CHAPTER III EXISTING TOURIST PLACES AND AVAILABLE TOURISM FACILITIES

Transcription

1 CHAPTER III EXISTING TOURIST PLACES AND AVAILABLE TOURISM FACILITIES 3.1 INTRODUCTION The development of Tourism basically depends upon infrastructural facilities. It is an integral component of tourism development. It comprises of accommodation, transportation, telecommunications, water, power, entertainment and way side amenities like auto-service center, petrol pumps, food malls, public toilets etc. Kolhapur Municipal Corporation and Government of Maharashtra have been providing such infrastructural facilities. Besides, Kolhapur district has many natural and socio-cultural resources. These resources are natural landscape, flora and fauna, water reservoir, climate, entertainment and historical monuments. Hence, it helps to develop the tourist destinations. Kolhapur district is famous for religious, historical, socio-cultural and natural tourism. There are many tourism places which have religious, historical, cultural and natural importance. These tourism places are Kolhapur, Jotiba, Nrusinhwadi and Khidrapur, Radhanagari Wild life Sanctuary, Panhala, Vishalgad, Bhudargad and Gagangad. In spite of this, there are some scenic sites, parks, entertainment places which attract tourists from distant parts of the world. Out of that some places are declared as tourist centers by the government of Maharashtra. Therefore, this chapter deals with the information about existing tourist places and available infrastructural facilities like accommodation, transportation and communication, entertainment, water, electricity and health facility etc Classification of Tourist Places in Kolhapur District Kolhapur district has lots of natural resources, cultural traditions, historical background and various colorful fairs and festivals. It has a great opportunity of tourism development. There are different criteria used for selecting existing tourist places. These places are declared by the government as the tourist places. The detailed classification of existing tourist places is as follows: 65

2 Table: 3.1 Existing Tourist Places and Sites in Kolhapur District. Sr.No. Criteria Type Tourist centers 1 Natural Flora, Panhala hill Station, Vishalgad and Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary Fauna Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary 2 Cultural Water Bodies Rankala Tank Religious Kolhapur, Nrusinhwadi, Khidrapur, Jotiba, Vishalgad and Bahubali Museums Ch. Shahu Palace, Chandrakank Mandhare Art Gallery and Town Hall (Kolhapur), Kanerimath Wax Museum. Historical Shalini palace, New Palace, and Bhavani Mandap in Kolhapur, Panhala fort and Vishalgad. Institutions Shivaji University, Kolhapur, D.Y. Patil University, Bharati Vidyapeeth. Source: Compiled by the Researcher Map No. 3.1 Existing Tourist Places in Kolhapur District 66

3 3.2 EXISTING TOURIST PLACES IN KOLHAPUR DISTRICT Tourism is one of the important industries which promote country s economy. Its contribution is a major part of foreign exchange, employment, taxation and other sources. Kolhapur district is an important district in Maharashtra state. It has various resources, physiographic divisions, specific history, culture and tradition. It includes a number of religious, historical, cultural and natural tourism places. These places are as follows: Kolhapur district has several religious places. The religious places like Mahalaxmi temple in Kolhapur, Jotiba temple in Panhala tahsil, Mirasaheb Darga at Vishalgad in Shahuwadi tahsil, Bahubali temple in Hatkanangale tahsil, Kopeshwar Temple at Khidrapur and Shree Datta Temple at Nrusinhwadi in Shirol tahsil are the important religious places. Map No. 3.1 shows the existing tourist places in Kolhapur district Kolhapur Kolhapur is located in the south west part of Maharashtra. The geographical intersections are 16º42ˈ N latitude & 74 º14ˈ E longitude. The average height of Kolhapur is 550 meters above the mean sea level. It occupies about sq. kms of land. Kolhapur is a famous place from the religious point of view. It is situated on the right bank of the river Panchaganga. Kolhapur is nationally and internationally well known for its ancient temples and sacredness. It is also known as Dakshin Kashi. The Mahalaxmi temple is the major religious tourist place in Kolhapur. It is located about 3 kms in the south west of central bus stand and 2 kms from railway station. Tourist can reach by private vehicles, cars, jeeps, auto rickshaws and city buses from various places. It is one, out of the three and a half Shaktipeeths, named Tuljabhavani Devi (Tuljapur), Mahalaxmi (Kolhapur), Renuka Devi (Mahur, Nanded) and Saptashringi Devi (Vani). Kolhapur is an ancient dwelling place of Mahalaxmi. Mahalaxmi Devi is also known as Ambabai. Mahalaxmi is one of the spiritual centers in the study area. The temple of Mahalaxmi has been built in the 7 th century by the King Karnadev of Chalukya dynasty and it was embellished over several centuries. The temple of Mahalaxmi is the main attraction for the tourists. The tourists of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka have deep faith in Mahalaxmi and visit the temple. From the religious point of view other temples like Kotitirth, Khelkhandoba, Trimboli, Radha Krishna temple, Phirangi temple, Shankaracharya Math, Jain temple, and Babujamal Darga etc. are also important for the devotees. The local devotees always visit these places. 67

