CHAPTER TWO A PROFILE OF THE STUDY AREA Grapes came to India from the Eastern Mediterranean region through Iran and Afghanistan in the century. But their real development began from 1930 when the first vineyard was developed in the Nashik district of Maharashtra (Bhujabal, 1988, p. 2). Basically grapes are grown in the warm temperate regions but because of the favourable conditions prevailing in certain parts of a tropical country like India, grapes are also grown successfully in our country. Besides, the new agricuhural techniques and the introduction of new and more adaptable seedless varieties have helped in the expansion of areas under viticulture in India. Within the framework of physical environmental conditions required for growing of grapes, certain changes have been made in the technique of growing of grapes in such tropical regions. Hence it is necessary to study the physical environmental conditions in the context of two aspects: first, the physical environmental conditions for growing of grapes in general and second, the general profile of the region under study namely the Nashik district. As the chief objective of this research project is to present a geographical analysis of grape cultivation in Nashik district, it is first necessary to outline the general profile of the study area. For this purpose the present chapter is divided into two units: the physical setting and the cultural setting of the district. 2.1 PHYSICAL SETTING OF THE DISTRICT The physical setting of the district is studied here with respect to 1. Location 2. Geology and Topography 3. Drainage 4. Climate 5. Soil 2.1.1 LOCATION Nashik district lies in the northern part of Maharashtra State. The district came into existence in 1869 with thirteen tahsils. It occupies an area of 15,582 sq. km and ranks fifth in the state with respect to area. The district has boundaries of Thane, Dhule, and Jalgaon district in the 14 LOCATION MAP OF NASH IK DISTRICT. West, North and North-east respectively. In the North-West the district borders with the state of Gujarat. There is Aurangabad district in the East, and Amhednagar district in the South. With average length and breadth of 170 km the district has the following longitudinal and latitudinal extent. 19°35’N. L to 20°52’N. L ■7'4'’ 5-A^ £ .L 73“ 16’ E. L to E=L (Source: District census Handbook, Nashik district 1981) The thirteen tahsils of the district include Nashik, Peth, Nandgaon, Niphad, Sinnar, Dindori, Surgana, Baglan, Malegaon, Kalvan, Chandwad, Yeola and Igatpuri. Out of these thirteen tahsils eight tahsils are primarily urban and five tahsils of Peth, Dindori, Surgana, Kalvan and Niphad are generally rural. As a result, the district is classified as urban district in the state. (Fig 2.1) 2.1.2 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY Geologically Nashik district lies in the ‘Deccan Trap’ region of Peninsular India. The Great Trap region of the Deccan covers the whole district. It is entirely of volcanic formation. The volcanic portion consists of compact, stratified basalt and an earthy trap. The basah are of most conspicuous features. The basalt is either fine textured or it is coarse and nodular. In the western hilly portion of the district, the basalt lies in flat-topped ranges separated by valleys trending from west to east. The absence of laterite which caps the summits of the hills to the south, is a curious feature in the geology of the area (District Gazetteer, 1975, p. 19). The slopes towards west, are steep and lofty. The eastern slope is gradual and with series of steps. The thickness of the trap flows is about 5000’ (1500m). They are uniformly thick having more or less same elevations A number of hills with forts are found along the border of the district as well as on the range that crosses the district in more or less west-east direction. Locally this range is called Chandwad-Satmala range. Most of the hills are flat-topped or have a small peak rising out of a table-land. Below this there is a sort of perpendicular scrap rising out of a terrace and usually thickly wooded. In some areas like the hills in the south (Kalasubai) or in the Satmala- Chandwad range the basah is columnar and has weathered into fantastic shapes. These higher trap regions contain quartz in vertical veins, crystals and zeolitic minerals (District Gazetteer, 1883). 