TRADE

TRADE ROUTES

THE MIRAJ-KOLHAPUR BRANCH OF THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY is the only railway line which connects Kolhapur district with Poona and Bombay. The main items of export from Kolhapur are gul and sugar.

"Till 1845 when the British took over the superintendence, the State had no metalled roads. Of the path-ways, those that led west down the Sahyadris to the coast were hardly fit for even lightly laden cattle, and those that went inland were beaten cattle tracks". Even today the district, detached by a long range of the Sahyadri whose western scrap is precipitious has no road communication to sea ports except the State Highway which passes through Amba Ghat. Starting at Amba and ending at Udgaon, it covers 61 miles and passes through Shahuwadi, Panhala, Karwir, Hatkanangale and Shirol talukas of Kolhapur district.

Bounded on the north, by Varna river, the Poona-Bangalore Road is the only National Highway passing through Kolhapur district. It covers in all about 29 miles in this district, passing through the talukas of Hatkanangale, Kolhapur and Kagal. The same road connects Kolhapur with Belgaum in the south. On the east, Kolhapur is well linked with Satara and Belgaum districts. Most of the taluka headquarters are connected now by roads with Kolhapur city which is the main trade centre.

The Kaladgi-Devagad Road (State Highway) passes through the talukas of Bhudargad, Kagal and Radhanagari. The length of the road in the district is about 46 miles and 5 furlongs. The other State Highway is the Mirya-Ratnagiri-Kolhapur-Miraj-Bijapur-Hyderabad Road entering the district of Kolhapur near village Amba (Shahuwadi taluka) and passes through the talukas of Hatkanangale, Shahuwadi and Shirol and Panhala mahal. The total length in the district is 66 miles and 7 furlongs.

The Major District Roads are:-

(1) Kolhapur-Bavada Road (34.4 miles) passing through the Karvir taluka and Panhala and Bavada mahals.

(2) Kolhapur-Wasi-Parite-Ghotwade-Gaibi Road (24 miles and 5½ furlongs) running parallel to the river Bhogawati, passes through Karvir and Radhanagari talukas.

(3), Waghabil-Panhala Road (4 miles) starts from "Mirya-Ratnagiri-Kolhapur-Miraj-Bijapur-Hyderabad Road" and runs west throughout its length.

(4) Gadhinglaj-Ajra-Savantwadi Road (27 miles) runs south-west till the village Amba on the south-western border and enters Ratnagiri district. It passes through Gadhinglaj taluka and Ajra mahal.

(5) Kolhapur-Bavada Road (34 miles, 4 furlongs) passes through the Karvir taluka and Panhala and Bavada mahals.

(6) Ichalkaranji-Hatkanangale Road '(5 miles, 5 furlongs) emanates from the Ratnagiri-Kolhapur-Bijapur State Highway and passes through the Hatkanangale taluka only.

(7) Jaisingpur-Shirol-Kurundwad Road emanates from the "Ratnagiri-Kolhapur-Bijapur State Highway. The total length in the district is 12 miles and 6 furlongs.

(8) Bambavade-Shirale Road (8 miles) emanating from the Kolhapur-Bijapur-Ratnagiri State Highway, enters the district at Bambavade in Shahuwadi taluka and runs north upto Shirale in the same taluka and then runs north-west upto Kapashi also in Shahuwadi taluka.

(9) Bhadgaon-Channekupi-Nool-Basarge-Halkarni-Khanapur Road (14 miles and 2 furlongs) starts from Bhadgaon, a village on the Gadhinglaj-Bhadgaon-Mahagaon-Nesari-Adkur Road and goes south-east upto Halkarni and then goes east upto Khanapur (Bijapur district).

The old Gazetteer narrates- "Of the imports and exports, at Kolhapur, grain, cloth, earthenware, baskets and cattle largely come from neighbouring places; most of these articles find their way to Nipani in Belgaum and Chiplun and Rajapur in Ratnagiri. From Sangrul, rice is largely sent to Nipani and other places. At Kadoli grain is largely sold; from Kadoli, cotton, molasses and chillies, and from Panhala rice are largely sent. At Sarud, grain is brought in large quantities and cloth is exported. At Vadgaon, which is a large trade centre, dates, cocoanut, kernel, sugar and English yarn are brought from the seaports and a number of cattle from neighbouring places for sale; and besides chillies, tobacco and wheat and other grains, molasses is largely exported. At Gadhinglaj the chief trade is in grain, coarse cloth and cattle. At Kapasi the local dealers take grain, chillies and other articles for sale to Islampur, Miraj, Sangli and Tasgaon; at Malkapur grain and cattle come from neighbouring villages and cocoanuts, dates and other articles from Ratnagiri ports. The chief exports are rice, jvari, wheat, grain and chillies. At Murgud grain comes in large quantities from neighbouring villages and rice is exported. At Ichalkaranji grain and cattle are brought for sale. Besides, at the large trade centres, forty-seven small weekly markets are held.

"The chief imports are salt, metal, cocoanuts, dates, groceries, oil, hardware, twist and piecegoods. Salt was formerly brought entirely by pack bullocks from the Konkan. Under metal come gold, silver, copper, brass and iron. During the American War (1862-65) gold and silver were largely imported; during the scarcity of 1876-77 a large amount of gold and silver in ornaments left the State; and since the return of prosperity in 1881 and 1882, gold and silver have again been imported. Sheets of copper and brass are brought in small quantities, and ready-made vessels and drinking mugs in large quantities chiefly from Poona. Formerly iron was locally smelted and it is now largely brought from Bombay by Vanis and Bohoras. It is much used for cart tiers and axles and in making iron pots. Dates, groceries, kerosene and cocoanut oil, iron buckets and water-pots are brought from Bombay. Steam-spun twist, both English and Bombay-made, is brought and sold to hand-loom weavers. Piece-goods are hand-made and steam-made. Of hand-made goods, the chief are turbans and women's robes from Poona, Shahapur, Sholapur and Yeola, waist-cloths or dhotars from Nagpur and Shahapur and silk waist-cloth or pitambars and robes or paithanis and turbans from Burhanpur and Poona. Of the steam-made cloth the coarse strong-cloth is Bombay-made and the finer-cloth is from England. The chief exports are of grains, rice, jvari, bajri, nachni, wheat and gram; of groceries and spices coriander, turmeric and chillies; of oilseeds sesamum, linseed and earthnut; and of other exports cotton, cotton tape, hemp, tobacco, molasses and sugar." [Page Nos. 204, 206-207.]

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