Neral is a town in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is 83 km from Mumbai in the Karjat tehsil.
It is best known as a railroad junction, with trains arriving from Mumbai and from Pune, India. to the nearby and very popular hill station of Matheran. A narrow-gauge rail line, 21 km long, ("toy train") runs from Neral to Matheran. Nearest major towns are Badlapur & Karjat
The heavy rains on 26 July 2005 ruined the rail tracks and it had stopped operating,but the train has successfully started operating from 5 March 2007. The other option available to reach Matheran is to take a taxi to a certain point (called dasturi naka) just before Matheran city boundary, beyond which one may proceed only on foot or on horseback.
Neral is located at 19.03°N 73.32°E It has an average elevation of 40 metres (131 feet).
Demographics
As of 2001[update] India census,[2] Neral had a population of 14,739. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Neral has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 76%, and female literacy is 64%. In Neral, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.this is the nearest place near matheran
History
In 1942 movement Neral also gives the contribution through the Azad Dasta which was formed by Veer Bhai Kotwal. Bhai Kotwal who was advocate fight for the farmers against Savkari. They formed the Azad Dasta with the help of Gomaji Patil, Bhagat Master And many others. They have built the base of education by starting 42 voluntary schools. They have started also 100 dhanykothis (godowns for crops). They formed parallel Government in 1942 movement in Neral. Hutatma Bhai Kotwal & Hutatma Hiraji Patil was shot dead at Sidhagad Hutatma Smarak was built at Sidhagad in the memory of these Hutatmas. Every year, on 1st & 2nd January people from Neral & Murbad celebrates the memory of these two Hutatmas & other Azad Dasta members.
Reproduced from Wikipedia