4 Kolhapur is also famous from the historical point of view; hence a number of tourists coming from the distant parts of India. Bhavani Mandap is an important tourist site in Kolhapur. The image of Goddess Bhavani is seen in the Bhavani temple. The surrounding area of Bhavani mandap is a proof of the royal wealth. It is the biggest historical renowned place in Kolhapur. New Palace is also an important and special attraction for the tourist. It is also called Maharaja Palace. It is surrounded by a beautiful garden with a small water tank. This palace is famous for a museum in Kolhapur city. The various collections like costumes, weapons, games, jewellery, embroidery and paraphernalia such as silver elephant saddles are very attractive for the tourists. Shalini Palace is situated very close to the famous Rankala tank. It is surrounded by the palm trees and lush green lawns. In 1987 this palace was converted in to the Hotel Shalini Palace. The tourists can see the image of Shalini palace in Rankala tank during the night of full moon (Pournima). It is one of the attractions for the tourists. Rankala tank is also one of the important places in Kolhapur. This tank is named after the temple of Rankbhairav an incarnation of lord Shiva. There are so many fast food Sailors, fruit Sailors and toy sailors for the tourists. Hence tourists visit to the Rankala tank. The town hall is a government museum. It contains old paintings, coins, weaponry and Pottery fragments. Hence it is attractive place for the tourists. The Khasbag Maidan is a well-known wrestling ground. It is one of the important attractions for the tourists in Kolhapur. Kolhapur is a city of art. Chandrakant Mandhare Art gallery is famous in Kolhapur. This art gallery is established at the residence of Chandrakant Mandhare in the 7 th lane of Rajarampuri. Shivaji University is one of the important and popular educational centers in the western Maharashtra. This university is established in The statue of Ch. Shivaji Maharaj is constructed in front of the main building there is a beautiful garden around it. A number of students, people and tourists enjoy every morning and evening in the university campus. 68

5 Photo Plate No. 3.1 Jotiba Temple Photo Plate No. 3.2 Jotiba Temple Campus Jotiba The Jotiba temple is located at Wadi Ratnagiri in Panhala tahsil. It is also called as Jotiba Hill. It is 20 kms in the north-west of Kolhapur. The intersection of Jotiba is 16º69ˈ N latitude and 74º22ˈ E longitude. The height of Jotiba is 957 meters from the MSL. It is about 7 kms in the east of Kolhapur-Ratnagiri National Highway (NH-204) and about one km away from MSRTC bus stand. Tourists can reach by bus, car, jeep, taxi and self-vehicle. The Jotiba Hill is a branch of Sahyadri hill range. It is 69

