Malegaon (, ) is a city and a
Municipal Corporation in the
Nashik district in the
Indian state of
Maharashtra. It is located at around 280 km northeast of state capital
Mumbai. Malegaon lies at the confluence of
Girna and
Mousam rivers.
Malegaon is one of the largest cities in northwest Maharashtra. It is second largest city of
Nashik district after
Nashik city.
As majority of Malegaon's population belong to
Hindu and
Muslim communities, the vast city's education system has been able to support various languages (Urdu/Marathi/English) through numerous institutions:
Despite all this, Malegaon has seen the infrastructure and quality of life deteriorate over the years.
Geography
Malegaon is located at . It has an average elevation of 438 metres (1437 feet).
History
Malegaon is located on the Mumbai-
Agra national highway (N.H.03). The town’s history and location appear to be the primary reasons for its communally polarised profile. Situated on the road linking Mumbai and Agra — now National Highway No 3 — it was once a small junction known as
Maliwadi (hamlet of gardens) and quickly gained the reputation for being a source of employment. When a local jahagirdar, Naro Shankar Raje Bahadur, started building a fort in the area in 1740, a project that took 25 years, a sizeable number of Muslim workers and artisans from places like Surat and northern India settled in the area. After the British capture of the
Malegaon fort in...
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