Maze Kolhapur

2007-01-25T03:59:00.000-08:00

Kolhapur pronunciation (help·info) (Marathi:कोल्हापुर) is a city situated in the south west corner of Maharashtra, India. The population of Kolhapur is around 419,000. The main language is Marathi. But English is spoken by few, usually for official purposes. It is popular for its Mahalaksmi temple. It is situated on the banks of the river Panchganga. Many hills and forts like Panhala fort and Jyotiba temple hill surround the city. The city is also famous for training wrestlers. There is national stadium for a form of wrestling known as Khasbag. It is also famous for making leather footware, popularly known as Kolhapuri Chappals and sugar products. The 'Kolhapuri' cuisine is one of the popular cuisines of India, well known for its spiciness.
History
During the British Raj, Kolhapur was a Princely State 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, were entitled to a 19-gun salute - thus Kolhapur was also known as a 19-gun State. The state flag was a swallow-tailed orange pennant.
Kolhapur state, together with its jagirs or feudatories, covered an area of 3,165 square miles (8,200 km²). According to the 1901 census, the state population was 910,011, of which 54,373 resided in Kolhapur Town. In 1901, the state enjoyed an estimated revenue of £300,000.

Map of Kolhapur district
The Maharajas of Kolhapur have a common ancestry with the Bhonsle dynasties of Tanjore and Satara, claiming descent from the Maratha royal clan Bhonslà. 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 Maratha 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 Kolhapur. By 1710 two separate principalities had become an established fact, eventually confirmed by the Treaty of Warna in 1731.
The British sent expeditions against Kolhapur in 1765 and 1792; Kolhapur entered into treaty relations with the British, after the collapse of the Maratha confederacy in 1812. In the early years of the 19th century the British invaded again, and appointed a political officer to temporarily manage the state.
After India's independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Kolhapur acceded to the Dominion of India on 14 August 1947 and merged with Bombay state on 1 March 1949. In 1960 Bombay state was divided into the linguistic states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The boundaries of former Kolhapur state correspond very closely with those of modern-day Kolhapur district.
Culture
Kolhapur is a very ancient city, famous for its food, headwear, footwear, jewellery, wrestling etc. Legend says, that it was founded by KOLHASUR (DEMON), who then was troubling the local populace; so the deity Mahalakshmi came to the rescue, and killed him. However, honouring the dying demon's last wish, the city was named after him. Hence the name KOLHAPUR. It is said that no one counts the pillars of the Mahalakshmi temple; anyone who tries, is beckoning death. The city populace is mostly from the Maratha community (name of a caste), thus surnames like Patil, Shinde, Chavan, Bhosale, Desai, Salokhe, Kadam are pretty common, but there are other communities in strong number too like Bramhins. Kolhapur is also a home to considerable population of Maharashtrian Jain community. Using polemical words is pretty common even while talking in general or with friends such "Bhava" etc. More such words are used between friends, closer is their friendship. Having money due to cash crops such as sugarcane and industry, people are pretty spendthrift, you can spot any new car launched in India within a day or two on the roads of Kolhapur. The city has the highest number of Mercedes Benz automobiles, in the state of Maharashtra, after the capital Mumbai(Bombay). You can see super bikes and sports cars on the roads, frequently. Kolhapur is one of highest per capita income city of India. People are sporty and honour the art. Kolhapur is the main center of Marathi film industry. Legendary personalities like Bhalaji Pendharkar, Lata Mangeshkar have contributed a lot to growth and development of Kolhapur as a film city. Kolhapur also has produced huge number of businessmen and engineers in India
Kolhapur is a strong political center. Nationalist Congress Party along with Congress are always at political loggerheads. As per 2004 General Elections of Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assembly, Member of Parliament and Member of Legislative Assembly are from Nationalist Congress Party and Congress respetively.

