Goregaon is a census town in Raigad district in Maharashtra state. It is situated 18 km away from the Raigad fort, the capital of Shivaji's kingdom. For many years, Goregaon has served as a cultural and educational center for surrounding areas in the region. Situated near the Kal River, a tributary of the Savitri River. Goregaon enjoys an abundance of water and natural features. Goregaon (Ghodegaon) is likely the ancient Hippokura (Ghodekula) trade centre mentioned in Ptolemy's writings (A. D. 150).
Geography
Goregaon is located in the south-west of India at . The average elevation is .
Formerly known as Ghodegaon, Goregaon is an inland port in the Mangaon taluka. It lies near the Kal River, about northwest of Dasgaon and south of the Kal's junction with the Ghod River, at the tidewaters of the Savitri River. The town utilizes the Kal as a source of hydroelectric energy.
Boats weighing approximately 12 tons (50 khandi) pass through Goregaon, but river travel has diminished in recent times.
The Konkan-Goa State Highway has facilitated economic and easy transport of goods to all parts of the country.
Demographics
, Goregaon had a population of 7,155. Goregaon has an average literacy rate of 91%, higher than the national average of 82.4%; with 95.18% of the males and 87.76% of females literate. 10.34% of the population is under 6 years of age.
History
As Ptolemy's Hippokura
Ptolemy (Bertius's Edition, 198, 205) mentions two Hippokuras: one on the coast, the other inland. The inland Hippokura is believed to be the capital of Baleokuros, which Professor Bhandarkar, in a manuscript, identifies with the Vidivayakuras, a branch of the Satakarnis who ruled at Kolhapur. No name of Kolhapur resembling Hippokura has been discovered.
Ptolemy lists Balipatna and Hippokura south of Symulla or Ceul. Of these, Balipatna is most likely Palepattan or the city of Pale, which is a modern village possessing Buddhist caves measuring approximately in length to the northwest of Mahad. Hippokura is supposedly Ghodbunder in Salsette. However, Ghodeganv seems more likely to be Ghodbunder, as its position is at the limit of navigation on the northern branch of the Banakot River, making it also a likely early center of trade. Hippokura was the headquarters of a small division until 1718 AD. Afterwards, it was ceded to the Pesava by the Habsi, and at that time was to have been burned more than once to the ground.
Modern settlement
Goregaon was originally called Ghodegaon, a name that was formed by combining the word ghode (meaning "horse") and gaon (meaning "village"). This name was used because Goregaon was a major trading center for horses under the rule of Chatrapati Shivaji. from Goregaon is the village of Ghodeghoom. In ancient times, warriors would train in Ghodeghoom and travel to Goregaon to purchase horses. Three lakes in Goregaon could provide the water needed for the horses in the market.
The village has three water tanks dating back from the ancient times. They are: (1) Gaotalav occupying an area of ; (2) Visnu Talav, with a haud, or tank, in the center and occupying of land; and (3) Ram Talav spread over an area of . Due to the availability of water the Maratha armies used to camp at Goregaon, and the nearby villages of Vaki and Hindus.
In 1826, Ghodegaon is mentioned as the terminus of two routes from Poona via the Dev and Kumbha passes. It has an outlying country town, or kasha, with 500 houses and 40 shops along with some temples and wells (Clunes' Itinerary, p. 40).
Since 1955, a plan to supply water through pipes has been implemented at the cost of . The water supply is ensured by putting a dam across the river Kal half a mile upstream. The plan was approved in order to provide the village with electricity by the end of 1961.
In memory of the late Vaman Malhar Joshi, a celebrated Marathi writer, a building was erected which houses a library called Jnyana Vikas Vachanalaya. It is recognised as the taluka library and contains many books in English and Marathi, along with daily and weekly newspapers and magazines.
More recently, an NGO called SHARE (Services for the Health in Asian ＆ African Regions) has set up its office in the Madina complex on Goregaon Shrivardhan Road, in Goregaon. Villagers from 5 talukas, including Mangaon, visit Goregaon to meet with SHARE officials.
Temples
Among the old temples in Goregaon, the temple of Mallikarjuna, or Siddhesvar, is thought to have been built approximately 800 years ago. The shrine is said to be self-originated or Swayambhu. Situated on the top of the hill and bordering the town on the north, it is in height.