Mahabaleshwar (pronunciationⓘ) is a small town and a municipal council in Satara district, Maharashtra, India.

[2] Mahabaleshwar is a vast plateau measuring 150 km2 (58 sq mi), bound by valleys on all sides.

The Mahabaleshwar region is the source of the Krishna River that flows east across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh towards the Bay of Bengal.

Three tributaries of Krishna, namely Koyna, Venna (Veni) and Gayatri, also have their source in Mahabaleshwar region.

A fourth river, the Savitri, also has its source in the region, but flows Westward via Mahad to the Arabian Sea.

[13] Legend says that a Yadava ruler from 13th century built a small temple and water tank at the source of the river Krishna.

[17] The Valley of Jawali, the area around Mahabaleshwar, was ruled by the More (clan) who were vassals of the Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur.

In 1656, the founder of Maratha empire, Chhatrapati Shivaji, killed the then ruler of Valley of Javali, Chandrarao More, and seized the area.

[20][21] In 1819, after the demise of the Maratha empire, the British ceded the hills around Mahabaleshwar to the vassal state of Satara.

Their wives spent a longer period of the year in the area to be with their children in local boarding schools in Mahabaleshwar and nearby Panchgani.

[27][28] The British rulers wanted to recreate the English landscape in the hill stations and to that end, European flora such as strawberries[29] were introduced in Mahabaleshwar, and amenities such as libraries, theatres, boating lakes, and sports grounds were constructed.

[31] "Babington House", is a colonial-style bungalow built in the shape of a cross with a deep veranda, elaborate metal work railing and extensive outhouses.

It was formerly one of the country seats of the Dubash family, a Parsi ship chandler dynasty from Bombay, before they sold it to the Rahejas in the early 1970s.

Rail station Diwan Khavati on Kokan Railway near Khed gives a route of 60 km via Poladpur to Mahabaleshwar.

[34] Being a relatively cool place, many temperate region crops such as strawberries, raspberries, and mulberries have been grown in Mahabaleshwar and surrounding hills.

[39] Movies filmed in Mahabaleshwar include Raj Kapoor's Barsaat (1949),[40]Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Anupama (1966)[41][42] and Basu Chatterji's Chitchor (1976).