Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the
Panchganga River
The Panchganga River is one of the important rivers of India located in Maharashtra. In English, the name translates as "Five Rivers". It is a major tributary of Krishna River, with which it joins at Narsobawadi.
Origin
The Panchganga River o ...
in the southern part of the Indian state of
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 the administrative headquarter of the
Kolhapur district
Kolhapur district (Marathi pronunciation: olʱaːpuɾ is a district in the Maharashtra state of India. The city of Kolhapur is its district headquarter. It is situated near Panchaganga river.
It is bordered by the Sangli district to the Nor ...
. In, around 2
C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'.
Kolhapur is known as ''`Dakshin Kashi''
' or Kashi of the South because of its spiritual history and the antiquity of its shrine Mahalaxmi, better known as
Ambabai
Ambabai Temple (also known as Mahalaxmi Mandir) is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, who resides here as Supreme Mother Mahalakshmi and is worshipped by locals as Ambabai. Goddess Mahalakshmi is the consort of Lord Vishnu ...
. The region is known for the production of the famous hand-crafted and braided leather
slipper
Slippers are light footwear that are easy to put on and off and are intended to be worn indoors, particularly at home. They provide comfort and protection for the feet when walking indoors.
History
The recorded history of slippers can be traced ...
s called
Kolhapuri chappal
Kolhapuri chappals are Indian decorative hand-crafted and braided leather slippers that are locally tanned using vegetable dyes. Kolhapuri Chappals or Kolhapuris as they are commonly referred to are a style of open-toed, T-strap sandal, but als ...
, which received the
Geographical Indication
A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...
designation in 2019. In Hindu mythology, the city is referred to as "''Karvir''."
Before India became independent in 1947, Kolhapur was a
princely state
A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...
under the
Bhosale
The Bhonsle (or Bhonsale, Bhosale, Bhosle) are a prominent group within the Maratha clan system of kunbi origin. They claimed descent from the Sisodia Rajputs but were likely Kunbi tiller-plainsmen.
History Earliest members
The earliest ac ...
Chhatrapati
Chhatrapati is a royal title from Sanskrit language.The word ‘Chhatrapati’ is a Sanskrit language compound word (tatpurusha in Sanskrit) of ''Chatra (umbrella), chhatra'' (''parasol'' or ''umbrella'') and ''pati'' (''master/lord/ruler''). Th ...
of the
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 ...
. It is an important center for the
Marathi film
Marathi cinema is an Indian film industry of Marathi-language motion pictures. It is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Based in old Mumbai, it is the oldest film industry of Indian cinema. The first Marathi film to be released in India was ''Shre ...
industry.
Etymology
Kolhapur is named after Kolhasur, a demon in
Hindu History
The history of Hinduism covers a wide variety of related religious traditions native to the Indian subcontinent. It overlaps or coincides with the development of religion in the Indian subcontinent since the Iron Age, with some of its traditions ...
. According to History, the demon Kolhasur renounced asceticism after his sons were killed by God for harassing people, and prayed to
Mahalakshmi
Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with '' Maya'' ("Illusion"). Al ...
that she would leave the area to him for a hundred years. He committed numerous crimes until the goddess returned after the hundred years were over and killed him for his sins.
The dying wish of Kolhasur was to name the place after him, which was granted and the place was named Kolhapur. Kolha stands for Kolhasur and ''pur'', a Sanskrit word, means "city".
History
Medieval era
The
Shilahara
The Shilahara Kingdom ( IAST: Śilāhāra; also Sinhara, Shailahara, Shrilara, and Silara) was a royal dynasty that established itself in northern and southern Konkan in 8th century CE, present-day Mumbai and Southern Maharashtra (Kolhapur) d ...
family founded a dynasty at Kolhapur about the time of the downfall of the
Rashtrakuta Empire
Rashtrakuta (IAST: ') (r. 753-982 CE) was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their ...
, that ruled over southern
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 ...
including the modern districts of
Satara, Kolhapur and
Belagavi (Karnataka)
Belgaum ( ISO: ''Bēḷagāma''; also Belgaon and officially known as Belagavi) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Belagavi ...
. Their family deity was the goddess
Ambabai
Ambabai Temple (also known as Mahalaxmi Mandir) is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, who resides here as Supreme Mother Mahalakshmi and is worshipped by locals as Ambabai. Goddess Mahalakshmi is the consort of Lord Vishnu ...
, whose blessing they claimed to have secured in their copperplate grants (''Mahalakshmi-labdha-vara-prasada''). Like their relatives of the northern branch of
Konkan
The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterland ...
, the Shilaharas of Kolhapur claimed to be of the lineage of Vidyadhara Jimutavahana, a
Jain
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
scholar. Their banner featured a golden
Garuda
Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda is a ...
. One of the many titles used by the Shilaharas was ''Tagarapuravaradhisvara'', supreme sovereign ruler of Tagara.
The first capital of the Shilaharas was probably at
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 ...
during the reign of
Jatiga II
Jatiga II (1000 CE - 1020 CE) was the first ruling king of the Shilahara dynasty. His reign can be placed between 1000 and 1020 CE as his grandson King Marasimha is known to be ruling in 1058 CE The records of King Marasimha mention him as Tagr ...
, as known from their copper plate grant of
Miraj
Miraj (Pronunciation: iɾəd͡z ) is a city in Sangli District and also in Maharashtra, India, that was founded in the early 10th century. It was an important jagir of the Adil Shahi court of Bijapur.
Shivaji Maharaj stayed in Miraj for ...
and 'Vikramankadevacharita' of
Bilhana
Kavi Bilhana was an 11th-century Kashmiri poet. He is known for his love poem, the ''Caurapañcāśikā''.
According to legend, Bilhana fell in love with the daughter of King Madanabhirama, Princess Yaminipurnatilaka, and had a secretive love af ...
. Hence, they are referred to sometimes as the 'Shilaharas of Karad'. Later, although the capital was shifted to Kolhapur, some of their grants mention Valavada and the hill fort of Pranalaka or Padmanala (Panhala) as the places of royal residence. Karhad retained its significance during the Shilahara period. This branch rose to power in the latter part of the
Rashtrakuta
Rashtrakuta (IAST: ') (r. 753-982 CE) was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their ...
rule and unlike the kings of the other two branches, this branch does not allude to the genealogy of the Rashtrakutas even in their early grants. They acknowledged the suzerainty of the later
Chalukya dynasty
The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynast ...
for some time. They had used
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
as an official language as can be seen from their inscriptions. The branch held southern Maharashtra from circa 940 to 1220.
