V.
Anantpal Temple (Shirur Anantpal):
Shirur Anantpal is the newly created tahsil in Latur District. This tahsil is seperated from Nilanga tahsil. Its population is 74067, out of which 38205 are male (51.58%) and 35862 (48.42%) are female. This means that the set ratio in this tahsil is 939 females per thousand males. The literacy rate of this tahsil is 72. 18% (45389). The density of this tahsil is 228 per sq km.
In 2002, the rainfall was recorded as 711.7 mm in this tahsil. No land is under forest in this tahsil. Two important rivers that flow through this tahsil are Manjara and Dharni. Shirur Anantpal town is tahsil place in this tahsil. It is located on the west bank of the Dharni River. The area of the town is 3705.55 hectares. It is 40 km away from Nilanga taluka. Shirur Anantpal is situated between the fertile regions of the two rivers, Dharani and Manjara
The city is named after the Anantpal temple. The Anantpal temple of Shirur Anantpal is beautiful, like its name. It is a Hemadpanthi temple. The modern architects will also wonder at this beautiful piece of architecture.
The Sabhamandap of the temple is based on the engraved stone pillars. This temple is evidence of the ancient revered techniques of architecture. The idol of 'Nandi' in front of the temple is the attention getter. The idol of 'Nandi' is also in a small Hemadpanthi temple. This temple has a main mulcn mandap, a Sabha mandap, and three Gabharas. Out of these, two Gabharas have the idols of Shiv and Parvati, and there is a big Shiv Pind in the main Gobarha 'Shiv Pind'. There are six stone pillars in the Sabha mandap. The ceiling of the temple is beautifully engraved with pictures and zombr. There is an idol of Lord Vishnu posed on a 'Shesh Nag in the Sabha mandap. This is the deity of this village. The 'Bhajan' and 'Kirtan' are arranged on Shivratri and the 'Bhandara' on the next day. The temple has the citadel. There are some small rooms in this citadel. There is an inscription in this temple which is in Kannada script. Outside the main temple, there is the temple of 'Karpureshwar. Here, there is an idol of 'Ananta' behind the 'Shiv pind'.
The engravings and the structure of the temple is very beautiful.
This town is well connected to other cities by roads. It is located 2 km. away from Maharashtra State Highway No. 168. There is a tar road to this town. The buses, luxuries, and taxis from Latur, Nilanga, and Udgir transport the travellers. The water is supplied through taps and hand pumps. Through the Dharni river flows near this town, the town faces water scarcity every summer because the river is temporary flowing only in the rainy season. The Government should concentrate on taking the needed efforts for the travellers.
There are good communication facilities in Shirur Anantpal. There are facilities for STD, ISD, and Telegram also. Electricity supply is provided in each place in the town. Transport facilities like Buses, Jeeps, Tum-tums, are also available to reach this town. Tap water is provided to the people in this town, but in some years hand pump is used for drinking water. But in the Summer drinking water problem is a major problem in front of residents of this town. Local government should try to solve this problem by making some proper arrangements.
The primary and secondary, and higher education is available in the town, e.g. Lokjagruti Vidyalaya, Swami Kanya Vidyalaya. The bus stand is very small in the city, and the campus around it is full of filth and dirt. The campus around the bus should be kept clean. There is a primary health care centre and a dispensary in the city. There is the problem of accommodation for the travellers. There are some hotels in the town. It is necessary to provide the same facilities as hotels and lodges. The Government should take steps to provide all the facilities for all the travellers.
