We are always on the look for new places to explore around and if our search leads us to a beautiful place we find our efforts successful. In such an effort to find new weekend getaway from Pune I came across a place or I should say a small city in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra state. The name of this beautiful city is Panhala which is the smallest but very beautiful city of Maharashtra. Now let me brief you why this city is so special. Actually Panhala is a city situated inside a huge fort spread over an area of only 390 acres and with an altitude of 977.2 meters. Isn’t it amazing to explore a city like this one? This small city is always known as a Municipal Council.If you put your head into the history of this magnificent fort which is actually the largest fort in all Deccan forts of our country then you come to know that this fort has seen numerous rulers time to time and there are many events of its rise and fall among various conquerors. The fort’s inception date is assumed in the late twelfth century around 1178 to 1209 on the beautiful Sahyadri Hills. No one actually knows the exact dates of its construction but according to some inscriptions in the form of a copper plate found in Satara points out its existence in 1191- 92. The copper plate illustrates this place as a seat of Raja Silhara Bhoja II. Some sources found in the fort itself also states that Panhala was under the governance of Bijapur’s Adil Shali dynasty around 1498. During this time the ruler of this place was Ibrahim Adil Shah. There are several other rulers who ruled this city of Panhala over a period of time. They are Yadavas, Sambhaji, Aurangzeb, Kashi Ranganath Sarpotdar, Marathas and British.The history and the inception of the fort is almost a thousand years old and thus it has several ancient buildings and some are almost in ruins in its premises which is having a circumference of 7.30 kilometres. The fort is located at a height of 400 metres. You may be surprised to know that till late eighteenth century until 1782 the fort was under the ruling of Maratha empire and its most favourite king Shivaji had spent more than five hundred days of his life in this fort. It was the only place apart from his childhood place where Shivaji spent this much time. Unfortunately in the year 1827 British took over this fort from Marathas and start using it for their benefit. Marathas have a deep connection with this fort as it has seen their rise as strength and their fall in the hands of British ruling. There are caves in Panhala known as Parashar Caves as it is said that Maharishi Parashar lived here. Another source reveals that a Marathi Poet named Moropant has done major part of his work in these caves in the eighteenth century. These caves are called Tirths (holy water) in Karvir Puraan. There is a water reservoir in the fort enhancing the beauty of this place along with fulfilling the water needs of its small population. From the fort you can enjoy the panoramic view of the valley below. Though Panhala’s fort is the main attraction here but there are some more places around to haunt you their unique stories. Though you may not find this place as conventional spot but it is definitely a small hill station and perfect place to relax and enjoy the heritage. It is a good place for trekking and enjoy the beauty of nature and take a dip into the history.People here speak Marathi basically but Hindi and English are also known to people here.This heritage city and small hill station is easily reached by all nearby areas by road, railways or airways from Kolhapur. Kolhapur airport is 32 kilometres and Kolhapur Railway station is 20 kilometres from the fort & it is the nearest rail head. There are state bus services available from surrounding areas to reach the city.Best time to visit PanhalaOne should avoid July and August months. Apart from these two months rest of the time is good to visit the city.Where to stay?One can stay at MTDC accommodation which offers old styled rooms and tents for visitors. There are some private accommodations are also available in hotels in the area.Distance from Kolhapur20 kilometres займ на карту без отказов круглосуточновзять кредит онлайн