2 DAY TRIP FROM MUMBAI | SATARA - VASOTA FORT

At a distance of 3 km from Satara Bus Station, Natraj Mandir, also known as Uttara Chidambaram Temple, is a popular temple situated in Maharashtra and is located off NH4, connecting Satara and Solapur. It is one of the top places to visit in Satara.

The Natraj Mandir is dedicated to Lord Natraj, a manifestation of Lord Shiva performing the Tandava dance. The foundation for the temple was laid on May 1981. Samanna, a resident of Satara gifted the land for building the temple. The funding was given by the state governments of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu while the timber needed for the entire construction of the temple was given by the government of Kerala.

It is a replica of Sri Natraj Temple at Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, in much smaller size and is a desire of Sri Chandra Shekharendra Swami. Sri Uttara Chidambaram Temple was built by the famous sculpture artist Mr. M.S. Ganapathi Sthapathi and his brother Mr. M. Mutthayya Sthapathi. Similar to the Chidambaram .....

At a distance of 5 km from Satara Bus Station, Sangam Mahuli and Kshetra Mahuli are two sacred villages situated at the confluence of Krishna and Venna Rivers in Satara district of Maharashtra.

Sangam Mahuli is one of the popular pilgrimage places to visit in Satara. The other side of the river Krishna is called Kshetra Mahuli. These villages earlier were part of Aundh Princely State. Kshetra Mahuli was the birth place of Ramshastri Prabhune, the famous spiritual and political adviser of the fourth Peshva Madhavrav (1761-1772 CE). Mahuli was the place of meeting between the last Peshva Bajirav (1796-1817 CE) and Sir John Malcolm just before the Anglo-Maratha war was declared.

There are 2 well known temples around the convergence of the rivers - Vishweshwar and Rameshwar. Sri Kashi Vishweshwar Temple is situated in Sangam Mahuli and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple was built in 1735 CE by Shripatrao Pant Pratinidhi. This land was donated by Shahu Maharaj to Shripatrao .....

At a distance of 4 km from Satara Bus Stand, 58 km from Mahabaleshwar and 52 km from Panchgani, Ajinkyatara is an ancient hill fort situated on one of the seven mountains surrounding the city of Satara in the Sahyadri Mountains of Maharashtra. It is one among the major historic places of Maharashtra and one of the best Satara tourist places.

Situated atop Ajinkyatara Mountain, at an altitude of 3,300 feet, Ajinkyatara Fort offers a panoramic view of Satara City. Ajinkyatara Fort was built by Raja Bhoj of the Shilhara dynasty. In 1673 CE, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took control of this fort from Adil Sha and further Aurangajeb controlled this fort between 1700 CE and 1706 CE. In 1708 CE, Shahu Maharaj won Ajinkyatara, remained with the Marathas till the British conquered the fort in 1818 AD. Earlier, Tarabai Raje Bhonsale had won this fort from the Mughals and renamed it to Ajinkyatara. Under the Mughal rule, Ajinkyatara was called Azamtara. This was the place where Shahu Maharaj .....

At a distance of 24 km from Satara, 37 km from Mahabaleshwar and 50 km from Panchgani, the Kaas Plateau, also known as the Kas Pathar, is a vast volcanic lateritic plateau situated in Satara district of Maharashtra. It falls under the Sahyadri Sub Cluster and is among the top places to visit near Satara.

Popularly known as the Plateau of Flowers, Kaas Plateau is one of the famous tourist attractions in Maharashtra and also a popular picnic spot among nature lovers during late monsoons. The plateau is situated at an altitude of 1200 m and is approximately 1,000 hectares in area. The name 'Kaas' originates from the Kaasa tree.

Kaas Plateau was formed by volcanic activities and is covered by a thin soil cover as a result of which, no vegetation thrives in the region. This area comes under very high rainfall zone. Due to this, the flora and fauna of the region is quite unique. These unique ecological features make Kaas one of the hotspots of biodiversity.

The Plateau is .....

At a distance of 6 km from Kas Pathar, 28 km from Satara, 41 km from Mahabaleshwar, 53 km from Panchgani, 144 km from Pune & 299 km from Mumbai, Vajrai Falls is a picturesque waterfall located near Kas Flower Valley in Satara district of Maharashtra. This is one the most spectacular waterfalls in Maharashtra and also one of the top monsoon tourist places near Pune.

Vajrai Falls is a three tier waterfalls cascading down from a height of around 853 feet (260 m). This is a perennial waterfall but is very spectacular during monsoons. People from different parts of Maharashtra flock to this falls during the monsoons to watch the beautiful flow of the stream. The birthplace of Urmodi River is believed to start from the Vajrai Waterfalls. There are many small caves near Vajrai Falls which can be visited along with the falls.

The waterfall is situated near Bhambavali village in Satara district. One can reach the falls by using personal vehicle .....

At a distance of 18 km from Bamnoli, 56 km from Satara, 70 km from Mahabaleshwar and 82 km from Panchgani, Vasota Fort is an ancient hill fort situated at an altitude of 1171 m near Bamnoli in Satara district of Maharashtra. The fort is situated in the deep forests and valleys of Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary. It is one of the best places to visit in Satara and also one of the popular places of trekking in Maharashtra apart from being an ideal picnic spots near Pune for one day trip.

Situated on the banks of the Shivsagar Lake, Vasota Fort is surrounded by water on three sides. The Fort was built by King Bhojraj II of Shilhara dynasty in 1178-1193 AD. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj captured the fort in 1655 AD and renamed it as Vyagragad. In 1818 AD along with other forts of Marathas this fort also came under British control.

Vasota Fort, now in ruins, is famous for its traditional Maharashtrian architectural style. The fort comprises .....