Kolhapur

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For Kolhapur District, see Kolhapur District.
Kolhapur
The Indian Goddess Mahalakshmi
Kolhapur
Location of Kolhapur
in Maharashtra and India
Coordinates 16°42′00″N 74°14′00″E / 16.7000°N 74.2333°E / 16.7000; 74.2333
Country  India
State Maharashtra
District(s) Kolhapur
Mayor Uday Salokhe
Population 493,167 (2001)
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
• Elevation
• 569 m (1,867 ft)

Kolhapur About this sound pronunciation (help·info) (Marathi: कोल्हापूर) is a city situated in the south west corner of Maharashtra, India. The population of Kolhapur city was 4,93,167, as per the 2001 census.[1] Kolhapaur also serves as the headquarters of the Kolhapur District. As is the case in most of the Maharashtra cities, the main language spoken here is Marathi. Kolhapur is situated on the banks of river Panchganga and is the location of the Temple of Mahalakshmi, an Indian Goddess. The city also lends its name to many common products such as Kolhapuri chappal , Kolhapuri lavangi mirchi, Kolhapuri gur and Kolhapuri cuisine. The most famous part of the kolhapuri cuisine is the Red meat preparations called Tambada Rassa and Pandhara Rassa as also Suke Mutton.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Kolhapur city is located in Southwesten Maharashtra at 16°42′N 74°13′E / 16.7°N 74.22°E / 16.7; 74.22.[2] It has an average elevation of 545 metres (1788 ft). By road, Kolhapur is 228 km south of Pune, 615 km northwest of Bangalore and 530 km west of Hyderabad.[3] The nearest cities and towns within Maharashtra are Ichalkaranji (20 km), Kagal (17 km), Sangli (50 km), Miraj (45 km)

[edit] Climate

Kolhapur's climate is a blend of coastal and inland climate of Maharashtra. The temperature has a relatively narrow range between 12°C to 35°C. Summer in Kolhapur is comparatively cooler, but much more humid, compared to neighbouring inland cities. Maximum temperatures rarely exceed 38°C and typically range between 33 to 35°C. Lows during this season are around 24°C to 26°C. Though temperatures are rarely as high as in inland Maharashtra, high humidity often makes the weather muggy and unpleasant. 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 in these months. Temperatures are low in the rainy season and range between 23°C to 30°C. Kolhapur experiences winter from November to February. The winter temperatures are significantly higher compared to other cities in Maharashtra such as Pune and Nasik. Lows range from 12°C to 16°C while highs are in the range of 29°C to 32°C. Humidity is low in this season making weather much more pleasant. In 2005 & 2006 there was excessive rainfall in Kolhapur resulting in floods.

[edit] History

Kolhapur is a very ancient city, famous for its food, headwear, footwear, jewellery, wrestling and religious connections[citation needed]. According to legend it was settled by Kolhasur, a demon who was later killed by Mahalakshmi to relieve the local populace. However, honouring the demon's dying wish, the city was named after him. Kolhapur finds mentions in Devi Gita, the final and most important chapter of the Srimad Devi Bhagawatam, as one the important places of Shakti worship, "Devi spoke:..."O King of Mountains! Still I am now telling something out of My affection to My Bhaktas. Hear. There is a great place of pilgrimage named Kolhapura in the southern country. Here the Devi Laksmi always dwells...." [4].

During 940-1212 CE, it was the capital of the Shilahara dynasty of Kolhapur. An inscription at Teradal mentions that king Gonka was healed from snakebite by a Jain monk and Gonk had built a temple of Lord Neminath. Many Jain temples in that region build in the next couple of century are called Gonka-Jinalya after him. During the reign of Bhoja I, a dynamic Acharya Maghanandi helped establish an institute at Rupanarayana-Basadi. Several of the kings and nobles of the dynasty were disciples of Maghanandi. Maghanandi is often called Siddhanta-chakravarti ie the great master of the scriptures, Gandaraditya I was his disciple. He is sometimes called "Kolapuriya" to distinguish him from many other Acharyas with the name Maghanandi.

see Kolhapur history


[edit] Kolhapur as a Princely State

see Kolhapur (princely state)

[edit] Culture

Majority of the city dwellers are Marathas along with smaller communities of Gujaratis, Marwadis, Maharashtrian Jains, Lingayats and Sindhis. Kolhapur has the distinction of having two Bhattaraka seats, that of Lakshmisena Swami and of Jinasena Swami which has shifted from Nandni to Kolhapura.

