Top 10 Tourist Places in and near Kolhapur to explore
Are you in Kolhapur city and have free time then don’t miss these amazing tourist places in kolhapur ?
Then trust me, there are wonderful places which you should not miss if you are in Kolhapur city of Maharashtra.
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Why most of the people get attracted towards Kolhapur tourism
Primarily there are four reasons:-
1) The Kolhapur city is easily accessible via Road, Railway and Air and connects to major cities in India.
2) The climate of Kolhapur city is very pleasant because the temperature is not very harsh in summer and very chilly in winter while monsoon is the best time to explore waterfalls, mountains, and valleys in and around Kolhapur.
3) The Kolhapur is a very economical place to stay, eat and travel as compared to other tourist places across India.
4) The Kolhapur is having something or other for all types of tourist like Natural surroundings, Historical places, Lake, Museum, ZOO, Ancient temples, Hill stations and Fort, Waterfalls, Wildlife Sanctuary, Shopping places, Variety of eatery joints, and on top of all these, Goa and Pune are easily accessible from Kolhapur both are just 200 KM away.
Let’s have a small introduction about Beautiful Kolhapur city
A Kolhapur city is very well known in Indian historical events and also surrounded by Mother Nature by the Western Ghats.
A Kolhapur city is located on the banks of Panchganga River and is surrounded by Sahyadri valleys and Mountains and it is very well known for its historic Architecture like hundreds of year old fort, thousands of year old temple, royal palace etc.
It is one of the best places to visit if you are in Maharashtra and worth to take out some time and explore these places.
If you are looking for more information about Kolhapur city like how to travel, distance from major cities, when to visit, its climatic conditions, best and economical places to stay, best places to eat and lot more then visit at Kolhapur page
Below is the list of Top Tourist places in Kolhapur
Rankala Lake in Kolhapur
The lake Rankala is one of the top tourist places in kolhapur and If you are an admirer of natural beauties or prefer to spend some time in nature in the middle of the crowded city then a Rankala Lake is a perfect choice for you.
You can spend your wonderful evening with friends and family members at this place with mouthwatering snacks.
A Rankala Lake is situated in the heart of Kolhapur city of Maharashtra and it is a manmade lake, constructed during the supremacy of Maharaja Shri Shahu Chhatrapati. Most people visit this lake in the evening to take a boat ride or take a walk in an adjacent park enjoying mouth-watering snacks and viewing a sunset.
It is a must visit place whenever you are in the Kolhapur city.
I personally enjoy this place due to its scenic beauty and a small walk adjacent to this lake adds a charm to its beauty in addition to lots of mouth-watering snack like Kolhapuri bhel, Pani Puri, spicy dosa and many more yummy dishes.
I generally don’t miss a walk on the pathway of the Rankala lake eating a roasted corn during monsoon season. Evenings are more charming at Rankala lakeside.
Read more about the best time to visit Rankala lake, points of interests, nearby places to visit
New Palace in Kolhapur
In the list of tourist places in kolhapur If you like to explore historical monument then don’t miss to visit New palace at Kolhapur.
One of the top tourist attractions in Kolhapur city in the state of Maharastra is New Palace.
The construction history of a New palace dates back to 1877–1884 and it is done in black stones. The New Palace is situated at a wide area and consists of garden, zoo, museum, lake and wrestling ground.
This is a must place to see if you ever visit Kolhapur.
Exploring this Palace would give us an idea of how kings were used to living a life.
The New Palace has a tower in the middle and a clock was placed on this tower in the year 1877.
Today, it is the residence of Chhatrapati Shahu, the direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of Maratha Empire in Maharastra.
Read more about how to reach the palace, best time to visit, ticket fare etc
Shri Mahalakshmi Temple in Kolhapur
If you haven’t visited any ancient temple then Shri Mahalakshmi temple in Kolhapur would be the perfect spiritual place for you as the temple is around 5000 years old. This temple is most famous in Maharashtra and lists at top in list of tourist places in kolhapur.
The temple is always crowded you may not find it peaceful which you suppose to get in such an old temple but it is worth to visit to take a glimpse of such a wonderfully engraved and crafted architecture.
The Shri Mahalakshmi also called as Ambabai or karveer Nivasini of Kolhapur in the Maharashtra state of India is one of the Shakti Peethas listed in various Puranas and literature of Hinduism.