6 also a mini hill station in the district. Wadi Ratnagiri is a famous place from the religious point of view. The people of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have deep faith in this god. The temple of Jotiba is located at the center of the village and around this temple other small temples like Ramling, Kedareshwar and Bhairavnath are also important. According to one myth the demons troubled goddess Mahalaxmi so she went to Kedareshwar in the Himalaya and prayed him to protect her. Kedareshwar came to this hill and killed the demons. And finally he settled on the Jotiba Hill. This temple was built by Ranojirao Shinde in The length of temple is 57 feet and width is 37 feet. The height of temple is 77 feet including the spire. The second important temple of Kedareshwar is built by Daulatrao Shinde in It is 49 feet long and 22 feet broad. The height of this temple is 89 feet including dome. The third important temple of Ramling is built by Malji Nilam Panhalkar in The length and breadth of temple is feet. The height of temple is 40 feet including the dome. The Yamai temple is located outside the village. It is built by Ranojirao Shinde. It is 47 feet long and 27 feet broad and about 49 feet high including the dome. In front of Yamai there are two sacred cisterns, one of which is 164 feet long, 143 feet broad and 18 feet deep. It is built by Jijabai Saheb in The second sacred cistern is known as Jamadagni tirth, which is built by Ranojirao Shinde. The annual fair has been held in March/ April; most of religious tourists visit Jotiba. The small fairs have also been held on every Sunday and every fool-moon Nrusinhwadi Nrusinhwadi is situated in Shirol tahsil and is 50 kms east of Kolhapur. It is an important place from the religious point of view. It is about 0.5 kms in the east of MSRTC bus stand of Nrusinhwadi. Nrusinhwadi is located at the intersection of 16º43ˈ N latitude and 74º34ˈ E longitude and on the right bank of the river Krishna. The height of Nrusinhwadi is about 540 meters from the MSL. It is also called Narsobachiwadi. According to the ancient history, Shri Nrusinh Saraswati stayed in this area below the Oudumber tree (Ficus glomerata) for 12 years and he flourished this region, after that this place has become a sacred place of lord Datta. Swayambhu Paduka of Dattaguru is worshipped there. Tourists visit the Nrusinhwadi every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The annual fair is held every year in the month of December. Millions of religious tourists from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka visit this place. 70

7 Photo Plate No. 3.3 Shri Kshetra Kadsidheshwar Kanerimath Photo Plate No. 3.4 Sidhagiri Gramjeevan Wax Museum Kanerimath Kanerimath is one of the famous religious tourist places. It is situated on the Pune- Bangalore National Highway (NH-4) at Kaneri in Karveer tahsil. It is about 14 km in the south-east of Kolhapur city. Tourists can reach by KMT buses, jeeps, taxies, cars and own vehicles. It is on the intersection of 16º35ˈ N latitude and 73º25ˈ E longitude. The height of Kanerimath is 590 meters from the MSL. Shri Kshetra Siddhagiri Math has a history of more than 1300 years, and is a holy place of worship of Lord Mahadeva. In the middle section of Math is the temple of Kadsidheshwar. 71

8 Around this temple there are small shrines dedicated to Adkeshwar, Chakreshwar and Rudrapad. In front of the main temple the statues of lord Shiva and of his sacred bull are erected at this place. Sidhagiri gram Jivan Wax museum is constructed near the temple. It is spread over 7 acres area. This Museum is a dream village of Mahatma Gandhi, Visually and symbolically created through the vision and efforts of present 27 th Mathadhipati Kadsiddheshwar Swamiji. The objective of this Museum is to refresh the history of self-sufficient village life before the invasion of Mughals in Maharashtra. The museum has about 80 scenes, which show more than 300 statues. At that time 12 Balutedars and 18 Alutedars, who provided equipments to all villagers in their day to day necessities of domestic as well as agricultural life. The description of all 18 Alutedars, 12 Balutedars and other people and their duties are described in the museum. The annual fair is held in the month of Feb-March (Mahashivaratri). At that time there mahaprasad is provided for the devotees. Therefore a large number of religious, historical and cultural tourists visit Kanerimath Bahubali Bahubali is situated 29 kms in the north-east of Kolhapur. It is 9 kms in the north of Hatkanangale railway station and 7 kms away from Hatkanangale bus stand. The MSRTC buses serve transportation facility for the tourists. Besides, the private jeeps, taxies, auto rickshaws and other vehicles provide transportation facility. Bahubali is located on the intersection of 16⁰ 8 78 N latitude and 74⁰ 42 1 E longitude. It is a sacred place of Jain religion. 300 years ago, Munishri 108 Bahubali Maharaj was meditating in the forest area. There are 1008 shri Adinath, Shri Chandraprabhu, shri Shantinath temple on this hill. The statue of Bahubali is an important attraction for the tourists. The height of the statue is meters. The festival is held for 3 days in January, 2 days in November and after every 12 years is held Mahamastbhishek. At that time near about 3 to 4 lakh pilgrims visit there. Most of devotees are from the Jain community of Maharashtra, Karnataka and other states of India. 72

