Down the Pune–Bengaluru highway
The drive to Kolhapur is one of the smoothest long trips from Pune. You leave the city through Katraj, pass through the Khambatki tunnel, and then run south on the wide Pune–Bengaluru highway past Satara and Karad. There are plenty of clean food stops along the way, so breaks are easy to plan.
Kolhapur sits on the Panchganga river, close to the Sahyadri on the west. With a Pune to Kolhapur tempo traveller, you have the vehicle with you for the whole stay, so getting between the city, the hill temples and the fort is simple.
Ambabai Mahalaxmi
The Mahalaxmi temple, called Ambabai by locals, is one of the most important Shakti Peethas in Maharashtra. The black stone temple is an ancient structure in the heart of the old city, and the goddess faces west, which is unusual. A few days each year, during the Kiranotsav, the setting sun’s rays enter the temple and fall on the idol, an event that draws large crowds.
The temple area is busy and lively, with flower and offering stalls all around. Darshan is followed, for many families, by a walk through the old market lanes nearby.
Jyotiba, Panhala and the rest of Kolhapur
Jyotiba, also called Kedarnath of the Deccan, sits on a hill at Wadi Ratnagiri north-west of the city. During the Chaitra Purnima yatra, the whole hill turns pink with gulal and lakhs of devotees arrive with tall decorated sasankathi poles.
Further along the same hills is Panhala, one of the largest forts in the Deccan and linked with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the story of Baji Prabhu Deshpande’s stand at Pavan Khind. In the city itself, Rankala Lake is the evening spot for families, and the New Palace houses the museum of the Kolhapur royal family.
How long to stay in Kolhapur
If you only want Mahalaxmi darshan, a Pune to Kolhapur tempo traveller can do the trip in a long day, leaving before dawn and returning late at night. Most families, though, find two days far more enjoyable. That gives you an unhurried darshan, an evening at Rankala, Jyotiba and Panhala the next morning, and time for a proper Kolhapuri meal.
Groups with three days often add Narsobawadi, the Datta temple at the meeting of the Krishna and Panchganga rivers, or break the journey at Karad and Satara on the way home.
Food, chappals and shopping
No Kolhapur trip is complete without misal, mutton or veg thali with tambda and pandhra rassa, and a pair of handmade Kolhapuri chappals. Kolhapuri jaggery (gul) and masalas are also popular to carry home.
Picking a vehicle for the highway
For extended families, the 20-seater is a good fit, while the luxury tempo traveller suits groups who want extra comfort on the highway. The fare is per km with a daily minimum distance per day, and toll, parking and driver allowance are usually extra on this route. See the price page for details, or look at our Satara and Kaas trip if you want to break the journey there.
