Location: Paithan
Paithan
Paithan formerly Pratiṣṭhāna, is a town with the municipal council in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, India. It was the capital of the Satavahana dynasty, which ruled from the second century BCE to the second century CE. It is one of the few inland towns mentioned in the famous first-century Greek book, the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.
Paithan is located 56 kilometers (35 mi) south of present-day Aurangabad on the Godavari River. Mungi Village, Paithan was the birthplace of Nimbarka, the founder of the Nimbarka Sampradaya tradition of Vaishnavism. Paithan was also the home of the great Marathi saint Eknath; people flock yearly to his shirne during the time of the Paithan yatra, also known as the Nath Shashti. Paithan is also a famous Digambar Jain atishay kshetra. A beautiful Black colored Sand Idol of 20th Jain Tirthankar, Bhagwan Munisuvratnath is installed in the temple here.
Climate
Climate: Paithan. Paithan is influenced by the local steppe climate. … This climate is considered to be BSh according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. The average temperature in Paithan is 26.7 °C. Precipitation here averages 701 mm.
History
Pratishthana was capital of First Satavahana king from where it grew into Empire covering almost half of present India. The Satavahana was known as “Trisamudratoyapitvahana”. Later, under the name Pishtapura. it was taken by the Chalukya ruler Pulakesin II who commissioned the recording of the event in a poem as “reducing Pishtapuram to flour”.
Pratishthanapura or present-day Paithan is said to be the capital of Mulaka desh. Aurangabad, Nashik, Jalna, Washim are parts of Mulaka. Mulukanadu follows the usual conjoint formulation of similar communities: the word Naadu means the country in all the south Indian languages; this is suffixed to the country whence the community hails, being in this case “Muluka”. Thus, Muluka+Naadu=Mulukanadu, “people of the Muluka land.” Muluka or Mulaka is identified and it is also known as Moolaka or Moolaka Desha along with Ashmaka.
As per legends Pratishthana was built by King Ila. Ila, who was the king of Bahlika, strayed into Shiva’s forest during his hunting trip and was cursed to become a woman by Shiva. By praying Shiva’s consort Parvati, Il[1] a managed to stay as man and woman alternatively every month. He would not remember the events of one stage in the other. When he was a woman, he married Budha (Mercury, one of the nine planets the ‘Navagrahas’) through whom he had a son (Pururavas). Budha helped Ila to attain his former self by pleasing Shiva through ‘Ashwamedha Yagna’ (Horse sacrifice). After leaving Budha, Ila left Bahlika and established the city Pratishthana from where he ruled for long. After him, Pururavas became the king of Pratishthana. (Source: Valmiki Ramayana, Uttara Khanda, Sarga 90).
Transportation
• Nearest Railway Station: Aurangabad 50 km (31 mi)
• Nearest Airport: Aurangabad 53 km (33 mi)
Place of interest
• Shree 1008 Munisuvratnath Jain Mandir
• Dyneshwar Garden Gate No 2
• Shivaji Monument
• Sri Eknath Mandir Paithan
• Sant Dnyaneshwar Garden
• Jaikwadi Wildlife Sanctuary
• Indravati Cinema
• Shreenath Cinema