AKOLA

 

Akola

नमस्कार Rotaractors! We, the team ‘Mahabloggers’ from Rotaract district 3131, Pune, India, welcome you aboard on this virtual tour, ‘ महाराष्ट्राची चंदेरी दुनिया’ around our glorious and magnificent state of Maharastra with 36 spectacular and eminent districts, each rich with its distinct culture, heritage, and history, yet rooted to the illustrious spirit of valor of this state, which is the जन्मभूमी of innumerous brave and historically significant personalities. So, fasten your seat belts as we take you around the resplendent districts of Maharashtra. Our first destination for this tour is Akola.

Introduction of Akola:-

Akola is the 3rd largest city in the Vidarbha region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Akola, called Cotton City, is known for its cotton production and is the largest cotton-producing district in India. The city is also famous for its pulses (dal), oil, and textile mills. The city had all along been an important commercial and trading center. Akola is an important district due to its historical, cultural, political, and agricultural aspects. The primary language spoken by the people of Akola is Marathi; some communities also speak Urdu and Hindi.

Culture and tradition of Akola:-

Akola is a city with a mix of religions and cultures. There are several places of worship for Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, and Christians in Akola. Some notable and prominent pilgrimages in Akola are Shri Rani Sati Dham, Shri Tirupati Balaji Mandir, Jama Masjid Inamdar Pura, Mount Carmel Church, and Catholic Church. The Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, the conference on Marathi Literature, was held twice in Akola city. They were presided over by Hari Narayan Apte in 1912 and Gopal Nilkanth Dandekar in 1981. Akola has a good tradition of sports. Several state-level tournaments, as well as national tournaments of various indoor and outdoor games, are hosted here. The most played sports in Akola city include football, cricket, baseball, carrom, hockey, volleyball, boxing, kabaddi, chess, and badminton. Akola was called the Home of Football, Akola produced many renowned footballers, Akola police was the best team for many years, some of the footballers of Akola are:- Pandharinath Gopnarayan, Pappu Pandey, Gajanan Shelar, Devidas Sarjekar, Shakil Sarjekar, Krishna Shelar, Baban Patade, Sheikh Chand, and Farooq Sheikh.

Tourism in Akola:-

There are many places of tourist interest in Akola and most of the sightseeing places can be covered in about two days. The sightseeing places can be visited during the day and the evenings can be kept aside for other things that you want to do around the city like shopping or simply letting the sights, sounds and smells of the place soak in. There are majorly 5 top tourist attractions in Akola. Amongst the main attractions is the Akola fort, which was constructed by the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.

Tourists also can visit Shegaon, a popular pilgrimage destination as it’s believed that Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj lived here. Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj Temple is built on the Samadhi of Gajanan Maharaj. Sant Gajanan Maharaj Sansthan is one of the largest temples in the Vidarbha region and it attracts pilgrims from all over India.

Anand Sagar in Shegaon is a tourist attraction with recreation facilities. Though this fortress is in shambles now, it tells about the glory of the years gone by. There are three wells and a mosque inside the fortress. A part of the fortress is now used by some government offices. Visitors to Akola can also choose to visit some temples in and around the city.

The Raj Rajeswar temple and the Shiva temple inside the Akola fort are favorite tourist hotspots.

The Narnala fort is another place to visit in Akola, Maharashtra. The fort was constructed by Fateh-Ullah-Imad-ul-Malik in 1487. The grand fortress which is now near to a dilapidated condition is situated on the Satpura hills and is surrounded by dense forests. The Nalnara wildlife sanctuary which is in fact the dense forest that surrounds the Narnala fort is another tourist attraction and is one of the most famous wildlife sanctuaries of Maharashtra.

Food of Akola:-

Local people of Akola are known to prepare some spicy and mild dishes. Rice and wheat are the staple food of the region. Lentils and vegetables are also prepared. Peanuts and cashews can be found to be used in plenty in the food offering enhanced taste and flavor, something that is sure to compel the person to crave for more. They are used mainly in those dishes which are cooked using vegetables. Ordering food delivery at Akola Jn can help the person to try out authentic food of this region, something that he can cherish for a long time and come back again for more. Curries are an absolute compulsion in this region along with white rice. Be it kadhi (a mixture of buttermilk and besan) or aamti (lentil curry prepared from chickpeas and tur dal), they are regarded to be part of almost every meal that is served. Also, sol kadhi is prepared, which is stated to be a curry cooked with coconut milk. However, it is not actually a traditional Marathi dish and is known to have originated from the Konkani region. It has gone on to become a hot favorite among the locals of Akola. Some specialties of Akola are Thalipeeth, Upma, Pav Bhaji, Curries, and from the sweet platter, the very famous Anarsa, Basundi, and Shrikhand.

This was all about the beautiful district of Akola from our side. If you hail from Akola and found this blog great, then please do let us know in our comment section below and share this with your other Akolakars. Also let us know if we have missed out on any amazing spot from Akola. Like, share and do comment on our blogs so that they reach maximum rotaractors who wish to travel and know more about our Maharashtra.

Follow our amazing district’s ERYLA page for regular updates of ERYLA and do participate in our 3 days long ERYLA for 2020, full of enthralling and engaging activities with a great and insightful speaker line-up to make it like never before. Stay tuned to this space to take a virtual trip to the next amazing district of Maharashtra.