Panvel

Raigad , Maharashtra

Panvel is the largest and the most populated city in the Raigad district in Maharashtra. It is also one of the most developing parts of the state and for all the tourists it is the gateway to the Konkan region. This is where the Western Ghats completely take you by surprise. When you leave the madness of Mumbai and reach the outskirts of Panvel you see the landscape all around you changing dramatically and this is when you realise a short distance can take you so far away from the stress of the city streets and plunge you into a place that may be a developing part but is still retaining its beauty because of the everlasting Western Ghats. This is a city that is flourishing due to a large scale growth of trade by land and by sea. This place is growing in leaps and bounds as it has been for 300 years from its very inception. Developed by the Marathas, British and the Portuguese, the people here realised that Panvel had the potential that very few places actually had and it has been a place of trade and business since then. There were also Historic cannons during the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj situated on Panvel port. The one place to definitely visit here between Pen and Panvel is the Karnala fort. At the bottom there is a bird sanctuary which is an absolute delight and will truly astonish you by its diversity. Two of the eight Asthavinayaks are also close to Panvel and thus it is a place that provides a stopover to many. This is a place that is the gateway to some of the most famous destinations in Maharashtra and thus today is a very important place in this region.