From 940 to 1212 CE, Kolhapur was the centre of power of the
Shilahara
The Shilahara Kingdom ( IAST: Śilāhāra; also Sinhara, Shailahara, Shrilara, and Silara) was a royal dynasty that established itself in northern and southern Konkan in 8th century CE, present-day Mumbai and Southern Maharashtra (Kolhapur) d ...
dynasty. An inscription at
Terdal
Terdal is a Municipal town in Bagalkot district in the Indian state of Karnataka.
Geography
Teradala is located at . It has an average elevation of 536 metres (1758 feet).
Terdal Shree Allam Prabhu Devaru Brahanmath is famous and hi ...
states that the king
Gonka
During the reign of Gonka I (1020 CE - 1050 CE), the Chalukyas conquered Kolhapur, under their king Jayasinha (before 1024 CE). The Shilaharas had to submit to the Chalukyas in order to retain their kingdom. In the records, Gonka is described as ...
(1020 - 1050 CE) was bitten by a snake then healed by a
Jain
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
monk. Gonka then built a temple to Lord
Neminath
Neminatha, also known as Nemi and Arishtanemi, is the twenty-second ''tirthankara'' (ford-maker) in Jainism. Along with Mahavira, Parshvanatha and Rishabhanatha, Neminatha is one of the twenty four ''tirthankaras'' who attract the most devoti ...
, the twenty-second Jain
tirthankara
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a 'ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable passag ...
(enlightened being). From this era, Jain temples in and around Kolhapur are called ''Gonka-Jinalaya''.
Around 1055 CE, during the reign of
Bhoja I
Bhoja I was a medieval Shilahara king of Southern Maharashtra (Kolhapur) on the west coast of India.
On the death of Guhala 11 in 1055 CE, Bhallala and Bhoja I must have ruled the kingdom. Achugi II, the Sinda ruler of Yelburga, is said to h ...
(Shilahara dynasty), a dynamic
Acharya
In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a tit ...
(spiritual guide) named Maghanandi (Kolapuriya) founded a religious institute at the Rupanarayana
Jain
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
temple (
basadi
A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...
). Maghanandi is also known as ''Siddhanta-Chakravarti'', meaning ''the great master of the scriptures''. Kings and nobles of the Shilahara dynasty such as
Gandaraditya I
Gandaraditya (1108 CE – 1138 CE): Bhoja I was succeeded by Gandaraditya. who claimed to be the undisputed king of Konkan. During the later period of his regime, his son Vijayaditya defeated Jayakesin II of Goa who had ousted the Shilahara rule ...
, who succeeded
Bhoja I
Bhoja I was a medieval Shilahara king of Southern Maharashtra (Kolhapur) on the west coast of India.
On the death of Guhala 11 in 1055 CE, Bhallala and Bhoja I must have ruled the kingdom. Achugi II, the Sinda ruler of Yelburga, is said to h ...
, were disciples of Maghanandi.
Kolhapur was the site of intense confrontation between the
Western Chalukya Empire
The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannadiga dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's Basavakalyan in the ...
and
Rajadhiraja Chola
Rajadhiraja I (994 CE - 1052 CE) was a Chola emperor, the most skilled military commander among the Chola rulers and the successor of his father, Rajendra I. He was the only Chola emperor who was killed while leading his army in war, and altho ...
and his younger brother
Rajendra Chola II
Rajendra Chola II (997 CE - 1064 CE) often referred to as Rajendradeva Chola was a Chola emperor who reigned from 1052 CE to 1064 CE. He was made Rajendra succeeded his brother Rajadhiraja I after his death at the Battle of Koppam.''The H ...
of the
Chola empire
The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE d ...
. In 1052 CE, following the
Battle of Koppam
The Battle of Koppam was a battle fought between the Medieval Chola kings Rajadhiraja Chola and Rajendra Chola II with the Chalukya king Someshvara I in 1054, or in 1052 CE according to Sen. The site of the battle has been identified as Koppal ...
, the victor, Rajendra Chola II, marched on to Kolhapur and erected a ''jayastambha'' (victory pillar).
[
Sastri K. A. N. "The CōĻas." 1935 p. 256–257 (University of Madras, 2000).]
Between 1109 and 1178 CE, the
Kopeshwar temple
Kopeshwar Temple is at Khidrapur, Kolhapur district, Maharashtra. It is at the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka. It is also accessible from Sangli as well. It was built in the 12th century by Shilahara king Gandaraditya between 1109 and 1178 C ...
to Lord
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
was built by
Shilahara
The Shilahara Kingdom ( IAST: Śilāhāra; also Sinhara, Shailahara, Shrilara, and Silara) was a royal dynasty that established itself in northern and southern Konkan in 8th century CE, present-day Mumbai and Southern Maharashtra (Kolhapur) d ...
kings,
Gandaraditya I
Gandaraditya (1108 CE – 1138 CE): Bhoja I was succeeded by Gandaraditya. who claimed to be the undisputed king of Konkan. During the later period of his regime, his son Vijayaditya defeated Jayakesin II of Goa who had ousted the Shilahara rule ...
,
Vijayaditya
Vijayaditya (696–733 CE) followed his father, Vinayaditya on to the Chalukya throne. His long reign was marked by general peace and prosperity. Vijayaditya also built a number of temples.
He fought against the Pallavas and extracted tribu ...
, and
Bhoja II in Khidrapur, Kolhapur.
Kolhapur State
![Maharajah of Kolhapur 1912](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Maharajah_of_Kolhapur_1912.jpg)
The
state of Kolhapur was established by
Tarabai
Tarabai Bhosale (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪aːɾabaːi ''née'' Mohite) was the regent of the Maratha Empire of India from 1700 until 1708. She was the queen of Rajaram Chhatrapati, Rajaram Bhonsale, and daughter-in-law of the emp ...
in 1707 in the midst of a succession dispute over the Maratha crown. The Maratha throne was then occupied by descendants of Tarabai. One of the prominent Kings was Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj (
Shahu of Kolhapur
Shahu (also known as Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu, Shahu IV, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, Kolhapur's Shahu) (26 June 1874 – 6 May 1922) of the Bhonsle dynasty of Marathas was a Raja (reign. 1894 – 1900) and the first Maharaja (1900–1922) of t ...
