PLACES

URAN ISLAMPUR

Uran Islampur, 17° 2' north latitude and 70° 20' east longitude, the headquarters of Valva taluka, is a double name given to what are reaily two (quarters of one large municipal town, 4.82 km (rhree miles) east of Peth. In 1961 its population was 20,817. It is situated on a slightly raised hard gravelly ground protruding from the black soil plain of the Krsna valley. It being the most centrally situated place in Valva was made the headquarters and all the important offices were shifted here from Peth. The very name Islampur suggests that the town was at one time under Musalman occupation. Uran, the oldest quarter, is on the east and contains little of note except the shrine, also called math of Sambuappa Kosti. As noted above the two villages are now in fact two quarters of one and the same municipal town.

Islampur, favourably situated for transport and communications, is daily growing in importance as a commercial centre. There are roads connecting it with Karhad, Sangli, Kolhapur and many of the important market places. Takari is the nearest railway station. The town has good many smaller grain and cloth merchants as also wholesalers in tobacco and grains and has a large community of weavers. Large quantities of tobacco, raw sugar and gul sugarcane being one of the important crops, are sent to Ciplun, Ratnagiri etc., and in exchange salt, dates. betel-nuts, groceries, spices and metals are brought and sold at Islampur and the surrounding villages. The land of the taluka is extermely fertile and groundnut is also grown in abundance. There are two oil mills. On every Thursday and Sunday a bazar is held, the chief articles of trade being grain and cattle. The class of weavers is large and the declining weaving industry is getting encouragement as a result of government efforts to revitalise it. An industrial estate is soon going to be set up which will be one of the four such estates in Sangli district, the other three being at Sangli, Miraj and Tasganv.

In olden days the town had always been in difficulties for water which was supplied by two ponds, one on the north side of Uran, a large well on the outskirts between the two quarters and a stone pond within the fort. These were dependent on scanty and precarious rainfall. To do away with this scarcity a water-works at Bahe, 8 km (five miles) from Islampur on the banks of the Krsna, was constructed at an approximate cost of Rs. 17,00,000. The town has now tap water-supply.

Islampur has primary schools, two Montessoris, five high schools, of which one is technical, a training college and an Arts and Commerce college. Among the other public buildings and/or offices those of mamlatdar, pancayat samiti, judicial magistrate and sub-judge, deputy superintendent of police, post and telegraph figure prominently. There are civil and veterinary dispensaries maintained by the Zilla Parisad, and four maternity homes which arc privately run. Being a fairly large commercial centre there are branches of state co-operative bank, urban bank and the land mortgage bank.

Constitution.—Uran-Islampur municipality was established in 1852 and as an area of 33.33 km² (12.87 sq. miles) under its jurisdiction. The president elected by the councillors from amongst themselves is the administrative head.

Muncipallty.

Finance—Municipal income in 1961-62 was Rs. 2,15,685, excluding a sum of Rs. 32,326 as due to extra-ordinary and debt heads. The income comprised municipal rates and taxes Rs. 1,74,130: income from municipal property and powers apart from taxation Rs. 10,980; grants and contributions Rs. 29,165 and miscellaneous Rs. 1,410. Expenditure during the same year was Rs. 2,09,295 excluding a sum of Rs. 24,439 being the expenditure due to extraordinary and debt heads. Expenditure comprised general administration and collection charges Rs. 13,898; public safety Rs. 11.162: public health and convenience Rs. 1,55,693; public instruction Rs. 100 and miscellaneous Rs. 28,442.

Markets and Buildings,—There is only one vegetable market with tin sheds and platforms in Tilak cowk provided by the municipality. The office premises over which the water reservoir is installed has cost the municipality Rs. 1,21,000. Besides it has also constructed a primary school building which has been rented to the Zilla Parisad.

Health and Sanitation.—In addition to the dispensaries noted in the foregoing pages there is a municipal allopathic dispensary. There is also a malaria eradication centre. The town has only surface drains. Recently a few sets of urinals have been constructed in som of the public squares.

