Banawadi is a census village of

Satara district Satara district (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, aːt̪aɾaː is a Districts of Maharashtra, district of Maharashtra state in western India with an area of and a population of 3,003,741 of which 14.17% were urban (). Satara (city), ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

. It is situated near to the Satara Phaltan state highway, about 21 km north of Satara, about 108 km from

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

and 220 km from

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

Demographics

In the 2011 India census, the village of Banawadi had a population of 1,426. literacy rate of Banawadi village was 91.11% compared to 82.34% of Maharashtra. These forts are well known as dual forts situated in Banawadi village. Based on historical evidences these forts are built by king Bhoj II ruler from Shilahar Dynasty in 1191-1192 B.C. age of copper-inscriptions (Tamralech). In 1673

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adils ...

, founder of

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Shi ...

conquered it along with other forts in Satara region Ajinkyatara, Sjjangad, Kalyangad etc. Maratha ruled these forts till

Sambhaji Sambhaji Bhosale (14 May 1657 – 11 March 1689) was the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, ruling from 1681 to 1689. He was the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. Sambhaji's rule was largely shaped by the ongoing ...

's regime, 1689 later Mughals empowered it from Maratha's. After Anglo-Maratha war British took over control of Satara region and hence of Chandan-Vandan. Chandan-Vandan is also a sacred/famous place for pilgrims. There is a famous durgah and temple of lord Shiva is situated on top of Chandan fort. Every year urs-e-shareef is celebrated in remembrance of Gaus Paak Mehboob e Subhani (under of sunnatul Muslim jamat trust banawadi) on Chandan fort at banawadi. The post monsoon season is the perfect time to visit these forts. The area is fantastically lush green and excellent visibility too which is hard to get in monsoon season. This trek is ideal for those who would like to visit some offbeat destination.

Banawadi Bagad

Bagad (Marathi language: बगाड) is a religious festive tradition, where in

ceremonial pole A ceremonial pole is a stake or post utilised or venerated as part of a ceremony or religious ritual. Ceremonial poles may symbolize a variety of concepts in different ceremonies and rituals practiced by a variety of cultures around the world. ...

from auspicious tree is venerated in some village jatras in honour of local deities in

state of India. Bagad is a similar concept to

Charak Puja Charak Puja or Charak Mela (also known as ''Cadak'', ''Chadak'', ''Nil Puja'' and ''Hajrha Puja'') is a Hindu folk festival held in honor of the deity Shiva. The festival is observed in the India, in the state of West Bengal, and in Bangladesh ...

Gajan (festival) Gajan or Shivagajan is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is associated with such deities as Shiva, Neel and Dharmaraj. Gajan spans around a week, starting at the last week of Choitro continuing till the en ...

or Indian parallel of Mexican

Danza de los Voladores The ''Danza de los Voladores'' (; "Dance of the Flyers"), or ''Palo Volador'' (; "flying pole"), is an ancient Mesoamerican ceremony/ritual still performed today, albeit in modified form, in isolated pockets in Mexico. It is believed to have ...

. Since long ago villagers and devotees of Vadhsidhnath from different places celebrating the traditional bagad (chariot of god) yatra. Bagad is made up of wooden blocks with huge stone wheels and decorated with coconuts and flowers. This annual festival attracts thousands of devotees during Chaitra month as per traditional Hindu lunar calendar.

Education

* Rayat Shikshan Sanstha's New English School, Banawadi *Z.P. School, Banawadi

How to reach Banawadi

The best way to reach Banawadi is by road from Satara take public transport bus to Banawadi or any bus going towards

Phaltan Phaltan () is a town, a tehsil, and a municipal council in the Satara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The town is about northeast of the city of Satara and about 110 km from Pune. History Phaltan was one of the non-salu ...

, get down at Ambawade fata and take local transport for near 4 km. The alternate way is You may Board train

Koyna Express The 11029/11030 Koyna Express is one of 3 daily dedicated express trains belonging to Indian Railways that run between Mumbai and Kolhapur in India. It operates as train number 11029 from Mumbai CSMT to Kolhapur SCSMT and as train number 11030 ...

train number 11029.This train runs daily between

Mumbai CST Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Bombay station code: CSMT ( mainline)/ST ( suburban)), is a historic railway terminus and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The terminus was ...

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is kn ...

.It departs from

at 08:40 and get down at Wathar Station, get public or local transport from Wathar Station to reach Banawadi. Nearby railway stations are Wathar Station, Palashi Station and Mahuli Satara. Nearby airports are

Karad Karad is a city in Satara district of Indian state of Maharashtra and it is 320 km (180.19 miles) from Mumbai and 159 km from Pune. It lies at the confluence of Koyna River and the Krishna River known as the "Priti sangam". T ...

and

Villages near by

* Dudhanwadi * Arabwadi * Ibrahimpur * Ambawade * Pimpode Khurd * Deur * Shivthar * Bhuinj * Panchwad * Palshi Station * Satara Road

References

Villages in Satara district {{Satara-geo-stub