). In his reign, he promoted free education to people of all castes and fought against
untouchability
Untouchability is a form of social institution that legitimises and enforces practices that are discriminatory, humiliating, exclusionary and exploitative against people belonging to certain social groups. Although comparable forms of discrimin ...
. The state was annexed by the British in the 19th century. 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
Bombay State was a large Indian state created at the time of India's Independence, with other regions being added to it in the succeeding years. Bombay Presidency (roughly equating to the present-day Indian state of Maharashtra, excluding Sou ...
on 1 March 1949. Kolhapur is sometimes found spelled as ''Colapore''. Often, Kolhapur is also referred as ''Dakshin Kashi'' or the
Kashi
Kashi or Kaashi may refer to:
Places
* Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India
**Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas
**Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi
* Kashgar, a cit ...
of the South, due to its rich religious history.
Scriptural references
Kolhapur is mentioned in the ''Devi Gita'', the final chapter of the ''
Devi-Bhagavata Purana
The Devi Bhagavata Purana ( sa, देवी भागवतपुराणम्, '), also known as the Srimad Devi Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavata Purana or simply ''Devi Bhagavatam'', is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas of Hindui ...
'', a text of
Shaktism
Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti ( Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, al ...
. Kolhapur is noted as a place of ''Kollamma'' worship. In the text,
Devi
Devī (; Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism.
The conce ...
says,
:"O King of Mountains! Still I am now telling something out of My affection to My
Bhakta
''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...
s. Hear. There is a great place of pilgrimage named ''Kollapura'' in the southern country. Here the
Devi Ambabai always dwells."
Geography
![PanchgangaRiverAtKolhapur](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/PanchgangaRiverAtKolhapur.jpg)
Kolhapur is an inland city located in south-west
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 ...
state, south of Mumbai and south of
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 ...
, north-west of
Bengaluru
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
, west of
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
and west of
Sangli
Sangli () is a city and the district headquarters of Sangli District in the state of Maharashtra, in western India. It is known as the Turmeric City of Maharashtra due to its production and trade of the spice. Sangli is situated on the banks o ...
city. Within Maharashtra, Kolhapur's nearest cities and towns are
Ichalkaranji
Ichalkaranji ( t͡səlkəɾəɳd͡ʒiː is a city in Kolhapur District, Indian state of Maharashtra, governed by a municipal corporation. It is known for its textile manufacturing industry and "Manchester City of Maharashtra". Ichalkaranji ...
,
Jaysingpur
Jaysingpur is a city and municipal council in the Kolhapur district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city derives its name from Raja Jaysing, the father of Shrimant Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur, who planned and developed the a ...
,
Kodoli
Kodoli is a census town in Kolhapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is situated between the foothills of Panhala fort (Ranges) and Warana River. Kodoli is well developed town as per all point of view. Kodoli is home to many and v ...
,
Peth Vadgaon Kagal
Kagal is a town in Kolhapur district of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
History
During the rule of the Marathas and British raj, the town was the seat of a noble Ghatge Maratha family who were among the most important in princely state ...
, Kasaba Walva ,
Satara . It lies in the Sahayadri mountains in the
Western Ghats at an elevation of .
Tambraparni river dam near Umgaon village is close by, as also are
Radhanagari
Radhanagari is a town and the headquarters of Radhanagari tehsil in the Radhanagari subdivision of Kolhapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is located on the banks of the Bhogawati River, near the Radhanagari Dam and the Radha ...
and Kalambawadi dams.
Panhala
Panhala (Pronunciation: ənʱaːɭa is a city and a Hill station Municipal Council (3177 feet above sea level) 18 km northwest of Kolhapur, in Kolhapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Panhala is the smallest city in Maharash ...
and
Jyotiba Temple
Jyotiba Temple ( mr, ज्योतिबा) is a holy site of Hinduism near Wadi Ratnagiri in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra state in western India. The deity of the temple is known by the same name. An annual fair takes place on the full m ...
are in the vicinity of Kolhapur too.
Climate
![Rankala Lake](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Rankala_Lake_.jpg)
Kolhapur's climate is a blend of coastal and inland elements common to Maharashtra. The temperature ranges between . Summer in Kolhapur is comparatively cooler, but much more humid, than neighbouring inland cities. Maximum temperatures rarely exceed and typically range between . Lows during this season are around .
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 during these months. 2005, 2006, 2019 and 2021 were years when floods occurred. Temperatures are low in the rainy season and range between .
Kolhapur experiences winter from November to February. The winter temperatures are warmer than other cities in Maharashtra such as
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
Nashik
Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nashik ...
. Lows range from while highs are in the range of due to its high elevation and being adjacent to the Western Ghats. Humidity is low in this season making the weather pleasant.
Hydrology
The
Panchganga River
The Panchganga River is one of the important rivers of India located in Maharashtra. In English, the name translates as "Five Rivers". It is a major tributary of Krishna River, with which it joins at Narsobawadi.
Origin
The Panchganga River o ...
originates in the Western Ghats. It has five tributaries which supply the city and surroundings - the Bhogavati, Tulsi, Kumbhi, Kasari and Dhamani rivers. Kolhapur has a number of lakes. The
Rankala Lake
Rankala Lake is a freshwater lake located in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India.
History
Before the eighth century, Rankala was a stone quarry. In the 9th century, an earthquake caused immense structural damage to the quarry, causing water to accumulat ...
was once a stone quarry.
The Kalamba lake was built in 1873. These two lakes provide the city with domestic
potable
Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...
water.
Governance
![Bust of Dr](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Bust_of_Dr._Babasaheb_Ambedkar_at_Bindu_Chowk_in_Kolhapur.jpg)
Kolhapur is governed by the
Kolhapur Municipal Corporation
Kolhapur municipality was established on 12 October 1954. Establishment of municipality initiated planning of modern Kolhapur city of Maharashtra state.
Due to Maharashtra government anaunces the 15% growth in the municipal corporations seats ...
(KMC). The city is divided into five wards, named with the letters A to E. The corporation provides services such as
sewage
Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residenc ...
treatment and free cremation for residents and has made a number of improvements, for example, the Kolhapur Road Project,
["Kolhapur Road Project."](_blank)
Government of India website. Retrieved 12 September 2017. the Anti-Encroachment Drive to stop illegal building activity encroaching on the city's open spaces, and the ''Suvarna Jayanti Nagarotthan'' Project to improve roads and storm water management.
