Contents * 1 History * 1.1 Kolhapur as a princely state * 2 Geography and climate * 3 Culture * 3.1 Sports * 3.2 Cuisine * 4 Places of interest * 5 Transportation * 5.1 Train * 5.2 Road * 5.3 Air * 6 See also * 7 References * 8 External links |
Kolhapur pronunciation (help·info) (Marathi: कोल्हापूर) is a city situated in the southwest corner ofMaharashtra, India. The population of Kolhapur city was 493,167, 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 the river Panchganga and is the location of the Temple of Mahalakshmi, a Hindu goddess.
[edit] History
Kolhapur is an 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 byMahalakshmi 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 namedKolhapura in the southern country. Here the Devi Laksmi always dwells...." [2]
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 LordNeminath. 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...