Akola

Akola () is a major city in the Vidarbha region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. With an estimated population of 600,000, Akola is a growing metropolis surrounded by forts, and has the Morna River running through the center of the city. Akola is an important financial city and affiliated with Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University. It has recently become a hub of coaching classes preparing students for competitive exams like NEET and JEE. The city is developing into a market centre. The primary language spoken by the people of Akola is the Varhadi dialect of Marathi while English is used mostly in educational institutions and Hindi being a lingua franca, including large number of Native Berari a branch of Deccani language which is formally recognized as dialect of Urdu language.