Hampi

In case god gives me the opportunity to reborn. I would love to be born in the era of great king Krishnadevraya who built the mighty Vijayanagara Empire with its capital as Hampi.

The kingdom where the diamonds and rubies were openly sold on the streets, the kingdom which boasts of world's best stone architecture, the kingdom for which Deccan Muslim kings spent 6 months only to destroy, the kingdom that still stands with its beautiful ruins and complete city is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Place in India, where you come to know what ASI (Archaeological survey of India) is and what it does.

If dreams were made out of stone, it would be Hampi a Photographer's delight, an open air museum.

A must visit Place.

You should plan for at least 3-4 days stay at Hampi to visit all important monuments at Hampi. Anything less than 3 days would be a complete waste. It has been said that to visit complete Hampi one requires months, as each and every stone at Hampi is having their unique history.

Once in Hampi, you should have a plan ready with a map in hand. There are three main areas in Hampi that you should discover. Every area requires a day to visit.

1)      Royal Enclosure.

2)      Religious Enclosure.

3)      Hampi Bazaar Area.

You can start from any area without any particular order. We had covered the areas in the order given above.

Day -1 Royal Enclosure-

To start the Royal Enclosure tour, you need to reach the Under Ground Temple .You can reach this temple either by auto or by state transport buses running between Hampi and Hospet. The buses are available at every half an hour and they drop you just at the gate of Under Ground Temple. From here you can complete the enclosure on foot.

Under Ground Temple- The roof of this temple is at the ground level hence the name. You should spend at least 30 Min here. Sanctum sanctorum remains knee deep under water through out the year. There are some broken Nandi idols and a shiv-linga inside the temple. The Kalyan mandapam have some nice carvings. The temple complex has nice and well maintained lawn.

Just 2 min walk to the right from here; you can see a Muslim style watch tower. This is Mohemmadan watch tower. In the same complex you can see Mint, Band Tower and remains of a Mosque.This complex is known as Dannayaka’s enclosure means the complex of commander in chief of Army.

Just in front of this complex, you can see a flight of steps. These 20 steps will take you to a platform. From this platform you can watch the remains of “Noblemen’s Quarter’s” and a wonderful view of surroundings. The important point to see from here is a big rock that was cut by putting small wooden blocks in between and then pouring of water for days. The wooden blocks would swell by continuous seepage of water and the rock part ways. This was the traditional method used by artisans at Hampi to cut the mammoth rocks and give them a meaningful shape.

Just ahead of this are remnants of recently excavated “King Harihara’s Palace”.After King Harihara’s palace you can find a T point with a mammoth temple complex at your right and a way that is going towards Left. The Temple at right is Hazara Rama Temple but you need to go towards left first to cover the “Zenana Enclosure”.

Zenana Enclosure:  This is a fortified complex and you have to buy an Rs.10 ticket from ASI to visit this complex. This is a must visit place at Hampi.

After entering the complex, at your left you can see a museum with some good excavated figurines majority of them are of Jain Tirthankara’s.

The other important places inside the enclosure are Watch Tower’s, basement of Queen’s Palace and a very beautiful Lotus Mahal.

Lotus Mahal is a two storied structure made of Mortar to keep it cool in the summer months. It could have been a rest house for queens. You can see the facility for hanging curtains at the windows. It is also known as Chitrangini Mahal.

Just behind the Lotus Mahal, you can see a small gate. This gate will take you to the Elephant Stable. It was meant for the Royal Elephants. Total 11 interconnected stables are here with a small gate at back to be used by Mahouts. The stable at centre is most ornate and known to host the King’s Main Elephant.

You can see a big building just besides these stable. This is Guard’s Quarters now a museum. You should spend some time here in the lawns of elephant stable and have the cheapest cool coconut water available.

From here you have to take the route that is going behind the Elephant stables. This path takes you to the series of Jain Temples with most important one is Lord Parshwanath Temple. All are beautiful but in ruined state. The important point to note here is the presence of series of Jain temples just behind the queen’s palace/Zenana enclosure & royal enclosure signifies that most of the King’s and Queen’s of Vijaynagara empire were staunch Jains. The Elephant stable could be used to park the elephant’s of King’s visiting the temples. After the Jain Temples just 300 meters ahead you can see  a grand gate possibly the main entrance for the Jain temples. This gate is known as “Shringarit Buland Darwaza”. You can also see the beautiful boulders spread all over from here. From here you need to come back to elephant stable and take a left towards “Ranga Mandir”.

