Gadhinglaj 5.49

Gadhinglaj is a city in the Kolhapur district in the southwestern corner of Maharashtra, India. It is located on the banks of the river Hiranyakeshi. It is the Taluka (Tehsil) headquarters of Gadhinglaj Taluka and a subdivision headquarters of the Gadhinglaj Subdivision of the Kolhapur District. It is governed by a municipal council. The rapidly growing city is the third largest in the Kolhapur District, with a 2011 population of 79,997.GeographyGadhinglaj is situated on the banks of the Hiranyakeshi river, which originates in the Amboli Ghats mountains. It is a Taluka city, located at the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka, and is on Maharashtra State Highway 134. Gadinglaj is often called the headquarters of South Kolhapur or a sub-district of the Kolhapur District as it is the largest city in South Kolhapur and has enough area and population to be called a district. The city is at an average elevation of 623m.HistoryAlthough the exact date of Gadhinglaj's founding is not known, old texts date it back to at least 1500 AD. Gadhinglaj was a small village near the banks of the Hiranyakeshi River. It was not until 1887, when the Gadhinglaj Municipal Council was formed, that it rapidly transformed from a small village into a bustling town. At that time the official name of the city was Hengaleaj. During the 1960s and 1970s it transformed into a city and its local government also transformed from a C-class municipal council to B-class municipal council. During the 1970s the Gadhinglaj Sugar Factory was founded by Appasaheb Nalawade, thus contributing to both the city's industrial and agriculture growth. Since 2000 it has seen a population and economic boom, with its population nearly tripling, thus becoming one of fastest growing cities in Maharashtra and India. During this time Gadhinglaj also saw a boom in the trade, business, financial, and real estate sectors.