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PLACES OF INTEREST
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SAVANTVADI
Savantvadi (16° 20' N, 73° 45' E; p. 12,451), 367 feet above
the sea, about 19 miles west of Vengurle and founded by Phond Savant in 1670, the town, almost buried in palm groves, stretches round the border of a lake, over rocky uneven ground seamed by ravines and water-courses. Well-wooded hills rise on all sides, the highest, Vadi Peak on the west rising, 1,200 feet above the sea.
Trade.
Except on Tuesday, the market day, when many people come from the villages around, Vadi is a place of little trade. Savantvadi manufactures are almost all ornamental. They are lacquered toys, khaskhas, grass fans, mats, boxes and baskets, ornamented with beetle wings and gold embroidery, velvet and embroidered saddle-cloth, small tables and other ornaments of bison and buffalo horn, round and rectangular playing-cards, and pipe bowls of the inner shell of the cocoanut polished and inlaid with quicksilver. Bidi-making is also an important industry. There are four Bidi-making factories in the town.
Lake.
The lake, a beautiful sheet of water, hemmed in by well-wooded hills and girt with a belt of palm, jack, and mango trees, is known as the Pearl Lake, Moti Talav. Covering about 31 acres, and with
a mean depth of six feet, it was, in 1874, at a cost of about Rs. 20,000, improved by replacing the old retaining dam by a cut-stone wall 204 yards long, secured by hydraulic cement, and with, at each end, iron gates worked by rack and pinion. On the north-west a long flight of steps leads to the water, and on the south-east and southwest are some rice fields watered from the lake. Besides for irrigation the water is used for bathing for cattle and for washing clothes. A bronze statue of Bapusaheb Maharaj (a ruler of the former Savant-vadi State) is erected by the side of the lake.
Fort.
On the east shore of the lake, separated from it by a road way
and sloping bank, stands a ruined stone and mud fort, surrounded on the north-east and south by a ditch dry in the fair season. Irregular in shape, 350 yards by 150, and consisting of roofed loop-holed towers and bastioned curtains, it has three entrances, the chief to the north, a gate of no great strength flanked by two towers. The fort contains two brass and some other guns, all unserviceable. On the banks of the lake, an arched gateway, known as the Mus, or Sluice Gate, between two large circular towers, leads to an inner fortress whose walls stand on the brink of deep natural ravines. The entrance towers have handsome castellated battlements and the west face is furnished with a clock. There is a clock-tower over the central entrance gate. Inside the fort are the palace and several other buildings. The outer wall of the fort exists only in parts.
Though not surrounded by a wall, Vadi is fenced on most sides by ditches, ravines, stone walls and bamboo thickets. Covering an area of about two miles the town is divided into seven wards or vadas.
Population.
Of the total population of 12,451 according to the Census figures of 1951, the agricultural classes number 1,424 and the non-agricultural classes 11,027. Of the latter, 2,381 persons derive their principal means of livelihood from production other than cultivation; 2,116 persons from commerce; 619 persons from transport; and 5,911 persons from other services and miscellaneous sources.
Municipality.
The civic affairs of Savantvadi are managed by a municipality established in 1931, now governed under the Bombay District Municipal Act, 1901. The municipal council sonsists of 20 members. Two seats are reserved for women. The municipality has, besides the managing committee, two other committees, one for sanitation and the other for roads.
In 1956-57, the total income of the municipality, excluding extraordinary and debt heads, amounted to Rs. 2,20,501. The income from municipal rates and taxes was Rs. 2,10,693; revenue under specific acts Rs. 424; revenue derived from municipal property and powers apart from taxation Rs. 5,500; grants and contributions Rs. 1,253 and miscellaneous Rs. 2,631. Expenditure for the same year, excluding extraordinary and debt heads, amounted to Rs. 1,87,221;
general administration and collection charges being Rs. 1,16,647; public safety, Rs. 12,213; public health and convenience Rs. 40,612; public works Rs. 16,123; and miscellaneous Rs. 1,626.
Wells of which there were six public and 400 private in 1958, and a reservoir situated on the outskirts of the town form the source of water supply. The reservoir with a capacity of 3,00,000 gallons was constructed in 1893 and pipes are laid out to distribute the water.
The drainage system at present consists of kuccha open gutters with a total length of about 30 miles. There are no cesspools.
Compulsory primary education is imparted through schools managed by the District School Board, the municipality paying its statutory contribution. There are three high schools managed by private institutions, viz., the Kalsulkar High School, Rani Parvatidevi High School and St. Philomena English School. There is a private library in the town, the municipality making an annual grant.
There is no municipal hospital or dispensary. However, Government runs a cottage hospital and a veterinary hospital. There is also a privately managed maternity home, viz., Rani Janki Sutika Griha.
There is a newly built theatre ' Chitra Mandir' and a telegraph office with a trunk telephone receiving centre in the town.
There are approximately 22 miles of roads maintained by the municipality, of which 4 miles and 5 furlongs are asphalted, 3 miles and 5 furlongs, metalled and about 14 miles, unmetalled.
The municipality maintains one Tracto-tanker. It is also used for road watering purposes.
The municipality manages a cremation ground for Hindus which is situated near the Vadi-Belgaum road. There are two burial places for Muslims and one for Christians, all managed by the respective communities.
There is one park named Balodyan which is maintained by the municipality.
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