Ranga Mandir is a beautiful temple restored by ASI. The main attraction here is a huge slab with Hanuman carved on it. The dagger at hanuman’s waist is beautifully ornamented. After visiting this temple you need to come back at same T Point near to hazara rama temple. Zenana enclosure requires a good two hours to cover. Keep the tickets with you, as the same can be used at Kamalapura Museum later in the day.

Hazara Rama Temple: This is a royal temple situated between the King’s and Queen’s Palaces. This is a big temple with friezes depicting the story of Ramayana on the temple walls. If possible, hire a guide here for Rs.100.This temple was built by King Krishnadevaraya in year 1513. This is a picturesque temple; spend some time here to take the photographs of each and every wall. There is a beautiful Jain idol engraved on the outer wall of this temple at backside. The inner sanctum sanctorum has the ornate pillars built by granite. Just in front of this temple lie “Pan-Supari Bazaar” and some granaries.

Ironically Pan-Supari Bazaar was used for the trade of Diamonds and not for betel nuts as the name suggests.

Just at the right of hazara rama temple, you can see one more fortified enclosure this is King’s Palace.

King’s Palace:  This is the largest enclosure with two major platform structures. Inside the King’s enclosure just after entering you can see the King’s Audience hall .It is used by the king to listen the grievances of general public. There is a large stone trough just in front of this audience hall. This Trough was used by the horses to drink water. At a time 40 horses could drink the water. This audience hall was must be a two storied structure made of wood as the steps just behind the hall suggests. Under ground Chamber, rectangular blocks, basement of King’s palace, Stepped tank and Mahanavami Dibba are the other important places to see inside this enclosure. The important one are –

Stepped tank/ Pushkarni: This is a stepped water tank excavated in 1980.It was built by rectangular granite slabs and there are carvings on each and every slab. It is not allowed to step onto these slabs. There is a proper water channel system visible in this area.

MahaNavami Dibba: This is a mega platform with 80 sq. feet in area and 22 feet in height. It was built by Krishadevraya in memory of his win over Orissa. This platform was used by the king to view the Mahanavmi and Dusshera processions. The walls of this platform host the beautifully carved figures of dancers, soldiers and depiction of various aspects of life of Hampi. You can also see the procession of elephants, Holi festival and foreigners bowing to the king carved on the platform walls.

To be continued……………….

Bara Moti chi Vihir

Bara Moti chi vihir (well of Bara Moti) is a step well at Limb Village near Satara in Maharashtra. As per the details on the board mounted at the well, this was built by Sou. Virubhai Bhosale in 1646 and meant for the water source for the nearby Mango Plantation. This is around 100 feet deep and 50 feet in diameter. The overall design of the well is octagonal in shape and it looks like an inverted shivling.

This is not like those famed huge step wells but small and beautiful. Almost flat on the ground, the real beauty will start when you go downstairs of the well. The downward flight of 20 steps would take you to the lookout gallery. From here you can have the view of the well and feel the shape of inverted shivling. Two small gates on each side of this gallery took you to the upper main gallery that is painted with sharp colors and beautifully carved. It was used by the local king to sit here and enjoy the cool breeze from well in the summers. The Balconies at this gallery are beautifully carved and provided good photography options. From this gallery, you can directly reach out of well by using a flight of 10 steps.

How to Reach –There are almost no sign boards at the village. You have to ask locals for the directions. If you are coming from Pune, cross the Mahabaleshwar exit on Satara Road and on the way to Satara you will see a big Management college on your right with name Gourishankar Institute of Management. After this institute, you will see a board at your left to Limb Village. Don’t take this, it’s a mud road but instead take the proper tar road just 500 Meter ahead of this and ask locals to reach the well. We took a separate route as we clubbed the trip to this well with our Nandgiri visit. While returning from Nandgiri, we took a shortcut from Badthalmata village. This village is 2 KMs from Vaduth village on the way to Satara from Vaduth. From Badthalmata bus stand, take a right to Limb Village and drive straight till 4 KMs and keep asking the locals for the direction. After visiting the well, you can directly reach the Satara-Pune Highway through Limb Village.

