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PLACES
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Madh, a small village ten miles north of Junnar, with in 1881 a
population of 899, has a weekly market on Saturday.
Maha'lunge, on the Sirur-Talegaon road, about eight miles
south-west of Khed, with in 1881 a population of 1457, is an
alienated village belonging to the Ingle family. A weekly market
is held on Monday.
Malha'rgad or Sonari fort, within the limits of Sonari village,
about six miles north of Sasvad and three miles west of the Divte pass, is a small double-walled fort crowning a point on the Sinhgad range. About 700 feet above the plain on the Loni, and about 400 feet on the Sonari, side, the fort was about 700'yards round, and, though it had little strength either natural or artificial, its position at the head of the Divte pass was an anxiety and trouble to travellers and caravans. The outer wall of the fort, which followed the triangular form of the plateau, was thirteen feet high and six feet thick, the inner wall which was square with corner bastions of little strength being only six feet thick and about five feet high. The walls are pulled down in places and on the south are completely breached. Besides a main entrance at the north-east corner of the outer wall, the fort has several minor entrances at two corners. Inside are temples of Khandoba and Mahadev and ruins. The water-supply from a cistern and three wells inside the fort is scanty. The beautiful little Fan Palm fern, Actiniopteris radiata, grows in perfection in the crevices of the masonry and few finer specimens of the Maiden Hair fern can be found than in a part of the ruins. The fort was built about 1775 by Bhivrav Yashvant Panse and Krishnaji Madhavrav Panse, proprietors of Sonari village, and was called after the god Malhari because, when the foundations were being dug, blood oozed out of the ground. The blood was understood to be a mark of the displeasure of Khandoba or Malhari the Pance family god, and, after vows to build a shrine to the god and name the fort after him, the work went on and was finished without mishap. [The late Mr. G. H. Johns, C. S.]
Malsiras, [The village is said to have got its name from the stony ground or mal in which it stands,] a small alienated village about fifteen miles north-east of Sasvad, with in 1881 a population of 899, has an old temple of Bhuleshvar Mahadev. The temple, which is built of stone and mortar, is sixty feet long and eight-sided and has some faded paintings. The hall or sabhamandap in front was built by one Bhargavram Svami. The temple is estimated to have cost about £10,000 (Rs. 1,00,000).[ Mr. Norman's Report on Poona temples.] A yearly fair is held at the temple on the last day of Shravan or July-August when about 2000 people assemble.
Malthan, ten miles west of Sirur, with in 1881 a population
of 2135, is a dumala or two-owned village belonging to the povar family. The village has a Mahadev temple and a Muhammadan tomb of Ismael Shah Pir. The temple is a fine building, about
200 years old, and lately restored with an additional hall or sabhamandap at the cost of the Povar family. In front of the temple, near the entrance, is a lamp-pillar or dipmal curvilinear in form and surmounted by a carved square capital. A small fair is held at the tomb on the dark fifth of Chaitra or March-April.
Manchar, on the right bank of the Ghod about twelve miles north of Khed, is a market town, with in 1881 a population of 4183. The town is surrounded by a wall and belonged to His Highness Holkar till 1868-69 when it became British by exchange. It has a post office and had a municipality from August 1863 to March 1875. A weekly market is held on Sunday. To the west of the town, beyond a watercourse, is a fine Hemadpanti reservoir about twenty-five yards square with two flights of steps leading to the water. Except the west wall which has a niche (3' X 2' 6") with carved side posts and sculptured foliage, the walls of the reservoir are plain. Within the niche is a much worn Devnagari inscription difficult to read. Manchar appears to have been a Musalman town of some importance, and has a small mosque at its south-west entrance. The mosque is entered by a fine single arch surmounted by a projecting and bracketed cornice with a small minaret at each of the four corners. In 1827 Captain Clunes notices it as belonging to Holkar with 200 houses, sixteen shops, 150 wells, and a weekly cattle market. [Itinerary, 18.]
Mankeshvar, a small village about eight miles north-west of Junnar, with in 1881 a population of 146, has, on a mound, the remains of what seems to be a fine Hemadpanti temple. The remains consist of two or three artistically sculptured pillars without base or capital, some fragments of capitals, and two large bulls or Nandis. Other fragments are probably buried in the mound. The temple is locally believed to have been destroyed by the Muhammadans and a Pir's tomb within a stone's throw to the south of the temple seems to confirm the local story.
Medad or Amra'vati, on the left bank of the Karha, is a walled
village, a mile north-west of Baramati, with in 1881 a population of 866. To the north, commanding the village, is a beautiful fort said to have had a gun as large as any at Bijapur. [Moor's Operations, 345.]
Morgaon or Moreshvar, a large market town on the left bank
of the Karha, about five miles south-west of Supa, with in 1881 a
population of 1632, has a large handsome temple of Ganpati. Here
Moroba Gosavi, the founder of the Dev family of Chinchvad, used to
Worship his favourite deity until its transfer to Chinchvad. [See abore Chinchvad pp. 125-127.] The floor
stones of the temple are arranged in the form of a large tortoise.
Near the temple is a rest-house an ornamented square building with
a dome. The rest-house was built in 1792 and is of unusually fine
Workmanship. A yearly fair is held at the Ganpati temple on
Ganeshchaturthi the bright fourth of Bhadrapad or August-September, and lasts till the tenth of the bright half of Ashvin or September-October. A weekly market is held on Sunday. In
1792 Captain Moor describes Morgaon as a large town with a fairly
good market, a handsome temple, and a rest-house which was then building.
Mulshi Budrukh, a small village about ten miles south-west of Paud, with in 1881 a population of 530, has a weekly market on Sunday.
Mundhave village, about five miles north-east of Poona, had
from 1840 to 1842 a nursery garden where Messrs. Sundt and
Webbe grew excellent coffee. [See Part II. 77] |
