PLACES

CHIKURDE

Cikurde, (pop. 4,790) a village in Valva taluka, lies in the Varna valley nearly 19.31 km (12 miles) south-west of Islampur and 9.65 km (6 miles) west of the Poona-Ban galore national highway. The land being fertile yields rich crops of sugarcane, and pepper to a certain extent and is one of the most thriving villages of Valva taluka. Cikurde has two primary schools, a high school, a branch post office and a handloom weavers' cooperative, there being a small trade in handloom cloth. The Desmukhs of this place were an affluent family of local repute and were holding office since the days of the Bijapur kings. They had an excellent mansion and in the 19th century, endowed and enlarged a handsome temple of Mahadev, which lies about 1.61 km (a mile) north-west of the village at the edge of a bare plain or malran. The temple which is 15.24x9.14 metres (50'x30') has an image chamber, a mandap and a tower built in bricks. In front, there is a paved courtyard surrounded bv a stone wall and outside a large masonry tank about 7.43 m² (80 f't. square).

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