Ahmednagar district
Ahmednagar district (Marathi pronunciation: ]) is the largest district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical Ahmednagar city is the headquarters of the district. Ahmednagar and Sangamner are largest cities in the district. Ahmednagar was the seat of the Ahmednagar Sultanate of late medieval period (1496–1636 CE). This district is known for the towns of Shirdi associated with Sai Baba, Meherabad associated with Meher Baba, Shani Shinganapur with Shanidev, and Devgad with Lord Dattatreya. Ahmednagar district is part of Nashik Division. The district is bordered by Aurangabad district to the northeast, Nashik district to the northwest, Thane and  Pune districts to the southwest, Solapur district to the south and Beed district to the southeast. History. Although Ahmednagar district was created as early as in 1818, modern history of Ahmednagar may be said to have commenced from 1869, the year in which parts of Nashik and Solapur which till then had comprised Nagar were separated and the present Nagar district was formed. Ahmednagar District was created after the defeat of the Maratha Confederacy in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818, when most of the Peshwa's domains were annexed to British India. The district remained part of the  Central division of Bombay Presidency until India's independence in 1947, when it became part of Bombay State, and in 1960 the new state of Maharashtra. Economy. In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Ahmednagar one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the twelve districts in Maharashtra currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). Ahmednagar is Maharashtra's most advanced district in many ways. It has the maximum number of sugar factories, perhaps to spread the message of “Rural Prosperity through Cooperation” it  gave the country half a century ago. The first cooperative sugar factory in Asia was established at Pravanagar. A role model of water conservation work can be seen at Ralegaon Siddhi, which is also called the Ideal Village. Newase where Dnyaneshwari was written, Shri Saibaba's Shirdi, one of Ashtavinayaks at Siddhatek, the famous Kanifnath temple, attract devotees. The Palace of Chand Bibi, the Bhandardara dam, Harishchandragad Fort, the Maldhok (Indian Bustard) sanctuary and the Rehkuri sanctuary are some of the places of tourist attraction. Divisions. Ahmednagar district consists of fourteen talukas. These talukas are Ahmednagar district has twelve Vidhan  Sabha constituencies, six in each of the two parliamentary constituencies. The Ahmednagar district is under proposal to be divided and a separate Sangamner district and it can be carved out of existing Ahmednagar district with the inclusion of the northern parts of Ahmednagar district which include Rahata, Rahuri, Shrirampur, Sangamner, Akole, Kopargaon, and Nevasa talukas in the proposed district. Sangamner is geographically at centre for ease of administration and well connected by Roads. Sangamner having its separate Vana Vibhag, Bandhakam Vibhag Office, District Court etc. Ralegaon Siddhi is a village in the district that is considered a model of environmental  conservation. Demographics. In the 2001 India census, Ahmednagar district had a population of 4,040,642. At that time the district was 19.89% urban. Males represented 51.55% of the population, and females 48.45%, for a sex-ratio of 940 females per thousand males in 2001. In the 2011 census Ahmednagar district recorded a population of 45,43,159, roughly equal to the nation of Costa Rica or the US state of Louisiana. This gave it a ranking of 33rd among the districts of India (out of a total of 640). The district had a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade  2001-2011 was 12.43%. Ahmadnagar had a sex ratio of 934 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 80.22%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 12.63% and 8.63% of the population respectively. In the 2011 census, the vast majority of the population in Ahmednagar was Hindu, but there was a significant population of Muslims. Jains and Buddhists are small minorities. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 88.89% of the population in the district spoke Marathi, 4.74% Hindi and 2.74% Urdu as their first language. Other languages include Telugu and its dialect Waddar, as  well as Marwari. Culture. Islam arrived in Ahmednagar during the Tughlaq dynasty. There are many Muslim monuments like salabat khan's Tomb known as chandbibi, Faria Baug, Ground Fort and many dargas (mosques), and they are found in main town and cities. Christianity arrived in the 18th century when the British took over the area from the Maratha empire onwards. Christianity has been Ahmednagar's third-largest religion, found all over the district except in the south-west. It is called as Jerusalem of Maharashtra. There is an ancient Hume Memorial Congregational Church in the city, which was built in  1833 by WIDER CHURCH MINISTRIES OF USA later known as American Marathi Mission. In Ahmednagar Christians are a result of the American Marathi mission and the mission of the Church of England's Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. During the British era Ahmednagar was part of Bombay presidency. The first Protestant Christian mission in the district was opened in 1831. Every village has one or more resident families as Christian and every village has its own church for worship. Ahmednagar's Christians are called Marathi Christians and a majority of them are Protestants.