Visiting India: The City of Kolhapur
The city of Kolhapur, which is situated near the city of Poona in the State of Maharashtra in India, has a lot of historical importance, as it was one of the main headquarters of Maratha rulers during the seventeenth century. We had an opportunity to visit this beautiful, ancient, and historical city early this year during our visit to India. I am very much interested in the history of India and hence, I enjoyed my said visit to city of Kolhapur very much. Here is an attempt to share my views on said visit with all my friends and readers.
Kolhapur can be easily reached from the cities of Poona and Mumbai. It would be the best option to travel by luxury buses from the city of Poona, which is around 70 miles away from Kolhapur. If you would like to reach Kolhapur from the city of Mumbai, the train is the best option that leaves at around 10 pm from Mumbai, reaching Kolhapur at around 7 am in the morning.
Kolhapur was made capital of Maratha Kingdom by Shmbhajirao, son of famous king Chhatrapati Shivaji. The Britishers also had fixed city of Kolhapur as the residence of their resident due to its strategic location. There is a very large and historical palace here at Kolhapur that attracts thousands of tourists. The palace has a museum attached to it. This museum has got a very large collection of the weapons used by King Chhatrapati Shivaji and his subsequent generation.
The collection of swords is excellent here. The swords in around 46 varieties are stored at this historical museum. The crown that was used by king Shivaji during his kingdom is also stored at this museum. The royal seat of the Maratha kings can also still be seen in the main meeting room of the palace. The ancient gold and diamond ornaments are also worth seeing at this museum. The ladies of the royal Maratha family used these ornaments. The next spot of tourist’s interest is the ancient temple of Amba Mata, which is situated on the bank of Holy River Panchganga. Famous Maratha rulers constructed this holy temple in the seventeenth century.
The statue of Amba Mata kept here at the temple is made of white shining marble and decorated with state of the art clothes and decorations. When this is performed every day in the morning and evening at this temple, the entire atmosphere becomes spiritual and holy. The weather of Kolhapur also remains balanced all throughout the year and that is why the visitors keep on coming to this beautiful city.
Kolhapur is famous for its breathtaking beauty all around and hence, the film shootings of many Hindi and Marathi films take place here around this lovely city. Kolhapur is also famous for its leather Chappals. These beautiful Chappals are made here at Kolhapur and are exported all over the world. There are many nearby excursions that need to be covered from the city of Kolhapur.
The hill stations of Panhala and Pavangadh are the most popular excursions. These beautiful hill stations are situated within the distance of around 25 miles from the city of Kolhapur. We visited the hill station of Panhala as one day long picnic and really enjoyed the virgin beauty of Panhala. There are many good hotels available at Kolhapur for the stay of tourists like Hotel Nanda, Hotel Ashish, Hotel Shivam, and Hotel Akash. These hotels offer two star facilities at the rates of around Rs.1200 ($24) per day for a nice double room.
The best option is perhaps Hotel Shivam, which is situated in the center of the city and hence, can be very convenient. The food is absolutely no problem here and most of the Indian and continental food delicacies are easily available in the various restaurants of the city.
We really enjoyed our visit to the city of Kolhapur and would suggest all my friends to visit this beautiful city of Kolhapur during their next visit to India.