About Karad

Karad is a city in Satara district in the southern part of Indian state of Maharashtra and it is 320 km (180.19 miles) from Mumbai and 159 km from Pune. It lies at the confluence of Koyna River and the Krishna River known as the "Priti sangam". The two rivers originate at Mahabaleshwar (famous hill station in Satara- Maharashtra), which is around 100 km from Karad. They diverge at their origin, and travel for about the same distance to meet again in Karad. The rivers meet exactly head on, thus forming letter "T" which is the only head on confluence in the world. Hence Krishna and Koyna river's confluence is called Preeti Sangam, meaning Confluence of Love. Karad is well known for sugar production and is known as the sugar bowl of Maharashtra owing to the presence of many sugar factories in and around Karad. It is considered as an important educational hub in Western Maharashtra due to the presence of many prestigious educational institutes. This place is also known for resting place or (Samadhi) of the first chief minister of Maharashtra Shri. Yashwantrao Chavan situated at the confluence of Krishna and Koyana river.

Karad is located in western Maharashtra at a height of 1856 feet above sea level. It has an annual rainfall of 450 mm. Surrounded by sugarcane fields, mountains and valleys it enjoys a moderate climate with average day 0 0 temperature of 25 - 30 c.

Air:

International Airport at Mumbai and Domestic Airports at Pune, Belgaum and Kolhapur. Karad also has a small airport.


Rail

Mumbai - Kolhapur, Nijamuddin - Hubli, Gondiya - Kolhapur, Kurla - Bengaluru and all other major trains destined for Kolhapur and Mumbai have stop overs at Karad.

Road

Regular Bus service from Mumbai (350 km), Pune (162 km), Kolhapur (70 km), Solapur (240 km), Belgaum (170 km), Bijapur (210 km) is available.

Some Famous Tourist places in and around Karad are:

Some Famous Points Near Satara :

Mahabaleshwar, a hill station is 80 kms north from Karad. It is one of the few evergreen forests of India. It reaches a height of 4,718 ft at its highest peak above sea level, known as Wilson/Sunrise Point. It is a source of five rivers, the longest being the Krishna. The Venna lake, city market, strawberries and honey are themajor tourist attractions. Mahabaleshwar is known for its points, from where tourists can enjoy the scenery

Panchgani, surrounded by five hills of Sahyadri, is all season hill station elevated at 1305 meters above sea level and 18 km east of Mahabaleshwar. The magnificent scenery of Krishna Valley with its numerous hamlets, cultivated fields and picturesque view of the backwater of Dhom Dam can be seen along the whole northern ridge of the mountain. The five hills are topped by a volcanic plateau, which is the second highest in Asia after the Tibetan plateau.

Aundh, 40 kms northwest of Karad, is known for its hill temple, the Devi Yamai temple. The temple is very old but very attractive. The top of the temple has images and idols of various Hindu Gods. The temple complex contains the Shri Bhavani Museum, with paintings drawn by various well-known Indian artists including Raja Ravi Varma and the famous "Mother and Child" stone structure by Henry Moore.

Kolhapur, 'Dakshin (south) Kashi', 'historical capital of Maharashtra state', 'door of konkan', 'city of wrestlers', 'city of arts' and 'city of palaces and temples' is 70 kms south of Karad. It is situated on the banks of the river Panchganga and is the location of the Temple of Mahalakshmi, a Hindu goddess. Besides Mahalaxmi temple, the city has temples, lakes, amusement parks, museums, forts which are attractions for the tourists

Shri Kshetra Siddhagiri Math, Kaneri is known for the Siddhagiri Gramjivan Museum, a unique project, perhaps the only project in India. The place is near Kolhapur. The history of self-sufficient village life before invasion of Mughals in Maharashtra is depicted in this museum in the form of sculptures. Each sculpture is lifelike and has a multi dimensional effect and lifestyle theme.


TOP