaidyanath Madir Parali, Kankaleshwar, Jatashankar Temple, Khandeshwari Temple, Khardoba Temple, the Samadhi of pioneer Saint Poet Mukandraj in Ambajogai, etc.
