Sindhudurg district
Sindhudurg (Marathi pronunciation: ]) is an administrative district of the Konkan division in India, which was carved out of the erstwhile Ratnagiri district. The district headquarters are located at Oros and the district occupies an area of approximately 5,207 km and has a population of 849,651, of which 12.59% were urban (as of 2011). As of 2011, it's the least populous district of Maharashtra (out of 36). History. The word 'Konkan' is of Indian origin and of considerable antiquity, though the origin of the name has never been sufficiently explained. The seven kingdoms of the Konkan of mythology  are mentioned in the History of Kashmir and are said to have included nearly the whole west coast of India. The Pandavas are said to have passed through this region in the 13th year of their exile and to have settled in this area for some time. The Raja of this region, Veerat Ray, accompanied them in the war at Kurukshetra with the Kauravas. In the second century A.D., the Maurya Empire annexed the Konkan coast. In the middle of the sixth century, kings of the Maurya and Nala dynasties appear to have ruled in the Konkan. The district of  Ratnagiri was under the Silahars, and the capital of their kingdom was probably Goa. Later it may have been transferred to a more central place in the vicinity of Ratnagiri or Kharepatan. Chandrapur was one of the most ancient towns in Konkan, probably founded by Chandraditya, son of the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II. The 16th century saw the advent and rise of Portuguese power on the west coast of India and Sindhudurg was not immune. The sultan lost his hold on the district in 1675 with the rise of Shivaji, leading finally into the hands of the Marathas. Marathas continued  to rule the district till 1817 i.e., when the struggle between the British and the Peshvas came to an end and the whole of Konkan was transferred to the British. In 1819 South Konkan was formed as separate district with its headquarters first at Bankot and later at Ratnagiri. Three northern subdivisions were transferred to Thane district in 1830 and the district was reduced to a sub-collectorate level under Thane district. In 1832, it was again made a full-fledged district and named Ratnagiri district. In the year 1945, a new mahal (tahsil) called Kankavli Mahal (tahsil) was formed . The former Indian state of Sawantwadi was merged with the district and the taluka boundaries were reorganized in the year 1949. In the same year the new taluka of the Sawantwadi was created and two new mahals, Kudal and Lanja, were formed. With the reorganization of the states in 1956, the district was included in Bombay State and since 1960, it forms a part of Maharashtra. The name of the district has been adopted from the sea fort of Sindhudurg. This was built by Shivaji Maharaj near Malwan and its name literally means ‘Sea Fort’. Its construction started on 25  November 1664 and after three years it was completed in such a fashion that it could not be seen easily by enemies coming from the Arabian Sea. Sindhudurg district is the southern part of the Konkan coast which is historically known for its long coast line and safe harbors. Sindhudurg district was earlier a part of Ratnagiri district. For administrative convenience and industrial and agricultural development, Ratnagiri district was divided into Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg with effect from 1 May 1981. Sindhudurg district now comprises the eight tahsils of Sawantwadi, Kudal, Vengurla, Malvan, Devgad, Kankavli, Vaibhavwadi and Dodamarg. Geography. Sindhudurg district  is southern most district of Maharashtra. This district has ores of Iron, Bauxite and Manganese. Sindhudurg is bordered on the north by Ratnagiri district, on the south by the state of Goa, on the west by the Arabian Sea, and to the east across the crest of the Western Ghats or Sahyadris is Kolhapur district. Sindhudurg is part of Konkan (coastal) region, a narrow coastal plain in western Maharashtra which lies between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. Sindhudurg has a semi-tropical climate and remains warm and humid in most of the year. It has three clear seasons : rainy (June–October), Winter (November–mid February) and Summer (mid February–May). Temperatures vary between a maximum of 32 °C and monsoon winds bring heavy rains (average rainfall 3240.10 mm). The people of Sindhudurg district mostly speak Konkani and a distinct dialect of Konkani; "Malvani"; almost all are fluent in Marathi as well. About the district. Established on 