Parbhani is a city in Parbhani district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Parbhani, formerly known as “Prabhavatinagar”, is a city in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Parbhani District.
Approximately Parbhani is situated at the centre of Maharashtra. The state capital, Mumbai lies to the west of Parbhani. The major city nearest is Aurangabad. Parbhani is well connected by road to other major cities also in Maharashtra and even in the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh. Parbhani is an important railway junction on the Mumbai-Parbhani-Secunderabad and Parli-Parbhani-Bangalore lines.
Parbhani has one of the four agricultural universities in Maharashtra which is known as 'Marathwada Agricultural University'(MAU). It was established in the year 1972. The objectives of the University are: education in agriculture and allied sciences, research based on regional needs and facilitate technology transfer etc.
Parbhani has its share in Hindu mythology. The Hindu saint who is considered to be the reincarnation of the God Dattatraya in Hindu mythology, Shri Shirdi Saibaba was said to be born in this district at a place called Pathri - about 40 km from Parbhani. A Jain temple at Jintur is 40 km away. A village named Mudgal (Tq. Pathri) the only place in India where Lord Vishnu(Mudgal Narsimha) and Lord Shiva(Mudgaleshwar) are worshiped together. Pokharni, a place situated at around 19 km to the south of Parbhani has a famous Lord Narshima temple.
History
Parbhani languished for over 650 years under Muslim rule, under the Sultans, the Mughals and later the Nizam. The town remained a part of the Hyderabad State under the rulership of the Nizam until Operation Polo of the Indian Army in 1948. Thereafter it became a part of the independent Republic of India. Until 1956 the town remained a part of Hyderabad State within India. Under the administrative reforms that year and the break up of the State of Hyderabad, Parbhani and the adjacent towns were transferred to the multilingual Bombay State. Since 1960 it has been a part of Maharashtra state.