Kolhapur has one of the highest per-capita income for a city in India. Trade is mostly dependent on farming of cash crops like sugarcane, the metal industry with important inputs from textiles and mining. The prosperity and the resulting spending prowess of the Kolhapuri people was famously reported in a list of cities with the highest number of Mercedes cars in the state of Maharashtra, where Kolhapur came second only to Mumbai[5]. Similarly, Kolhapur also attracts lots of shoppers from around the region. The main shopping hub of the city is Mahadwar Road, near Mahalaxmi Temple inside the old city walls. New and modern stores have also popped up in the historically residential area, Rajarampuri.

Another field that Kolhapur prides itself of is films. In certain circles, Kolhapur was and is still considered the capital of the Marathi film industry which produces 1 or 2 movies in 2-3 years. Legendary personalities like Bhalaji Pendharkar, Baburao Painter and V. Shantaram started their careers from Kolhapur. It has been credited as the place where Raja Harishchandra, the first feature film ever produced in India was conceptualised. Kolhapur still plays host to many film festivals and provides location for shooting. Kolhapur is also a strong political center. Nationalist Congress Party along with Congress are the current political powerhouses in the region.

[edit] Places of Interest

  • Temples
    * Mahalakshmi Temple (Kolhapur)
    * Jyotiba temple [Jyotiba]
    * Nrusinhawadi 
    * Tembalai alias Tryamboli
  • Lakes
    * Rankala lake
    * Kalamba lake
  • Fort area
    * Vishalgad
    * Panahla 
    * Rangana
  • Historical places
    * Bhavani Mandap
    * Shree Chhatrapati Shahu Museum, Kolhapur
    * Shalini Palace ,Kolhapur
    * Chandrakant Mandare museum
    * New Palace, Kolhapur
    * Town Hall museum
    * Motibag Talim
  • Dams
    * Radhanagri
    * Kalamavadi
  • Shivaji University

[edit] Economy

Kolhapur is home to many successful businesses and industries[citation needed] . Major businesses include sugar industry, foundry Industry, machine shops, textile, equipment manufacturing ,Milk industry etc[citation needed] . It has recorded the highest per capita income in Asia[citation needed] .

[edit] Transportation

Local transportation includes auto rickshaws and buses run by KMT (Kolhapur Municipal Transport).

[edit] Train

Kolhapur Railway Station is named Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus or C Shahu Maharaj Terminus (Station code: KOP). It was moved from the South Central to Central Railways in 2003[6]. It has daily trains to Mumbai, Pune, Tirupati, Bangalore, Bhopal, Nagpur and Hyderabad. It also runs an inter-city shuttle service between Kolhapur and Miraj. The weekly Nizammuddin Express is a the only direct train to Bhopal and Delhi. However, the station lacks direct connectivity with Ahmedabad, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Lucknow, Madurai, Mysore and Trivandrum despite of being an important station.

Interestingly, this station does not appear on the website of Indian Railways. It is misnamed as "C Shahumharaj T", which is very difficult to find. Because station is named after Shahu Maharaj it is entered so in Railway website.

[edit] Road

The National Highway (NH 4) connecting Pune and Bangluru passes through Kolhapur, it has excellent connectivity with a number of major cities in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Bus is a more preferred mode of transport due to its wider network and speed. Buses run by private companies are generally considered more comfortable and reliable, with most offering sleeper and air conditioned coaches. Kolhapur has multiple state transport bus stands like central bus stand (CBS),Rankala & Sambhajinagar bus stand spread around the city. These provide services connecting to most of cities in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and some places in Andhra Pradesh. The private companies generally serve the more popular routes, to and from big cities, like Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Panjim, Nashik, Belgaum, Dharwad, Hubli, Solapur, Hyderabad, Ratnagiri, Shirdi and Tirupati.