9 Photo Plate No. 3.5 Jahaj Mandir Photo Plate No. 3.6 Shri Kshetra Bahubali 73

10 Photo Plate No.3.7 Shri Kshetra Khidrapur Photo Plate No. 3.8 Construction Structure of Khidrapur Temple Khidrapur Khidrapur is situated about 65 km in the east of Kolhapur on the bank of the Krishna River. It is an ancient and artistic famous temple of lord Kopeshwar. This temple was built in century by Shilahar king Gandaraditya, Vijayaditya and Bhoj II. The artistic temple of Kopeshwar is beautiful with carved sculpture. It has a 74

11 marvelous architectural. This temple has been declared as a protected monument by the government of Maharashtra. The transportation facility is provided by MSRTC buses, but the frequency of buses is very low. The tourists can reach there by Taxi, car, jeep, rental vehicles and selfvehicles Panhala Development of tourism depends upon pleasant climate, scenery, ancient monuments, historical and cultural features. In addition to this, good infrastructural facilities are also important. Panhala fort is located on the Sahyadri Mountain Range in Panhala tahsil of Kolhapur district. It is about 20 km to the north-west of Kolhapur. The Panhala fort is located at the intersection of 16⁰ 48 N latitude and 74⁰ 33 E longitude. The average height of Panhala fort is 845 meters from the MSL. It is an important historical tourist place and also one of the hill stations in the district. Besides, the tourist can see number of mountains of Sahyadri range, cliff and deep valley from Panhala fort. The Panhala fort is built by Shilahar Bhoj Raja II ( AD). The large number of tourists visit Panhala fort throughout the year except four months of rainy season VISHALGAD Source: Photo Plate No. 3.9 Vishalgad 75

12 The fort Vishalgad is situated 76 km in the north-west of Kolhapur. It is about 0.8 kms away from Vishalgad MSRTC bus stand. The MSRTC buses and other private vehicles are also available for transportation. It is located on the intersection of 16⁰ 9 6 N latitude and 73⁰ E longitude. The height of ishalgad is 1 5 meters from the MSL. The fort is constructed by the Shilahar king Narsinha in 1058 A.C. It is on the border of the hilly portion of the Sahyadri ranges and the Konkan. It is recognized as watch tower of the Konkan region. Now a days this fort is ruined but main Darwaja of fort is in good condition. The other historical marks are Sarkarwada, Bhopal tale, tomb of Bajiprabhu and Phulaji and monuments of Ahilyabai Holkar. In addition to this the other tourist sites like Amruteshwar temple, Shri Narsinha temple, Takmak toy, Darga of Hazarat Malik Raihan are important. Therefore most of the people visit Vishalgad from the historical and religious point of view. Every Thursday devotees visit Vishalgad DAJIPUR (Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary) The first and foremost wildlife sanctuary is located at Dajipur in Radhanagari tahsil of Maharashtra. It is about 80 kms in the south-west of Kolhapur. Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary is about 22 kms east of Dajipur village. There the roads are totally rough. The tourists can reach there by the MSRTC buses. Although the frequency of buses is high the tourists cannot reach the destination, unless they have their own or rental vehicles. Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary is a place as multiple attractions. The attractions like different vegetation, wildlife, dam and landforms are important for the tourists. All over the Maharashtra Radhanagari tahsil is famous for its dense forest. This western part of the Sahyadri Ranges has an enchanting Bio-diversity. There are more than 1500 flowering plants and more than 300 medical plants. It also contains 235 species of birds and 212 species of butterflies. The important sites are Laxmi Sagar water reservoir, Shahu Sagar water reservoir, Savaraisada, Sambar Kond, Konkan darshan point, Waghache Pani, Ugavai Devarai and Shivgad fort etc. 3.3 EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURAL FACILITIES Expansion and modernization of infrastructure is an important challenge to tourism. Many regions in the world are not in a position to reap the benefits of tourism, because of the lack of infrastructure. Hence, the development of tourism basically depends on the infrastructural facilities. These infrastructural facilities are airports, hotels, roads, water supply, information system and other public amenities. 76

