Karad is a small but upcoming town in Satara Dist. It is situated on the banks of
the confluence of Krishna & Koyna Rivers. It is on Pune – Bengluru national highway
no. 4 and is well connected to other cities by road & rail. It is surrounded by
many places of tourists interest like Koyna Dam, Ozarde water falls, Shri Ram temple
at Chaphal and Satara etc. Radhanagari Dam, Dajipur Bison Sanctury, Gokak Falls
are few other places on 2-3 hours drive from Karad. 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.