["Kolhapur Nagarothan Abhiya."](_blank)
Kolhapur Municipal Corporation website. Retrieved 12 September 2017. The KMC faces problems like the civic limits of Kolhapur city which have not expanded since 1972, due to which the city cannot benefit from various government schemes.
The Kolhapur Municipal and Regional Development Authority was established on 16 August 2017. This authority to manage Kolhapur city and 42 villages around it was formed for the balanced development of Kolhapur city and the neighbouring villages.
Demographics
As per the
2011 Census of India
The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...
, the population of Kolhapur city is 549,236 and that in 'Kolhapur Municipal and Regional Development Authority' is 561,837. Kolhapur has one of the highest
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic composite index of life expectancy, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income indicators, whi ...
ratings among Indian districts, at 0.770 in 2011.
Religion
* Hindu – 460,774 (83.89%)
* Muslims – 59,760 (10.88%)
* Jain – 18,420 (3.35%)
* Christian – 5,251 (0.96%)
* Buddhist – 2,929 (0.53%)
* Not Stated – 1,289 (0.23%)
* Sikh – 581 (0.11%)
* Others – 232 (0.04%
Economy
Manufacturing industry
Kolhapur has a higher per capita domestic product than the state's average. It has auto-ancillary, foundry and casting industrial establishments which act as supporting units for industries in
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
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
.
The city is the home of ''Kolhapuri chappal'', a hand-crafted buffalo leather slipper that is locally tanned using vegetable dyes. Kolhapuri slippers are sold on Mahadwar road. Other handicrafts include hand block printing of textiles, silver, bead and paste jewellery crafting, pottery, wood carving and lacquerware, brass sheet work and oxidised silver artwork, and lace and embroidery making.
Kolhapur is also an industrial city with approximately 300
foundries
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...
generating exports with a value of 15 billion
rupee
Rupee is the common name for the currencies of
India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...
s per year. A manufacturing plant of Kirloskar Oil Engines
OELis set up in the
MIDC
Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) is a project of the government of Maharashtra state in India and is the leading corporation of Maharashtra. It provides businesses with infrastructure such as land (open plot or built-up spa ...
at Kagal near Kolhapur, as is the Raymond clothes plant. Kolhapur has two more industrial areas, Gokul-Shirgaon MIDC and Shiroli MIDC. Shivaji Udyamnagar is an industrial area in the city with a rich entrepreneurial tradition of more than 100 years and specializing in oil engines.
Kolhapuri jewelry includes a type of necklace called
Kolhapuri saaj
Kolhapuri saaj is necklace named after Kolhapur, a city in Maharashtra, India.
Design and construction
Traditionally the necklace is made of 21 leaves or pendants but contemporary wearers prefer 10 to 12. Customarily the necklace is handmade, ...
, patlya (two broad bangles), chinchpeti (choker), tanmani (short necklace), nath (nose ring), and bajuband (an amulet).
Tourism
The Bombay Gazetteer recorded almost 250 temples in the region of which 6 - Ambabai, Temblai, Vithoba, Mahakali, Phiranga and Yallamma temples - are considered the most prominent. Tourism is an important source of revenue with about three million annual visitors. Kolhapur's attractions include:
*
Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur
Ambabai Temple (also known as Mahalaxmi Mandir) is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, who resides here as Supreme Mother Mahalakshmi and is worshipped by locals as Ambabai. Goddess Mahalakshmi is the consort of Lord Vishnu a ...
*
Jyotiba Temple
Jyotiba Temple ( mr, ज्योतिबा) is a holy site of Hinduism near Wadi Ratnagiri in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra state in western India. The deity of the temple is known by the same name. An annual fair takes place on the full m ...
*
Panhala
Panhala (Pronunciation: ənʱaːɭa is a city and a Hill station Municipal Council (3177 feet above sea level) 18 km northwest of Kolhapur, in Kolhapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Panhala is the smallest city in Maharash ...
Fort
*Kaneri Math
*New Palace
*The world's first statue of
Babasaheb Ambedkar
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served a ...
at Bindu Chowk, inaugurated on 7 December 1950
*
Temblai
Temblai Devi or Tryamboli (as known locally) is form of Renuka devi, an incarnation of Goddess Durga and the presiding deity of temple located on a hilltop in the eastern part of Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India.
On account of the temple, the hillock ...
temple complex
![Bust of Dr](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Bust_of_Dr._Babasaheb_Ambedkar_at_Bindu_Chowk_in_Kolhapur.jpg)
* Rankala Lake
* The Tara Rani equestrian statue
* An idol of the Lord
Ganesh
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva_(Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is ...
at the
Chinmaya Mission
The Chinmaya Mission is a Hindu religious and spiritual organization engaged in the dissemination of Vedanta, the science of the self as expounded in the Vedas, particularly the Upanishads, and other Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita. ...
(Top-Sambhapur).
The Kolhapur Maybach car of the
chhatrapati
Chhatrapati is a royal title from Sanskrit language.The word ‘Chhatrapati’ is a Sanskrit language compound word (tatpurusha in Sanskrit) of ''Chatra (umbrella), chhatra'' (''parasol'' or ''umbrella'') and ''pati'' (''master/lord/ruler''). Th ...
s of Kolhapur is displayed to the public during the annual
Dusshera
Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu ...
procession.
Film industry
![Kolhapur Memorial to Baburao Painter 2012 IMG 1601](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Kolhapur_Memorial_to_Baburao_Painter_2012_IMG_1601.jpg)
On 1 December 1917, the
Maharashtra Film Company
Maharashtra Film Company was an Indian film production company, established by Baburao Painter in Kolhapur. Established in 1918, it was a silent film studio, which was a pioneer in Maharashtra and Marathi cinema, under the patronage of the Shahu M ...
was established in Kolhapur by
Baburao Painter
Baburao Krishnarao Mestry, popularly known as Baburao Painter (3 June 1890 – 16 January 1954) was an Indian filmmaker and artist. He was a man of many talents with proficiency in painting, sculpture, film production, photography, and mechanic ...
. The city has become the primary centre for the
Marathi film industry
Marathi cinema is an Indian film industry of Marathi-language motion pictures. It is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Based in old Mumbai, it is the oldest film industry of Indian cinema. The first Marathi film to be released in India was ''Sh ...
. Kolhapur plays host to many film festivals, including the Kolhapur International Film Festival. The Kolhapur film city was renovated in 2017.
