Gaganbawada

Gaganbawada is a town situated in the district of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, India. It is located

55 km by road from Kolhapur. It is the taluka headquarters.
 Gaganbawada

गगनबावडा
town

gagangad

Gaganbawada

Location in Maharashtra, India

Coordinates: 16.5457904°N 73.8311296°E (https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=

Gaganbawada&params=16.5457904_N_73.8311296_E_type:city(4000)_region:IN-MH)

Country  India

State Maharashtra

District Kolhapur

Named for gagan means sky.literally means sky touching

town.

Government

 • Type Panchayat Raj

 • Body Gram Panchayat

Population (2001)

 • Total 4,000
 Languages
 • Official Marathi

Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)

Telephone code 02326

Vehicle registration MH-09

Nearest city Kolhapur/Kankavali/Rajapur

Civic agency Gram Panchayat

Climate Cool, Heavy rainfall area (Köppen)

Gaganbawada is situated on the sahyadri range or the western ghats also has a very famous
fort Gagangad near it. Gaganbawada, though only 55 km from Kolhapur, is non developed
and hilly area of the district. Gaganbawada gets the maximum rainfall during rainy season.
Gaganbawada is on threshold of famous Karul Ghat & Bhuibawada Ghat.
Perhaps the only
place having two ghats originating at a single place but going towards different directions,
one towards Talere-Kankavali (Karul Ghat)
and another towards Kharepatan-Rajapur
(Bhuibawada Ghat). The Kolhapur district boundary ends immediately after Gaganbawada
and Sindhudurg District starts just at the beginning of Karul Ghat and Bhuibawada Ghat.
From Gaganbawada bus stand, road to the left will take one to the Karul Ghat and road to the
right will take you to the Bhuibawada Ghat. The Karul Ghat starts immediately after
Gaganbawada village (1 km from bus stand).
Karul Ghat goes towards Northern part of
Sindhudurg District. Tha quality of road is good. Length of Karul Ghat is 11 km. The entire
ghat comes under the administration of Vaibhavwadi Tehsil of Sindhudurg.
This ghat is
beautiful and very scenic in monsoon. This ghat ends just before Vaibhavwadi and the state
highway ends at Talere village (NH 17).
The other ghat called Bhuibawada Ghat starts at the
right turn from Gaganbawada Bus stand.
This entire ghat also comes in Vaibhavwadi Tehsil
of Sindhudurg. The ghat is of 10 km length with medium quality road and useful for people
going towards southern part of Ratnagiri District's Rajapur area. This ghat ends at
Bhuibawada and this road will further take one to Kharepatan Town (NH 17).

History

Gaganbawada used to be called Bawada Mahal and comprise the current Gaganbawada
tehsil of Kolhapur district and the current entire tehsil of Vaibhavwadi of Sindhudurg district.
In 1981, Sindhudurg became the independent district. The entire Vaibhavwadi area which
used to be a part of Gaganbawada Tehsil was at the foothills of Sahyadri and it was very
tedious for people living at the foothills to come to Gaganbawaba for their daily needs. So the
portion of Sahyadri foothills was separated from Gaganbawada tehsil of Kolhapur District
and joined to the Sindhudurg District. At that time the villages called Vaibhavwadi, Karul,
Bhuibawada, Umbarde, Tithavali, Achirne, etc. became a part of Sindhudurg district and
Vaibhavwadi became the tehsil headquarters.
Now the funny thing is The Gagangiri Ashram
and fort is only 1 km from Gaganbawada of Kolhapur district above Sahyadri range but
geographically it is a part of Vaibhavwadi Tehsil of Sindhudurg district which is at the
foothills of Sahyadri range.

amatya wada palasambe

During the rule of the Marathas and British raj, the Bavda estate was 243 sq.mi in extent.[1]

Jahagirdars of Bavda
Meherban Shrimant Madahvrao Moreshwar Pant Amatya

In popular culture

The famous Marathi movies called Pachadlela (2004) and Kaal Ratri Bara Vajta (1991) were
shot in the village of Palsambe just 7 km before Gaganbawada on Kolhapur-Gaganbawada
road. The wada (Bunglow) shown in these movies is very scenic place. Kumbhi river flows
behind it.