Raigarh Fort or Kille Raigarh

Raigarh Fort-

“Gada cha Raja, Raja cha Gadh”, this Marathi line is enough to describe the grandeur and beauty of this fort situated near Mahad in Raigarh district of Maharashtra. This line in english literally means “King of forts, fort of King”.

This fort was the capital of Shivaji Maharaj. He was anointed as a king here in 1674, also died and cremated here after 6 years of his coronation in 1680.This fort is situated at a height of 2700 ft above sea level and perched on a high cliff of Sahyadri Mountains. Shivaji has captured this fort then known as Rairi from Chandanrao mores in 1656 and renamed it as Raigarh. It was finally destroyed and looted by East India Company in 1818.Now this fort is under administration of ASI and it charges Rs.5 as an entry fee to the fort.

We have started our journey from Pune at 7:30 AM in the morning and reach the base of the fort at 1 PM. The road was not that good but the outside scenic environment made our day. The way from Pune passes through Chandni chowk, Bhugaon Lake, Paud, Mulshi Dam, Tamhini ghat, Mangaon, Mahad and Pachad. The base of fort is 2 KMs from village Pachad. There were numerous waterfalls on the way especially on Tamhini Ghat section in the rainy season.

There are two ways to reach the fort from the base village, one way is through 1450 stairs and other is by Ropeway. We have used the latter one as the stairs were quite slippery due to heavy rains. The return ropeway ride costs Rs.175 for an adult and it is full value for money. Ropeway takes around 5 Minutes to reach the top but remember if you chose to visit on Sunday / Public holiday, there could be a huge waiting period to board the ropeway. We had to wait for 2 and half hour for our turn. Ropeway drops you at Mena Darwaza ( an exclusive gate for royal ladies) , from here a flight of 25 stairs take you to the Palkhi Darwaza. The climate here was very soothing with clouds all over and nothing was visible.

After entering from Palkhi darwaza, at your left you can see entrances to 6 identical palaces. These are the palaces of Shivaji’s queens, all these palaces were self contained with separate kitchen, bedroom and bathrooms. Shivaji had eight queens out of those, six queens stays at Raigarh fort, one at Rajgarh(near Pune) and one with his mother Jijabai at base village of Pachad.

Just in front of these palaces, lies the chambers of Shivaji’s eight ministers, three granaries and Shivaji’s Palace known as Raj Bhavan. Shivaji’s palace was used to be a 2 storied wooden structure that was destructed by British in 1818.You can see 2 watch towers at your left and couple of windows of palace. A big artificial lake known as Ganga sagar is situated just below these windows. The next spot after Rajwada is Shivaji’s throne/royal seat known as “Megh Dambari”. A life size replica of Shivaji is installed here, it is said that the real throne was built from 1400 kg solid gold that was looted by Britisher’s.

NagarKhana

Just in front of royal seat, a mammoth gate stands and is known as Nagarkhana. It is said that Mumbai’s Gateway of India got inspired from this gate. It was used to play the musical instruments and an entrance for general public to attend the Diwan-e-aam. During the Shivaji’s coronation, several elephants were used to welcome the attending crowd at this gate. Britisher’s & Mughals  were not able to resolve this mystery that how Shivaji had brought these elephant at this fort as it was very difficult for even a human being to reach this fort. The catch is, Shivaji brought these elephant at this fort in Palkhis when they were babies and reared them at the fort itself.

Holi cha Maal

Bazaar Peth

After Nagarkhana , a flight of 15 steps take you to the “Holi cha Maal”. This place was used to celebrate the holi festival. A big statue of shivaji made of five metals is installed here. From here you can see 3 ways going in different directions. First one take you to the Bazaar peth,Jagadishwar temple,Shivaji and his dog Waghya’s Samadhi. Second one takes you to the Takmak-tok and Daru kothar. Third one takes you to the Maha-darwaza and Shirkai devi temple.

Take the routes in the order given above. In the first route you first observed the two identical rows of structures; these structures are of fort market known as Bazaar Peth. It was designed such that even if someone comes on horseback, he did not need to climb down from horse to purchase the items.

