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?Kolhapur Maharashtra • India
Kolhapur
Coordinates: 16°42′00″N 74°13′60″E / 16.7, 74.2333
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	? km² (Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character "?" sq mi) • 569 m (1,867 ft)
District(s)	Kolhapur
Population • Density	419,000 (2001) • ?/km² (Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character "?"/sq mi)
Mayor	Saie Kharade
Codes • Pincode • Telephone • Vehicle	• 416001 • +0231 • MH-09

Coordinates: 16°42′00″N 74°13′60″E / 16.7, 74.2333

kolhapur pronunciation (help·info) (Marathi:कोल्हापूर) is a city situated in the south west corner of Maharashtra, India. The population of Kolhapur is around 419,000. The main languages is Marathi. It is situated on the banks of river Panchganga and provides the location for the Mahalakshmi Temple. The city also lends its name to many common terms like Kolhapuri Chappal , Kolhapuri lavangi mirchi, Kolhapuri gur and Kolhapuri cuisine.

Contents 1 Culture 2 Kolhapur as a Princely State 3 Transportation 3.1 Train 3.2 Bus 3.3 Airways 4 Geography 5 Demographics 6 Climate 7 Tehsils 7.1 Ajara 7.2 Gadhinglaj 8 See also 9 References

Kolhapur is a very ancient city, famous for its food, headwear, footwear, jewellery, wrestling and religious connections. 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. Majority of the city dwellers are Marathas along with relatively smaller communities of Gujaratis, Marwadis, Maharashtrian Jains, Lingayats and Sindhis.

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^[1]. 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. 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 Indian 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.

During the British Raj, Kolhapur was a Princely State of British India, under the Deccan division of the Bombay Presidency, and later the Deccan States Agency. It was considered the fourth most important Mahratta principalities, the other three being Baroda, Gwalior and Indore. Its rulers, of the Bhonsle dynasty, were entitled to a 19-gun salute - thus Kolhapur was also known as a 19-gun State. The state flag was a swallow-tailed orange pennant.

Kolhapur state, together with its jagirs or feudatories, covered an area of 3,165 square miles (8,200 km²). According to the 1901 census, the state population was 910,011, of which 54,373 resided in Kolhapur Town. In 1901, the state enjoyed an estimated revenue of £300,000.

The Maharajas of Kolhapur have a common ancestry with the Bhonsle dynasties of Tanjore and Satara, claiming descent from the Maratha royal clan Bhonslà. The states of Satara and Kolhapur came into being in 1707, because of the succession dispute over the Maratha kingship. Shahu Sambhaji, Heir Apparent to the Maratha kingdom, captured by the Mughals at the age of nine, remained their prisoner at the death of his father Sambhaji, the elder son of Shivaji Maharaj the founder of the Maratha Empire in 1700. The Dowager Maharani Tara Bai proclaimed his cousin Rajaram, as Chhatrapati Maharaj under her regency. The Mughals released Shahu under certain conditions in 1707, and he returned to claim his inheritance. He defeated the regent at the Battle of Khed and established himself at Satara, forcing her to retire with her son to Kolhapur. By 1710 two separate principalities had become an established fact, eventually confirmed by the Treaty of Warna in 1731.

The British sent expeditions against Kolhapur in 1765 and 1792; Kolhapur entered into treaty relations with the British, after the collapse of the Maratha confederacy in 1812. In the early years of the 19th century the British invaded again, and appointed a political officer to temporarily manage the state.

The last ruler of Kolhapur was HH Maharaja Chhatrapati Shahaji II Puar. 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 on 1 March 1949. In 1960 Bombay state was divided into the linguistic states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The boundaries of former Kolhapur state correspond very closely with those of modern-day Kolhapur district.

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

Kolhapur Railway Station is named Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus (Station code: KOP). It was moved from the South Central to Central Railways in 2003^[2]. It has daily trains to Mumbai, Pune, Tirupati, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. It also runs an inter-city shuttle service between Kolhapur and Miraj. The weekly Nizammuddin Express is a direct train to New Delhi.

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 spread around the city. These provide services connecting to most of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and some places in Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu. The private companies generally serve the more popular routes, to and from big cities, like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Panjim, Nashik, Belgaon, Solapur, Hyderabad and Shirdi.

The city has an airport near Ujlaiwadi, 13 km from the city center connecting Kolhapur to Mumbai. Air Deccan offers daily flights from Mumbai which take about an hour to reach Kolhapur.

Kolhapur is located at 16.7° N 74.22° E.^[3] It has an average elevation of 545 metres (1788 feet).

As of 2001 India census,^[4] Kolhapur had a population of 485,183. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Kolhapur has an average literacy rate of 80%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 75%. In Kolhapur, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

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 relatively 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 14°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 2006 there was excessive rainfall in Kolhapur resulting in floods.

It is situated on the banks of Hiranyakeshi and Chitra rivers. Famous Ramtirth waterfall and hill station Amboli are near from this place. It's on the Kolhapur - Amboli road. Birthplace of late Shree Shivaji Sawant, who is famous for novels like Mrutyunjay, Yugandhar, Chhava.

• Shivaji University
• Government College of Engineering
• D. Y. Patil college of Engineering and Technology, Kolhapur
• Tatyasaheb Kore Institute of Engineering and Technology
• Rajaram College Kolhapur
• St. Xavier's High School, Kolhapur
• Mahalakshmi Temple
• Rankala Lake
• Panhala
• Jyotiba
• Bhavani Mandap
• Rajarampuri
• Gaganbawada
• Tejaswini Sawant
• Khashaba Jadhav

v • d • e Divisions and Districts of Maharashtra
Amravati Division	Akola | Amravati | Buldhana | Washim | Yavatmal
Konkan Division	Mumbai | Mumbai (Suburban) | Raigad | Ratnagiri | Sindhudurg | Thane
Aurangabad Division	Aurangabad | Beed | Hingoli | Jalna | Latur | Nanded | Osmanabad | Parbhani
Nagpur Division	Bhandara | Chandrapur | Gadchiroli | Gondia | Nagpur | Wardha
Nashik Division	Ahmednagar | Dhule | Jalgaon | Nandurbar | Nashik
Pune Division	Kolhapur | Pune | Sangli | Satara | Solapur