Interesting Places to Visit

Gaganbawada offers you most scenic views of mighty mountain ranges of Western Ghats.
Each season the view will be different and magnificent. The misty mountains and lush green
hills of Gaganbawada are treat to the eyes. It's serene and calm surroundings are real delight.
Gaganbawada has rich historical and mythological background. It also has a gift of diverse
biodiversity. The flora and fauna in the forests around Gaganbawada will mesmerise any
nature lover.

•Karul Ghat & Bhuibawada Ghat - These two ghats are one of the most scenic routes which
originate from Gaganbawada and connect the Deccan Plateau to coastal region, Konkan, of
Maharashtra. Karul Ghat descends towards Vaibbhavwadi and is 19 km in length. The road
condition is pretty good. This route further goes up to Talere and meets NH17 (Mumbai-Goa
highway). Bhuibawada Ghat is smaller compared to Karul and descends towards
Bhuibawada Village. This ghat is of 11 km but road is narrow and not in good condition. Both
The ghats have scenic views of valleys and hills. At the start of both the ghats near
Gaganbawada there are view points from where one can enjoy the sun set.

View from Karul Ghat

•Gagangad Fort and Gagangiri Ashram - 1 km from Gaganbawada town lay ruins of
Gagangad Fort. During British rule it was the headquarters of Gaganbawada tehsil,
comprising around 243 square miles now known as Sidhudurg District. There are a small
mosque and Bhavani temple in the fort. The guarding walls of the fort can be seen at some
places. During his early penance days Shri Gagangiri Maharaj settled in a cave known as
Garbhagiri near the fort and perfected his tantrik techniques. Now there is a temple of
Gurudatta and ashram of devotees of Shri Gagangiri Maharaj. During Datta jayanti, a large
number of devotees visit the place and it is one of the main festivals of Gaganbawada town.
Gagagngad

•Morjai Temple and Plateau - For a hiking enthusiasts Morjai Plateau near Gaganbawada is
Must visit. 8 km from the town at height of 980 MSL this laterite plateau is perfect example
of "Sada Ecosystem". One can drive down till the base of plateau and then hike up. The hike is
moderate and generally takes about 45 minutes to reach the top. At the end of the plateau
stands a unique cave temple of Morjai goddess. Morjai is known as the goddess of peace
and people come here to solve their disputes in front of her. A local pujari Mr Gurav 72 yrs of
age does the hike twice a day to lit a lamp and clean the temple. As the monsoon comes to
an end the plateau becomes a carpet of wildflowers. Some nature enthusiasts call it "Kaas"
of Kolhapur district.

Plateau of Morjai

Morjai Plateau
Morjai Temple

•Lakhmapur Dam - On the way to Morjai from Gaganbawada one can also visit to a
Lakhmapur Dam. This 1.6 TMC capacity dam is one of the largest water bodies in the area.
Water is mainly used for irrigation of farms. It also has a small hydro-electricity generation
unit.

Aerial view of Lakhmapur Dam

•Pandav Caves - Pandav Caves, commonly known as Ramling are 8 km from Gagagnbawada.
These caves are located near small village called Palsambe. Situated in a small gorge
created by stream these caves are believed to be carved by Bhima in one night. There are
three monolithic structures, "Sadhana Ghar", which were used as places of meditation during
ancient days. the references of these caves are even found in the literature dating back to 5th
century.
people at Pandav caves

Pandav Caves in monsoon

Shivling in Pandav Caves

Pandav Caves

•D. Y. Patil Sugar Factory - D. Y. Patil Sugar Factory is the only big industry in this area and
provides a good opportunity for enthusiast to understand the process of sugar making. If you
are lucky one of the engineers may accompany you and explain the process in detail.

