PLACES

BARSHI TAKLI

Barshi Takli, a village in Akola tahsil has a population of 9,061 souls as per the Census of 1971. Situated 11 miles to the south-east of Akola, tradition makes it an ancient place and various indications bear this out. The name of the original village is popularly supposed to have been Tankavati. The peth was founded later, and because it was begun on a baras day, that is the day following ekadashi, the name was prefixed by Barshi, and was called Barshi Takli. According lo the local version the present name Barshi Takli is a corrupt form of Barves Takli known after the twelve ves or gates surrounding the village. According to the local tradition the name Takli has been derived from the ruler of the place known as Tankakali who is said lo have founded the village. But the inscription there clearly states the ancient name to be Tekkali. The names firstly of a Muhammedan saint Sulaimankhan Wali and secondly of a Hindu Govind Maharaja were added later but have again been dropped. It is a railway station on the Khandva-Purna metre gauge line of the Central Railway.

Tekkali, modern Barshi Takli, was the capital of the royal family which was contemporary of Singhana, the Yadava King of Devagin. From a rather mutilated stone inscription there we learn that during the reign of Hemadrideva of that family his minister named Gamiyaya built a temple of Vishnu at Tekkali, This temple is now known as that of Bhavani though there is no image of that or any other deity therein. Originally it may have been dedicated to Vishnu. This royal family came into conflict with the Yadavas of Seunadesha. Mallugi, a Yadava king, defeated the lather of Hemadrideva and the latter when a mere boy. vanquished Rajala, the son of Mallugi, who was advancing on Tekkali with a large army. Hemadri ruled righteously and is said to have ma.de his capital Tekkali another Varanasi.

Barshi Takli was the headquarters of a pargana of fifty-two and a half villages, and had a kazi to whom a sanad was given by the Emperor Alamgir. Its population under the Nizam's rule was said to have been at one time 22,000 but was greatly reduced by three calamities. Firstly, there was a great Pendhari raid in which the town was looted for seven days, afterwards came a great fire, and finally, a terrible famine, possibly that of 1803 when no supplies would be got from places outside the district, and a great many people deserted the village permanently. Tradition points out, on the north, the sites of the Nizam's old tnokasvada and Bhosles' kacheri, the headquarters of the two powers in the eighteenth century when 40 per cent of the revenue used to go to the Nizam and 60 per cent to the Bhosles.

Barshi Takli is a fairly big village and as such has the headquarters of the Barshi Takli Panchayat Samiti. It has a police station also. There are three primary schools in the village conducted by the Zilla Parishad while the Janata High School conducted by a private institution caters to the need of secondary education. An allopathic dispensary is also located at Barshi Takli attached to which is a maternity ward. The village has a veterinary dispensary. It has a post office and a telephone office too. A weekly market is held at Barshi Takli on every Friday. The village has been electrified. The Jirayat Dudh Utpadak Co-operative Society was established at Barshi Takli in 1968-69 and during that year the society supplied milk to the extent of about 1,30,088 litres.

Objects of interest: The village contains besides the town-gates five ancient structures of some interest. Two of these are Hemadpanti temples, one dedicated to Devi and the other to Mahadeva. The other three objects of interest are a mosque, a tomb and a well, built by Sulaimankhan.

The temple dedicated to Devi is of a highly developed style, it faces north, but two tiny windows on the east, each in the form of a cross, allow the first rays of the sun to fall on the head of the goddess Bhavani.

The black stone temple of Bhavani consists of a shrine and a mandap or hall both being freely decorated upon the exterior with bands of mouldings, and figures. The mandap is curiously arranged with regard to the shrine, being attached as it were, sideways to it, the open side of the mandap with its entrance being on one side, or at right angles to the doorway of the shrine. The plan of the mandap is rectangular, while that of the shrine is star-shaped. Four decorated pillars support the central ceiling of the hall. The principal figures around the outside of the temple excepting Ganapati, are females, Mahakali and Mahishasuramardini occupying important positions. The ceiling is particularly well-decorated. Within the temple, engraved upon the black wall, is a long Sanskrit inscription, unfortunately very much damaged. It has been edited by Dr. Mirashi the Nagpur University. It is dated in the Shaka year 1098, Durmukha samvatsara, Vaishakha Shukla 7, corresponding to the 7th April, A. D. 1177. At this time king Hemadrideva of an unknown royal family was ruling at Tekkali (modern Barshi Takli). He defeated Rajala, son of Mallugi, ruler of Khandesh, who was advancing on Tekkali with a large army. Later, Kholeshvara, the general of the Yadava king Singhana, defeated Hemadrideva and probably annexed the country to the Yadava dominion. The inscription, records that Gamiyaya, a minister of Hemadrideva, constructed a temple of Vishnu, a deep tank and a well at Tekkali. The temple is probably identical with the present one dedicated to Bhavani.

The other temple is dedicated to Mahadeva. Constructed in black stone and bricks with excellent carvings on the stone structure, the temple is surrounded by a brick-cum-mortar work that is comparatively of a recent date. There are two dipmals-lamp-posts in front and the site of a sali shrine is shown close by.

The other three buildings of interest viz., a mosque, a tomb and a well are said to have been built by Sulaimankhan, a talukdar of the place of not more than a few centuries ago. That these structures were erected by Sulaimankhan is shown by an inscription in the tomb. The well has steps leading clown to the water, close to which two subterranean rooms are said to be accessible in the hot weather. Sulaimankhan left his mark on the place in other ways also, in particular he stopped the practice of sacrificing a buffalo at the time of the festival of holi. He also prevented, it is said, Muhammedans from killing cows.

The Nizam's old mokas vada and the Bhosle's kacheri mentioned earlier are still in good condition.

Every year a fair is held on the full moon day of the month of chaitra in honour of Govind Maharaj after whom the village was known sometime back. The fair is attended by about five to seven thousand people.

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