Cuisine
![Rajabhaubhel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Rajabhaubhel.jpg)
Kolhapur cuisine includes mutton dishes, Kolhapuri
misal
''Misal'' (Marathi: मिसळ isəɭ meaning "mixture"), is a very popular spicy dish in the Western Indian state of Maharashtra. The dish is mostly eaten for breakfast or as a midday snack or sometimes as a one-dish meal, often as part of ...
, and ethnic meat dishes
The city also lends its name to certain types of food and ingredients, such as Kolhapuri lavangi (
chili pepper
Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...
s), Kolhapuri
jaggery
Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Africa. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can ...
(cane juice concentrate), Kolhapuri
masala (spice mixture) and Kolhapuri
chutney
A chutney is a spread in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion or mint dipping sauce.
...
(onion garlic chutney) which is a staple in gravies and curries.
Kolhapur cuisine also includes soup-like curries called ''Pandhara Rassa'' and ''Tambda Rassa'' which are served as a part of a
Thali
Thali (meaning "plate"), Bhojanam (meaning "full meal") or Chakluk is a round platter used to serve food in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Thali is also used to refer to an Indian-style meal made up of a selection of various di ...
. ''Pandhara Rassa'', which can be loosely translated as white curry, is a soup-like dish made from mutton stock and coconut milk infused with spices like cinnamon, coriander, ginger, and garlic. It is served as an appetizer, and also as a part of the main course. ''Tambda Rassa'', red curry, is a spicier form of the dish made by substituting coconut milk with red chillies.
Media and telecommunication
Kolhapur's main newspaper is the ''
Pudhari
''Pudhari'' is a popular Marathi daily, printed in three centres and distributed in Maharashtra, Goa and North Karnataka. It is the leader in Kolhapur and Western Maharashtra and the third-largest Marathi newspaper daily in the entire state of M ...
''. Other Marathi language newspapers include ''
Sakal
''Sakal'' (Marathi: सकाळ, meaning "Morning") is a Marathi-language daily newspaper by Sakal Media Group, its headquarters established in Pune, Maharashtra, India. Sakal is the flagship newspaper of the foundation publication, Sakal Med ...
'', ''
Loksatta
''Loksatta'' (''Lōksattā'') is a Marathi daily newspaper in Maharashtra, India. It is published by The Indian Express Group and was launched on 14 January 1948. ''Loksatta'' is published out of Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Palghar, Ahmednag ...
'', ''
Lokmat
''Lokmat'' () is a Marathi language newspaper published in Maharashtra state. Founded in 1971 by Jawaharlal Darda, it is the largest read regional language newspaper in India with more than 18 million readers and the No. 1 Marathi newspaper i ...
'', ''
Kesari'', ''
Saamna
''Saamana'' is a Marathi-language newspaper published in Maharashtra, India. The paper was launched on 23 January 1988 by Bal Thackeray, the founder of the Shiv Sena, a local, regional and language driven; political party; in the Indian state o ...
'', ''
Tarun Bharat
''Tarun Bharat'' is a Marathi newspaper based in Belagavi, India. RNI , Reg. No.3735/1957 , Name: TARUN BHARAT , Publication City: BELAGAVI , Link: http://rni.nic.in/registerdtitle_search/registeredtitle_ser.aspx It is the seventh-largest- ...
'', and ''Punyanagari''.
The
English language
English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...
dailies include ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' (Kolhapur edition), ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
'', ''
Business Standard
''Business Standard'' is an Indian English-language daily edition newspaper published by Business Standard Private Limited, also available in Hindi. Founded in 1975, the newspaper covers the Indian economy, infrastructure, international busine ...
'' and ''
The Economic Times
''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. It is owned by The Times Group. ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961. As of 2012, it is the world's second-most widely read English-language bus ...
''.
Kolhapur's FM radio services include Tomato FM (94.3 MHz),
Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi (also known as 98.3 Mirchi) is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the ENIL, EntertainmentNetwork India Ltd (ENIL), which is one of the subsidiaries of The Times Group. ''Mirchi'' is Hindi f ...
(98.3 MHz),
Radio City (95 MHz),
Big FM(92.7 MHz) and
All India Radio
All or ALL may refer to:
Language
* All, an indefinite pronoun in English
* All, one of the English determiners
* Allar language (ISO 639-3 code)
* Allative case (abbreviated ALL)
Music
* All (band), an American punk rock band
* ''All'' (All a ...
FM (102.7 MHz).
Sports
Wrestling (known as Kusti in Hindi/Marathi) and football are the sports most played in the city.
["Hanuman's Army: Kushti Wrestlers."](_blank)
Reportage at Getty Images website. 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
Wrestling
Kolhapur is known as
wrestling
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
capital of India. Kolhapur has a long history of kushti (wrestling) and has produced many wrestlers. The sport flourished during the reign of
Shahu of Kolhapur
Shahu (also known as Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu, Shahu IV, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, Kolhapur's Shahu) (26 June 1874 – 6 May 1922) of the Bhonsle dynasty of Marathas was a Raja (reign. 1894 – 1900) and the first Maharaja (1900–1922) of t ...
(1894–1922). During this golden age, he built
Akhara
Akhara or Akhada (Sanskrit and Hindi: अखाड़ा, shortened to ''khara'' Hindi: खाड़ा) is an Indian word for a place of practice with facilities for boarding, lodging and training, both in the context of Indian martial artists o ...
s or Taleems (as they are colloquially called) all over Kolhapur and organized wrestling tournaments, inviting wrestlers from across the Indian sub-continent. Since then, Kolhapur's wrestling culture has been dominated by various Taleems like Gangavesh taleem, Shahupuri taleem, Motibag taleem, etc. More than 70 wrestlers undertake training in each of these.
India's first individual Olympian
Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav
Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav (15 January 1926 – 14 August 1984) was an Indian athlete. He is best known as a wrestler who won a bronze medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He was the first athlete from independent India to win an indiv ...
, India's first
Hind Kesari
Hind Kesari is an Indian-style wrestling championship, established in 1958. It is affiliated to the Indian Style Wrestling Association of India (ISWAI).
Hindi Kesari Title is a biggest Kushti Wrestling Title in India .
In 2011, women were a ...
Shripati Khanchnale and
Rustam-e-Hind
Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt (22 May 1878 – 23 May 1960), commonly known as ''Rustam-e-Hind'' (Hindi-Urdu for ''Rostam of Hindostan'') and by the ring name The Great Gama, was a pehlwani wrestler and strongman in British India. In the early ...
