SATARA

town, southwestern Maharashtra state, western India, west of the confluence of the Krishna and Venna rivers, southeast of Pune (Poona). The town was named for the walls of its fort, numbering 17 (Marathi: satara); the fort was built by the Silahara and later strengthened by the Marathas. It was repaired by the British, who occupied the area in 1848, and was used as a troop garrison after the 1857 Indian mutiny. The town spreads around the base of the fort. Engineering works and sugar processing are the chief industries. Satara has several colleges affiliated with Shivaji University. It also has a museum containing old manuscripts and weapons, the old raja's palace, and the forts of Sajjangad and Chandan Vandan (nearby). Satara lies in a fertile agricultural region (sugarcane, wheat, tobacco, peanuts [groundnuts], pulses, and millet) and is renowned for its animal husbandry. Pop. (1981) 83,336.