Places of interest in and around Kolhapur
Rankala Lake OR Complete Information on Rankala Lake
Panhala Fort OR Panhala Fort with Pictures
Mahalakshmi Temple OR Mahalaxmi Temple Details
Bhavani Mandap
Jyotiba Temple OR Jyotiba Temple Details
Maharaja's Palace Details of New Palace
Town hall Museum
Dajipur
Gaganbawada. Excellent place for waterfalls and greenery.
Patgaon Holy Place-Mouni Maharaj Math and samadhi
Temblai Hill Details
New Palace & Museum Details of New Palace
Panchaganga Ghat
Vishal Gadh
Ramling
Bahubali
Narsinha Wadi
Khidrapur Temples Adi Patel it doesn't have a name, it's just a horse
Katyayani Mandir
Amboli Ghat
Kalammawadi Dam
Ramtirth (Ajra)
Dudh Katta
Khasbag Maidan
Rajaram Lake
Bhudargad and Rangana Fort
Gagan Bawada
Samangad (Gadhinglaj)
kalamba lake

Climate
Kolhapur's climate is a blend of coastal and inland climate of Maharashtra. The temperature has a relatively narrow range between 12°C to 35°C.
Summer in Kolhapur is comparatively cooler, but much more humid, compared to neighbouring inland cities. Maximum temperatures rarely exceed 38°C and typically range between 33 to 35°C. Lows during this season are around 24°C to 26°C. Though temperatures are rarely as high as in inland Maharashtra, high humidity often makes the weather extremely unpleasant and muggy.
The city receives abundant rainfall from June to September due to its proximity to the Western Ghats. The heavy rains often lead to severe flooding in these months due to overflowing dams like Radhanagari. Temperatures are relatively low in this season and range between 23°C (Minimum)to 30°C (Maximum).
Kolhapur experiences winter from November to February. The winter temperatures are significantly higher compared to other cities in Maharashtra such as Pune and Nasik. Lows range from 14°C to 16°C while highs are in the range of 29°C to 32°C. Humidity is low in this season making weather much more pleasant

Well known personalities from Kolhapur
Girish Chavan – To whom you know very well.
Shahu Maharaj - Complete History
Jayant Narlikar, astrophysicist (born July 19, 1938)
V. Shantaram, Marathi movie director/producer
Dr. Vasant Gowarikar
Baburao Painter
Vikramsingh Ghatage [Raje]
Lata Mangeshkar, noted Indian singer
Asha Bhonsle, noted Indian singer and sister to Lata Mangeshkar
Suresh Wadkar, noted Indian singer
Suryakant Mandare, Marathi movie actor
Chandrakant Mandare, Marathi movie actor
Ajinkya Uday Bhonsle, film director, poet and writer
Sangit Surya Keshavrao Bhosale
General Thorat
Khashaba Jadhav, wrestler
Pratapsihn Jadhav, Pudhari
Dr. Satish Patki, national award-winning gynecologist, medical research founder
Madhvarao Bagal
Retd. Brigadier Arun Bhimrao Harolikar, Mahavir Chakra
Ganpat Patil, Marathi movie actor
Arun Sarnaik, Marathi movie actor, Marathi Poet(Shahir), Singer
Ashutosh Gowariker, director of movies Lagan and Swadesh
Bhalji Pendharkar, father of India film industry
Ranjit Desai, Marathi author [Sriman Yogi, Swami]
Shivaji Sawant, Marathi author [Mruthunjay]
V.A. Alias Tatyasaheb Kore, Sahakar Maharshi, creator of WARANA
Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil, Educational Institutes
Dadu Chougule, Hind Kesari
Vinod Chougule, Maharashtra Kesari
Tejaswini Sawant, Shooter
Bibhishan Patil, former Mr. India, professional body building trainer
Rajnikanth, famous actor from south
Vasant Gowariker, scientist
Adv. P.R. Mundargi, veteran criminal lawyer
Adv. D.D. Ghatge
Suhas Khamkar, Professional Body Builder, Mr. India title holder