Chandrapur

Shri Nathji came to the city of Chandrapur in 1949. This place is also associated with His dear devotee Bhatt Sahib as he had been an Additional Sessions Judge at here. Chandrapur is a city in Chandrapur district in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is also the headquarters of Chandrapur district. The present population of this city is 3.73 lakh as per 2011 census. The city of Chandrapur has ancient temples of the goddess Mahakali and of Anchaleshwar, a form of the god Shiva. Chandrapur is also known as Chanda. The region is very rich in mineral wealth such as iron ore, limestone and coal. Many cement factories are located in this region. Due to large number of coal mines present around the city, the city is also known as City of Black Gold. The city is located on the confluence of rivers "Erai" and "Zarpat". The old city is surrounded by walls. These walls were called as "Parkots". These walls have four gates to enter and leave the old city namely Jatpura Gate, Pathanpura Gate, Bimba Gate and Anchaleshwar Gate. Also they have four windows (Khidki in Marathi) to enter and leave the old city namely Chor Khidki, Vithoba Khidki, Hanuman Khidki and Bagad Khidki.

In Treta Yuga the name of this place was Lokapura and its extent much wider than what it is to-day. In Dvapara Yuga, it was called in Indupur. Then  during the reign of one Raja Chandrahasa its name was changed to Chandrapur or the city of the moon. During the period of the British Raj, Chandrapur came to be called as Chanda for no particular reason perhaps because the short form was more convenient and continued to be so called until 1964 when its name was officially changed to Chandrapur again. In spite of the restoration of the name it is still known to the general public as Chanda. Puranas mention the town as having been founded by Krtadhvaja Raja, but modern Chandrapur has grown out of the foundations laid by Khandkya Ballal Sah, the Gond King, about the year 1450 A.D. Gond Kings (there beautiful mausoleum is shown on top) ruled the area till 1751 after which Maratha period started. Raghuji Bhosale, the last King of the dynasty, died heirless in 1853 and Nagpur province together with Chandrapur was declared annexed to British Empire. Mahakali Mandir in Chandrapur is an icon for Chandrapur. It is symbolic to Chandrapur City and it has prominent place in the heart of people of Chandrapur. The photo of the temple is given above.