Mangalwedha


Mangalwedha is a town in the Solapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the birthplace of Shri Jayatirtha, also called Teekacharya, one of the prominent saints of the Dvaita school of Vedanta.

Geography

The city of Mangalwedha is situated 55 km west of the district headquarters at Solapur and 25 km southeast of Pandharpur city.
Mangalwedha shares its boundaries with Pandharpur, Sangola, Mohol, Jath and Vijapur in Karnataka.

History

Mangalwedha is known as the "Land of Saints", as Saint Jayatirtha, Saint Damaji, Saint Kanhopatra, Saint Basaveshwera and Saint Chokhamela are said to have come from Mangalwedha. In the 14th century, Mangalwedha was an active workplace of many saints such as Sant Damaji, Sant Chokhamela, Sant Bagadebaba, Sant Gopabai, Sant Kanhopatra, Shri Swami Samarth, Shri Sitaram Maharaj and others.
Mangalwedha is also known as 'Jwariche Kothar'.
Major crops that are grown in and around Mangalwedha include jowar, bajra, groundnut and corn. Mangalwedha's jowar and bajra have received geographical indications tags.
In the 14th century Mangalwedha was ruled by the Bidar Sultanate followed by the Bijapur Sultanate.
Huljanti village is known for 'Mahalingaraya' deity and there is a big fair in Diwali. Many people from Maharashtra and Karnataka come there to worship the god.

Cuisine

Mangalwedha is known for its special cuisine of bhakri made from jowar and salsa made from coarsely ground green chilis, kharda/thecha and onion and chutney of groundnuts. Bhaji is another delicacy from Mangalwedha. It is also known for its spicy bhel, vada pav, and puri bhaji.

Demographics

As of the 2011 Census of India, Mangalwedha has a population of 21,824 consisting of 11,109 males and 10,715 females. There were 2,510 children ages 0-6, 11.5% of the total population. The literacy rate was reported to be 81.79%, which is slightly lower than the state average of 82.34%. The male literacy rate is about 88.82% while the female literacy rate is about 74.55%.
The religious composition was reported as follows:
The town has a remarkable number of Kannada speakers along with Marathi.