[1][2] It is a prominent town in the vicinity of Moti Lake and is well known for its wooden handicrafts.The Palace of Sawantwadi is a popular tourist attraction and it is great heritage of Ganjifa and Laquerware.

The political boundaries of Sawantwadi fluctuated between the northern latitudes of 17°N and 15 °S and 73° E and the sea-coast from Masure till the mouth of the river Kolwal.

The northern boundary of Sawantwadi is formed by the river Gadnadi which rises near the Ghotge ghat and meets the sea near Sarjekot.

The Sawant's, in early seventeenth century, were the feudal holders of the hereditary right Deshmukh under the rule of Adil Shahi, whom they regarded as their master.

[6] Lakham Sawant didn't abide by the terms of the treaty (1659), betrayed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by joining Bijapur Sultanate.

He was succeeded by his incapable son Shivramraje Bhonsale, but he being a minor at the time, Bapusaheb’s wife Parvatidevi looked after the State as a Regent.

[8] The Royal Palace of Sawantwadi,effortlessly merges the English arches with the native workmanship and the vibrant red laterite stones.

The bricked brown walls add to the ethnicity of this two-storied Palace and makes it a exotic tourist attraction of Sawantwadi.

The inscription on the gate reads: Opened for carriages and general uses October 10, 1895 Rajebahadur Raghunath Sawant Bhonsle Sir Desai of Sawantwadi Colonel H. L. Nuff Political Superintendent Rao Saheb B. H. Kumthekar State Engineer Palace with the coconut grove facing the Moti Talav further strengthens the imposing posture of the Royal Residence.

A bridge cuts through the lake and there is a paved pathway running around the water body, a popular hangout spot among the locals of Sawantwadi.

The foundation stone of the Palace Darbar Hall was laid by His Excellency the Governor of Mumbai, Sir James Fergusson on 21 March 1881.

Wadas are a rich and esteem architectural heritage in Maharashtra known for its quadrangle construction and an open space veranda in the center, reflecting the pride, religion, culture, traditions and turbulent history of Marathas.

The Wada is named after Yamuna Bai in view of the fact that in Maharashtrian culture the elder female of the house is addressed as TAI.

Historically, it is a well-known fact that in the 17th and 18th centuries a number of learned Brahmins from Andhra and Telangana areas visited Sawantwadi.

All the states in India had their own style of making Ganjifa cards: Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, Punjab, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Maharashtra.

These cards have been decorated with varied images of indigenous figures and forms depicting various divinities, flora and fauna along with numerical details.

The Ganjifa cards were made from paper that were covered with a mixture of tamarind seed powder and oil, painted and coated with lac.

Presently, the painting of floral borders and motifs and mythological figures is done with water-based tempera colours and these are then covered with lacquer in order to preserve and enhance their color values.

Sawantwadi has a tropical climate; summer and winter months experience similar temperate conditions, with average temperatures ranging from 27 °C (81 °F) to 34 °C (93 °F).

Under the Köppen climate classification, Sawantvadi belongs to the Tropical/megathermal zone and is under the direct influence of the Arabian Sea branch of the South-West monsoon.

The summer gives way to the monsoon season, when the city experiences more precipitation than most urban centres in India, due to the Western Ghats.

Sawantwadi is well connected to other towns of Sindhudurg district and cities of Maharashtra state by MSRTC buses as well as Goa & Belgaum.