sangli

Location: 430-km Away From Mumbai, In The Southern Part Of Maharashtra
Famous For: Manufacturing Of Musical Instruments
Main Attractions: Ganapati Temple, Single Fort, and Krishna Ghat
Best Time To Visit: October And February
Single City is located in the southern part of the Maharashtra State, and lies along the Krishna River, east of 0f Kolhapur, on the Pune-Bangalore railway. Single, which is 430-km away from Mumbai was the former capital (1761-1947) of former Single State.
Its market in oilseeds and turmeric is one of the most important in India. Single has a Ganapati temple that attracts many devotees. Single city is an important educational center with schools and technical institutes, colleges of arts, science, and engineering facilities, affiliated with Shivaji University, Kolhapur.
Single is rapidly extending on all sides except along the Krishna River. Single and Miraj to the east are merging to create a large urban agglomeration. Miraj, also a capital of a former Princely State, is renowned for manufacturing musical instruments. The Dargah of Meerasaheb Avail attracts devotees from far and wide.

PRIME ATTRACTIONS

The Valley of river Krishna and its tributaries is one of the greenest areas in the country. Other small rivers like Warana, Yearly and Panchganga meet river Krishna. There are numerous unknown spots of scenic beauty in and around Krishna Valley near Single. The Grand Temple of Lord Ganesh in Single attracts tourists from all over India. There are a number of Hindu Shrines and Jain Temples in and around Single, which attract lot of devotees.

Single Fort: Single Fort is situated in the center of Single City. Inside the fort is the Collector’s office, Revenue Office, a Marathi school " Purohit Girls High school" and a museum. Rajwada, the palace is also located inside the fort, and the museum is located in backside of the Rajwada. Just opposite to the fort is the present court of Single district.

Ganapati Temple: The Ganapati temple situated on banks of river Krishna at Single is most beautiful temple in south Maharashtra. It is a tutelar deity of Single. Thorle (elder) Chintamanrao Patwardhan consecrated the idol in 1843. This temple is very famous for its artistic construction. It is built out of black stone made available from the hills of Jyotiba. The temple has a large premise, covering a sprawling two acres. It comprises of a platform, an excellent hall and a "Nagarkhana". The door of the sanctum is carved out of different coloured natural wood. The temple is located on eastern bank of river Krishna.

 Krishna Ghat: The confluence of the rivers Krishna and Warana is at Haripur a small town near Single. A temple is situated on the banks of these two rivers. In the year 1768 Govind Hari Patwardhan made houses for the Brahmins, which is why Hari Patwardhan knows the town as “Haripur” as a tribute.

Gokak waterfalls: The waterfall is just 2 hours travel from Single by train or a car. The best time to visit this falls is between Junes to October as there is plenty of water. There is a swinging bridge on the waterfalls. Gokak Dam and the Hydroelectric Power plant are also worth watching.

Mahabaleshwar: Mahabaleshwar, Queen of all Hill Stations, is situated at an altitude of 1372m in the heart of Sahyadri Hills in Satara District. The hill station has a legendary past. The name 'Mahabaleshwar' is derived from a temple of Lord Mahadev and three Sanskrit words, 'Maha' (great), 'Bal' (power) and 'Ishwar' (God). But, some say that the name 'Mahabaleshwar', which simply means very mighty God, seems to have a mythological past.

Pratapgad Fort: Pratapgad Fort is one of the formidable mountain forts built by Shivaji, 24-km away from the famous hill-station Mahabaleshwar. The fort holds a commanding view of coastal Konkan. One can see the Raigadh fort from here. The Bhavani temple and Afzal Khan's Tomb are other places of interest.

Koyna Dam: The Koyna dam is a big dam, built high in Satara district of the Sahyadris on one of the major tributaries of the Krishna, which is a "Major Irrigation Project'' in the terminology of the Indian Government. Its reservoir has a storage capacity of 98 TMC feet and the dam generates over 900 MW of electricity.

Bahubali Hill Temples (Kumbhojgiri): Bahubali hill temples are located 27-km south of Kolhapur on Bahubali Hills. These hills are popularly known as "Kumbhojgiri". It is a popular site revered by both Hindus and Jains. A Celibacy Resort was established in 1935 and named after the sage Bahubali who mediated here about 300 years before.

Chandoli Forests: Mountains and thick forests surround the Chandoli region, which is about 65-km from Single. This is a famous spot for its scenic beauty and wild animals like monkeys, deer, wild goat, rabbits, tigers, peacocks, snakes, etc. Chandoli dam is also worth visiting with rare species of trees and plants. This region also witnesses maximum rainfall.

Bijapur: Bijapur is about 4 hours drive from Single. One can get Maharashtra and Karnataka State Transport Buses from Single to reach Bijapur. Private Cars can also be hired from Single. This is a one-day trip from Single. Bijapur is a historical place known for its ancient palaces. Adilshah built a number of palaces in Bijapur. The most famous of them is the Gol Gumbaj. There are some other historical palaces in Bijapur too.

Sagareshwar Wild Life sanctuary: Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is at trifurcating of three tehsils namely Khanapur, Walva and Palus Tehsils of Single district covering an area of is 10.87-sq-km in Western Maharashtra. The significance of this sanctuary is that it is a man made sanctuary. Sagareshwar is an artificially cultivated forest without perennial supply off water and in which most of the wildlife species are artificially introduced. It was first brought under the category of park, then Sagaroba game reserve in 1980 and thereafter, in 1985, it became Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary when approximately 52 animals were set free in the area.

Pandharpur: Pandharpur also known, as "Bhu-Vaikuntha" or Paradise on Earth is the spiritual capital of Maharashtra, situated on the banks of the river Bhimarathi also known Chandrabhaga. It is located 65-km west of Sholapur. Pandharpur houses a shrine of Vithoba, on the banks of the river. 'Vithoba' is a form of Krishna. The name Vithoba means Father Vitthala. The term Vitthala is said to have been derived from the word Vishnu in Kannada. It was previously called, as "Pandarga", a sanskritised form of Pandharpur. This shrine was closely associated with a saint called Pundalik, and hence this shrine is also known as "Pundarika Pura". There is also a shrine to Pundalik at Pandharpur. Vithoba's consort is Rakhumai or Rukmini.

Battis Shirala: Battis Shirala is a small village about 65-km from Single located in the hilly area covered by thick forests. These forests have a wide species of snakes right from the deadliest King Cobra to the rare species of Pythons. Every year during the "Snake Festival", thousands of visitors from India and abroad visit this place.

Narsobawadi: Narsobawadi is a small village located close to Kolhapur, which attracts tourists in quite a large number. It is popularly know as Narsobachi Wadi. This place is situated at the confluence of river Krishna and Panch Ganga. Narsobawadi has a great archaeological significance.

HOW TO GET THERE

Air: The nearest International Airport is at Mumbai (430-kms). The nearest Airport is at Kolhapur, which is 48-kms away from Single.

Rail: There is a railway station at Single. Many trains pass through this station connecting it with important cities within the state.

Road: Single is about 430-km from Mumbai, 750-km from Bangalore and 220-km from Pune. It is just 35-km off the Mumbai-Bangalore National Highway. The Ratnagiri-Nagpur Highway also passes through Single. The Maharashtra State Transport runs several deluxe and semi-deluxe buses from Mumbai, Pune, and Goa to Single. Karnataka and Goa State Transports also operate services from Single.

GENERAL INFORMATION

NEARBY CITIES

Kolhapur:48-km
Chandoli:65-km
Shirala:65-km