Ahmednagar Khadi Charkha Spinning Gandhi Heritage Maharashtra

Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra has a special significance in India's khadi and charkha (spinning wheel) movement as the location of Yerawada Central Prison where Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned during the 1930-32 and 1942-44 periods, during which he wrote key texts of the freedom movement including the Yerawada Mandir and correspondence that shaped khadi's philosophical foundations. The Wardha-Ahmednagar belt of Maharashtra was Gandhi's operational base for the khadi movement, with the Sevagram Ashram at Wardha and Sabarmati spinning institution centres creating the khadi production cooperative model that now sustains 2.5 lakh khadi artisan households across India. Ahmednagar's khadi production cooperatives under Maharashtra Khadi and Village Industries Board produce hand-spun cotton, wool, and silk yarn and hand-woven khadi fabric. The charkha spinning tradition maintains the Gandhian heritage of self-reliant rural industry. The district's khadi products include white cotton khadi sarees, kurta fabric, and handloom towels sold through KVIC outlets nationally and internationally.