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PLACES
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WANI.
Wani, also known as Wun, is the headquarters of the tahsil of
the same name and an important colliery township settled on the left bank of the Nirguda river. It is on the main road from Hyderabad to Nagpur and has also a railway station on the Majri-Rajur railway line. A large bridge was laid across the Wardha river in 1963 near the village of Patala to facilitate
communications on this highway all the year round which, otherwise used to be disrupted during heavy rains. The town is called Wani in Marathi and Wun in Hindustani, the former name being more in practice now. Up to 1905 it gave its name to the district, though Yavatmal was always the headquarters. The town stands 755 feet above sea level and is open and healthy. Malaria fever was formerly the principal menace, but its total eradication has been achieved under the malaria eradication programme. The town was electrified in 1954 and in 1961 its population was 18,176.
Municipality.
Wani was constituted a municipality in 1924 and has an area of 5.2 square miles under its jurisdiction. Fourteen councillors constitute the municipal council and a president is elected to head it. In 1961-62 the total municipal receipts were Rs. 7,73,552 of which municipal rates and taxes alone contributed Rs. 3,20,702 [District
Census Handbook, Yeotmal, p. 5.]
Apart from its mining importance, Wani is a considerable centre of cotton and cattle trade. There are four cotton ginning and pressing factories, and cotton and grain markets under the management of the agriculture produce market committee. Besides coal, limestone mining is also gaining in importance and together provide employment to a large segment of the population. The educational institutions of the town include primary, middle and high schools and an Arts and Commerce College conducted by the Shikshan Prasarak Mandal. The town library was established in 1874. For medical aid there is a civil hospital as also a veterinary dispensary. Prior to the installation of the water works, water-supply used to be drawn from three perennial tanks in the town. Installed in 1959 at a cost of about eight lakhs of rupees, the water works has made pure drinking water available. Wani contains several Hemadpanti temples of which the one dedicated to Shri Ranganath Svami is religiously the most important. On the festival of Mahashivratra a fair is called in honour of Ranganath Svami, the attendance going well beyond 50,000. The fair is also called by the name of Sheshashayi who should perhaps be identified with Shri Ranganath Svami and Shri Gopal Krishna. It is especially a cattle fair. Besides cattle, consumer goods including goods of household utility like vessels of all kinds and agricultural implements are also put up for sale, the transactions amounting to a few lakhs of rupees. During the fair, the chariot or the rath of the god is brought out from the temple to the site of the fair. The tahsili was built in 1874. The town, besides mamlatdar's office, has a panchayat samiti, civil and revenue courts, a police station and many other government offices. There are post and telegraph facilities and a rest house. A weekly market is held on Sundays at which cattle are principally sold. At Mandar, three miles south of Wani. Raghuji Bhosle imprisoned Kanhoji Bhosle his uncle in 1734 when the latter disregarded the orders of Chhatrapati Shahu to return to court at Satara.
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