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Kolhapur (Marathi: कोल्हापूर) 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. It is situated on the banks of river Panchganga and provides the location for the Mahalakshmi Temple. The city also lends its name to many common terms like Kolhapuri Chappal , Kolhapuri lavangi mirchi, Kolhapuri gur and Kolhapuri cuisin

[edit] Get in

[edit] By train

Kolhapur is on the Pune - Miraj - Kolhapur section of the South-Central Railway. The railway station is named after Chatrapati Shahu Maharaja. It is well connected with all the important cities in India. Mahalakshmi and Sahyadri express connects Mumbai to Kolhapur and they run daily. Nijamuddin-Goa express connects to Delhi, while there is also a daily train to Hyderabad and Tirupati.

[edit] By road

Kolhapur lies on National Highway 4 a.k.a NH4 which connects Mumbai to Bangalore. Mumbai to Kolhapur is a 8 hours drive by road. Pune to Kolhapur is around 3 hours journey by private car, while bus takes around 4 hours. The road is excellent and almost like Pune-Mumbai express highway.

MSRTC ( Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) has buses running every hour from Mumbai to Kolhapur and vice versa. These are Non-A/C general transport buses and cost approximately 180-240 INR.

Private operators also operate buses on this route with A/C and Non-A/C option, the fare ranging from 200 to 350 INR.

Similar Options are available from Pune. The Private/State Buses and shared Taxis , all start from Swar-Gate in Pune which is a large bus/transport hub to the south of Pune.

From south side, there are direct buses (private and state-owned) from almost all places from Karnataka, including Bengalore, Belgaon, Mengalore, Hubali etc.

[edit] By air

Air Deccan has a daily flight from Mumbai which cost around 3000 INR.

[edit] Get around

Overall, Kolhapur has become a crowded place recently. Huge number of two wheeler vehicles precides over the number of four wheelers ( private & commercial ). The central city being non-planned is very crowded during peak hours.

[edit] By car

[edit][add listing] See

• Gaganbavada. A hill station about 2-3 hours from CBS and Railway Station, excellent climate during the rainy season.
• Gagangiri Maharaj Math ( Temple ) at Gaganbavada. A hill station about 2-3 hours from CBS and Railway Station, excellant climate during the rainy season.
• Jyotiba Temple. About 15 km from CBS and Railway Station.
• Mahalaxmi Temple. 5 Km from CBS ( Central Bus Station ) and Railway Station towards center of the city.
• New Palace A museum about memories of The Great Lokraja Shahuji Maharaj
• Panhala Fort.
• Rankala Lake. About 6-8 km from CBS and Railway Station.
• Radhanagari Dam. About 15-20 km from CBS and Railway Station.
• Shivaji University A gateway of higher education of international level to regional masses but surrounded by rich nature

[edit][add listing] Do

A visit to Mahalaxmi Temple can be followed by a trip to Panhala Fort. The Auto Rickshaw charges approx. Rs.450/- for Panhala Trip from Kolhapur to Panhala and back. The visit will take around 6 hrs and after coming back to Kolhapur city one can go to Rankala Lake in evening and visit Shalini Palace Hotel and Chowpatty there. One can enjoy snacks from vada pav to South Indian dishes at the Chowpatty.

Next day one can start the morning in Kolhapur with a visit to New Palace Museum. After seeing museum one can proceed to Jyotiba Temple.

One should also visit Bhavani Temple near Mahalaxmi Temple.

[edit][add listing] Buy

• Kolhapuri Chappals
• Sarees

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Hotel Victor Palace
• Hotel Raysons ( 24 /7 Coffee shop )
• Hotel Pearl
• Hotel Meghdoot
• Hotel Opel (best for veg and non-veg)... very process oriented and a disciplined yet upholding the charm of the garden within.
• Hotel Khavvaiya ( Gujrathi )

A full meal without drinks will cost around 80 to 200 INR. Hotels generally close by 11 PM, while some of them have Coffee shops that also serve rice variety round the clock.

• Padma Guest House. A traditional Kolhapuri cuisine restaurant serving authentic Kolhapuri Thali's (veg & non-veg) since 1947. Located very close to Mahalaxmi Temple.

Don't forget to eat the "paandhraa rassaa" & "taambdaa rassa" in non-veg. These are two special curries which are tradition of Kolhapur.

For party freaks Kolhapur has got some decent bars & restaurants like Scores (beside Hotel Victor Palace) & Texas (in Hotel Ayodhya), also Mithila is a family bar & restaurant in Hotel Ayodhya.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Padma Guest House. Rooms available between Rs. 150 - 250.
• Hotel Pearl . Very neat rooms & comfortable to stay

[edit] Get out