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History of Malegaon

History of Malegaon

Malegaon is a beautiful town that lies at a distance of about 57 kilometers from the city of Nanded. Malegaon is the second largest city in the district of Nashik after the city of Nashik. The city is very popular for its industries that produce textile and for its possession of power looms. In the last few decades, the city has been very successful in developing itself. Historians have come forward with the point that after the revolt of 1857, many Muslims from North India took refuge in Malegaon and this is the main reason behind the large Muslim community found in Malegaon.

Chronology of Events in Malegaon

Malegaon was once a very minuscule junction named Maliwadi or the hamlet of gardeners. The history of Malegaon is as old as 1740 when a landlord named Naro Shankar Raje Bahadur, from the city started the construction of a fort that took almost twenty-five years to be completed. It was because of the construction work of the fort that thousands of Muslim artisans and workers flocked to Malegaon from different areas in India in search of a source of income.

The Britishers annexed the Malegaon fort in the year 1818 and this led to a large number of Muslims moving to Malegaon from Hyderabad. Again, thousands of Muslim weavers settle down in Malegaon from Varanasi struck by the famine that took place in the year 1862. It is only because of the Muslim population of the city that there are a large number of power looms and weaving industries found in Malegaon. The communal riots that became very common in India during the 1960s, have immensely contributed towards the swelling increase in Muslim migrants to the city of Malegaon.

Major Historic Events that took place in Malegaon

Some major historic events took place in the city of Malegaon and these events played a very important role in shaping the present of the city of Malegaon. The events have been listed below:
  • Malegaon was a very small kasba called Maliwadi about two hundred years back.
  • Naro Shankar Raje Bahadur was one of the Bajirao Peshwa Sardars and he was gifted 18 villages that included Maliwadi. It was Naro Shankar who invited artisans, engineers and stone cutters from the northern part of India.
  • They were the Muslim artisans who brought Muslim culture and Muslim language for the first time in Malegaon.
  • The artisans used to live in a settlement or basti opposite of Malegaon fort across the river. The place is at present called Sangameshwar and Maliwadi has changed to Malegaon.
  • A Rohilla Sepoy called Dilawar Khan in the year 1816 built the very first Idgah in the city of Malegaon.
  • The Britishers of Malegaon invited the Muslims of Hyderabad after they captured Malegaon fort in the year 1818.
  • Mutiny of 1857 led to the a large number of Muslims called Momins migrating to Malegaon from North India.
  • Struck by famine, Muslims from Varanasi moved to Malegaon in the year 1862.
  • Malegaon at present has evolved in the form of a center of handloom weaving in the state of Maharashtra.
  • The power loom era in Malegaon emerged after the year 1935.
  • It was increased productivity that led to the prosperity of the cloth industry in the city of Malegaon.
  • The Muslims who moved to the city from Khandesh, Deccan and Uttar Pradesh created slums in Malegaon.
  • The very first slum and also the biggest slum in the city of Malegaon known as Kamalpura were established in the year 1940.

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