Ashta, Sholapur
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts.Many units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Ashta, Sholapur
Village in the Madha taluka of Sholapur District, Bombay, situated in 17 51' N. and 75 28" E. Population (1901), 936. The place is interesting as the scene of the battle of February 20, 181 8, between General Lionel Smith and Baji Rao Peshwa's troops, in which the Peshwa was defeated and his general Gokhale killed. It was entirely a cavalry action, Gokhale having 8,000 to 10,000 horse, and General Smith two regiments of cavalry, a squadron of the 22nd Dragoons, 1,200 auxiliary horse, and 2,500 infantry. The battle had the important result of freeing the Satara Raja from Baji Rao's power. Ashta has a large lake which, when full, has an area of more than 4 square miles and a capacity of 1,419,000,000 cubic feet of water. The lake has been formed at a cost of upwards of 7 lakhs by throwing across the Ashta stream, a feeder of the Bhlma, an earthen dam 12,709 feet long with a greatest height of 57-75 feet. Two canals are led from the dam; that on the left bank is 11/2 miles long, discharging 30 cubic feet a second, and commanding 12,258 arable acres; while the right-bank canal is 10 miles long, discharging 10 cubic feet a second, and commanding 5,624 arable acres. Ashta contains two schools, one of which is for girls.
