Kusumba (Maharashtra)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Kusumba is a small village in Dhule district, Maharashtra, India. It lies on the Dhule-Sakri road along National Highway 6 (NH-6) near the Panzra river. The old village sat on the riverbank, but a flood in 1864–65 forced people to relocate a short distance away. Today Kusumba has a grid-like road layout and is known for the ancient Hemadpanthi Kalambeshwar (Shiva) temple near the river.

Climate here has three seasons: hot summers, a monsoon season, and cool winters. Summers (March to June) are very hot, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 40°C. Winters (October to February) can be cool, around 10–15°C at times. The monsoon lasts from mid-June to September, bringing humidity and cloudy skies. The area is usually dry most of the year, with about 20% humidity at noon in summer and around 70% in the monsoon. The region can face droughts; a notable one occurred in 1972. The nearest rain gauge is in Dhule.

As of 2001, Kusumba had about 8,800 residents. People speak Marathi, Hindi, Ahirani, and Gujarati, and literacy is around 70%. The village has two government primary schools (Z.P. School No-1 and No-2) and Sambhaji English School. There are two colleges—Aadarsh Mahavidyalaya Jr & Sr College—and an ITI, plus M.K. Shinde Jr College.

Agriculture is the main occupation. Kusumba has a weekly market on Wednesdays, when people from nearby villages come to buy and sell everyday goods, vegetables, fruits, and clothes.

There is no railway line or airport in Kusumba. The nearest railway and airport are in Dhule. Regular MSRTC and private buses connect Kusumba to Dhule and to other towns such as Sakri, Navapur, Surat, and Ahmedabad. Buses from these places often stop in Kusumba.

People visit several places of worship in and around the village. The Hemadpanthi Kalambeshwar temple, near the Panzra river, is very old. There is also a Mulnayak Kunthunath Digambar Jain temple, plus Ram Mandir, Sai Baba Temple, Swami Samarth Math, and a Hanuman temple near the bus stop on the Malegaon road. Nearby Jain sites at Mangi-Tungi are also popular. Akkalpada Dam nearby is planned to supply water for farming and drinking when completed.

Traditional dress in Kusumba follows common Maharashtrian styles. Men typically wear a kurta or sadra, with elderly men often in a dhoti and Gandhi caps. Women wear sarees in 6-yard or 9-yard lengths, with glass bangles and jewelry being common.

Kusumba celebrates many festivals, including Ganesh Chaturthi, Navaratri, Diwali, Vijayadashami, Rama Navami, Raksha Bandhan, and celebrations during Ramzan Eid.