Shirala also called Battis [32] Shirala is a small town in India, 60 kilometers west of the district headquarters of Sangli and about 350 kilometers from Mumbai, capital of Maharashtra state. It is particularly known for its Hindu festival of the snake god. The origin of towns name stems from an interesting story. The prefix battis is a number- thirty-two (32). It is said that thirty-two small villages surround this larger town. Historically, Battis Shirala has been major market and shopping center for these villages. Name Shirala comes from word Sri-aalay signifying arrival of the saint Gorakhnath to the town. The major source of income for people in this town is from agriculture. Since this place is capital of tehsil or taluka, large numbers of people are employed in various government offices, schools, colleges, banks, hospitals and other service industry. A couple of agriculture-based industries (sugar and starch) also contribute to the towns economy. Water supply for...
