Amravati

Amravati is a town of the Berar plain, known for the shrine of Ambadevi. Local tradition connects the goddess’s temple with the story of Krishna and Rukmini: Rukmini is said to have visited the shrine before Krishna carried her away from a marriage arranged against her wishes. The tale places the town within the sacred geography of Vidarbha, and the goddess has long been honoured by families throughout the region.

The Berar country passed through the hands of Deccan sultans and the Mughals before Maratha and Hyderabad authorities shared claims to its revenues in the eighteenth century. The Bhonsle rulers of Nagpur maintained collectors in Berar under this arrangement. The Ambadevi shrine continued to be a focus of local devotion; one account attributes repairs around 1660 to the ascetic Janardan Swami.