Maharashtra’s main dam is the Koyna Dam. This dam is made from debris and concrete and is built on river named Koyna, flowing up to Sahyadri ranges’ hill station, Mahabaleshwar. The dam is situated in Satara district’s Koyna Nagar and is snuggled to Western Ghats on the highway linking Karad and Chiplun.

This dam solves the function of hydroelectricity and provides irrigation. The major accomplished project of hydroelectricity in India is the Koyna Hydroelectric Project and it has a power of 1,920 MW. The large scale energy generation from Koyna River makes it ‘Maharashtra’s line of life’.
The dam’s spillway is situated in the middle of it. Its entry through gates is said to be radial and these are 6 in number. It plays a very important role in the control of floods in monsoons.

Shivajisagar Lake is formed from the Koyna River and its length is around 50 km or 31 mi. After India got independence, this is among the main projects of civil engineering that got authorized. The Board of Electricity of State in Maharashtra runs the Koyna project of hydroelectricity.

This dam has survived a lot of earthquakes, even the destructive earthquake of Koyna Nagar in 1967 which resulted into few cracks. These cracks were fixed later. In order to reduce the pressures in dam’s body, openings were made internally. Indian scientists have established a motivated project and drill deep holes down there in order to deeply learn about the activity of earthquake. It will be of assistance in earthquakes’ forecast. According to this proposal, drilling has to be done till it reaches 7 km and to learn about the reservoir’s chemical, physical and geological properties and processes. The scientists of India will be leading this project of international importance. The dam’s portion that was not into the flow was made stronger in the year 1973, and the section of spillway was later made stronger in the year 2006. At present, even the earthquake of much intensity compared to 1967’s earthquake, expectedly cannot make harm.

The lovers of nature find the Koyna dam a heavenly place. This place is actually attractive and the person who visits here get refreshed totally and it becomes an eternal experience for anybody visiting here.

Highlights of the Area

Western Ghats border the dam situated in scenic surroundings.  Apart from the enthralling scenery, lush green jungles are there surrounding the area. National Highway- 4 is the preferred route to the Koyna dam via Satara. There are mountains, vegetation and rivers along this route. A few toll-taxes are to be paid on the Satara route. Koyna dam’s area of catchment is incredibly beautiful.  A lot of greenery, fields of paddy and waterfalls, are there at this place. A lot of tourists are attracted towards this place because of its thrilling beauty. This picturesque location always experiences rainfall and that too heavy, which becomes the main feature of Western Ghats. The pleasing waterfall of Ozardy is enormous and thus there is consideration for it to be taken for generation of power.

There are 4 dams under the Koyna project, and Koyna dam is leading in terms of area. The equipments that generate electricity are positioned in caves deeply dug and bounded by charming hills.

Various things can be done here. This place has a blessing of rocky hills and spectacular valleys which makes it suitable for some sports such as trekking, photography, hiking and boating.

Other Attraction at the Area

Various tourist attractions are there nearby. Mount Malcolm’s beauty attracts enthusiasts of history. This is an old construction that belongs to 19th century. Followers from around India are attracted towards the holy temples in Gokaran and Mahabaleshwar. There are the statues of Mahabali and Shiva adorning the temples. Mahabali’s statue is a Shivalingam, a holy piece respected by devotees of Hindu origin.

Thosegar is another very charming location worth visiting during monsoons. This is an ideal spot for picnic as there are a number of waterfalls, dense forests and bodies of water. There are numerous waterfalls near Koyna dam which include Dhobi, Chinaman, Dudhsagar and Lingmala. The color of many waterfalls is milky white and a noise of thunder is made when they fall from height.

How to Reach

Air plane, bus and train can easily be taken up from metropolitan cities to the district of Satara.

By Train

There is an active railway station in Satara, through which a number of trains pass from Karnataka. Trains can be opted from Mysore or Bangalore crossing Satara and that arrives at Gandhidham, Jodhpur, Dadar and Ajmer. The basic fare of such trains is approximately Rs 350 and of First AC is Rs 1200. Also, the fare of trains running in daytime is approximately Rs 350.

By Bus

Buses are easily available up to Satara and also to Pune, Raigad, Guhagar, Baramati, Panchgani, Mumbai, Khandala, Chiplun and Mahabaleshwar. Deluxe buses as well as semi-deluxe buses run up to Satara, air conditioned buses run between main cities such as Pune or Mumbai. These buses, from neighborhood places, charge approximately Rs 150 to 200 for basic class, in the state.

Best Time to Visit

Koyna Dam can be visited at anytime of the year. Best visiting time is actually the full year.