Nagpur is the winter capital and the third largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and largest city of central India. It has one of the highest literacy rate of 91.92% among all the urban agglomerations in India, and one of the proposed Smart Cities from Maharashtra. The main languages spoken here are Hindi and Marathi.
The present city was founded in the early 18th century by Bhakt Buland, a Gond prince of the kingdom of Deogad in the Chhindwara district. Seeing the advantage of civilized life in Delhi, he started to build Nagpur as his new capital. His successor Chand Sultan continued the work. On Chand Sultan's death in 1739, disputes regarding succession arose and Raghuji Bhonsle, the Maratha governor of Berar, helped to restore the elder son to the throne. As the dissentions continued, Raghuji Bhonsle again intervened in 1743, and the control of Nagpur slowly passed on from the Gonds to the Marathas. It became the capital of the Bhonsles.
Away from the city crowd, situated inside a fort on a hilltop, this temple is a source of rich mythological history. It is believed that Lord Rama took rest in this temple before leaving to conquer Lanka therefore making Lord Rama the main deity to be worshipped here.
Seminary Hill is in Nagpur, and it is 6km away from the city. The hill is named after St. Charles’s seminary. The Japanese garden at the foothills and the Satpura Botanical garden
Maharajbagh Zoo is situated in the city’s center. Built on the gardens of the rulers of the 18th century. The zoo houses rare wild animals that are hardly found in other parts of the country. The botanical garden here is equally impressive. So is the herbal garden that gives you an insight into the curative powers of herbs.
Lonar Lake is the third largest natural salt-water lake in the world. The lake has also a dam of 1800 m. It comes after Bosmatvi Lake in Ghana, which has a diameter of 10000 m and New Cubec in Canada with a Dai of 3500 m.
Dragon palace Buddhist Temple, which is also called as the ‘Lotus Temple of Nagpur’, would be a great source of inspiration for those who have a keen eye for architecture. Covering a sprawling 10 acre of land, the temple attracts you on your first sight.
The largest one of the 11 lakes in Nagpur, the Ambazari lake is situated near the southwest border of the city. This lake is the point from where the Nag river originates. The lake is surrounded by mango trees.