Education.—Primary education is compulsory. It is entrusted to the Zilla Parisad.

Cremation and Burial places.—Cremation and burial grounds are maintained and used by the respective communities.

Amenities.—The town has two libraries, viz., Sarvajanik Taluka Vacanlaya and Setkari Mofat Vacanalaya. Of these the first one receives an annual grant of Rs. 1,000 from the State Government. Open spaces have been set aside for parks and gardens and playgrounds by the municipality.

History.

Islampur contains the residence of Sardar Anandrav Mantri. A girls' high school is conducted in the old vada whereas in the new one the descendants of the MantrT family reside, "It overlooks a pond and is surrounded by a brick wall and moat which probably formed the original Musalman fort of Islampur." Today the wall lies amidst ruins and not a trace of the moat is seen.

The founder of the Mantri family was Naroram Rangrav, a native of Kocre in Vengurla in Ratnagiri. In 1691 he became minister tp Dhanajirav Jadhav, a general of the Maratha army. Seventeen years later (1708) Sahu was making his return to Satara and Tarabai. who was then in power, ordered the senapati to oppose him. Dhanaji met him at Khed on the Bhima in Poona. Sahu had but a small following and Dhanaji, a numerous and well appointed army which Sahu felt there was no chance of passing. He accordingly negotiated with Naro-ram [See Sardcsai, N.H.M. II., p. 15, which mentions Naro Ram but does not refer to these details. Naro Rangaray is probably the same as Naro Ram who was a Shenvi (a Saraswat Brahmin) and who later held the post of Mantri under Shahu. See Duff I, 330.], the Divan to otter a night interview and actually entered Dhanako's camp in disguise. The Divan penetrated the disguise, but instead of betraying his prince he sent him back to his own camp and engaged to exert his influence with Dhanajirav to prevent a battle. On hearing the exhortations of his Divan, who announced that Sahu was the rightful sovereign, Dhanaji was anxious to give way but for an oath which Tarabai had made him swear solemnly on rice and milk, The Divan admitted that a battle must be fought, but suggested as a way out of the difficulty to have a sham fight and to fire off the muskets and cannons with blank cartridges. This satisfied the scruples of Dhanaji who fought his sham battle, met Sahu, and was confirmed by him as senapati. The news of this reached Tarabai who, thereupon, fled to Kolhapur, and Sahu took possession of Satara. After this differences developed between Dhanaji and Sahu and Dhanaji (He died in June 1708) went south with the army. But Naroram Rangrav stayed behind and adhered to the Raja, who rewarded him with the title of Rajadnya and a yearly allowance of 10,000 hons. In 1715, he was invested as Mantri and was given some districts with the administration or mutalik of the sardesmukhi, and jagirs, and vatans : the whole of the revenue inam quit-rents and sardes-mukhi in Seganv in Khanapur, Asanganv and Pangad in Satara, and in the Vai sub-division the Nadgaundi claims over the following sammats or sub-divisions Nimb, Vaghote, Koreganv, Jokhora, and Jambulkhora consisting of two per cent of the revenue and two bighas per cahur of land, and on izafat or service tenure the village of Menavli, including the svaraj and inam quit-rents, in the following forts,, Santosgad, Vardhangad, Mohangad, Kalyangad, Kamalgad, Candangad, Vandan-gad, and Vairatgad; as saranjam the hukeri contribution from Bagni in Panda Tasganv and assignments of mokasa, kittd & c. in many other villages. This ancestor was a very religious man who founded a religious establishment in honour of Palkesvar Mahadev at Sidapur. in Karhad, as well as at Asanganv in Satara in honur of Kamalesvar and Bhlmasankar at Vai, and built temples at his native village of Kocre, and gave much land to Brahmans. The Raja's records were full of testimonies to his success. He died in 1747. His son Ghanasyam was then invested as Mantri and Trimbakrav was given the sardesmukhi and dues in Tuljapur and the Balaghat enjoyed by his father. His descendants now live in Bagani, Ghanasyam had his inams confirmed by the Pesva Balaji Bajirav, and in 1779 he built a temple at Bhilavadi in Tasganv and made a pilgrimage to Banaras, performing many charities and building temples and rest-houses. He then became a sanyasi or recluse and retired to Banaras dying in 1780. His son Raghunathrav succeeded him. He was born in 1743 and after many good deeds died in 1789. Jayvantrav, his son, succeeded him and died in 1832. [ In 1827 Captain Clunes mentions Uran-Islampur as a post-runner'a station with 1,500 houses, fifteen shops, and twenty wells. Itinerary, 34,] Bajirav the last Pesva unjustly resumed much of his possessions. Raghunath-rav Jayvant, was horn in 1806 and was invested as Mantri by Pratapsinh Mahraj in 1832. His possessions were curtailed by the invalidation of his title to three villages in Belganv by the Inam Commission. He bore a high reputation for justice, courge, and good service as Mantri and died at Islampur in 1874.