•Bavdekar Bungalow - Next to the sugar factory stands this magnificent bungalow once
inhabited by then Jahagirdar of Gaganbawada Shri Madhavrao Pandit Pant Amatya. Though
used rarely by the descendants of Pant Amatya the bungalow is well maintained and has
been featured in few movies and serials, its featured in the 2004 Marathi horror-comedy film
Pachadlela directed by Mahesh Kothare. The heirs of Shri Madhavrao are planning to start a
small museum in this bungalow soon.
Old heritage building

•Biodiversity - The forests around Gaganbawada are extremely rich in biodiversity. For nature
enthusiasts Gaganbawada has many surprises. More than 120 species of birds, 50 species
of butterflies, 21 species of mammals inhabit the forests of Gaganbawada. These forests are
also home to many medicinal plants and herbs.

Karvi Flower

Malabar Giant Suirrel near The Camp

Calotes Versicolor

Wild Flowers of Gaganbawada

Wildflowers of GB

[2]

Rustic Butterfly

[3]

Best Time to visit

You can visit Gaganbawada during any time of the year. The climate of Gaganbawada is
always pleasant. Gaganbawada blooms with different charm in different season. If you are
not much of a rain person then avoid months of July and August. Make sure you are carrying
enough warm wear if you are visiting during winters. Sometimes you may need a blanket
even during the summer.
=

How to get here

Gaganbawada lies on State Highway 115 and is well connected. There is a good frequency of
state transport buses from Kolhapur, Vaibhavwadi and Kharepatan. Few private buses from
Pune and Mumbai going to Goa can drop you at Gaganbawada. Nearest railway stations are
Vaibhawadi (20 km), Kolhapur (50 km) and Kankavali. Pune airport is approximately 290 km
from Gaganbawada.
(pune-kolhapur buses are frequent from Swargate, Pune Station from
Pune

1. regular buses from Kolhapur, Kankavali

Gaganbawda is a town situated in the district of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, India. It is located

55 km by road from Kolhapur. Gaganbawda is situated on the sahyadri range or the western
ghats also has a very famous fort Gagangad near it. Gaganbawada, though only 55 km from
Kolhapur, is non developed and hilly area of the district.[4]

Distances from Gaganbawada

1. Kolhapur - 55 km

2. Pune - 288 km

3. Vaibhavwadi - 19 km

4. Talere - 33 km

5. Kankavali - 55 km

6. Bhuibawada - 12 km

7. Kharepatan - 35 km

8. Rajapur - 55 km

9. Mumbai - 450 km

10. Achara - 88km

11. malvan - 95 km

Why to visit

1. historical, cultural place

2. hill station
 3. Lovers paradise

4. enjoy rain and waterfalls in ghats

5. trekking, camping heaven

6. wild animal, birds sightings

7. secure excursion and not risk of theft

References

1. R. V. Solomon,J. W. Bond (1922). Indian States: A Biographical, Historical, and Administrative Survey
(https://books.google.com/books?id=47sfj8DUwNgC&q=meherban+madavrao+moreshvar+pant&pg=
PA110) . Asian Educational Services. p. 110. ISBN 9788120619654.

2. Naik, Devadatta. "Places Of Interest" (http://thecamp.in/places-interest/) . www.thecamp.in. The

Camp. Retrieved 3 September 2017.

3. "Interesting places to visit in Gaganbawada" (https://www.kaajvaforeststay.com/places-to-visit-gagan

bawada-kolhapur.php) . kaajvaforeststay.com. Welcome to Kaajva - The Forest Stay at
Gaganbavada, Kolhapur. Retrieved 14 April 2021.

4. "Gaganbawada" (https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m0269yx8) . artsandculture.google.com.

Google. Retrieved 14 April 2021.

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