Introduction
Lonavla is a city and a hill station Municipal Council in Pune district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is about 64 km away from the city of Pune, 96 km away from the city Mumbai. It is famous throughout India for the hard candy sweet known as chikki and is also a major stop on the rail line connecting Mumbai and Pune.For Mumbai suburbs local trains are available from Karjat It is also an important town on the Mumbai-Pune road link. Both the Mumbai-Pune Expressway as well as the Mumbai-Pune highway pass through Lonavla. Lonavla comes to life during the monsoon season as the countryside turns lush green with waterfalls and ponds.

History
Present day Lonavla was a part of the Yadava dynasty. Later, the Mughals realized the strategic importance of the region and kept the region for an extended time. The forts in the region and the Mavla warriors played an important role in the history of the Maratha and Peshwa empires.In 1871, the Lonavla and Khandala hill stations were discovered by Lord Elphinstone, who was the Governor of Bombay Presidency during those times.

Tourism
Lonavla and the adjacent Khandala are twin hill stations 622 m. above sea level, in the Sahyadri ranges that demarcate the Deccan Plateau and the Konkan coast. The hill stations sprawl over an approximate area of 38 km² and are popular holiday destinations during the monsoons. People prefer visiting Lonavla and Khandala in the rainy season. Lonavla and Khandala were discovered in 1871 by Sir Elphinstone, the Governor of the Bombay Presidency. The name Lonavla is derived from the Sanskrit lonavli, which refers to the many caves like Karla Caves, Bhaja Caves and Bedsa that are close to Lonavla. A trip to Lonavla and Khandala can be combined with sight-seeing visits of Karla, Bhaja and Bedsa caves and also the two fortresses, Lohagad and Visapur. Another places of interest is the Tungi fort, one of the forts captured by Malik Ahmad near the village of Karjat and was known for its natural strength.

Transport/
By road/By train/Lonavla Railway Station/By Air

Lonavla is situated on the halfway of Mumbai-Pune Expressway and is well connected to several other towns of Khopoli, Karjat, Talegaon dhabad, etc.

Lonavla is well connected by train. Local trains run from Pune. Also many express trains stop at Lonavla. It takes 2.5 hours by train from Mumbai and 1.2 hour from Pune. Most trains stop at Lonavla station.

Further information: Lonavla Station

Lonavla does not have air port, though Indian Air Force station, Troppo is situated on the way to Aamby Valley city. The city of Ambey Velly has its own airport. Nearest commercial airports are Pune at 64 km and Mumbai at 104 km

Education
Some major educational institutes in Lonavla are:

* The Cathedral Vidya School, Lonavala
* Nirvana Paragliding School
* Gurukul High School (boarding school)
* Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies (SIMS)
* Kohinoor Business School-Kohinoor Global Campus
* Sinhgad Technical Education Society
* DC High School and Jr. College
* Auxilium Convent School
* Don Bosco School and Junior college
* Dr. B.N. Purandare Vidyalay High School
* V.P.S. HighSchool & D.P. Mehata Jr College
* Kaivalyadhama yoga ashram and college
* Kendriya Vidyalaya, INS Shivaji, Lonavla
* Sadhana Institute, Old Khandala Road, Lonavla

Lonavla is also home to INS Shivaji (formerly HMIS Shivaji) which is the Indian Navy's Premier Technical Training Institute.

Demographics
As of 2001[update] India census, Lonavla had a population of 55,650. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Lonavla has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 69%. In Lonavla, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.