Panvel () is a city and taluka in Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. It is highly populated due to its closeness to Mumbai. Panvel is also governed for development purpose by the body of Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Panvel Municipal Corporation is the first Municipal Corporation in Raigad and the 27th Municipal corporation of Maharashtra State. Geography Panvel is one of the cities in the district of Raigad. It is also called the gate of Raigad because Panvel is the first city when entering in Raigad from west. It is also one of the most populous and developed cities in the district. Panvel is situated on the banks of the Gadhi river which flows and connects all the way to the Arabian Sea. It is also surrounded by hills on two sides. Demographics Panvel has a mix population consisting of the Agri samaaj and Koli communities. Panvel is a medium-sized city but densely populated as it is strategically placed between Mumbai and Pune. The city is the headquarters of the Panvel sub-division of the Raigad district, which is the largest in the district as per number of villages (564). Religion Hinduism is majority religion in Panvel city with 78.67% followers. Islam is second most popular religion in city of Panvel with approximately 10.85% following it, followed by Buddhism with 5.92% followers. In Panvel city, Christianity is followed by 2.13%, Jainism by 1.29%, Sikhism by 0.47%. Around 0.13% stated 'Other Religion', approximately 0.54% stated 'No Particular Religion'. Climate Weather is Sunny across the year. There is heavy rain during monsoon. May is the warmest month of the year. The temperature in May averages 34.3 °C. The lowest average temperatures in the year occur in January, when it is around 23.4 °C. Temperatures hover around 40 °C during most days of summer during mid-March till May. Highest temperature recorded around 44–45 °C. Average annual temperature of Panvel is 27.0 °C. History Panvel (also known as Panwell by the British) is about 300 years old, developed around trade routes (both land and sea), during the Maratha rule and hence after by the Mughal rule, British and the Portuguese. Once upon a time, Panvel was famous for its rice market. Panvel Municipal Council (PMC) was established in the year 1852, and was the oldest municipal council of Maharashtra, before the formation of Panvel Municipal Corporation. Panvel Municipal Council's elections started in the year 1910. The