Palghar is a town in Konkan division of Maharashtra state and a Municipal Council located about 87 kilometers north off Mumbai. Palghar lies on the Western Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway on the busy Mumbai-Ahmedabad rail corridor. It is the administrative capital of the newly formed Palghar district. The town is located around 35 kilometers north of Virar and about 24 kilometers west of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway (NH 8) exit at Manor, India.
Palghar District is a district in the state of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. On 1 August 2014, the Maharashtra State government announced the formation of the 36th district of Maharashtra, when a new Palghar District was carved out of the old Thane district. Palghar District starts from Dahanu at the north and ends at Naigaon. It comprises the talukas of Palghar, Vada, Vikramgad, Jawhar, Mokhada, Dahanu, Talasari and Vasai-Virar. At the 2011 Census, the talukas now comprising the district had a population of 2,990,116.
Palghar has an urban population of 1,435,210, that is 48% of total population is living in Urbanized Area. The district is bounded by Thane and Nashik Districts on the east and northeast, and by Valsad District of Gujarat state and Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli on the north. The Arabian Sea forms the western boundary, while Vasai-Virar is part of Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Transport
Palghar is well connected via road and rail transport. Palghar acts as a divisional head of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation, which provides direct connectivity to several towns across Maharashtra, including Miraj, Pune, Vaduj, Thane, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Kalyan, Alibag, Nandurbar, Bhusaval, Shirdi, and Nashik.
Palghar is an important railway station on the Mumbai Suburban Railway. Along with Shuttle/Memu/EMU (local trains) services, many long distance trains also stop here.
Culture
Bhandari, Warli (Adivasi), Katkari, Malhar Koli, Vanjari, Vadval, Mali(Sorathi) are the predominant castes in Palghar.
The Vanjaris have their roots in Chittodgad, Rajasthan and its said that they migrated for trade and to escape the Muslim invasions into Rajputana via sea routes to Murbe and then spread all over Palghar district. Their language is quite distinct from standard Marathi as it has high influence of Rajasthani and Gujarati.
Vadval is the most numerous community present in Palghar. They are said to be the descendants of Yadava dynasty of Devagiri who escaped from the Muslims and established themselves here. They form one of the very few Marathi-speaking communities which belong to Kshatriya varna but not the traditional 96-clan (96 - Kuli) Maratha caste.
Warli Painting and famous Tarapa dance features contribution towards art by the Warli community. Warli painting and art stretch back to a millennium. Warli art is also appreciated in foreign countries. Warlis represent the earliest settlers of the land around the present times and their culture has largely influenced the later cultures in and around the area.
The Koli (fishermen) community of Palghar is a reminder of the city's links with the Arabian sea. Fisheries form a large part of trade and diet of Palghar and also takes up major role in cultural events. The Kolis are further divided into subcastes such as Vaiti, Mangele, Bari, etc.
Art, crafts and tourism
Antarang Sanskrutik Kala Darpan Pratishthan Saphale is an NGO/Trust based in Saphale, working for the development of visual arts, performing arts and music, and for social and environmental issues.
Tourist attractions in the district include:
Arnala fort
Vasai Fort
Gambhirgad
Kaldurg Fort
Kelwa Beach
Kamandurg Fort
Shirgaon Fort
Tandulwadi Fort
Vajreshwari hot water spring
Mahalakshmi Temple
Jivdani Mata temple
Economy
The economy of Palghar is largely primary and tertiary sector. The emergence of Boisar as an industrial town meant reduced industrialization of Palghar. Palghar being the seat of Taluka and District, has lots of government offices and people working there. Agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries are practiced in abundance in the rural areas around the city and fuel the economy of the city.
Palghar had also been a hub for wood smuggling in post-independence era, a practice which has been largely curbed by the Forest department and police. Other than wood, the secluded beaches were known to attract smugglers trying to offshore their goods and enter Mumbai by road to avoid customs.
Education
The town has a number of schools and colleges. A number of construction projects have recently been started in the region. There is scope to set up more schools and colleges for the increasing resident population.
Sonopant Dandekar Arts, V.S. Apte Commerce & M.H. Mehta Science College Palghar
St. John College of Humanities and Sciences
St. John College of Engineering and Technology
St. John Institute of Pharmacy and Research
St.John College of Technical Institute
Sonopant Dandekar Shikshan Mandali
Anand Ashram English High School Palghar
Sundaram Central School & Junior College [CBSE] Palghar
Kenam English High School Palghar
Holy Spirit English High School Palghar
Twinkle Star English High School Palghar
Aryan High School Plaghar
Jeevan Vikas High School Palghar
Bhagini Samaj High School
Sir JP International school [ICSE]
Aryan English High School
Surya valley School
Yashwantrao Chaphekar Jr.College of Arts, Commerce & Science
Sacred heart English High School, Palghar
National College, Palghar
Sports
Cricket is the most popular sport in Palghar. Local tournaments are organized at various locations across the district.
Shardul Thakur is a cricketer from Palghar (Mahim) who plays for India, for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.
Aditya Tare is a wicket-keeper and a right-hand batsman from Palghar (Satpati village) who plays for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palghar
