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PLACES
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GAGAN-BAVADA
Gagan-Bavada (Bavada Peta; p. 1,338), one of the fifteen forts built by Bhoja Raja of Panhala (1178-1209), lies thirty-six miles south-west of Kolhapur on a peak of the Sahyadris more than 2,500 feet above the sea. The fort rises sharply from the Konkan and is very difficult to approach. The hill and the country around were formerly thick with forest, which has now largely disappeared.
About a mile to the east of the fort lies the villages of Bavada An excessive rainfall averaging 249 inches during the thirty-seven years ending 1957 makes the climate unhealthy during the rainy season (June to September). The water is abundant and excellent. Every Thursday a market is held at which the chief article sold is grain. Every year in Caitra or March-April a fair is held in honour of Sri Rama. The fair is said to have been established on the advice of the saint Ramadas by Ramcandra Nilkanth Amatya, the founder of the Bavada Jahagir family. Besides the above fair, a fair or urus, is held in honour of Gaibi Saheb, twice a year, one at the beginning of the rains and the other in Kartik or October-November.
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