Introduction
Beed District Overview
Beed district is centrally located in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, covering an area of 1,068,600 hectares. As per the 2011 Census, the population of the district is 25,85,049 (2.58 million), with 5,14,298 (0.51 million) residing in urban areas and 20,70,751 (2.07 million) in rural areas.
The district shares its borders with
North: Aurangabad and Jalna.
West: Ahmednagar
South: Osmanabad
East: Latur and Parbhani
Beed district consists of 11 talukas and 11 Panchayat Samitis. There are 1,403 villages in the district, with 1,034 Gram Panchayats.
Geography & Agriculture
The northern and southern parts of the district have fertile land due to the presence of the Sindphana and Manjara rivers, while the remaining areas have rocky and dryland farming zones. The primary crops cultivated in Beed district include jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet), and wheat. The district falls under the drought-prone region, receiving an annual average rainfall of 699.30 mm.
According to the latest reports:
Total food grain cultivated area: 47,428 hectares
Jowar (sorghum): 1,933 hectares
Pulses: 96,011 hectares
Wheat: 47,980 hectares
Cotton: 2,69,596 hectares
Total cultivable land: 8,85,213 hectares
Land under cultivation: 7,87,600 hectares
Irrigated land: 1,47,000 hectares
Animal Husbandry
As per the 2017 livestock census, Beed district has a total livestock population of 6,276,897. The Animal Husbandry Department provides veterinary services through 57 graduate veterinary institutions and 83 non-veterinary institutions. These centers offer medical treatment, vaccinations, artificial insemination, pregnancy testing, infertility diagnosis, livestock exhibitions, and training programs.
Industrial Development
Beed district is underdeveloped industrially. However, the Parli Vaijnath Thermal Power Plant plays a significant role in power generation. There are 8 cooperative sugar factories operating in the district. Additionally, a local Akashvani (radio) station is established in Beed.
A railway route from Ahmednagar to Parli, passing through Beed, has been proposed. Some small-scale industries are active in certain areas, and textile mills are operational in Wadwani and Pimpalner (Gevrai taluka).
Tourism & Cultural Heritage
Beed district is home to several religious and historical sites:
- Parli Vaijnath – One of the twelve Jyotirlingas in India
- Sautada – Famous for Rameshwar Temple and a waterfall
- Kapildhar – Another well-known waterfall
- Naigaon (Patoda taluka) – Houses a Peacock Sanctuary
- Kankaleshwar Temple (Beed) and Khandeshwari Devi Temple with its deepmala (lamp tower) are renowned religious sites
- Narayan Gad is known as “Dakshin Pandharpur”
- Ambajogai – Features the samadhi (memorial) of poet Mukundraj and the Yogeshwari Devi Temple
- Dharur – Home to the famous Bhuykot Fort