A large settlement for Polish refugees - mainly children and their mothers - was established in Valivade (now a suburb of Kolhapur), which began to be settled on 11.06.1943 and quickly grew to a settlement of several thousand. It was built with barracks on stone foundations. Orphans were sent to an orphanage, while mothers with children (their own and adopted) had modest but separate flats in the barracks, where they could run their own households. Institutions necessary for the normal functioning of such a large community were established, kindergartens, four primary schools and four secondary schools following the curriculum adopted for pre-war education in Poland. A permanent health service was organised. The settlement functioned until 1948. A few surviving barracks can still be seen today. Eighty-five Poles, residents of Valivade, are laid to rest in the Kolhapur cemetery. There are also some very neglected British graves from the colonial period, while the Polish burials are located in two compact groups. In 1970, the first action to clean the Polish graves in this cemetery was undertaken, which was financed by the Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom Sites (then called the Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom Monuments). In 1986, a central commemoration was created in the Kolhapur cemetery from contributions by representatives of Polish trading companies, and a plaque with 79 names of the deceased was placed on it in 1987. It was restored in 1995/1996. In 2000. OPWiM Council carried out another restoration of the necropolis, which included: repairing the stone pillars (entrance), fixing the gate by cementing the supports, and installing drainage pipes. Despite the work undertaken several times in this cemetery, the graves had fallen into disrepair. In December 2014, the OPWiM Council carried out a general renovation of the necropolis with a complete reconstruction of the Polish graves, the gravestones were made of grey granite of the Kuru Grey type. A new central commemoration was then made of the same material - a distinctive mile-high pillar with an eagle bas-relief in imitation of those placed in Central Asia in the cemeteries of soldiers of the Anders Army. The area of the Polish plots was levelled and tidied up. An inscription in Polish and English is engraved on the milepost: "HERE REST / THE POLES WHO, AFTER THEIR RELEASE / FROM SOVIET GULAGS / AND PLACES OF EXILE / FOUND REFUGE / ON HOSPITABLE / INDIAN SOIL / 1942-1949 / HONOUR THEIR MEMORY". The former memorial has been demolished. In 2021 and 2022. The Polish Consulate in Mumbai built two walkways leading to both Polish parts of the cemetery. These works were carried out with funds from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.