ABOUT ICHALKARANJI

Geography: Ichalkaranji is a town situated in Kolhapur district of the Western

Maharastra state of India. The town is located on the eastern region of
Sahyadri Mountains, between 16.7° N and 74.47° E and has an average
elevation of 538 meters (1768 feet). It is situated on the bank of river
Panchaganga. It falls under the Time Zone of IST +5:30. According to the last
Population Census of 2001, it had a population of 257,702.

The important codes for this city are:

Pin code – 416115

Telephone – 0230

Vehicle Registration - MH 09

History: The name ‘Ichalkaranji’ is a compilation of three different words i.e.

Ichy, Uchi and Karanji - these were the three small villages which existed
during the 18th century. In 1893, His Highness Shrimant Narayanrao
Ghorpade laid the foundation for the municipal council of Ichalkaranji. Later,
the visionary Shri Vitthalrao Datar started the first handloom in 1904. His
Highness sensed the future potential of this industry and helped the weavers
and businessman by making available free land and the required donation.

The further boost was given by many legendary entrepreneurs like Dattajirao
Kadam, Kalappana Awade, etc. Mr. Awade started the Textile and
Engineering Institute of Ichalkaranji in 1982.This institute became the
milestone in the history of Textile Industry, which took the name of the city to
greater heights by providing excellent manpower to the industry.

Demography: According to 2008[update] census, Ichalkaranji had a population

of 4,33,137. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%.
Ichalkaranji has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national
average of 59.5%: male literacy is 91%, and female literacy is 66%. In
Ichalkaranji, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.
The religion diversity in Ichalkaranji is represented by Hindus, Jains, and
Muslims.

The languages widely spoken are Marathi, Hindi, and English. Other regional
languages like Kannada, Gujrati, and Marwari are also well spoken in the
business circles.

People and Culture: Ichalkaranji as a business entity can be simply divided

into two economic strata - Labour class and Business class. People either
own textile related business or they work in one.

Economy: Textiles is the backbone of the economy in Ichalkaranji. It is the

fastest growing industrial area in western Maharashtra. Earlier, Ichalkaranji
was famous for cotton cloths, dhoties and sarees. With the changing market
scenario, it produces not only cotton but also suiting, shirting, denim cloth,
canvas, cambric, etc. as it has made a remarkable development in terms of
technology. Ichalkaranji boasts of approximately 2-2.5 lacs of Powerlooms
and 50,000 Semi-auto looms. There are 7 yarn Spinning mills in and around
Ichalkaranji. In 2006, the city was sanctioned under the Textile Cluster
scheme of central government and today it is well equipped with all the
amenities and facilities required for the textile industry. It also has 4 textile
parks coming-up in its vicinity. Ichalkaranji surely has obtained a place in the
textile map of the World. Because of all these ventures, Ichalkaranji is proudly
known as the ‘Manchester City’ of Maharashtra.

Other than textiles, the economy is now booming with diversified industries
like auto components manufacturers, educational institutes, foundry, food
industry, green houses, sugar factory, etc.

Infrastructure: Ichalkaranji is well connected by road and railway to the near-

by cities of Kolhapur (23 km), Sangli (30 km), Belgaum (110 km), and Pune
(240 km). The town is equipped with one the best State Transport facility in
the state and the railway station is situated at a distance of 8 km from the
central bus stand. The Pune-Bangalore national highway is at a distance of 20
km. The nearest airport is of Kolhapur at 22 km.
Ichalkaranji has been awarded the ‘Best Town’ under Gadgebaba Cleanliness
Mission. It has well built roads, proper supply of water & electricity and new
residential townships to cater the growing population. Roads connecting the 3
major industrial estates of the town are again constructed under the Textile
Cluster program. Sewage Treatment plants are been developed to treat the
pollutant water of different industries.

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Since the beginning of 20th century, Ichalkaranji is a town well-known for

cultural activities. The classical vocal singing was pioneered in Ichalkaranji by
Pandit Balkrishna Bua and the tradition continues till today. There are
academies like Pandit Balkrishna Bua Sangeet Sadhana Mandal, state-of-art
Ghorpade Natyagruha which are spreading the Indian art forms in the young
generation. They also host many cultural programs throughout the year which
help in spreading cultural awareness amongst people. People of Ichalkaranji
celebrate each cultural and religious activities with much enthusiasm, and do
maintain high respect for every festivals. The people of this town are very
much aware about their social duties and try to work towards these duties
through social activities of blood banks, dumb and deaf schools, orphanages,
old-age homes, etc.