|
|
Satara is one of the oldest cities of Maharashtra situated at the feet of the Sahyadri range, it has a glorious and ever inspiring past history, which dates back to 200 BC. Satara is also a district headquarter. It is bounded on the north by Nira River and the Taluka's of Bhor and Phaltan, on the east by Solapur (also spelt as Sholapur), on the south by the lands of Sangli and on the west by the Sahyadris
The city has several mythological, historical, cultural and
even political references. Eminent historians, well-known authors, poets
and great political leaders made this city famous from time to time. One
of the poets described and compared it with Capital City of Delhi. It is
also famous as two great rivers namely the Krishna and Veena originated
from Mahabaleshwar meet
together at Kshetra Mahuli. The confluence at Mahuli has several stories
reminiscence ancient History.
This city is ornate with nature's blessings, a calm and quiet place not
only for peaceful living but also for doing great devotional works for
mankind. It was regarded as the celestial abode of great seven sages on
the hill fort of 'Ajinkyatara', which was known as 'Fort of Sapta-Rishi'
(Seven Sages).
There are no inscriptions as to who held Satara but it seems probable
that the Andhrabhritya or Shatakarni kings (BC 90-AD 300) held Satara till
the 3rd or 4th century after Christ. For 900 years, which ended in the
early 14th century with the Muslims overthrowing of the Devgiri Yadavs, no
other historical information regarding Satara is available.
Ajinkyatara
Fort
The Ajinkyatara Fort is in the heart of Satara City. It is located on the
huge Ajinkyatara Mountain and is 3,300 feet high and so the tourists can
have a wonderful view of the city from here. The walls of the fort are 4m
high. Many water tanks are there on the fort and there is no scarcity of
water. The beauty of Ajinkyatara can be observed from the hill of
Yawateshwar.
Pratapgad Fort
Pratapgad Fort is one of the formidable mountain forts built by Shivaji,
24-km away from the famous hill-station Mahabaleshwar. The fort holds a
commanding view of coastal Konkan. One can see the Raigadh fort from here.
The Bhavani temple and Afzal Khan's Tomb are other places of interest.
Yavteshwar
Yavteshwar is a small village on the plateau to the northwest of the
summit of Yavteshwar hill, about 2 miles west of Satara. The plateau is
reached by a good bridal path branching off from the tunnel at Satara or
by the steps, which climb straight up the hillside. Yavteshwar is 1100
feet above the plain thus one can expect this place to be pleasantly cool
at all times of the years. Though there is a little feeling of hot wind at
times, but during the summer Yavteshwar is frequently used as
health-resort.
Natraj Mandir
This temple is located in Satara City, which lies on the way from the
highway to the Satara Railway station. The temple has four entrances in
the four directions.
Mahuli
Mahuli located 6-km from Satara City and is another famous pilgrim centre
where rivers Krishna and Venna meet. Many beautiful Mandirs (temples) and
Ghats can be found on the banks of the river. The Mangalagauri temples are
quite famous over here and one can also see innumerable ruins of old
temples.
Bogda
Bogda is a tunnel built during the British Raj, which is a unique example
of Civil and Construction Engineering. One has to pass through to this
tunnel to go to any place located on the other side of Ajinkyatara from
the main city.
Char Bhinti
"Char Bhinti" which means "Four walls" when literally
translated. One can come this memorial midway to the top of Ajinkyatara.
It is a unique memorial, which commemorates the Uprising of 1857 (Sepoy
Mutiny) and all the patriotic struggles by the freedom fighters of the
time of the British Raj. There are inscriptions on the memorial mentioning
Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi and Lokmanya Tilak.
Sajjangad Fort
Sajjangad Fort is located just 12-km away from Satara city where Shri
Samarth Ramdas Swami, Guru of Shivaji Maharaj lived. It was named so as
Sajjan means a good person and many people used to visit this fort and
hold discussions with the Guru. He was popular among people as a very good
person. The Shilahar family built this fort in the 10th or 11th century
AD. It is 1025 feet in height and has an area of 1824 square yards. It was
earlier named as Aashwalayangad and later named as Aaswalgad.
Wai
Wai is a holy place situated on the banks of the river Krishna. It is
also known as Dakshin Kashi meaning the Kashi of the South. There are many
temples and seven well-built ghats on the banks of the river. Each of the
ghats differs in size and style. One can see a huge idol of Ganesha called
Dholya Ganapathi, which is very famous and is made out of a single stone
by Sardar Raste in 1762 AD.
Koynanagar
The Koyna dam is a big dam, built high in Satara district of the
Sahyadris on one of the major tributaries of the Krishna, which is a "Major
Irrigation Project'' in the terminology of the Indian Government. Its
reservoir has a storage capacity of 98 TMC ft and the dam generates over
900 MW of electricity.
Shingnapur
Shingnapur is located on the niche of the Shikhar Shingnapur hills, 40
miles away from Satara and is a famous pilgrimage centre. Atop the hill
there is a temple dedicated to Lord Mahadev.
Panchagani
Panchgani is an idyllic mountain retreat in the Krishna valley. Tucked
away in the Satara district of Maharashtra, Panchgani
is a well-known hill station of Maharashtra on the highway to
Mahabaleshwar from Pune. It derives its name from the five hills around
it. Situated at an altitude of 1,334m, the 18-km approach to the Panchgani
is breathtaking, offering heart-stopping views of the River Krishna on one
side and the coastal plains on the other. It is far from the noise of Pune
and the endless hustle-bustle and pollution of Mumbai metropolis. It is
the first hill town one reaches from Mahabaleshwar on the Pune road.
Chaphal
Sri Samarth Ramdas Swami built a temple dedicated to Sri Rama, he also
constructed two Maruti Mandirs at Chaphal. He found the idol of Sri Rama
placed in the temple in the river at Angapur. Tourists can also visit a
beautiful memorial, which was built to perpetuate the memory of his first
meeting with Sri Shivaji Maharaj.
Thosegarh
Famous for its waterfalls, it makes an ideal picnic spot for the
adventurous. The people visiting here walk down the slippery falls and
have a good time with the splashing waters.
Rail: Satara being an important city of Maharashtra
has well-developed transportation facilities. Tourists can easily access
Satara rail. It is also a main Railway on
Pune -Miraj
section.
Road: Satara is situated on Pune-Bangalore highway 120-km away
from Pune. State transport plies buses from each direction that pass
through Satara.
Being a well developed town of Maharashtra, Satara has got plenty of options for accommodation, which vary from luxurious posh hotels to reasonable budget hotels.
Banks Bank of Maharashtra
Krishnanagar
Population: 2451000 (1991 Census)
Latitude: 16.50' and 18.10'
Longitude: 73.45' and 75.0'
Climate: Tropical
Rainfall: 803 mm (Average)
Clothing: Light cotton in summer and woollen in winter
STD code: 02162
Mahuli: 6-km
Pune: 120-km
){kind=link}