Tourist Places in Karad, Maharashtra, India
India. It is situated about 311 km southwest of state capital Mumbai and about 163 km south of Pune. It is positioned on the convergence of Krishna and Koyna River. The town lies between latitude 17.28° in the north and longitude 74.2° in the east. The Postal Code of Karad is 415110 and the town is placed at an altitude of 566 meters.
Karad is popularly called as ‘The Sugar Bowl of Maharashtra’ because of its larger existence of sugar factories. Other than the sugar factories, Karad is home to top educational institutions which includes Government College of Pharmacy, Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Doulatrao Aher College of Engineering and Venutai Chavan Arts and Commerce College.
History of Karad:
Karad is a historical town earlier known as ‘Karhatak’. According Hindu Mythology, Sahadeva (a brother of Arjuna) lived in the town and also believed that Lord Rama resided here. Karad also witnessed the rule of Mughal Empires.
Culture and Food in Karad:
Karad is populated with higher majority of Hindus and equal ratio of Muslims and Christians. Marathi is the official and widely spoken language in the town. Also several people speak Hindi and Urdu as well. The Devi Krishnamai Temple is the major worship place of Karad and there is annual fair celebrated with great splendor.
Karad Food is similar to Maharashtra style. Most of the natives in Karad uses rice, wheat, jowar and dal as part of their daily routine. Roti and Chapathi are the daily usable foods of the locals. Also the natives like non vegetarian dishes of chicken, fish and mutton.
In recent years, Karad is gradually developing in shopping sector. There are numerous branded cloth showrooms started their operations all around the town and also the town houses few handicraft product centres.
Connectivity to Karad:
Tourist can easily reach Karad by road and railway mode of transport from Mumbai or Goa. There are regular buses plying between Karad and its nearby regions and the buses are easily accessible from Karad Town Bus stand.
Karad has railway Station located 4 km away from the midpoint of the town and the major cities like Mumbai, Pune, Ernakulam, Kolhapur, Ajmer, Gandhidham, Bangalore and Mysore trains are available from here.
Kolhapur Airport is the closest airport to Karad situated 75 km away.
Visitor Magnetisms in Karad:
Devi Krishnamai Temple:
Devi Krishnamai Temple is a prime attraction of Karad lies on the banks of Krishna River. This temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna and has stunning idol of Lord Krishna. A mandap and gabhara are other major attractions of the temple.
Sadashivgad:
Sadashivgad is a hill station widely popular for Sadashivgad Fort. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the founder of Sadashivgad Fort. There is one temple of Lord Shiva located in the vicinity of the fort and the temple is visited by great numbers of pilgrims in the month of Shravan every year.
Vasantgad:
Vasantgad is a village famous for worship places, six piers and a citadel located at a distance of 2 km away from Karad Town. The fort located in Vasantgad comprises a ruined idol of Lord Ganesh and the fort is best view point for watching the flow of River Koyna. Chandragiri Ghal is located in the vicinity of the fort.
Shivaji Cricket Stadium:
Shivaji Cricket Stadium is the main landmark positioned in centre of Karad City. It is a very wide cricket stadium and has a large sitting arrangement. Other than the cricket matches, there are several cultural events like Independence Day and Republic Day celebrated in Shivaji Cricket Stadium.
The list of other tourist attractions in and near Karad include:
- Devi Koynamai Temple
- Agashiv
- Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
- Thoseghar Waterfall
- Chandoli Dam
- Char Bhinti
- Ajinkyatara Fort
Best time to visit Karad:
End of winter months and beginning of summer months are the ideal time to visit Karad.
Accommodation Options in Karad:
The luxury and budgeted hotels in Karad and Satara (55 km) are as follows:
- Hotel Pankaj Executive
- Shree Annapurna Prasad Hotel
- Sangam Hotel
- Bhagyashri Hotel
- Ajanta Resort
- Hotel Alankar
- Krishna Palace
- Golden Tadka
- Hotel Hindmata
- Hotel Trupti Lodge
- Sagar Deluxe Hotel
- Rajtara Hotel
- Aakar International Hotel
- Sairaja Hotel
- Nisarg Resort
- Sai Palace Hotel