Location: Khopoli

Khopoli
Khopoli, is an industrial town in the Khalapur taluka of Raigad district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, at the base of the Sahyadri mountains. Patalganga River which is the tailrace channel of Tata Hydroelectric Power station flows through Khopoli.
It is a municipal council and is a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Khopoli Municipal council covers an area of 30 km2.
Khopoli is connected to the Mumbai suburban railway by a single line from Karjat. The distance between CST to Khopoli is 114.24 km along the Central Railway Suburban Line which is a broad gauge line carrying electric locomotives.
It is also located on NH 4, about 80 km south of Mumbai.

Geography and history

Khopoli was called Campoolie during the British Raj. Khopoli is located at 18°45′ N, 73°20′. It is situated at about 61 m above mean sea level. It falls under three Pincodes – Khopoli 410203, Khopoli Power House 410204, and Jagdish Nagar 410216. STD code for Khopoli is (0)2192.

A colonial source describes Khopoli as follows:

The Bhor ghat is formed of a succession of lofty eminences, towering above each other, the last of which attains a height of 2000 feet (610 m) above the level of the sea. Its outline at a distance is bold and imposing; it presents a plane or table summit, with ranges of stupendous hills beyond, with the sublimity of which Europe possesses little that is analogous; at its foot stands the small and romantic village of Campolee, which has a noble tank and a Hindu temple, both built by Nana Furanvese (the Peishwa’s prime minister) at his individual expense.

There was an annachatra or a free feeding house, in the vicinity of the Mahadev temple, but by 1882 all that remained of it were huge grinding stones. The GIPR line was extended to Khopoli in 1856.

Khopoli is the site of the first privately owned hydroelectric power station in India built by the Tatas.

Climate

Khopoli has a tropical monsoon climate (Am) with little to no rainfall from November to May and extremely heavy rainfall from June to September with moderately heavy showers in October.

Demographics

In the 2011 India census, Khopoli had a population of 108,648. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Khopoli has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 68%. Thirteen percent of the population is under 6 years of age.