13 In addition to the development of new infrastructure, the improvements and upgradation in the existing infrastructure which is undertaken in order to attract visitors is also of crucial importance. The tourist expenditure may be responsible for stimulating other economic activities of the destination. These economic activities are hoteling, lodging and boarding, automobile, fast-food stalls, tea booths, agro-products and different malls etc. The destination wise analysis of infrastructural facilities of the study region is as follows: KOLHAPUR Kolhapur is a well-developed city in Maharashtra. The major facilities are accommodation, transportation, road, water supply, health and education. These facilities are as follows: Transportation: - Transportation activity is a mean to reach the destination and also the means of movement at the destination. In most cases, tourism is developed in the areas where extensive transportation network is available. Kolhapur is well connected with two National Highway NH-04 and NH-204. It is also connected by the south central railway and by the Kingfisher Airlines. Kolhapur is connected to Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Hydrabad, Delhi and other major cities of India by road. The MSRTC buses, tourist buses, cars, taxies and city buses are important as a mode of transportation in Kolhapur. It has three MSRTC bus stands namely CBS, Sambhajinagar and Rankala. The total length of road is kms in urban area. Out of that kms is National Highway, kms is State Highway, km district road and 220 kms other roads. The internal transportation of city is under the control of KMT. Kolhapur Municipal Transport (KMT) is a major means of public transportation in Kolhapur city and its surrounding area. The KMT is equipped with 128 buses. All these buses travel near about kms per day. There are 5 main bus stands as Bhavani Mandap, Shivaji Putala, Gangavesh, Shahu Maidan, and Maharana Pratap Chowk. About 350 pickup sheds are available for the public around KMT limit. The KMT has also supplied various public transportation facilities like one day pass, students concession pass, and monthly pass for passengers. One-day passes is very useful to the tourists. Most of the tourists use one-day pass facility for travelling. The total vehicles of Kolhapur are as given in following table. 77

14 Table: Vehicles in Kolhapur Sr.No. Types of vehicles No. of Vehicles 1 Motor cycle Moped Car, jeep, van Auto Rickshaw City Buses Station Wagons 34 7 Taxi School Buses 24 9 Ambulance 101 Source: -RTO office Kolhapur Accommodation:-Accommodation is also important for the development of tourism. There are 200 hotels, out of those three star hotels are 9, two star hotels are 6 and one star hotels are about 51 in numbers. About 134 hotels are not costly and the average tourist can accommodate there. Other accommodation facilities like Dharamshala, Mangal Karyalaya and house of Pujari and government accommodation are also available for the tourists. Mahalaxmi Dharamshala and Shri Shantiprakash Dharamshala provide accommodation facilities for the poor people. The Mangal Karyalaya like Mangaldham Karyalaya, Radheshyam Mangal Karyalaya, Laxmi Mangal Karyalaya, Ganesh Mangal Karyalaya and Suyog Mangal Karyalaya are also available for the low income class people. Table: Number of Hotels/ Lodges Types Total 5 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 stars Other Hotel/Lodge Dharamshala Mangal Karyalaya Govet. Rest House 7 Source:-Field work Education: Education facilities are also necessary for the development of region. As far as educational facility is concerned, Kolhapur is a highly developed city. The education facilities are as follows: 78

15 Table: 3.4 Education Facilities in Kolhapur Sr. No. Education Facility Total 1 Primary School International School 5 3 Secondary & Higher Secondary School 83 4 Senior College 17 5 Engineering College 13 6 Agriculture College 2 7 Medical College 5 8 Pharmacy College 3 9 Law college 2 10 University 1 Source: District Socio-economic Abstract-2011 Health Facility: Minimum one dispensary and one medical store are essential at the destination. Health, Nutrition Status and the extent of medical facilities determine the wellbeing of the tourists. Kolhapur fulfills near about all the medical facilities. C.P.R. Hospital is biggest hospital in Kolhapur. Table: Medical Facilities- Kolhapur Sr.No. Medical Facilities Numbers 1 Hospitals 06 2 Dispensaries 26 3 PHC 09 4 PHCs 50 5 Doctors Nurses No of Beds 1014 Source: District socio-economic abstract Media and Information System: There different dailies are available in Kolhapur i.e. Pudhari, Lokmat, Sakal, Loksatta, Kesari, and Maharashtra Times, Samna, Tarun Bharat and Punyanagari are important. Pudhari is a special daily published in Kolhapur. Times of India and the Indian Express are English newspapers. Telephone and Mobile facilities are also available at the place. Besides, broadcasting of FM Radio Service is available viz. Tomato FM 94.3 MH2, Radio Mirchi 98.3 MH2, All India Radio FM MHZ. etc. Other Facilities:-Other facilities are also necessary for the tourists. These facilities are gardens, cultural activities and entertainment, video center and theaters etc. There 17 cinema halls and some video centers, one drama theater available for tourists in Kolhapur. 79

