Satara District is located in the western part of
Maharashtra. It is bordered by
Pune District in the north,
Solapur District in the east,
Sangli District in the south,
Ratnagiri District in the west and
Raigad District in the north-west. Satara features a variety of landscapes influenced by relief, climate and vegetation. With an area of 10,484 sq km, it has a population of over 2.7 million. The temperature varies from 11
o C to 37
o C. Satara receives an average rainfall of over 142 cm. The main rivers are Koyna and Krishna. Bajra, jowar, wheat, rice, sugarcane, groundnut and potato are the chief crops.
Satara was once the capital of Maratha kingdom.
Karad city is an old place where you can find temples and Buddhist caves. Ajinkyatara Fort, Char Bhinti Hutatma Smarak, Thoseghar Waterfall,
Kas Talav (lake), Natraj Mandir,
Tapola Lake (for boating) and Pratapgad Fort are the major tourist spots. Kuraneshwar Temple, Yevateshwar Temple, Shikhar Shinganapur Temple, Siddhanath Temple at Mhaswad, Yamai Devi Temple at
Aundh and Bhavani Temple on Pratapgad are some of the holy places. Satara District is famous for the Shivaji Museum at Satara and Bhavani Museum at Aundh.