Lonavala History, India

Lonavala is a city situated in the state of Maharastra in India. It is a very beautiful place surrounded with green hills and natural beauty. This city is very old and has great historical significance. It was first discovered in 1811 AD. It was discovered by the then Governor General of Bombay, Sir Elphinstone. He was very interested in the peace and beauty that Lonavala offered.

It was mainly a lush forest when it was discovered. Because of its jungle atmosphere, there was a very small population and the few that lived there normally, were away in the jungle. As it was a lonely and deep forest, it was known as “Lonali” in the old age from which it received its name. There is a word found in Sanskrit “Layan” which means place of rest making Lonavala the perfect name to describe this serene area.

When it was translated to “Prakrit” the word changed to “Len” which means resting place engraved out of stone. There is another word “Avali” which indicates the meaning “series”. In “Prakrit” it means the area around which there are several series of such Lens. Hence, we may come to a conclusion that the words “Len” and “Avali” created the word “Lonavali”. The word seems to have some significance in the history of the “Lonavala”.

If we look at the political history, we will find Lonavala in the “Yadav dynasty”. After this dynasty, the Moghul emperor invaded Lonavala and ruled it for a long time afterwards. After that, “Maratha and Peshwa” took control and ruled over the fort of Lonavala.

The great Maratha warriors, “Mavlas”, played important roles in that era of  history. The senapathi (General) of Peshwas “ Sardar Dabhade” hailed by nearby Talegaon. Khandala played another significant role during that time. The Britishers & Raghunath Rao Peshwa captured Khandala Ghat together in 1778. It was then ruled by  Peshwa until 1818.

In 1818, the British started to rule over the territory. Mahadji Shinde fought the British at the Battle of Vadgaon and defeated them. Thus, Vadgaon has become a historically important place near Lonavala for this defeat.

There are a number of natural sites that are associated with Lonavala like The Karla, Bhaja and Bedsa caves being some of the more popular attractions. These caves also have historic significance in the history of Lonavala. It is believed that Buddhist Saints were praying in the nearby area of the caves and then they were suddenly created from these prayers. The caves were built in the 2nd century BC by a Buddhist Monk. There is some controversy as to whether it was built in the period of Hinayana or during the Rule of SataVahanas.  There are other historical places and rivers that are also located in this city. It is believed that the four children of “Alandi” spent their entire life on the bank of Indrayani. They were the first people to live in Lonavala.