Shirpur is a town and taluka in Dhule district, on the Agra-Mumbai highway in north-western Maharashtra. It has about a hundred thousand residents and works mainly as a market and education town for the surrounding Khandesh countryside.
Travellers come for the quieter edges. The Tapi river runs nearby, with the ruined Thalner Fort on its bank. In the other direction, the Satpura foothills hold Aner Dam Wildlife Sanctuary, where leopards, blackbuck and birds share the forest around a reservoir.
The town's own heritage is modest: the Khanderao (Pataleshwar) temple, linked to Ahilyabai Holkar, and an annual fair in February. There are no big hotels or tour circuits, so expect simple facilities and plan by car.
Winter is the best season for walking the fort and sitting by the dam, and it is the only time older travellers should plan on being outdoors for long. Summers are very hot, and the sanctuary is hard to reach during the rains. Shirpur is best treated as a base for a single quiet day or two, not as a destination to fill a week.
Before you plan
Shirpur at a glance
- Best months
- November to FebruaryNovember to February; March to May is hot, and June to September is the monsoon.
- Ideal trip length
- 1 day for the main outings1 day for the main outings; 2 days if combining with a longer highway journey
- Airport
- No commercial airport in townNo commercial airport in town; the nearest large airports are well over 100 km away, so plan on a long road transfer
- Railway station
- No main station in ShirpurNo main station in Shirpur; Nardana, Amalner, Chalisgaon and Bhusaval are the nearest rail stops on the main routes
- Getting around
- Hire a car or use state busesHire a car or use state buses; auto-rickshaws work within town
- Daily budget
- Inexpensive for food and local transportInexpensive for food and local transport; car hire is the main cost
- Senior comfort
- Moderate: sights are ruralModerate: sights are rural, with rough ground and few facilities; winter is much easier
- Language
- Marathi, Hindi and Ahirani locally
Prices, opening hours and weather change. Recheck live details before booking.
Best time to visit Shirpur: January, February, November, December. Month-by-month weather →
How many days do you have?
Shirpur itinerary
One good day
1 day in Shirpur
Drive to Thalner Fort on the Tapi early in the morning and spend an hour at the ruins and the Thaleshwar temple. Return to Shirpur for lunch, then go to Aner Dam Wildlife Sanctuary in the afternoon for the dam and the forest edge, and be back before dark.
Day-by-day plan →Two days
2 days in Shirpur
Visit Thalner Fort and the riverside temples in the morning, then rest after lunch and see the Khanderao temple in the evening.
Day-by-day plan →Three unhurried days
3 days in Shirpur
Walk Shirpur's old centre, visit the Khanderao temple and the Arunavati riverbank.
Day-by-day plan →