Dadu Chougule belonged to Kolhapur.
Rajarshi Shahu Stadium is a football stadium in Kolhapur.
Khasbag Wrestling Stadium, India's largest wrestling stadium is situated in Kolhapur.
B.B. Nimbalkar (former Ranji cricketer),
Suhas Khamkar
Suhas Madhukar Khamkar (born 9 August 1980) is a professional bodybuilder from India.
Early life
Khamkar is a native of Kolhapur region and comes from a family of fitness experts and bodybuilders. His inspiration for bodybuilding traces ba ...
(Mr. Asia, Winner),
Virdhawal Khade
Virdhawal Vikram Khade (born 29 August 1991) ( mr, विरधवल खाडे) is an Indian swimmer. He competed in the men's 50, 100, and 200 meters Freestyle swimming events at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, setting an Indian nat ...
(Indian Olympian in swimming),
Jaysingrao Kusale (Indian shooter),
Tejaswini Sawant
Tejaswini Sawant (born 12 September 1980) is an Indian shooter from the Maharashtrian city of Kolhapur. Her father Ravindra Sawant was an officer in the Indian Navy.
Biography
Tejaswini born to father Ravindra and mother Sunita in Kolhapur. S ...
(Arjuna awardee, world championship gold medalist shooter),
Rahi Sarnobat
Rahi Jeevan Sarnobat (Marathi: राही सरनोबत) is a female athlete from India who competes in the 25 metre pistol shooting event. She won her first gold medal at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India. She is the fi ...
(Arjuna awardee, Asian Gold medalist in shooting),
Rucha Pujari
Rucha Pujari (born 2 July 1994) is an Indian chess player. She is currently a Woman International Master and was previously awarded the title of Woman FIDE Master in 2006.
Born in Kolhapur, she picked up the game of chess at the age of six in ...
(chess -
Woman International Master
FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE (''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'') for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and ...
), Shahu Mane also belong to the city.
Aniket Jadhav who played the
FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017
The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the 17th FIFA U-17 World Cup, a biennial international football tournament contested by men's under-17 national teams. Organised by FIFA, the tournament took place in India between 6 and 28 October 2017, after the ...
is from Kolhapur.
Transport
Railway
![Kolhapur railway station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Kolhapur_railway_station.jpg)
The
Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus
Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus (officially Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus) (station code: KOP) is the main railway terminus in the city of Kolhapur, India. It is the end point of the Miraj to Kolhapur railway line. It falls under ...
links Kolhapur via rail to India's major cities with express services to
Sangli
Sangli () is a city and the district headquarters of Sangli District in the state of Maharashtra, in western India. It is known as the Turmeric City of Maharashtra due to its production and trade of the spice. Sangli is situated on the banks o ...
,
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 ...
, Mumbai,
Bengaluru
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
and New Delhi. A daily shuttle service connects Kolhapur with the main rail hub of
Miraj
Miraj (Pronunciation: iɾəd͡z ) is a city in Sangli District and also in Maharashtra, India, that was founded in the early 10th century. It was an important jagir of the Adil Shahi court of Bijapur.
Shivaji Maharaj stayed in Miraj for ...
on the
Central Railway main line. A daily DEMU local train also runs from Kolhapur to
Sangli railway station
Sangli railway station serves the city of Sangli in Maharashtra, India. It is a class A station under Pune railway division of Central Railway Zone of Indian Railways.
It is located at 558 m above sea level and has three platforms. As of 2020, ...
.
A new railway route from Miraj via Kolhapur until Vaibhavwadi has been confirmed, which will connect Kolhapur and many other towns with to the Western coastal region of India.
Road
Kolhapur is located on
National Highway 4
Route 4, or Highway 4, may refer to several highways in the following countries:
International
* AH4, Asian Highway 4
* European route E04
* European route E004
* Cairo – Cape Town Highway
Albania
* SH-4 road in Albania from Durres to Kakav ...
and National Highway 204. Kolhapur is 55 km from Sangli and 200 km from Pune. The city has three
state transport bus stands: Central Bus Stand (CBS), Rankala Bus Stand and Sambhajinagar Bus Stand. Kolhapur Municipal Transport (KMT) provides local bus services. The CBS of Kolhapur is the busiest bus stand in western Maharashtra with more than 50,000 commutators a day.
Airport
Kolhapur's domestic airport, also known as
Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj Airport, is located south east of the city at Ujalaiwadi.
Indigo
Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...
operates daily flights to
Hyderabad Airport
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) is an international airport that serves Hyderabad, the capital of the Indian state of Telangana. It is located in Shamshabad, about south of Hyderabad and it was opened on 23 March 2008 to replace B ...
and
Tirupati Airport
Tirupati Airport is a domestic airport serving Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. It is situated in Renigunta, a suburb of Tirupati. It is away from National Highway 71 (previously NH-205), from Tirupati and from Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala.
His ...
as well as three times a week to
Ahmedabad Airport
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) is an international airport serving the twin cities of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar in Gujarat, India. The airport is located in Hansol, north of Ahmedabad. It is named after Sardar Vallabhb ...
.
Star Air operates flights three times in a week to
Mumbai Airport
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is an international airport serving Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). It is the second busiest airport in the country in terms of total and international passenger traffic af ...
. Expansion of runway and construction of and airport terminal building is in progress.
The nearest international airports to Kolhapur are Pune International Airport () and Goa International Airport ().
Education
Kolhapur has educational institutions for engineering, medicine, management studies, pharmaceutical sciences and agriculture.
Shivaji University
Shivaji University, established in 1962, is a state university located at Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. The university, with a campus spread over , is named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, founder of the Maratha Empire. It was inaugurated ...
is located in Kolhapur city. There are international schools and a pre-IAS training centre. The pre-IAS training centre is in Rajaram college campus. The admissions to pre-IAS centre are allotted by merit through an entrance exam. The city attracts students form all over India and Africa.
Languages
The
Marathi language
Marathi (; ''Marāṭhī'', ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the official language of Maharashtra, and additional official language in the state o ...
spoken in Kolhapur has some distinctive adaptations. Women for example will use the masculine gender for verbs. Some syllables in names are uniquely shortened to utter them faster. For example, शंकर becomes शंक्रोबा. Some phrases are unique to the local dialect, and especially popular among the youth, such as 'काय भावा?', 'नाद नाही करायचा', 'काटा कीर्रर्र', 'खटक्यावर बोट, and 'जाग्यावर पल्टी'.