15 NASHIK DISTRICT RELIEF The lithological character of the basak varies greatly. In some cases the tabular trap is of fine texture and takes a fair polish, in others it is coarse and nodular. There are certain dyke formations exposed in the riverbed. Some of the valleys that separate the ranges of trap hills are of considerable width, for example, the valley at the head of the Thai pass. Sub-aerial denudation is the main reason for it. It is therefore believed that the rivers rose much further west and that the broad plains were many miles from the sources of the rivers. So the whole range of Sahayadris was once believed to be a sea cliff The surveys of the portion of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway that passes through the district show that the flows have a slight dip to the east, but to the eye they appear to be horizontal. The tabular strata of hills many miles apart are found to be almost exactly as the same height above the sea. From this it is deduced that these ranges once formed part of an immense plateau (District Gazetteer, 1883). Topographically the Nashik district lies in the Deccan Plateau region of Peninsular India formed entirely of volcanic formation. Broadly the district can be divided into three distinct regions: (Fig 2.2) a. The hilly region b. The Godavari basin c. The Girna basin a. The Hilly Region -- A part of the Western Ghats called Sahayadris, this region lies in the Western part of the district running mainly in the north-south direction with its offshoots towards east. The general altitude of this region ranges from 900m to 1200m with the higher portion being near the western boundary of the district. Here both the flat- topped and peaked mountains are found; the flat- topped hills predominate in number but not in height. This hilly portion can be further classified into four subregions. i. The Galan hills and Selbari range ii. The Satmala-C hand wad range iii. The Trimbak-Anjaneri range iv. The Kalasubai hills. i The Galan hills and Selbari Range: In the extreme north of the Nashik district the hills and ranges form the boundary between the Gujarat state in the north-west and Dhule district in the 16 north. These hills and ranges are called Galan Hills and Selbari Range, occupying Kalvan and Baglan tahsils of the district. In the west and the north the altitude reaches upto 1300m while in the east it decreases to 710m which is evident from the height of Galan fort. The highest peaks have the altitude of 1331m and are named Mangi-Tungi. To the east of the peaks lies the Selbari Pass though which road communication between Dhule and Nashik districts is possible. A few kilometers south is located another hill range called Salher-Mulher dongar. This is separated by the former range by Mosam river. This range is shorter in length but has high peaks which are as high as 1613m. Salher-Mulher range is broken by Kanjari nala with decreasing elevation towards east. Further there are scattered hills named Dholbari hills. These hills have lower elevation with passes like Dholbari Pass. ii. The Satmala-Chandwad Ranee: The Satmala-Chandwad range runs across the district in the east- southeasterly direction. It differs from the rest of the mountains in the north by the number and shape of its peaks and by the absence of flat summits. These peaks are visible from nearly every part of the district and form a prominent landmark. The highest of them is Dhodap (1451m). The others include well known Saptashring (1420), Indrai (1410m) and Chandwad (1217m). Further to the south-east are the twin forts of Anki-Tanki with an altitude of 960m. This range is highly dissected by the work of large number of streams and their headward erosion (District Gazetteer 1975 p. 4). The major streams include Panjhara, Maniad and their tributaries. Most of the streams are the tributaries of Girna and Godavari rivers. Satmala- Chandwad range thus forms the major water divide between these two major rivers of the district. This is also evident from the relief map of the district. This range passes through the tahsils of Chandwad, Dindori, Kalvan, Niphad and Nandgaon. iii. The Trimbak-Anianeri Range: In the southern part of the district the Trimbak-Anjaneri range stretches towards east from Bhaskargad (1086m). These ranges run through Nashik and Igatpuri tahsils. Important peaks like Harishgad (1113m) and Brahmagiri (1210m) lie in the eastern part. Trimbak range on its north- eastern side forms an amphitheater-like shape at the base of which lies the town of Trimbakshwar. The slopes are very steep to form the cliff They can be climbed through a narrow difficult path which reaches upto the source of the river Godavari at an altitude of 4248 feet (1274m). Anjaneri is a fine mass of trap rock with flat top of considerable area. Further, Anjaneri extends in the form of three branches resembling ‘Trishul’ (Trident). The average altitude of this 17 region is about 900m. to the south of Anjaneri Trishul, beyond Dama nver and its headwater streams, there are three radiating ranges that border Vaitama river, to the south-east of Igatpuri town.