1 May 1981. Tehsils and Panchayat Samiti: Nagar Palika: Cities: Smaller towns include : Agriculture. Major crops are Rice, Coconut, Kokam, Mango, Cashew. Annual Crop: Irrigated 33,910 hectares Non-Irrigated. hectares Forest 38,643 Hectares 74% of total land holding in the district , are held by small and marginal farmers. The irrigated area is only 23.48% through well and small channels. The district has: This district has a sea coast length of 121 km. It has 16000 km. Economy. Main fisheries centers of Sindhudurg are (8) Vijaydurg, Devgad, Nivati, Achara, Malvan, Sarjekot, Vengurla, Shiroda Cuisine. The cuisine of the district is popularly known as Malvani cuisine. Coconut, rice, and fish are significant in the Malavani cuisine. Seafood, particularly fish, bangada (soloman) paplet (pomfret), prawns, and tisrya (mussels) is very popular. "Kombdi vade" also called vade sagoti, a chicken savory, is the most popular  dish. Others include ukadya tandulachi pej (उकड्या तांदळाची पेज – a semi-fluid boiled preparation made of brown-red rice variety, and sol kadhi (सोल कढी – A preparation made of sol (kokum) सोल and coconut milk). Dry fish is also a local delicacy, similar to "golma" (dried prawns). Malvani cuisine is one of the unique cuisines than rest of the Maharashtra with very low oil and spices but very tasty with use of locally available spices. Even TAJ group has also included Malvani cuisine in their menu. Below are some of the dishes/sweets are Malvani Mango is a major factor  to the life of Sindhudurg. Varieties of Alphonso Mango (हापुस आंबा ) from Devgad are particularly popular. Other varieties of mango: Mankur (मानकुर), Goa Mankur, Keshar, Pāyari (पायरी) and Karel (करेल – used for preparing Mango Pickle), and rayval are also popular for their distinct taste. Jackfruit is also one of the most popular fruits of Sindhudurg. Malvani cuisine also has many vegetarian dishes, including garyache sandan, pickle of karmal, bimble, amba halad, karadichi bhakri, kanyacha sanja, appe, ghavan, dalimichi usual, and kaju usual, Raiwal Ambyacha Rayta, Yelapp. Places of attraction. Tourist destinations. " *Manohar Manosantosh Gad (Shivapur) (Kudal taluka) " " *Shivapur waterfall Gadakarwadi , Ghawhalwadi (Shivapur) (Kudaldeshkar taluka) " Demographics. According to the 2011 census Sindhudurg district has a population of 849,651, roughly equal to the nation of Qatar or the US state of South Dakota. This gives it a ranking of 474th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was -2.21%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 6.54% and 0.82% of the population respectively. Sindhudurg has a sex ratio of 1037 females for every 1000 males, which is second highest in Maharashtra, and a literacy rate of  85.56%. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 91.22% of the population speaks Marathi, 2.29% Malwani, 1.54% Urdu, 1.33% Hindi and 1.16% Kukna as their first language. The area is largely rural populated with 87.41% of rural population. Divisions. The eight talukas of this district are Devgad, Kankavli, Malvan, Kudal, Sawantwadi, Vengurla and Dodamarg and Vaibhavwadi. There are three Vidhan Sabha constituencies in this district. These are Kankavli, Sawantwadi and Kudal. All of these are part of the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Lok Sabha constituency. Transportation. The Sindudurg district is connected to state capital Mumbai by road through National Highway  17 (NH-17), which is now renumbered as NH-66. This highway also connects the district to the neighbouring state of Goa and Karnataka also. There are regular MSRTC and private luxury buses connecting to adjoining cities like Kolhapur (110 km away Kanakavli City), Belgaum (90 km from Sawantwadi City), Panaji – Goa (55 km away Sawantwadi & Vengurle). Towns and major villages has good connectivity with Mumbai as major migrated population of district is located in Mumbai area. According to one source, there are roughly more than 120 luxury buses running daily towards Mumbai and suburbs. The district is also well connected by  Konkan Railway to Mumbai, Thane, Goa and other parts of the country like Mangalore, Karwar Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Hapa, Veraval, New Delhi, Jodhpur, Porbundar by Konkan Railway. The main railway stations on this route are Kudal, Kankavli and Sawantwadi. Many trains halt at these stations. The nearest major airport is Dabolim Airport in Goa which is very close (80 km) for cities like Sawantwadi, Kudal and Vengurle. A new airport Sindhudurg Airport at Chipi-Parule was recently opened.