A Shakti Peetha is a place associated with Shakti, the goddess of power.
The Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple is of a very special religious importance and it is believed that one can get desires fulfilled.
The Shri Mahalakshmi is the wife of Shri Lord Vishnu. Shri Tirupati Balaji is the incarnation of Shri Vishnu so people visiting Shri Tirupati Balaji also visit Shri Mahalakshmi Temple in Kolhapur.
There is daily one train from Kolhapur to Tirupati named as “Haripriya Express”. Whenever I visit Tirupati Balaji I prefer to travel by this train.
Read more about how Festivals celebrated at the temple, How Sun rays fall on the feet of Goddess Shri Mahalakshmi, the history of the temple, How to reach the mandir and best time to visit the temple.
Shri Jotiba Temple near Kolhapur
Shri Jotiba temple is one of the top visited temples in Maharastra. But in fact, during Jotiba temple festival lakhs of people visit this temple and entire temple turns in pink color as shown in below picture.
This is another oldest temples in Kolhapur district and some people have faith and they call it as Kedarnath and Wadi Ratnagiri.
Mythology says lord Jotiba helped Mahalaxmi in her fight with the demons. He founded his kingdom on this mountain.
The Jotiba temple is 18 km to the north of Kolhapur city in the deep, surrounded by green mountains and black rocks.
Lord Jyotiba is considered the union of the souls (jyotis) of 3 deities – Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesha is believed to have helped goddess Mahalaxmi to liberate the region from demons.
Read more about History of the temple, how to reach, the best time to visit, etc
Panhala Fort and Hill Station near Kolhapur
The Panhala as a Hill station
It is the nearest and best hill station near the Kolhapur city.
Let’s not get mislead that hill station means people visit this place only during summer but this place attracts a lot of people even during winter and monsoon.
In summer the temperature at the Panhala hill is lower than Kolhapur city so most of the people visit the Panhala hill as there are a lot of options available to stay on the hill. Various restaurants and hotels are available for tourist.
In monsoon, the fort turns into greenery panoramic view so most of the tourist visit Panhala hill station and also spend a few days enjoying beautiful nature with hot and tasty delicacies during monsoon season.
I personally enjoy a lot whenever I spend some time at the hill. I had traveled both in summer and during monsoon.
The Panhala as a Historic Fort
The Panhala fort is the only fort where the great Maratha warrior Shri Shivaji Maharaj spent more than 500 days beside Raigad and Shivneri. The Panhala Fort was Maratha State capital until 1782 and in 1827 it went to the British.
It is definitely worth visiting place taking into consideration its historical importance.
Read more about the history of the fort, how to reach Panhala fort, points of interest, the best time to visit, the best places to stay and eat etc
Kaneri Math ( Siddhagiri) near Kolhapur
I always tell my friends and colleagues to visit Kaneri Math with family whenever you visit Kolhapur district. If you don’t have time to visit any place in Kolhapur then at least find some time and do visit Kaneri math. A must visit place near to Kolhapur with family and friends.
The main tourist attraction is Kaneri math and in Kaneri math there is “Siddhagiri Museum” but don’t get misguided by the word Museum because the Museum has got very rich cultural Maharashtra heritage which is portrayed in wax models.
You will also see large Desi cow goshala where you will India’s best breed cow.
There is also a residential school in the Kaneri math and worth to visit and see how children are nurtured and trained.
know more about how to reach the Kaneri math, the best time to visit, ticket fare etc
Radhanagari (Dajipur) Wildlife Sanctuary
Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary also called as Dajipur Wildlife Sanctuary is located at 50 km from Kolhapur. This wildlife sanctuary is declared as a natural World Heritage Site of category ix and x since 2012 in Maharashtra state, India.
It is situated at the southern end of the Sahyadri hills in the Western Ghats.
It is notable as the first declared wildlife sanctuary in Maharashtra, notified in 1958, as Dajipur Wildlife Sanctuary and is popularly known as the “Bison Sanctuary.
If you really like to spend time away from the hustle of cities and in nature, trees and river then this is the best place near Kolhapur and very economical to stay as well.
You can also visit Radhanagri Dam which was built by Shri Shahu Maharaj in the year 1907. I did not know that this was the first dam built in India.
Read more details about Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary, How to reach the place, best time to visit, where to stay etc
Other places to visit near Kolhapur