AMRAVATI

also called Amraoti, town, northeastern Maharashtra state, western India. It lies 85 miles (137 km) west of Nagpur. The town occupies an important position near passes through the hills that separate the cotton-growing regions of the Purna River basin (west) and the Wardha River basin (east). A growing industrial centre, it is expanding toward nearby Badnera; its cotton mills supply Bombay, Calcutta, and Ahmadabad. The town houses seven colleges affiliated with the University of Nagpur. Pop. (1991) 421,576.