Panhala (Maharashtra)

Hotels & Resorts in Panhala

Hotel	Grade	Rate per couple	Plan
Hotel Hill Top	*******	Tariff	Room only

Panhala Hills is located South of Maharashtra State just 20 kms. from the famous city Kolhapur. Kolhapur best known for it's historical Mahalaxmi Temple, Rankala lake, New Palace Mueseum, Town Hall and near by places such as Jotiba Temple, Radhanagri Dam, Dajipur Santuary, Vishalgad, Kalammawadi Dam, Narshimawadi Datta Mandir, Bahubali and also famous for its Leather foot wear, Engineering Industries and Sugar Mills is a small city situated on the Panhala, Maharashtra, India Pune-Bangalore High way.

The verdant hills, the terraced farms and the omnipresent mist bestow Panhala with a unique allure, a mystic. The aerial roots of the banyan trees that flank the road form a beautiful archway, a prelude to the royal remains of the fort to come. Situated at a magnificent height of 3177 feet above sea level, Panhala commands a panoramic and awesome view of the valley below.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Location:
Kolhapur, Maharashtra.

Panhala, Maharashtra, India Main Attraction:
Panhala Fort.

Speciality:
Radhanagari Sanctuary, Jyotiba Hill And Various Temples.

Best Time:
The climate is delightfully cool at the altitude of 978 m from sea level. October to May is the best time to visit.

SIGHT SEEING

While at Panhala you must visit Ambarkhana. Ambarkhana was built by the Marathas and housed the administrative section, the palace, the mint, and the granary. Titled Ganga, Jamuna, and Saraswati, the granaries could store as much as 25,000 khandis of grain. Since the soil was not suitable for agriculture, the provisions had to be stocked. Then there is the Teen Darwaja i.e. the three important gates to gain access to the fort.

Another major attraction at Panhala is the Sajja Kothi that was built by the Mohammedans in 1008 AD. There is a very interesting anecdote attached to this monument. It is said that when Siddi Johar, a formidable Bijapur Panhala, Maharashtra, India General, attacked Panhala, Shivaji tricked the general by escaping from the window of Sajja Kothi while a brave stalwart Shiva Kashid disguised as Shivaji combated the wrath of the general.

Shivaji, a religious devotee, did not undertake any perils without paying obeisance to the goddess. The Ambabai temple stands vigil to this, which is another, must visit at Panhala.
While at Panhala you may also visit the Sambhaji temple. The Sambhaji temple was built in memory of Sambhaji, the first ruler of Kolhapur.

The Someshwar tank of Panhala too is worth visiting. The tank came into existence due to the quarrying of stones that were required for the construction of the fort wall. There is a very well camouflaged well with a three-storied structure on top, Andhar Bav. This was cloistered to prevent any kind of water poisoning by the enemy.

The Nayakini Sajja at Panhala manifests the intelligent warfare strategy used by the Marathas to dupe the enemies. The Nayakini Sajja has been very strategically located near one of the corners of the fort to conceal a deep ravine in between. When the enemies attacked from that corner, they would actually climb over the make-believe corner of the fort to accede the Nayakini Sajja and in the endeavor fall into the deep ravine.

HOW TO REACH

By Air
Nearest airport is Kolhapur at 20-km.

By Rail
Nearest Railway station is Kolhapur at 18-km on South Central Railway. One can take the Sahyadri Express train or the Mahalaxmi Express train on any day from the Mumbai-Victora Terminus to Kolhapur.

By Road
Bombay-Panhala 428-km via Kolhapur and Kolhapur-Panhala is just 18-km. There are regular buses and luxury coaches that run between Kolhapur and the Panhala Fort. Panhala is located at a distance of 20-km off the Kolhapur-Ratnagiri highway. A direct drive from Mumbai can get one to Panhala in 8 hours.