Malkapur, Buldhana district


Malkapur is a city and municipality in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra, India. It is also a tehsil seat for surrounding 64 villages.

History

Prince Mohammad Malik Khan founded the town of Malkapur around the 13th century, and named it after his daughter, Princess Malika. He built the six gates like a fort. Their names are Mangal Darwaza, Mughal Darwaza, Bada Darwaza, and the remaining three have fallen down. The town gained its independence from the Bahamani Sultanate in 1399. Malkapur is mentioned in Ain-i-Akbari as the headquarters of a paragana in the sarkar of Narnala. However, the story is improbable as no known record exists of any journey in this direction by Miran Ghani Adil Khan, a Faruqi prince of the period.
1761, the town was rich enough to pay Rs. 60,000 to the army of Raghunathrao, who later became a ruling Peshwa from 1773–74, for exemption from plunder. The Nizams used to keep a force of about 20,000 men in this frontier district of their dominions. Daulatrav Shinde and Raghuji Bhosle were encamped near Malkapur when the British envoy Colonel Collins, after presenting General Lord Wellesley's ultimatum, quit Shinde's camp in 1803.

Demographics

According to the 2018 census, Malkapur has a population of 278,794. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Malkapur has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 75%. The male literacy is 89% and female literacy is 75%. In Malkapur, 20% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Transport

Malkapur is located on the Hajira - Kolkata National Highway 6, which is a part of the Asian Highway 46 from Kharagpur to Dhule.Malkapur railway station lies on the Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line. Malkapur bus station is on Buldhana road. A boat facility is also available at Nalganga river.

Politics

Malkapur is one of the largest cotton producers in the area. In the British era, it was known as the "White gold of Vidarbha". Malkapur has a vast paper industry and the primary paper suppliers to Mumbai are in Malkapur. Malkapur has many Dal mills, and a major agricultural industry specializing in Mahyco and Ankur seeds, chemical plants, and a fruit ripening chamber. Malkapur is a well-known grain and cloth market due to its proximity to Madhya Pradesh. It is one of the major producers of red chillies.