Jalna district

Jalna district (Marathi pronunciation: [d͡ʒaːlnaː]) is an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in western India. Jalna town is the district headquarters. The district is part of Aurangabad division.

The district is situated in central Maharashtra, in the north of the Marathwada region—one of eight districts—as part Aurangabad division, and is bounded on the north by Jalgaon district, on the east by Parbhani district and Buldhana district, on the south by Beed district and on the west by Aurangabad district.

The district occupies an area of 7,687 square kilometres (2,968 sq mi). The range of geographical latitudes and longitudes of the district is from 19.01' N to 21.03'N and from 75.04'E to 76.04'E, with gently to moderately sloping topography. The Northern part of the district is occupied by the Ajanta and Satmala hill ranges.

The Godavari River flows along the southern boundary of the district, from west to east. The Purna River, one of the major tributaries of the Godavari, also flows through the district. The Dudhana, the principal tributary of the Purna, and the Kelana and the Girija, also tributaries of the Purna, as well as the Gulati and the Kundlika—which has been dammed to create the Ghanewadi Reservoir, which provides water to Jalna city—are other rivers draining the district.

Buddhism was introduced in Maharashtra during the reign of Ashoka, and the region was under Maurya authority. After the collapse of Maurya authority the region became part of the heartland of the Satavahanas, whose capital was in nearby Prathisthana (now Paithan). The district then fell into the hands of the Chalukyas of Badami in the 6th century. Their rule was replaced by the Rashtrakutas, who ruled the district until the 10th century. Then it was taken by the Western Chalukyas.

In the 12th century, the region became ruled by the Yadava dynasty, who were based in nearby Devagiri and were originally Chalukya feudatories. The Yadavas ruled until 1308, when Khilji general Malik Kafur defeated the Yadavas and annexed their kingdom for Alauddin Khilji. The district remained under Sultanate rule until 1499, when a regional governor declared independence and created the Bahmani Sultanate. In the early 1530s, the Bahmani Sultanate fractured into five states, one of which was the Ahmednagar Sultanate which Jalna was part of. Jalna became conquered by the Mughal Empire and during Akbar's time, was a jagir which was held for a brief time by Abul Fazl. It continued to be part of the Ahmednagar Subah until the Asaf Jahis declared independence, and Jalna became part of their new state of Hyderabad. In 1728, the Marathas conquered the district, but before 1790 the district returned to the hands of the Nizam of Hyderabad.

After India annexed Hyderabad in 1948, it became part of Aurangabad district of Hyderabad State. In 1960, like the rest of Marathwada, Jalna became part of the new state of Maharashtra. On 1 May 1981, the present district was formed from Jalna, Bhokardan, Jafrabad and Ambad talukas of Aurangabad district and Partur taluka of Parbhani district.

The district was formed during the term of chief minister Abdul Rehman Antulay. The district is divided into four sub-divisions, Jalna, Partur, Bhokardan and Ambad. These are further divided into eight talukas: Jalna, Ambad, Bhokardan, Badnapur, Ghansavangi, Partur, Mantha and Jafrabad. There is a total of 970 villages in the district.