Mehkar

Mehkar stands on a low hill above the Penganga River in Berar. Tradition connects its name with Meghankara, a demon defeated by Vishnu in the form of Sharangadhara. The town was known for its weavers and fine dhotis, and a gateway associated with the Momin weavers in its old walls bears an inscription dated 1488. The Ain-i Akbari lists Mehkar as the headquarters of a Mughal revenue district.

In 1769 Peshwa Madhav Rao and the Nizam’s minister Rukn-ud-Daula camped here while advancing against Janoji Bhonsle. Later raids by the Pindaris and the famine of 1803 damaged the town’s prosperity. In 1817 a British force under General Doveton also halted at Mehkar on its march toward Nagpur, as power in the Deccan was again contested.