After Bazaar peth, a walk of 10-15 minutes takes you to the courtyard of Jagadishwar temple.This is a shiva temple, spend some time here as the surroundings are quite beautiful. The way of shivaji’s Samadhi is passed from the temple courtyard. Shivaji’s Samadhi is the most important part of this fort and you should never miss it. Shivaji was cremated here in 1680 after a brief illness. It is said that when the Shivaji’s pyre was lit his faithful dog “Waghya” couldn’t control his emotions and jumped into the burning pyre. Hence, just behind the Shivaji’s Samadhi stood tall the Samadhi of his dog Waghya. Follow the same route to come back to Holi cha maal and take the second route, it will take you to the Daru Kothar (Ammunition depot) and the Takmak-tok( a high cliff used to execute the prisoner’s by throwing him down).

The third route will take you to the magnificent Maha darwaza , the main entrance for this fort and Khoob Ladha Burj. From here you can take the 1500 steps route to climb down the fort that ends at Chit darwaza. Chit darwaza is connected to base village Pachad by a motor able road.

The fort is of around 500 acres in area with three main points Hirakani in the west, Takamak tok in the north and Bhavani in the east. The main architects of this fort were Abaji sondeve and Hiroji indulkar both were given the task by Shivaji to start the massive construction work at fort. They took 14 years to build the massive structures to house the administrative capital of Hindavi Swaraj. But alas britisher’s bombarded this beautiful fort in 1818 and the massive fire that ensues continued for 11 days on this fort. That ultimately brought this impregnable fort to ashes.

Some other points atop the fort are Bara Tanki, Rameshwar Temple, Wagh darwaza, Kushawarth tirth, Hirakani bastion,Kolimb talab,hatti talab and many more. You can stay at the fort as MTDC cottages are available there but make sure to have a prior reservation.

Nearby Attractions-

Gandharpale-These are the Buddhist caves situated at pale village. These are situated at 3 KMs from Mahad on the way to Mangaon.

Mahad Ganpati- Mahad houses one of the eight ashtavinayak temples.

What to eat-

There are some local shops at base village selling the home cooked food as well as a restaurant is run by Ropeway Company just near to the ropeway waiting hall. Don’t forget to taste the Pithal-Bhakri here. On the way to Mahad from Mangaon there is a shop at town Lonare, just at the intersection to Harihareshwar known as corner bada pao. You can gulp couple of bada pao’s here as I found them quite tasty but beware from his delicacy Teekhi chatni.

Important Points-

1) Don’t forget to stop at Mulshi lake and take some pics.

2) Don’t forget to stop at certain points of Tamhini Ghat te get drenched in waterfalls and enjoy the season.

3) Don’t forget to carry your raincoats as Sahyadri winds are known for their killer speeds that blow off your umbrellas in shambles in seconds.

Nandgiri - Jain cave shrine

Nandgiri or Kalyangad fort is situated at a distance of 120 KM from Pune in Satara District. It was built by Shilahar King Bhoj-II (NandRaja) in 11^th century. Shilahar dynasty ruled most of the current time Maharashtra and Karnataka between 11^th and 13^th centuries. This dynasty was staunch followers of Jainism. Most of the Hill forts in Maharashtra were built by them. King Bhoj-II was the follower of Jain Acharya Maghnandi , his spiritual and political Guru. The Kings, Queens and Generals of this dynasty were staunch Jains and promoted Jainism in their region.There must exist a beautiful temple in this fort with principle deity as 23^rd Jain Tirthankar Lord Parshwanath during his reign. This same idol was seems to be removed from the temple and camouflaged in a pitch dark cavern at the time of attack by Adilshah of Bijapur. This was possibly done to save the idol from fallen into the hands of enemy. Since, then this idol is kept at this 30 meter deep, pitch dark cave.

Shivaji Maharaj has captured this fort from sultanate of bijapur in year 1673 and kept his treasury on this fort, as the fort was very difficult to climb. In 1818, this fort was captured by East India Company.

This Place is termed as Atishay Kschettra and Jains used to visit this place, specially the cave to take the darshan of Lord Parshwanath. The idol seems to be around 1000 years old and in Ardha Padmasan posture. The idol was recently fortified with a fiber glass enclosure and an iron gate. The idol is very beautiful and nicely carved.

