Kolhapur is the largest city in Southern Maharashtra and a prominent city in Western Maharashtra. It is an important city on the Pune-Bangalore highway. Many tourist places and hill stations are situated in the vicinity of Kolhapur.

Districts/Region

Kolhapur district, Maharashtra, India.

History

The state of Kolhapur was established by Tarabai in 1707 because of a succession dispute over the Maratha kingship. The Maratha throne was then governed by descendants of Tarabai; one of the prominent kings was RajarshiShahuMaharaj (Shahu of Kolhapur). In his reign, he promoted cost-free education to people of all castes and fought against untouchability. After India's independence in 1947, it merged with Bombay state on 1st March 1949. Often, Kolhapur is referred to as Dakshin Kashi (South Kashi is a holy city in Northern India) due to the presence of goddess Mahalaxmi or Ambabai and its rich religious history.

Geography

Kolhapur is an inland city located in South-west.
Maharashtra state, 373 KM (232mi) south Mumbai 228 KM (142 mi) south of Pune 615 KM (382 mi) north-west of Bengaluru and 530 KM (330mi) west of Hyderabad within Maharashtra, Kolhapur's nearest cities and towns are Ichalkaranji 27  KM (17mi), Kodoli 35 KM (22mi), PethVadgaon 15 KM (9.3 mi), Kagal 21 KM (13 mi), KasbaWalva 30 KM (19 mi) Sangli 19 KM (12 mi), Satara 115 KM (71 mi).
Kolhapur has an elevation of 569 m above mean sea level. It lies in the Sahyadri mountains in the Western Ghats and it is situated on the banks of river Panchganga.. Nearby dams are Radhanagari and Kalabawadi. Panhalais situated at a distance of 21.5 KM.

Weather/Climate

The region has a hot-semi arid climate year-round with an average temperature ranging from 19-33degree Celsius.
April and May are the hottest months in the region when the temperature reaches up to 42degree Celsius.
Winters are extreme, and the temperature can go as low as 10degree Celsiusduring night.
The annual rainfall in the region is around 1025 mm. 

Things to do

The city has historic importance, one can visit places like ChhatrapatiShahaji museum, ChandrakantMandare Art Gallery, Shalini palace. Some quality time can be spent at Rankala Lake or Panchgangaghat during the evening.
One can visit to places like Mahalaxmi temple and Jyotiba which are important from religious point of view. 

Nearest tourist places

One can plan to visit the following tourist places along with Kolhapur:

• Dajipur Wildlife / Radhanagiri Wildlife sanctuary:  It is a wildlife sanctuary and natural World Heritage Site of category ix and x since 2012, located in Kolhapur district. It lies at the southern end of the Sahyadri hills in the Western Ghats. It was the first wildlife sanctuary declared in Maharashtra, notified in 1958 as Dajipur Wildlife Sanctuary and is popularly known as the "Bison Sanctuary” due to the presence of Indian bison or gaur with a population of around 1092 in 2014, it is considered as a flagship species of the area.
• ShriChhatrapatiShahu Museum: It is a palace situated in Kolhapur. The palace took 7 years to complete from 1877 to 1884, costing about seven lakhs of rupees. It has attracted many tourists from all over Maharashtra because of its excellent Indian architecture with built-in black polished stone. Palace has extensive premises with a garden, fountain and wrestling ground. The eight-angled building has a tower in the middle. Even today it serves as a place of residence for ChhatrapatiShahuMaharaj the direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
• Gaganbawda: - Gaganbawda is situated on the Sahyadri range or the Western Ghats, and has a very famous fort Gagangad near it. Gaganbawda, though only 55 KM from Kolhapur, is an undeveloped, and hilly area of the district. Gaganbawda gets the maximum rainfall during the rainy season. Owing to its scenic beauty it attracts the tourists from surrounding regions.  
• Ramtirth waterfall: Ramtrith waterfall, situated on the banks of the Hiranyakeshi river, 87 KM away from the town of Kolhapur. The waterfall here comes into bloom in the monsoon. The prime feature of the waterfall is that it never dries. It is located near Ajara which is a historic small town locatedin the Kolhapur district of Maharashtra.
• Sagareshwar Deer Sanctuary: It is located 69 KM to the north of Kolhapur, spread in the area of 1088 hectors. As the name suggests it is famous for deer. The place has got religious importance as it is surrounded by more than hundred temples.
• Jyotiba Temple: - Jyotiba Temple is a holy site of Hinduism near wadi Ratnagiri in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra state in western India. The temple is dedicated to the lord Jyotiba. An annual fair takes place on the full moon night of the Hindu months of Chaitra and Vaishakha. Due to scattering of'Gulal' the whole mountain turns pink. A lot of tourists visit the place on Sunday as the day is dedicated to lord Jyotiba.
• Mahalakshmi Temple: - Mahalakshmi Temple (also known as AmbabaiMandir), is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Mahalakshmi and Parvatidevi located in the heart of the ancient city of Kolhapur. It is one of 51 shaktipeeth according to Devi Purana, one of 18 Maha Shakti Peeth as per Sankar Samhita of SkandaPurana and AshtaDasha Shakti PeethaStotram. Mahalakshmi Temple is built in Hemadpanthi architecture style. Creator of the temple is Karnedeva, Chalukya Empire and it was completed in the 7th century. Festivals celebrated are Kirnotsav, Rathotsav and Lalita Panchami.
• Panhala Fort: - Panhala fort known as Panhalgad, is located in Panhala, 20 KM northwest to Kolhapur in Maharashtra, India. Panhala fort was built by Raja Bhojasecond, Ibrahim Adil Shah first in the year between 1178 and 1209 CE. It is strategically located looking over a pass in the Sahyadri mountain 

Special food speciality and hotel

Kolhapur is famous for its unique dishes called "PandharaRassa'' and "TambdaRassa'' (White gravy and Red gravy respectively) which are served as a part of thali. "Kolhapurimisal" and "Delicious Mutton recipes” are also famous cuisines of Kolhapur. The restaurant here serves a variety of dishes such as Kolhapuri fish, Mutton Rassa, Kolhapuri vegetables with rice or bhakri and Kolhapurimisal with bread. 

Accommodation facilities nearby & Hotel/ Hospital/Post Office/Police station

Various Hotels are available in Kolhapur.
Hospitals are available in Kolhapur 40 min away from Kolhapur.
The nearest post office is available at 4 min (2.1 KM)
The nearest police station is available at 2 min (0.5 KM).

Visiting Rule and Time, Best month to visit

The winter season in Kolhapur prevails from November to February. It is the best time to visit Kolhapur as the weather becomes extremely pleasurable at this time. The temperature in the season lies between 14° to 30degree celsius.
Tourists are advised to avoid the months between
March-May as the summer here is excruciatingly hot.

Language spoken in area 

English, Hindi, Marathi