16 3.3.2 PANHALA The infrastructural facilities like hotel, lodging and boarding, power, water, health, transportation and education play a vital role in tourism development. These facilities are as following. Education:-Education is an important facility at the destination. The following educational institutions are run at Panhala. Table:-3.6 Education Facilities- Panhala Sr.No. Types of Education facilities Total No. 1 Nursery & Public school 03 2 Primary school(boyes-1, Girl-1) 02 3 Secondary school 01 4 Higher Secondary school 01 5 College 01 Source: - Field Work Transportation:-Panhala fort is well connected to Kolhapur & Konkan by road. The MSRTC buses are available from Kolhapur to Panhala. The tourist can use private and hired cars, tourist buses, and jeeps to reach the destination. The transportation facilities are as follows. Table: Transportation Facilities- Panhala Sr. No. Type of vehicles No. of Vehicles 1 Bicycle Scooter, Motor cycle, Moped Car, Jeep, Van 20 4 Auto Rickshaw 10 5 S.T. Buses 27 Source- Field Work Accommodation:-Accommodation facility also plays a vital role in the development of tourism. The fort Panhala is a very famous heritage center and mini hill station in the Kolhapur district. There are so many hotels & restaurants and Government rest houses. 80

17 Table: Accommodation Facilities- Panhala Sr.No. Types of Accommodation No. of Accommodation 1 Hotel & Lodges 14 2 (Government Rest Houses) PWD 01 Dept. of Forest 01 Z.P. 01 M.S.E.B 01 3 Bungalow 02 4 MTDC Hotel 01 Total 21 Source: Field Work Health facility: There are four private dispensary, a Govt. dispensary and three medicals. Industry: The local people are engaged in hoteling and agriculture. Media and Information Systems:-The Development of tourism also depends upon Media and Information system. There various daily newspapers like Daily Sakal, Pudhari, Lokmat, Tarun-Bharat, Punyanagari etc. are available at Panhala. Besides it, a mobile facility is also available for the tourists. Other Facilities:-Other facilities like entertainment, internet café, sport and parks are helpful to the development of tourism. There is one touring cinema theater, two computer centers and a big water tank for the swimming NRUSINHWADI Nrusinhwadi is a very famous religious place but the infrastructure facilities are very limited in it. These are as follows: Education:-As per the field work ( ) there are 06 Preprimary Schools, one Z.P. School, one high school and one college. Table: Education Facilities- Nrusinhwadi Sr.No. Type of Education facilities Total No. 1 Preprimary Schools 06 2 Primary Schools 01 3 High school 01 4 College 01 Total 09 Source: - Grampanchayat Nrusinhwadi Accommodation:-For the accommodation purpose the hotels, lodges, maths, bhakt nivas and Dharamshala etc. are available in Nrusinhwadi. Table No shows about 81

