Ichalkaranji
Marathi: इचलकरंजीA City in Kolhapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is governed by a municipal council.
Ichalkaranji is in western India about 425 kilometres (264 mi) from Mumbai. The City is rapidly growing and now merging with neighbouring Jaysingpur town to form a large satellite suburban township with Sangli city which is just 24 kilometres (15 mi) away.
The city of Ichalkaranji assumes a place amongst the cities having highest per capita income in the country. Ichalkaranji was a Princely state situated on the banks of Panchganga River (Marathi: पंचगंगा नदी). It was ruled by the Ghorpade dynasty for the last two centuries. The chief of state, His Highness Shrimant Narayanrao Babasaheb Ghorpade, who was responsible for developing the Ichalkaranji village Into an Important Industrial town and who contributed liberal donations to educational Institutions throughout the country. He was the main source of inspiration for the development of both the decentralized textile industry as well as the co-operative movement. He encouraged Mr. Vitthalrao Datar, a young entrepreneur of the town, to install a power loom in 1904. Perhaps this was the first power loom started in the decentralized textile industry of the country. Thus, Ichalkaranji has given a new concepts and dimensions to the textile field of India.