[edit] Air

The city has an airport near Ujlaiwadi, 13 km from the city center connecting Kolhapur to Mumbai. King Fisher Airlines offers daily flights from Mumbai & Belgaum which take about an hour to reach Kolhapur. More number of flights are proposed for developmental purposes.

[edit] Karveer Nivasini Ambabai Also Known As Mahalaxmi

[7] During the historic period from First century before Christ to ninth century AD, Kolhapur was situated on the Brahmpuri hills. The excavations on the hill and the research on items found there indicate that during Satwahan period there was wealthy and cultured population staying there. From 225 AD to 550 AD there was dynasty of royal families of Wakatak, Kadamb, Shedrak and Mourya. During 550 Ad to 753 AD there was kingdom of Chalukya family from Badami. In 634 AD, King Karnadeo from this family started construction of Mahalaxmi temple. Almost all Chalukys kings address Kolhapur as ‘Dakshin Kashi’ or 'Mahateerth'. In 753 AD to 850 AD Rashtrakut dynasty was established in the south. Kolhapur region also came under their jurisdiction. From that time to 1210 AD there was kingdom of Shilahar in Kolhapur. Kolhapur has played a major role during that period as a main power center of Shilahaar kingdom. Kolhapur has been referred as Mahateerth in the stone carvings during the period of Gandaradivya king. He completed the construction of Mahalaxmi temple. His sister Chandrikadevi was married with Chalukya King Second Vikramaditya and the wealth of Kolhapur started growing.

Brahmpuri, Uttareshwar, Kholkhandoba, Rankala, Padmala and Ravaneshwar were the main natural centers of Kolhapur city in the ancient time. Hence the Kolhapur region was known as of historical importance. The above centres were like small villages at that time. In ninth century Ad, Mahalaxmi temple was established and these centers were bound in to strong cultural and financial center. Archeologists believe that stone carvings, literature and architecture suggest that Mahalaxmi temple’s wealthy background cannot be taken back beyond 9th century A.D. ie. Rashtrakuta dynasty.

Kolhapur in the light of geographical and cultural context. Karvir Peeth is referred as Dakshin Kashi in old literature. Mahalaxmi lifted the city by her pious hands to a safe place during in Pralay calamity. Hence the city was aptly named as ‘Karvir’. This hypothesis was suggested by Major Graham. In Karvir Mahatmya it is mentioned that Karvirnagar is the city lifted by Karvirnivasini Mahalaxmi goddess with her hands. In Han Puran also Mahalaxmi there is a mention of Karvir.

City was referred as Karvir after the installation of Mahalaxmi temple. Before that, there were many names like Kollapur, Kollpur, Kollagiri, Kolladigiripattan. Kolla means valley and Kolhapur means city of vallies. In short, Brahmapuri, Karvir and Kolhapur are different names for this place. After the establishment of Mahalaxmi temple, Kolhapur was recognized as a religious center and gave rise to various cultural and financial developments.

The goddess of wealth and power, Devi Ambabai's temple is located at the heart of the city. this temple is famous for its well-known South-Indian Architecture, built by Chalukya king Karndev in 634 AD.[citation needed]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kolhapur Population
  2. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Kolhapur
  3. ^ Google Maps
  4. ^ Devi Gita; Chapter XXXVIII: The Vow and the Sacred Places of the Devi The Devi Gita (Song of the Goddess), Excerpt from the Srimad Devi Bhagawatam, translated by Swami Vijnanananda (Hari Prasanna Chatterji), 1921."O King of Mountains! Still I am now telling something out of My affection to My Bhaktas. Hear. There is a great place of pilgrimage named Kolhapura in the southern country. Here the Devi Laksmi always dwells. The second place is Matripura in the Sahyadri mountain; here the Devi Renuka dwells." Verses: 3-10.
  5. ^ Kolhapur's passion for Mercs
  6. ^ Kolhapur moved between Indian Railway zones
  7. ^ http://www.kolhapurcorporation.org/hcl/english/Ancient_Historical_Places.html

[edit] External links

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