About Kolhapur and Kolhapuries....
Kolhapur (also known as Karveer) is situated on
banks of the sacred river Panchganga flowing in southwest part of
Maharashtra, India. Famous as the residence of the mother goddess
'Mahalaxmi alias Ambabai', this commercial and educational city
has temples and palaces which still has archaeological importance.
Kolhapur is situated 225 kms south of Pune. Kolhapur has become
a major industrial centre with more than 100 foundries and numerous
Machine Shops. The population size of the city is 7,00,000. Kolhapur
is situated at an altitude of 563 m. Kolhapur is heaven for connoisseurs
of good food. Some of the popular dishes of the region include Misal,
Kolhapuri Mutton Dry, Tambda (Dark Red) and Pandhara (White) Rassa
and Kakavi.
An important centre of Marathi film industry which
gave the industry stalwarts like V.Shantaram, Chandrakant and Surykant
Mandare. Kolhapur possesses historical as well as mythological importance.
It is known as Dakshin kashi on account of its deity Mahalakshmi
or Ambabai. The Ambabai temple was built by the Chalukya King Karnadeve
in 634 AD.The Irwin Agricultural Museum of Kolhapur has some old
Andhra coins. Bahubali, Jain Pilgrim centre, lies at a distance
of 38 km from Kolhapur.
Navratri,festival of Nine Nights is celebrated
by Kolhapuri people during September - Ooctober in honour of goddess
Mahalakshmi. Goddess Mahalakshmi's main shaktipith(the place where
goddess Mahalakshmi emmerged) is in Kolhapur.
The proud Maratha community, feed exceedingly well
on pulses, vegetables, bhakris made of various grains, rice and
meat. The meat used today has shown a definite shift towards white
meat, primarily chicken, but it is mutton that the Kolhapuris relish
the most. This region was famous for hunting because of the thick
jungle engulfing the area. Common game animals were sassa (rabbit)
and hiran (deer). Game birds were normally brought home but barbecued
on site. Hunting has been a popular sport in this region.
Mutton is still rated as the menu for celebration
and Kolhapuris are very particular about the source of meat. Pandarpur
and Baarshi are two places that feed the market of Kolhapur with
mutton carcasses. In villages, a full animal is slaughtered and
distributed (wata) amongst a number of families. Kolhapuris pay
great heed to the quality of mutton they use for their dishes. To
say that one particular cut of mutton is more popular than the other
would not be correct. One thing that is common is the fact most
Kolhapuris like to buy mutton themselves and would rarely ever delegate
this job to others. Each family has their family butcher, like a
family doctor, the butcher would know exactly what is preferred
by his regular customers. Most butchers distribute the carcass with
such ease and finesse that each customer feels that he or she is
the closest to the butcher and is getting the best value for money.
This in no way undervalues the knowledge of an average meat-eating
Kolhapuri. Their knowledge about different cuts of meat is much
more than the average meat-eating Indian. So much about meat and
not a word for our vegetarian readers! People of Kolhapur like to
show their hospitality by serving non-vegetarian dishes. However
their meal is not complete if it is not accompanied by Dahi Kandha
and Kharda -- a true vegetarian chilli treat!
Chill out!
|
