Panhala dashes all preconceived notions of a conventional Indian hill station. It is smaller than Mahabaleshwar, larger than Matheran. Size, though, isn't everything, as Panhala's importance to the collective Maharashtrian imagination proves. Though the little hill town measures just over 7 km in circumference, its strategic location near Kolhapur, with easy access to the Konkan, caused it to fall into the hands of many dynasties at various points of time. However, Panhala is mostly identified with the Maratha warrior-king Shivaji, who captured it in AD 1659.

Because of its minuscule size a small plateau tucked within the walls of a 12th-century fort Panhala pleads to be explored on foot. This little-known holiday retreat has none of the typical touristy pastimes. Indeed, the lack of development and organised activity is part and parcel of Panhala's charm. Here one creates one's own entertainment. It is the ideal place to relax and do a whole lot of nothing.