Objects.

Sambuappa Kosti Math.

Islampur is noted for the shrine or math of Sambhuappa Kosti a Hindi devotee of weaver caste, but who took a Musalman saint by name Bava Phan as his spiritual guide and who lived at Malganv 9.65 m (six miles) north of Miraj and 57.93 km (36 miles) southeast of Islampur. But the distance did not deter him from making a daily night trip to Malganv. He continued this for eight years at the end of which he broke down. The saint touched at his intense devotion offered to return with him and Sambuappa then built the dargah in honour of Bava Phan when he died and continued to perform devotions at the dargah till his own reputation for sanctity increased. He is credited with the performance of several miraculous feats. One day while sitting rapt in religious conn mplation he suddenly informed the bystanders that he had been invoked by a merchant to save his ship, that he had been in the spirit to the ship and had saved it. As proof of that he produced salt water from his bosom. Yet another trader journeying brough the perilous Sahyadris met with a tiger but on bis invoking Sambuappa the tiger fled. It is further related that the Muslims objected to Sambuappa, a Hindu, becoming a disciple of then pir. They challenged him to prove his mission by reading the holy Quran. He called for a blank paper and read the whole Quran off it. Then the Hindus felt like testing him and so a covered pot containing flesh was placed as an offering with the view of tempting him to eat flesh and thereby violate the chief title to sanctity among the Hindus. But when he ordered the pot to be opened the flesh had vanished and in its stead jasminum zamblac or mogra flowers blossomed. Yet this test was not deemed sufficient and hence some jogis or religious beggars becoming jealous of him threatened to kidnap him if he did not instantly satisfy their unexpressed desires. He within a moment's time. produced two hundred mangoes with bread and rice which turned out to be what they desired, this not withstanding that it was dark twelfth of Magh (February-March) nearly two months in advance of the commencement of the mango season (April-May). In commemoration to this display of supernatural powers a charity dinner is given to all comers on that day. By the side of Bava Phan, the samadhi of Sambuappa has also been erected. The whole stands in an enclosure, wherein there is also the mansion of the descendants of Sambhuappa. The dargah is housed in a square building with a dome and tour of the usual cupolas. A fair in honour of Sambuappa is held from the tenth to fifteenth of Karatika or October-November and a temporary mandap is erected in the courtyard. On this occasion those of the young who desire to enter the order of the disciples of Sambuappa are initiated after performing the prescribed religious ceremonies.

Ambabai Temple.

Ambabai temple is near the bus stand and had an enclosure of which nothing now remains except the gate. Inside the entrance to the left is a dipmal and a basil plant to the right. It has a four pillared spacious mandap. The lintel of the gabhara is decorated with a finely carved image of Ganapati, It contains the idol of the goddess in whose honour a fair, attended by the local people, is held on the Dasara day. The temple is a solid work in masonry and has a cellar.

Islampur had an old mosque which was rebuilt in 1939 and is known as Momin mosque. It has minarets surmounting the top and the entrance, and consists of two medium sized rectangular halls. The mosque has a well-built terrace.

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