|
|
 |
| |
| General Information about KOLHAPUR |
Kolhapur :
Altitude: 569 metres
Languages : Hindi and English
State : Maharashtra.
STD Code : 02114.
|
About Kolhapur
During the British Raj, Kolhapur was a princely states of British India, under the Deccan division of the Bombay Presidency, and later the Deccan States Agency. It was considered the fourth most important Mahratta principalities, the other three being Baroda, Gwalior and Indore. Its rulers, of the Bhonsle dynasty, are entitled to a hereditary 19-gun salute.The state flag was a swallow-tailed orange pennant.
The Maharajas of Kolhapur have a common ancestry with the Bhonsle dynasties of Tanjore and Satara, claiming descent from the Sisodia clan of Rajputs, the same as the ancient rulers of Chittor and Udaipur. The states of Satara and Kolhapur came into being in 1707, because of the succession dispute over the Mahratta kingship. Shahu Sambhaji, Heir Apparent to the Mahratta kingdom, captured by the Mughals at the age of nine, remained their prisoner at the death of his father Sambhaji, the elder son of Shivaji Maharaj the founder of the Maratha Empire in 1700. The Dowager Maharani Tara Bai proclaimed his cousin Rajaram, as Chhatrapati Maharaj under her regency. The Mughals released Shahu under certain conditions in 1707, and he returned to claim his inheritance. He defeated the regent at the Battle of Khed and established himself at Satara, forcing her to retire with her son to Kholapur. By 1710 two separate principalities had become an established fact, eventually confirmed by the Treaty of Warna in 1731.
HOW TO REACH THERE
Air : It is a one-hour journey from Bombay to Kolhapur by air. The Ujalaiwadi airport is 10-km away from Kolhapur Main City. One can also travel from Kolhapur to the nearest Airport Pune , which is 238-Km away.
Rail : Kolhapur has a railway station and it's an 11-hour journey from Mumbai or Bangalore to Kolhapur.
Road : Kolhapur is about 450-km south of Mumbai and it's a ten to eleven hour journey from Mumbai or Banglore to Kolhapur by road. Maharashtra State Transport Corporation (MSTC) has regular service in this route with semi luxury and regular buses. Even private bus service is available to reach here from Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Solapur (also spelt as Sholapur) and Bangalore.
PLACES TO VISIT IN KOLHAPUR
• Maharaja's Palace : The maharaja's 'new' palace, completed in 1881, houses the Shahaji Chhatrapati Museum, one of the most bizarre collections of memorabilia in India. The building was designed by 'Mad' Charles Mant, the British architect who fashioned the Indo-saracenic style of colonial architecture and is a cross between a Victorian railway station and the Addams Family mansion.
• Panhala Hill Station : It is a little-visited hill station 18km northwest of Kolhapur, and makes an interesting excursion from Kolhapur. The hilltop fort has a long and convoluted history. It was originally the stronghold of Raja Bhoj II in 1192, was captured by both the Mughals and the Marathas and was finally taken by the British in 1844. The Pawala Caves are nearby, as well as a couple of Buddhist cave temples.
|
| Click here to view Hotels of Kolhapur.........
|
| |
|
|
|
| Rail Ticket |
 |
| North East |
 |
| Rajasthan |
 |
| Ayourveda |
 |
|
