Ichalkaranji is a city in Kolhapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is governed by a municipal council. Ichalkaranji City is known for its export of Textile goods and textile manufacturing industry. It has a total population of 2,87,353. The highest employment in the district is in Agro based, Textile, Wood, Jute, FMCG, Leather, Mineral and Chemical industries. The district has 54% of the workforce employed in the Agricultural Sector, 42% in the Industrial Sector and the remaining 4% are Household workers.
Kolhapur is one of the oldest areas in the country. It derives its importance from its past political association and its position as a great commercial historical religious and education centre. As a religious centre Kolhapur derives its appellation of Kashi of the south from the imposing ancient temple of Mahalakshmi. It is said to have been built by King Karnadeva of Chalukya Kingdom around 550 A.D. to 660 A.D. and embellished by the Silahara rulers of Kolhapur in the 9th century which represents the best Hindu architectural model of its kind.
For administrative purposes the district is divided into 4 sub-divisions viz., Karvir, Radhanagari, Gadhinglaj and Hatkanangle. Karvir sub-division includes Karvir, Kagal, Panhala and Shahuwadi tahsils, Radhanagari subdivision includes Radhanagari, Bavda and Bhudargad tahsils, Gadhinglaj sub-division includes Gadhinglaj, Ajra and Chandgad tahsils and Hatkangale sub-division includes Hatkanangle and Shirol tahsils.
The physical setting of the Kolhapur district is divided into three main parts namely Eastern ranges, Central ranges and Southern ranges. Eastern and Central ranges have black soil formed from lava and at some places it has large tracks of fertile land. The western ranges are mostly hilly and have red soil. The majority area in the west is under thick forest coverage.
Panchaganga, Warana, Dudhaganga, Vedganga, Bhogavati, Hiranyakeshi and Ghataprabha are main rivers which flows towards east through Western Ghats. The river Panchaganga is formed by the tributaries namely the Kasari, the Kumbi, the Tulsi and the Bhogavati. Krishna river flows in the east on easten border of the district, similarly Tillari river flows on western border to west.
