Shegaon, India

Welcome to Shegaon, a city located in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra, India. This city has become a popular pilgrimage center due to the influence of Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj, who is considered a saint by Hindus. Shegaon has a population of approximately 59,672 people as per the Indian census of 2011. The city is located 300 km (190 mi) west of Nagpur and 550 km (340 mi) east of Mumbai. It is connected by Hajira–Dhule–Howrah National Highway 6 to Khamgaon, Balapur, Malkapur, and Akola. Shegaon Railway station is located on the Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line of the Central Railway of Indian Railways. It has direct train connectivity to Mumbai CST, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Secunderabad, Pune, Akola, Tatanagar, Ahmedabad, Okha, Kolhapur, Amravati, Wardha, Nanded, Nagpur, Gondia, Bilaspur, Howrah Station, Shalimar Station, Chandrapur railway station, and Chennai Central. Several Mumbai trains stop at Shegaon, including the Gitanjali Express, Vidarbha Express, Amravati Superfast Express, Mumbai–Howrah Mail and Express, Sewagram Express, Nagpur–Pune Express, Navjivan Express, Gondwana Express, Maharashtra Express, Okha–Puri Express, and Ltt–Shalimar Express. For long-distance superfast trains, Akola Junction is located at a distance of 45.7 kms. Shegaon is home to several educational institutions, including the Industrial Training Institute and the Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj College of Engineering (SSGMCE), both affiliated with Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University. There are also institutions run by the Gajanan Maharaj Sansthan, including: Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj English Medium School, Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj Warkari Shikshan Sanstha, Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj Adiwasi Ashram School, Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj Mentally Retarded School, Mauli College of Engineering, Siddhivinayak Technical Campus, and Saraswati College. Shegaon has traditionally had a large cotton market, with the product from ginning and pressing mills of Shegaon transported to textile mills in Mumbai via goods trains. British textile companies like Rallis India had their procurement office in Shegoan during pre-independence days. Many ginning and pressing mills like M. M. Ginning & Pressing Factory, Bhattad Group of Ginning & Mills, Gajanan Ginning Factory and Oil Mill, Bhartia Group of Ginning and Mills operate in this area. Shegaon also has engineering industries that manufacture material-handling equipment like chain pulley blocks, industrial cranes, and link chains. Shegaon has a mineral water bottling plant, oil mills, paint manufacturing, and other industries. Shegaon is known for its landmarks, including the Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj Temple, which is named for Gajanan Maharaj who once lived there. Hindus consider Gajanan Maharaj a saint with miraculous powers, and the temple is built at his place of samādhi (meditation). It is the largest temple trust in the Vidarbha region and is known as the Pandharpur of Vidarbha. It attracts pilgrims from across Maharashtra. A trust coordinates the day-to-day affairs of the temple. It is headed by the managing trustees, who traditionally come from the Patil family. The trust coordinates services in the spiritual, religious, medical, and educational fields. Shegaon also has a tourist attraction called Anand Sagar, developed in 2005 by Shri Gajanan Maharaj Mandir Trust on about 140 hectares (350 acres) of land. It is a spiritual and entertainment center for pilgrims, built around a Dhyan Mandir. There is a 9–11-metre-high (30–35 ft) statue of Swami Vivekananda above a meditation cell at the center of the water reservoir. It is a replica of Vivekananda Kendra at Kanyakumari. There is an Amphitheatre which seats 3,500 people, used to organize cultural activities, functions, and exhibitions. The water reservoir being developed is anticipated to meet existing and proposed needs of the Sansthan. Shegaon Tehsil is part of the Buldhana district. It consists of 436 square kilometers (168 sq mi), 95 villages, and a population of around 125,000 people. Some of the villages are: Janori, Kalkhed, Jalamb, Pahurjira, Bhota, Sagoda, Bhongaon, Dadgaon, Matargaon, Mongaon Digras, Taroda Tarodi, Pahurpurna, Manasgaon, Adsul, Zadegaon, Palodi, Shrikshetra Nagzari, Chincholi Karfarma, Gaigaon, Jawala Palaskhed, Wankhed, Jawala, Alasana, Kherda, Gaulkhed, Takali Viro, Lasura, Warkhed, Amboda, Lanjud, Pimpri Deshmukh, Tintrav, Gavhan, and Taroda Kasaba.