Katol

Katol is a city and a municipal council in Nagpur district of Maharashtra state, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Katol taluka, one of the 14 talukas of this district. Being located in orange belt it is a major centre for orange trading.GeographyKatol is located at. It has an average elevation of 417 metres (1368 ft).approximately 56 km to the west of Nagpur with which it is connected by a fair road, which passes also through the town of Kalmeshwar (18 km from Nagpur). Beyond Katol this road goes to Warud & Morshi Tehsils in Amaravati District via Jalalkheda. Paradshinga the next village on this road is famous for late Saint Anusayamata temple. earlier this road was a mere surface track running into the Amraoti District. The town now includes the large adjoining village of Peth Budhwar, which lies on the Jam, a tributary of the Wardha river. The population of both was 7040 in 1891 and 7313 in 1901, but as the town is the trade centre of a wide cotton-growing tract it has grown considerably since last census. The old town-site is crowded, lying in a hollow. But the recent trend of extension has been towards the higher ground on the south-east where the cotton factories stand.DemographicsAs of 2001 India census, Katol had a population of 37,417. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Katol has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 72%. In Katol, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.HistoryIn Dvapara Yuga, during the reign of Raja Chandrahasa its name was Kuntalapur. Katol is also mentioned in the Ashwamedh canto of the Mahabharat as Kuntalapur. It possesses two of the Hemadpanthi temples ( known as Maa Chandika & maa saraswati) which are said to date from the days of Rawan and to have been built in one night by his demons. The mud fort dates from the time of the Gond dynasty. Paradsinga is just 7 km away from the Katol which is famous for Maa Sati anasuya Mata.