The cave is quite dark and your eyes will take at least 2-3 minutes to get adjusted in the darkness. In monsoon season, there would be the knee deep water in the cave and you have to watch your steps as well as keep adjusting your head to save it from banging on the rocks. In 1930, Shri.Hirachand Shaha (Jain) had built the iron railings and the pathway inside the cave to help pilgrims reach the idol. You must carry a good torch while visiting this cave. Shri 1008 Parshwanath Digambar Jain Gupha Mandir Trust is managing the shrine.

The fort is around 5 KM drive from the base but the road is muddy throughout and special care needs to be taken while driving to this fort. Vehicles like Traveler Tempo can easily reach till the last 1 KM, from here you have to walk till the gate of fort. Just after passing the first gate, there will be two ways, the one at left take you to a flight of 20 steps going downwards. This is the way to the cave with idol of Lord Parshwanath. The way to the right take you further up to the fort. After 30 steps, you will reach the second gate of this fort. Just after this gate, there exists a Hanuman temple and a ruined machi to host the flag. Ten more steps from here, you will be at the top of the fort. From here you can see the mammoth Windmills and beautiful fields and surrounding hills of this region. There is one store room built of stones at top plus some remnants of old palace. It will not take more than 30 minutes to roam this fort apart from the cave. There is no signboard at the base village of Dhumalvadi. The only landmark is Kalyan Dhaba , just after  100 meters from this dhaba you have to take a left. At first instance, you might be confused after seeing the muddy road but don’t lose heart this is the way you have to take. The road is muddy but not that bad as you might thought at the first instance.

How to reach from Pune-   Take the NH4 for Satara but remember you do not have to enter the Satara city. Just at the cut to the Satara city on highway, you will see a road in right going towards Satara city and a road to the left with the board showing as Faltan and Lonand. Take the left road , this is SH61 and drive till Vaduth Village.Just at the town centre of Vaduth, you will find two roads forming a “V” take the road going towards  right .This Road takes you to the “Satara road”, you will also find one railway crossing at Jarandeshwar and way to Padali Village on the way to “Satara road”. Go straight till the Satara road bus stand, from here take the sharp right and drive till you reaches an intersection of 2 roads. One is being Wathar –Koregaon Road. Take a left from here but remember don’t take the road going towards Wathar. Just ask someone to reconfirm, as this intersection is tricky. If you are on the right track, you would see a big Dhaba on your left just after a KM from the intersection. After 100 meters from the dhaba, you have to take the left to start climbing on the hill.Once you start climbing,you have to just follow the path.After a climb of 4 KM when you seems to be reaching at the base of mammoth windmills,you will get the first intersection,from here you have to take the right.After a 1 KM from here,you will reach a point where a steep road is going upwards.Park your vehicle here and walk,it will take a 15 min walk from here to reach the fort.

Near-by Attractions- Bara Moti chi Vihir at Limb Village.

Konkan Trip

Ganpatipule Beach.

Ganpatipule – The Jewel of Konkan.

Lord Parshuram, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu believed to be the creator of this beautiful strip of land known as Konkan that encompasses from Raigad in Maharashtra till the Malabar Coast of Kerala.

As per belief, Lord Parshuram used his arrow to push back the sea and created this beautiful land that boasts of some of the best beaches in the world. Some of the famed beaches of Konkan apart from the beaches of Goa and Kerala are in Maharashtra.

On the occasion, of my 4^th Marriage anniversary. I have decided to visit the famed beaches in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. These are Ganpatipule, Aare-Waare, Hedvi and Velneshwar. Ratnagiri is also famous for its Alphonso mangoes, you can even taste them if you schedule your visit in the summer season(not the best season for beaches).It is also the birthplace of Lokmanya Bal Ganagadhar Tilak. Ratnagiri is well connected to other parts of India as Mumbai-Goa Highway as well as Konkan railway passes through Ratnagiri. It is 300 km from Pune.

 In Local parlance, Ganpatipule is famous for its swyambhu Ganesh temple also known as "Paschim Dwar Devta". This temple is situated right bang on the beach and surrounded by a hillock. The hillock itself considered as a Ganpati. You can even take a parikrama of this hillock; it's only 1 km in circumference and took not more than half an hour.

