Gadchiroli district,Maharashtra

Gadchiroli district is an administrative district in Maharashtra, India. The town of Gadchiroli is the administrative headquarters of the district.

Gadchiroli District is situated in the southeastern corner of Maharashtra, and is bounded by Chandrapur District to the west, Gondia District to the north, Chhattisgarh state to the east, and Telangana state to the south and southwest. Gadchiroli District was created on August 26, 1982 by the separation of Gadchiroli and Sironcha tehsils from Chandrapur District. As of 2011 it is the second least populous district of Maharashtra (out of 39), after Sindhudurg.

The district is currently a part of the Red Corridor.

History
Gadchiroli tehsil was created in 1905 by transfer of zamindari istate from Brahmapuri and Chandrapur tahsil. Gadchiroli district was created on August 26, 1982 by bifurcating the Chandrapur district in the place of Brahmapuri, which is part of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. In ancient times the region was ruled by the Rashtrakutas, the Chalukyas, the Yadavas of Deogiri and later the Gonds of Gadchiroli. In the 13th century Khandkya Ballal Shah founded Chandrapur. He shifted his capital from Sirpur to Chandrapur. Chandrapur subsequently came under Maratha rule. In 1853, Berar, of which Chandrapur (then called Chanda until 1964) was part, was ceded to the British East India Company. In 1854, Chandrapur became an independent district of Berar. In 1905, the British created the tehsil of Gadchiroli by transfer of zamindari istate from Chandrapur and Brahmapuri. It was part of the Central Provinces till 1956, when with the reorganisation of the states, Chandrapur was transferred to Bombay state. In 1960, when the new state of Maharashtra was created, Chandrapur became a district of the state. In 1982 Chandrapur was divided, with Gadchiroli becoming an independent district in the place of Brahmapuri. Naxalism is highly prevalent in Gadchiroli and subsequently has been highlighted as part of the Red Corridor, used to describe areas in India that are plagued by Naxalites.
Places to visit in town

Semana – Hanuman Temple about 4 km from center of town (Gandhi Chowk)

Hemalkasa – Situated in Bhamragarh Block (east side of dist) 186 km from Gadchiroli.

Allapalli is the centre place of district. known as Teak City of District all forest offices and forest administration are governed from Allapalli is the main marketline of central District, educational and other resources are available in this place.

Markhanda – The temple dedicated to Lord Shiva on the banks of Wainganaga. There is a big fair on Mahashivratri

BILT (Ashti) – An unit of Ballarpur Paper Mills is located on Allapali – Chandrapur highway.

Gadchiroli lake : It is located at centre of the city.

Vairagad Fort : Built by the Gond kings, the fort was meant to be the former residence of the ruling kings and protect it from enemy attacks.
Chaprala Wildlife Sanctuary : About 80 km from district centre.

Five Carved Stones : The Five Carved Stone is situated at Pachpande, a sacred place near Gadchiroli town. The structure is about a kilometer north of Vairagad which makes the Five carved stones the major interest here. It is believed that the Pandava brothers had stayed here during their exile.

Bhandareshwar : Bhandareshwar Temple is an ancient temple situated to the west of Vairagad village near Gadchiroli in Maharashtra. It lies high on a mound, at the confluence of Khobragadi and Vainlochna rivers. The presiding deity here is Lord Shiva.

This shrine is a very good example of quality architecture and the walls are carved and are believed to be of the period of Hemadpanth. People throng here from far and near. The temple has a natural echo system.

Adishakti Temple : Adishakti Devi Temple is situated at Vairagad near Gadchiroli town. The temple enshrines the idol of Adishakti Devi, found during the excavation conducted in 1986. The idol has four hands and is an example of the excellent quality of carvings undertaken by the sculptors of the erstwhile era. Devotees throng the place throughout the year.