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PLACES
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ANKALKHOP
Ankalkhop (pop. 5,573), is a village in Tasganv taluka 6.43 km
(4 miles) north-east of Asta and 17.70 km (4 miles- west of the taluka headquarters. It lies on the right bank of the Krsna. A
bridge across the river connects Ankalkhop with Bhilavadi which
is immediately opposite Ankalkhop and a road leads to Tasganv
and Asta. It depends for its prosperity on the rich produce of
the black soil of the Krsna valley, lift irrigation being very
popular. There are four lift irrigation schemes equipped with
rearly 80 oil engines and 30 electric motors. The area under
sugarcane alone is nearly 526 hectares (1,300 acres). Besides seven
primary schools there is a high school, a Library, a post office, a Vikas society with a share capital of three lakhs of rupees.
two housing societies, a dairy society, and a majur society.
Objects.
Dattatraya Temple.
Ankalkhop has shrines dedicated, one each, to Dattatraya and
Mhasoba, in whose honour large fairs are held. The Dattatraya
Temple, built on an elevated ground, amidst a grove of trees, chiefly neem, consists of a small cut-stone shrine facing east. It contains
the foot-prints of Dattatraya and is said to have been first built
by the Despandes of Ankalkhop and later about 1860 rebuilt by
one Krsnarav Trimbak Bitpat then nvimlatdar of Valva. A
fight of sups believed to have been built from the alms obtained by the devotees, leads up to the entrance gate. The fairs are
held on the full moon of Margasirsa or November-December, the
dark fifth of Magha or January-February and the dark twelfth of Asvina or September-October. On all the three occasions the
mask (मुखवटा) of the deitv is carried in a palanquin with the
honours of the umbrella, peacock fans, maces and fly-whisks.
The second fair held in January-February is the principal fair
and the attendance ranges from three to five thousand.
Mhasoba Temple.
Mhasoba temple is a domed stone shrine, measuring 3.04x2.43 metres (ten feet long by eight feet broad) with a height including the dome of about 3.65 metres (12 ft,). According to Krsna Mahatmya, the temple was originally that of Ganapati. Round the shrine there are stones representing the attendants of Gana- pati and inside a stone for Mhasoba. In front of the temple are three gateways, erected some 375 years ago by a headman of Ankalkhop. A fair attended by over 3,000 persons, is held in April. In olden davs thousands of goats were sacrificed but the practice seems to have fallen into disuse. A flight of 30 steps (30' x
1' x 1') with four landings all built by devotees leads down to the river bed.
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