Khandesh
Khandesh is a geographic region in Central India, which forms the northwestern portion of Maharashtra state. Geography. Khandesh lies in Western India on the northwestern corner of the Maharashtra, in the valley of the Tapti River. It is bounded to the north by the Satpura Range, to the east by the Berar (Varhad) region, to the south by the Hills of Ajanta (belonging to the Marathwada region of Maharashtra), and to the west by the northernmost ranges of the Western Ghats. The principal natural feature is the Tapi River. Unlike the rest of the Deccan, whose rivers rise in  the Western Ghats and flow eastward to the Bay of Bengal, the Tapi flows westward from headwaters in southern Madhya Pradesh to empty into the Arabian Sea. The Tapi receives thirteen principal tributaries in its course through Khandesh. None of these rivers is navigable, and the Tapi flows in a deep bed which historically made it difficult to use for irrigation. Most of Khandesh lies south of the Tapi and is drained by its tributaries: the Girna, Bori and Panjhra. The alluvial plain north of the Tapi contains some of the richest tracts in Khandesh, and the land rises towards  the Satpuda hills. In the centre and east, the country is level, save for some low ranges of barren hills. To the north and west, the plain rises into rugged hills, thickly wooded, and inhabited by members of the Bhil tribe ex. History. Delhi dynasties. In 1295, Khandesh was under the Chauhan ruler of Asirgarh when Ala-ud-din Khilji of Delhi wrested control. Various Delhi dynasties controlled Khandesh over the next century. From 1370 to 1600, the Faruqi dynasty ruled Khandesh with the capital at Burhanpur. The foundation of Khandesh as an independent kingdom was laid by Malik Raja , son of Khanjahan Faurki. Firuz Shah Tughlaq (130920 September 1388) had initially appointed Malik Raja as the commander-in-chief of Khandesh region, but he declared himself independent after the death of Firoz Tughlaq and ruled until 1399. Mughal rule. The Mughals arrived in 1599, when Akbar's army overran Khandesh and captured Asirgarh. For a period of time, Khandesh was renamed as Dandesh in recognition of Akbar's son Daniyal. , Todar Mal's revenue settlement system was introduced in Khandesh by Shah Jahan (this system was used until British rule in 1818). The mid-17th century has been described as  the time of Khandesh's "highest prosperity" owing to trade in cotton, rice, indigo, sugarcane, and cloth. Mughal rule lasted until the Marathas captured Asirgarh in 1760. Maratha rule. Maratha raids into Khandesh began in 1670 and the following century was a period of unrest as Mughals and Marathas competed for control. In 1760, the Peshwa ousted the Mughal ruler and gained control of Khandesh, following which portions were granted to Holkar and Scindia rulers. Baji Rao II surrendered to the British in June 1818, but sporadic war continued in Khandesh which was among the last of the Peshwa's  former territories to come under complete British control. British rule. Khandesh was a district in the Bombay Presidency. In 1906, the district was divided into two districts: East Khandesh, headquartered at Jalgaon, had an area of , while West Khandesh, headquartered at Dhule, had an area of ; their respective populations were 957,728 and 469,654 in 1901. Independent India. After India's independence in 1947, Bombay province became Bombay State, and in 1960 was divided into the linguistic states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. East Khandesh became Jalgaon district, and West Khandesh became Dhule district, both in Maharashtra state. The latter was further  divided into Dhule and Nandurbar districts.