Located in the interiors of a plateau and surrounded by thousands of windmills, Ramghal is a huge cave facing a thickly forested valley. The place has historical significance as Sant Ramdas, known to be the spiritual guru of King Shivaji, resided in this place and did meditation in the 16 th century.How to reach: Located in Satara district, Ramghal is 110kms away from Kolhapur and a two hours’ drive from the city. One has to take national highway 4 towards Pune till Umbraj town falling ahead of Karad. From Umbraj, one has to take a left towards Chafal village and cross several small villages like Madhaliwadi, Waghjaiwadi, Khanoli, Dadholi, Dhangarwada to reach Kubadtirth Sadha Dadholi village which houses the cave.Legend has it: Said to be a place where Sant Ramdas meditated, Ramghal is believed to be a man-made cave. Shyam Gurav, a priest at the temple inside the cave, said, “Sant Ramdas travelled across places and used several ‘ghal’ (small caves) for meditation. The road to the cave has a very narrow stairway passing between two-three giant rocks. On Sundays and especially during monsoon, the place attracts devotees and and trekkers alike from across Maharashtra. It is also said Sant Ramdas had a secret tunnel here which leads to the Sajjangad fort in Satara district.”Flora and Fauna: Not only will one get a cool atmosphere here, thanks to the windmills, but one will also get to see several colourful flowers blooming out of the edges of rocks. The steep valley on one side makes for a breath-taking view. Environment researcher Amol Jadhav said, “Ramghal cave and its premises is an ideal ground for breeding of snakes and other reptiles. Eagles, monkeys, butterflies and a host of other creatures can be found in plenty here”.

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