18 the accommodation facilities available at Nrusinhwadi. However, the present accommodation is inadequate for the devotees. Table: Accommodation Facilities- Nrusinhwadi Sr.No. Types of Accommodation Total No. 1 Bhakt Nivas 2 2 Dharamshala 3 3 Hotel & Lodge 5 4 Pujari Home As a Needed Source: 1) Field Work ) Grampanchayat Nrusinhwadi. Transportation:-Nrusinhwadi is well connected to neighboring cities by road like Kurundwad, Ichalkaranji, Jaysingpur, Miraj, Sangli, Hatkanangale and Kolhapur. The MSRTC is providing good transportation service. There is regular bus service from Miraj, Sangli, Kolhapur, Jaysingpur and Kurundwad. Other transportation facilities like jeep, car, taxi and Auto Rickshaw are also available for tourists. These are as follows: Table:-3.11 Transportation Facilities- Nrusinhwadi Sr.No. Type of Vehicle No.of Vehicles 1 Auto Rickshaw 40 2 Two wheeler Jeep & Car 25 4 ST. Buses 36 Source: 1) Field Work ) Grampanchayat Nrusinhwadi. Health Facilities:-Heath facility is necessary for the development of village. There are four Private dispensaries, three medicals and one government (PHC) available at Nrusinhwadi. Other Facilities: Nrusinhwadi stands on the right banks of the Krishna. The interesting spot for the tourists is the confluence of the Krishna and Panchaganga JOTIBA It is one of the important religious destinations. There are following facilities. Education: It increases the literacy of region; literacy and development of tourism are related to one another. There are 3 Preprimary Schools, 2 Primary Schools, 2 High Schools and one Junior College at Jotiba. Accommodation: There is one Dharamshala, one MTDC hotel and 5 other private lodges available for tourists. Transportation: Jotiba is connected to Kolhapur by tar-road. The tourists can visit this destination by the MSRTC buss, taxies, cars, tourist buses and auto rickshaws. 82

19 The most of the devotees and tourists use their own cars and two wheelers for travelling. Health Facilities:-There are 4 dispensaries, three medicals, two hospitals and one PHC at Jotiba BAHUBALI The following infrastructural facilities are available at Bahubali. Education: There are 4 Preprimary Schools, 2 Primary Schools and one High School. Besides, shri M.G. Shaha Vidyamandir trust provides from primary to higher secondary education for the students. Accommodation: There are two guest houses of a trust, one Dharamshala, one Yatrinivas and two private lodges. Transportation:-Bahubali is located 8 km away from Hatkanangale in the north. There is the MSRTC bus service. Besides, auto rickshaws, Jeeps, cars and taxies are also available for the tourists. Health Facilities:-There are 4 private dispensary and two medicals and one PHC at the Bahubali. Other facilities: - Jahaj Mandir is a very interesting place for the tourists. Expect this there is no other facility at Bahubali KHIDRAPUR Khidrapur, an ancient religious place, is far away from the district place. Hence the frequency of MSRTC buses is very low. These facilities available at Khidrapur are as follows: Accommodation: Being a remote place there is only one Bhakt Nivas at Khidrapur, but the tourists do not stay there, because of many problems. Transportation:-The MSRTC buses serve at Khidrapur. Buses serve from Ichalkaranji, Kurundwad, Miraj, Sangli and Kolhapur but the frequency of buses is very low. In addition to the private vehicles like cars, jeeps and taxies serve as a mode of transportation. Education:-There are two Preprimary Schools, one Primary and one Secondary School. Health facility:-it is a small village, but it is famous for Kopeshwar temple. There are two private hospitals and one government PHCs available. Other Facilities:-It is a rural area; therefore there are no entertainment facilities. 83

20 3.3.7 DAJIPUR (Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary) It is a small village, situated in the hilly region. Hence the infrastructure facilities are very limited. Some important facilities are as follows: Education: As per the field survey , there are three preprimary schools, 5 Primary Schools and one High school. Table: 3.12 Education Facilities- Dajipur Sr. Types of Education Total No. No. 1 Preprimary school 03 2 Primary School 05 3 High school 01 Total 09 (Source: Field Survey ) Accommodation: Accommodation facility at this place is very limited. There is a rest house and two tents available for accommodation. The rest house has two suits and there four tourists can accommodate at a time. About six tourists can accommodate in the tent. But at the time of tourist season, it is difficult to get accommodation because more than fourty five tourists visit Radhanagari Wildlife sanctuary per day. It creates pressure on available accommodation facilities. Besides, Radhanagari and Kalamwadi dam provide separate accommodation facilities for the tourist. These are managed by M.S.E.B and Irrigation Departments, but accommodation place is more than 30 kms away from this sanctuary. The tourist cannot stay easily at these places. Transportation: Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary is located on the Kolhapur Fonda Road. There are daily MSRTC buses from Kolhapur to Sindudurg, Sawantwadi, Vijaydurg, Vengurle and two buses from Radhanagari to Dajipur. The road from Kolhapur to Sawantwadi is metalled. But Radhanagari Sanctuary is about 22 kms away from Dajipur village. The road from Dajipur to Sanctuary is rough. Therefore the private vehicles like jeep, car and tempo must be hired to reach the sanctuary. 84