Notable people
*
Shahu of Kolhapur
Shahu (also known as Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu, Shahu IV, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, Kolhapur's Shahu) (26 June 1874 – 6 May 1922) of the Bhonsle dynasty of Marathas was a Raja (reign. 1894 – 1900) and the first Maharaja (1900–1922) of t ...
- Maharaja and a social reformer.
*
Tarabai
Tarabai Bhosale (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪aːɾabaːi ''née'' Mohite) was the regent of the Maratha Empire of India from 1700 until 1708. She was the queen of Rajaram Chhatrapati, Rajaram Bhonsale, and daughter-in-law of the emp ...
- Maratha queen and warrior.
*
Ramchandra Pant Amatya
Ramchandra Neelkanth Bawadekar (1650–1716), also known as Ramchandra Pant Amatya, served on the Council of 8 (''Ashta Pradhan'') as the Finance Minister (''Amatya'') to Emperor (''Chhatrapati'') Shivaji, dating from 1674 to 1680. - One of the
Ashta Pradhan
Ashta Pradhan (literally, ''Modern council of ministers'') was a system
/topic/Ashta-Pradhan, title = Ashta Pradhan | Marathi council The council is credited with having implemented good governance practices in the Maratha heartland, as well ...
s of
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 ...
.
*
Santaji Ghorpade
Santaji Mahaloji Ghorpade,(1645–1696) popularly known as ‘Santajirao’ or ‘Santaji Ghorpade’, was the most celebrated Maratha warrior and the sixth Sarsenapati of the Maratha Empire during Rajaram's regime. His name became inseparable f ...
- Maratha warrior and Sarsenapati.
*
Bhalji Pendharkar
Bhalji Pendharkar (3 May 1897 – 26 November 1994) was a film personality in India, and recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the most prestigious award in the field.
Early life and family
Born to Radhabai and her husband Dr Gopal Pendharkar i ...
- Award Winning director.
*
Nanda
Nanda may refer to:
Indian history and religion
* Nanda Empire, ruled by the Nanda dynasty, an Indian royal dynasty ruling Magadha in the 4th century BCE
** Mahapadma Nanda, first Emperor of the Nanda Empire
** Dhana Nanda (died c. 321 BCE), last ...
- Film actress.
*
Sudhir Phadke
Sudhir Phadke (, 25 July 1919 – 29 July 2002) was an Indian singer-composer. He was regarded as an icon of the Marathi film industry and Marathi ''Sugam Sangeet'' (light music) for five decades. Apart from Marathi, Phadke sang and composed son ...
- Singer and composer.
*
Suresh Wadkar
Suresh Ishwar Wadkar (born 7 August 1955) is an Indian playback singer. He performs in both Hindi and Marathi films. He has sung songs in some Bhojpuri films, Odia albums and bhajans and in Konkani films.
He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Aka ...
- Playback singer.
*
Jayant Narlikar
Jayant Vishnu Narlikar (born 19 July 1938) is an Indian astrophysicist and emeritus professor at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA). He developed with Sir Fred Hoyle the conformal gravity theory, known as Hoyle ...
- Indian astrophysicist.
*
V. Shantaram
Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre (18 November 1901 – 30 October 1990), referred to as V. Shantaram or Shantaram Bapu, was an Indian filmmaker, film producer, and actor known for his work in Hindi and Marathi films. He is most known for films such ...
- Indian filmmaker, film producer and actor.
*
Shivaji Sawant
Shivaji Sawant (31 August 1940 – 18 September 2002) was an Indian novelist in the Marathi language. He is known as Mrutyunjaykaar (meaning Author of ''Mrutyunjay'') for writing the famous Marathi novel - ''Mrutyunjay''. He was the first Marathi ...
- Indian novelist.
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Ranjit Desai
Ranjit loda Desai (8 April 1928 – 6 March 1992) was an Indian Marathi-language writer from Maharashtra, India. He is best known for his historical novels Swami and Shriman Yogi. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1964 and the Padma Sh ...
- Popular Marathi writer.
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Master Vinayak
Vinayak Damodar Karnataki (19 January 1906 – 19 August 1947) commonly referred to as Master Vinayak was an Indian actor and film director of the 1930s and 1940s.
Personal life
Master Vinayak was born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. He mar ...
- Indian actor and film director.
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Suniti Ashok Deshpande
Suniti Ashok Deshpande (pronounced 'DESH-paan-day'), (8 November 1954 – 23 September 2015) was an Indian educator, writer, translator and interpreter, best known for her work on spreading the Russian language and Russian culture, culture in ...
- Indian educator, writer, translator and interpreter.
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Leena Nair
Leena Nair (née Menon;born 1969) is a British-Indian business executive who is the Global CEO of Chanel. Nair previously served as the Chief Human Resource Officer of Unilever and member of the Unilever Leadership Executive. Nair was responsi ...
- CEO of
Chanel
Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...
.
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D. Y. Patil
Dnyandeo Yashwantrao Patil (born 22 October 1935) was an Indian politician who was Governor of Bihar, state in eastern India from 29 May 2012 to 26 November 2014. He is an educator and was a leader of the Indian National Congress from Maharasht ...
- Indian politician and educator.
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Arun Sarnaik
Arun Shankarrao Sarnaik (4 October 1935 – 21 June 1984) was an Indian actor and singer from Kolhapur, Maharashtra. He was the son of the famous singer "Maharashtrakokil" Pt. Shankarao Sarnaik and brother of famous classical singer "Pandit Niv ...
- Actor and singer.
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Dhondutai Kulkarni
Dhondutai Kulkarni, (23 July 1927 – 1 June 2014) was an Indian classical singer from the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. She was the last legendary exponent of orthodox Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana.
Early life
Dhondutai was born in a Brahmin family in Kolh ...
- Indian classical singer from the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana.
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Govindrao Tembe
Govind Sadashiv Tembe, popularly known as Govindrao Tembe (5 June 1881 – 9 October 1955), was a harmonium player, stage actor, and music composer.
Early life and background
He grew up in Kolhapur and became attached to music early in life. He ...
- Music composer.
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B. B. Nimbalkar
Bhausaheb Babasaheb Nimbalkar (12 December 1919 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian cricketer, best known for his score of 443 not out during the 1948–49 Ranji Trophy, which remains the highest score, and the only quadruple century, in ...
