Amravati Knowledge Guide

History

Other historical facts

Amravati, in Sanskrit, literally means 'abode of immortals'. Amravati was the capital of Berar, which was part of present-day Vidharbha. Berar was part of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka's empire. In 1833, Berar was handed over to the British East India Company. It was divided into two districts, South Berar or Balaghat and North Berar. In 1956, due to the reorganisation of the states, Amravati was transferred from Madhya Pradesh to Bombay state. Later in 1960, with the creation of Maharashtra, Amravati became one of its districts. Indian independence freedom fighters such as Rao Bahadur Raghunath Narasinha Mudholkar, Dadasaheb Khaparde, Moropant Vishvanath Joshi came from the city. In 1897, the Indian National Congress assembled at Amraoti. It was headed by Chettur Sankaran Nair . In an address he referred to the high-handedness of foreign administration, called for reforms and asked for self-government for India with Dominion Status.Freedom fighter Bhagat Singh hid for 3 days in Amravati during his underground stint. He is known to have frequently visited the Hanuman Akhada (Gym) in this time.