21 3.4 Analysis of Facilities: Development of tourism is basically based on the infrastructure. The infrastructure facility is the major tool of sustainable development of tourism such facilities are accommodation, transportation, communication, water, electricity, health, food and shopping etc. The brief analysis of the infrastructural facilities is as follows: Accommodation: Accommodation is the core area of tourist industry and plays a distinctive role in the development of this ever-expanding industry.which is useful to domestic and international tourists.it forms an important feature of the total tourist image of the country. Hence accommodation is essential each and every tourist places in the region. Kpolhapur has 200 hotels, 4 dharamshala 5 mangalkarlaya and 7 govt. rest houses. Panhala is also well-developed place about the accommodation. Panhala has 14 lodges, 4 Govt. rest houses and MTDC hotel. Whereas Dajipur and Nrusinhwadi both places are not well-developed about the accommodation. There should be need 10 hotels each tourism places. Accessibility: Transportation network is also essential to the easy movement of people from one place to another place. The district has very good network which is connect all the cities in Maharashta. Most of the existing tourist places are connected with tar road. Kolhapur city has many transportation routes e.g. Road, Airway, Railway and Water way. The city is very rich about transportation network than other existing tourist places. Panhala, Nrusinhwadi and Dajipur have only roadway facility. Transportation: Transportation facilities are importantant for the development of tourism. This is promoting tourists to travel tourist destination. The MSRTC is provided very well transportation services to all the existing tourist places except Radhanagari wild life sanctuary. Communication facilities are also important for the tourism development. The BSNL, Airtel, Vodaphone, Idea, Reliance, Uninor, TATA docomo etc. mobile facilty are very rare at Dajipur. All the places have post and telephone facility. Out of them Kolhapur city is well-developed for all the facilities. Drinking Water: Clean and pure water facility is supplied by various Nagarpalika and Mahanagarpalika. But Nrusinhwadi Grapanchayat is supplied clean water for the people. 85

22 Health Facility: Health facility is also helps for development of these activities. Kolhapour is very well for the health services while other existing tourist places should not provided good medical facilities for the tourist and people. Shopping facility: The shopping facility is major phenomena for the development of economic condition of people and which is promoting local products in the world market. Kolhapur, Jotiba and Panhala etc. places are provided good shopping facility for the tourists. But Radhanagari wild life sanctuary is an unque place; it did not supply this facility to the tourists. Bank and Co-operative bank: Kolhapur, Panhala, Jotiba and other existing places have many banks, ATM facility except Dajipur wildlife sanctuary. Besides, some potential places are also provided these facilities. About 418 bank branches are available in the district e.g. 191 KDCC, 22 Nationalized banks and 220 commercial branches. 86

23 REFERENCES 1) Bhatia, A. K. (1996): International Tourism- Fundamentals and Practices, Sterling Publishers New Delhi pp. 68 2) Charlie, S. (2011): Religious Tourism, Discovery Publishing House Pvt. Ltd, New 3) Delhi. 4) Collector office Kolhapur- Kolhapur district tourism plan ) Gram Panchayat Nrusinhwadi (2011), A Report National Rural Drinking Water Program, Tal.-Shirol Dist. - Kolhapur. 6) Hajare, P. J. (2012): Tourism Development in Raigad District: A Geographical Analysis, Unpublished Ph. D thesis, Tilak Maharashtra University Pune 7) Jag, P. (2008): Tourism Development, Murlilal and sons, New Delhi pp. 62 8) Kolhapur District Gazetteers (1989) 9) Kolhapur district Censes Hand Book 2001 and ) Kumar, A.V. (2009): Indian tourism Industry in 21 ST century, Sonali Publication, New Delhi pp. 110 and ) Sharma, S. P. (2004): Tourism Education-Principles- Theories and Practices, pp. 43, ) Sharma, J. K, (2007): Tourism Product and services development strategy and management options, Kanishka publishers, distributers, New Delhi. 13) 14) corporation.gov.in 15) 16) 17) 87