- Indian cricketer, best known for his score of 443 not out during the 1948–49 Ranji Trophy.
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Dhananjay Mahadik
Dhananjay Bhimrao Mahadik is an Indian politician from Kolhapur district in Maharashtra state. He is a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Maharastra as a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was elected to the 16-th Lok Sabha ( ...
- Indian politician and former Member of Parliament.
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Chandrakant Patil
Chandrakant Bacchu Patil is an Indian politician and the Higher and technical education minister of Maharashtra state in the present Government of Maharashtra. Patil was the Maharashtra state President of Bharatiya Janata Party from 2019 to 20 ...
- Indian politician and Maharashtra
BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
president.
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Ramesh Deo
Ramesh Deo (30 January 1926 – 2 February 2022) was an Indian film and television actor who worked in more than 285 Hindi films, 190 Marathi films and 30 Marathi dramas with over 200 showings in his long career. He also produced feature films, ...
- Indian film and television actor.
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Vasantrao Ghatge
Vasantrao Madhavrao Ghatge (9 May 1916 – 3 September 1986) was an Indian entrepreneur, business magnate, industrialist and a professor. He was the co-founder of Ghatge Patil Transports along with Jaykumar Patil in the year 1945 based in Kolha ...
- Indian entrepreneur, business magnate, industrialist and a professor.
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Jagdish Khebudkar
Jagdish Khebudkar (10 May 1932 – 3 May 2011) was a Marathi littérateur and lyricist of Marathi cinema, known for his songs in films like '' Pinjra'' (1972), ''Sadhi Mansa'', ''Samna'' (1975), ''Chandra Hota Sakshila'' and ''Ashtavinayak''. St ...
- Marathi littérateur and lyricist of Marathi cinema.
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Ashutosh Gowariker
Ashutosh Gowariker (born 15 February 1964) is an Indian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer who works in Bollywood, Hindi cinema. He is known for directing films "set on a huge canvas while boasting of an opulent treatment".
His is ...
- Indian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer.
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Madhavrao Bagal
Madhavrao Khanderao Bagal (28 May 1895 – 6 March 1986), also called Bhai Madhavrao Bagal, was a noted writer, artist, journalist, social reformer, political activist, orator and freedom fighter from Kolhapur.
Early life
He was born on 28 ...
- Writer, artist, journalist, social reformer, political activist, orator and a freedom fighter.
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Anant Mane
Anant Mane (1915-1995) was a film director from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India who directed approximately 60 movies during the golden era of Marathi cinema. He was known for making films based on the folk art form Tamasha, and also directed a numbe ...
- Film director.
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Satej Patil
Satej Dnyandeo Patil alias Bunty (born 12 April 1972) is a Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council from the Indian National Congress.He served as the Minister of State for Home (Urban), Housing, Transport, Information Technology, Parlia ...
- Politician and Minister of State for home in the Maharashtra Government.
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Padmini Kolhapure
Padmini Kolhapure is an Indian actress and singer, who works primarily in Hindi films. She began her acting career in 1972 at the age of seven, and her early works include ''Zindagi'' (1976) and ''Dream Girl'' (1977). She had her breakthrough ...
- Film actress.
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Shruti Sadolikar
Shruti Sadolikar Katkar (born 9 Nov. 1951) is an Indian classical singer of the khyal style in the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. She is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Hindustani vocal music for 2011.
Early life and career
Sadolika ...
- Indian classical singer of the khyal style in the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana.
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Sadashivrao Dadoba Mandlik
Sadashivrao Dadoba Mandlik (7 October 1934 – 10 March 2015) was a member of the 15th Lok Sabha of India from Kolhapur. He was a member of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) political party.
He served as a member of the 12th Lok Sabha, ...
- Former Member of Parliament and NCP leader.
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Sanjay Mandlik
Sanjay Sadashivrao Mandlik is an Indian politician and a Shiv Sena leader from Kolhapur district, Maharashtra. He is member of 17th Lok Sabha from Kolhapur Constituency. He is son of Late Shri. Sadashivrao Mandlik
Sadashivrao Dadoba Mand ...
- Member of Parliament and
Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena ( IAST: ''Śiva Sēnā'') () was a right-wing to far-right Marathi regionalist and Hindu ultranationalist political party in India founded in 1966 by cartoonist Bal Thackeray. Originally emerging from nativist movements in Bom ...
Leader.
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Bhanu Athaiya
Bhanu Athaiya (née Rajopadhye; 28 April 192915 October 2020) was an Indian costume designer and painter. She was the only woman member of the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group and the first Indian to win an Academy Award. Alongside being Bolly ...
- Indian costume designer and painter.
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Sangram Chougule
Sangram Chougule (born 28 December 1979) is an Indian bodybuilder from Kolhapur, currently settled in Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most ...
- Body builder, Mr Universe winner (2012), Mr India (6-time winner), Mr Maharashtra (5-time winner).
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Suhas Khamkar
Suhas Madhukar Khamkar (born 9 August 1980) is a professional bodybuilder from India.
Early life
Khamkar is a native of Kolhapur region and comes from a family of fitness experts and bodybuilders. His inspiration for bodybuilding traces ba ...
- Body builder.
See also
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Bhosale
The Bhonsle (or Bhonsale, Bhosale, Bhosle) are a prominent group within the Maratha clan system of kunbi origin. They claimed descent from the Sisodia Rajputs but were likely Kunbi tiller-plainsmen.
History Earliest members
The earliest ac ...
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Maratha
The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...
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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 ...
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Marathi people
The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...
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List of Maratha dynasties and states
This is a list of Maratha dynasties and Maratha princely states.
Historical Maratha dynasties with original clans spread globally
† - States annexed by the British East India Company
Maratha Princely States
The Marathas ruled much of ...
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Kolhapur Municipal Corporation
Kolhapur municipality was established on 12 October 1954. Establishment of municipality initiated planning of modern Kolhapur city of Maharashtra state.
Due to Maharashtra government anaunces the 15% growth in the municipal corporations seats ...
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Notable people from Kolhapur
References
Further reading
"The Imperial Gazetteer of India."Oxford at Clarendon Press, 1909 Volume 15. p380 - 387. Accessed at Digital South Asia Library at University of Chicago, Illinois, 7 April 2014.
External links
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Kolhapur Municipal Corporation
{{Authority control
Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2011
All articles containing potentially dated statements
Cities and towns in Kolhapur district
Cities in Maharashtra