Historic and Holy; Kolhapur!

 everyone!

The Buddha said, "The condition of human nature is suffering". I add, bcoz of work! :p

I was so busy that I got time now, 6 months later to write a trip report. I did trip in Oct 2011. Nevertheless, its never late when it comes to travel.

This time it was Kolhapur. As usual, I begin my trip from my village which is in satara district on Panchgani-Pachwad route. And as usual, I was accompanied by 2 trusted one’s. One is my bike (Hero Honda CD Delux) and my friend Amit as a pillon.

The rains had subdued, the skies were clear and the roads were pothole free. That makes your journey even more comfortable.

As my family members are wary about we duo’s coz each time we are together we chalk out a plan, execute it without their knowledge and six months later we open up our experiences. So this had to be a a secret plan. The reason behind this is, we could be never ever allowed to go 365kms on a bike on a national highway.

We had previously attempted a trip in 2009 to Raigad fort which ended in misery and bad planning. Ultimate mess as I can sum it up. So this trip had to be precisely planned and we executed it like a management manager would always want to! :p

As many travelers believe, key to a good trip is to begin as early in the morning. We begun at 7:10am. The tripometer read 26621km. The morning was breezy and cool as it is in sahyadris. But we knew that sun is going to be harsh on highway, so carried goggles and screen lotions.

Tripometer

Two Hunks!

The journey begun and the first stop being karad. We enquired about the most famous “Nashta” and he directed to a small gharguti (Home made) shop where we were served Puri-Bhaaji. The cost was 15rs, and what delicious it was! We reached karad at 9:00 am with a speed of not more than 60kmph.

Early Morning Silhouette!

At 10:40am, Kolhapur was 6kms to go!

6 more kms!

At 11:10, we were at Chattrapati Shahu maharaj museum.

Completed in 1811,  This museums houses costumes, weapons, games, jewellery, embroidery and paraphernalia such as silver elephant saddles and the interesting collections from the possessions of Maharaja Shahaji Chhatrapati like guns, trophies. Shahu maharaj is most revered in Kolhapur for his policies towards social reforms and against the caste system. Hence, Kolhapur railway station is renamed after shahu maharaj.

Shahu Maharaj Museum

The Social Reformer king and his legacy!

In praise of Tulja-Bhavani!

As I said, this was our secret trip. But this world is too small!!!

When we returned from museum, I saw a familiar face. It was a Bengali aunty from our chawl (society) in Mumbai! If I met her, she would definitely report it to my mom! So I just ran away behind the bushes till she went away. This would mean that I can have another confrontation with her. So we left  in a hurry.

The next stop was Mahalaxmi temple. Reached there at 12:22pm. The sun was harsh and sunscreen was working pretty well. The main entrance of Mahalaxmi temple is awesome. With a saffron flag flying, it was a matter of pride.

About Mahalaxmi temple;

The Shri Mahalakshmi Temple of Kolhapur inMaharashtra, India, is one of the Shakti peethas (Goddess of Power aka Shakti) listed in various puranas of Hinduism. 

Although there are discrepancies about dates, it is wiedly believed to be built in 700AD by Chalukya dynasty. Unlike other temples, the main diety faces WEST. This is because of a special phenomenon which takes place during equinox, The diety is seated in such a manner that the sun rays fall on deities face and then go back! (As in Angkor wat, Cambodia, Similar genius can be seen at equinox)

The statue is made of Gem-stone and dates back to 5000-6000yrs. During the radical Islamic invasion, the statue was hidden. It was not until sambhajee’s reign (Shivaji’s son) that he bgun a massive hunt and found it in a small house. Since then, the place saw massive rise in devotees and now it is one of the most beloved in Maharashtra.

Mahalaxmi temple entrance.

Then the first view of temple

First glance!

The inside of temple has amazing architectures!

Here's a view from inside the campus.

Hemadpanthi style architecture!

Just aweinspiring stuff!

Clear skies and clear faith!

Second Darwaza!

Lovely Backdrop!

Prayer hall plus temple in combo!

Reverence to elephant!

Hemadpanthi again!

The four deep-sthambs!

The holy banyan tree and the temple!

There are two entrances; one for “Mukha” darshan (Face darshan) and second one for full darshan. The second one had a long que, half hour we were standing in que.

It was clear day, and it was a lunch time. And I know you might have heard about “Kolhapuri Pandhara and Tambda Rassa” which is famous curry of meat in kolhapur! I had lonely planet travel guide and somewhere it mentions about “Padma guesthouse” so we went there and had pandhara rassa. It was good, and slightly pungent as compared to rassa made at my home in satara. 35rs for each “wati” (curry) and extra chapattis.

The famous tambda and pandhara rassa!

Blessed, we started outward journey to Panhala fort. I was a bit disappointed coz it did not seem to be like a traditional fort as in raigad or pratapgad. But as a history buff, I could still enjoy it.

With our tummy full, we headed to panhala.

Panhala fort: Built by Raja Bhoja in 1178 AD. This fort has witnessed the glories of Shivaji and his faithful commander, Baji prabhu deshpande. We all are aware of Pavan Khind! A brave warrior hung on and defended those enemies until cannon shots were heard from near vishalgad. He then died happily. Althought the fort was lost, shivaji recaptured it some years later.

Here are some pics.

Panhala fort from a distance! I guess this is where mughals laid a siege from!

Small mosque before entrance!

Bow to thee warrior!

Patrolling and adoring mother nature!

Small peaks, big jerks!

The distance between Kolhapur and panhala is 20 kms, Saw this fort in a hour and then geared up for a long journey.

Reached home at 8.50pm. Had good food and it was a good night!

The final tripometer.

Total distance covered: 364kms!

Time: 13 hours and 30minutes.

Total fuel cost: 500 INR.

Some tips:

1)      There are 5 aarti’s, the timings of two I know are 5:30am (Kakad aarti) and 8:30am.

2)      Must eats/drinks/buys include the famous and mouthwatering “Tambda and Pandhara Rassa”. Bring along some authentic Kolhapur chappals made of leather and cheap bargains.

3)      Panhala fort can be omitted, if this is your second time there.

4)      Cameras/Mobile phones are not allowed inside. So no photos of the diety.

5)      There is a short cut from panhala, which opens directly to warna-nagar. So no need to go all the way to Kolhapur again. It saves 20 odd kms.

6)      Do not litter (An advice to fellow (as we are) Indians! :p

They say; “You live only once; so go out there and explore!”