The beach is pristine, clear and boasts of clear blue water but this beach is very dangerous for swimming. As at some places the current is too strong.

You can reach Ganpatipule directly either from Mumbai or Pune, as some private sleeper coaches are plying regularly on this route. We took the only available AC sleeper from Pune of Konduskar Travels .Bus was in good condition with spacious sleeper seats. The only pitfall was they didn't offer the blankets as per their low cost Policy. The bus was punctual on time and dropped us at Ganpatipule at 7 AM in the morning.

MTDC Sea side Cottages

View from MTDC Resort/Konkani Huts

Konkani Hut at MTDC Resort

As far as staying is concerned. I would recommend only the MTDC Resort as it was situated right on the beach and just in front of the Ganpati temple. Resort is divided in two parts-

1) First part is just at the entrance of the resort and situated at an elevation from the sea level. In this part all the deluxe AC and non AC rooms are situated. Almost all are sea-facing.

2) Second part is at a distance of 500 metres from the main reception and consists of Self contained Konkani AC and non AC Cottages/Huts. I recommend you to stay at this side of the resort. The Non AC cottage costs you around Rs.1600 per day inclusive of taxes. I also recommend you to book the prior reservation through MTDC website at least a month or two in advance. The benefit of staying in this part is, you would have the privilege of enjoying the "private sea beach" just in front of your cottages, as it is quite far from the meddling temple crowd. There is also an open air restaurant named as "Suru-ban" located in this part of resort. Although I have not ate food here but had breakfast here. The food was costly but good in taste. The only pitfall in staying at this part is, you have to walk around 1/2 km from main gate of resort to the cottages. Instead of using the inner road of Resort, I recommend you to use the sea beach to commute in and out from the cottages to the town centre.

The Ganpatipule is a small village centred around the Ganpati temple. The other important places you should not miss to visit in Ganpatipule are-

Prachin Konkan

Kavi Keshavsut Memorial at Malgund

Prachin Konkan-This is a permanent exhibition situated
just a km from temple and resort. This is worth a visit if you are interested in Konkani lifestyle some 500 years back. The entrance ticket is of Rs.20 per adult as well Rs.20 for a still camera. This ticket will entitle you a complimentary Kokam sharbat as well a 45 min guided tour of exhibition. The commentary is available in both Hindi and Marathi. The best part of this exhibition is a Machan; from here you will get the breathtaking view of Ganpatipule, Malgund and its beach.

Malgund- This is the birthplace of famous Marathi poet Shri Keshavsut. His birthplace is now converted into a museum. The museum is well maintained and entry cost is Rs.5 per person. This is a real treat, if you are into Marathi literature. You can take an auto from Prachin Konkan to reach this place as it is situated at around 2 km from the town centre. An auto will cost you around Rs.80 for a return trip. Malgund beach is situated just at a 15 min walk from the museum.

Bhandarpule Beach.

Bhandarpule

BhandarPule Beach

Bhandarpule- This place is famous for its very beautiful and secluded beach. It is 3 KM from the town centre and a return auto ride would cost you around Rs.120 with a 20 Min stop at the beach. The real fun is the path that leads you to bhandarpule; you would be spellbound to see the unending blue sea at the one side of the road. A must visit site.

Aare-Waare Beach- These are the twin beaches situated on new Ganpatipule-Ratnagiri road. This road reminds of Great Ocean Road of Australia with road running parallel to the clean blue sea. You will get the awesome, unexplainable views of the sea from this road. Waare beach located at a distance of 11 KM from Ganpatipule and Aare located further 1 KM ahead. The Aare-Waare point/sunset point lies in the middle of these two beaches at an elevation of the road. Both these beaches are secluded and very clean with white sand.

You should stay for at least 2 days at Ganpatipule to enjoy the surroundings. If you have more days in hand, you should visit the nearby places .We hire a cab for day 3 & 4 and visit these places.

1) Kolisare- It is situated at 10 KMs from Ganpatipule on the Jaigarh Road. This place hosts the temple of Laxmi Keshav in the dense forests. The surroundings of the temple are cool and serene. The idol of Laxmi Keshav is a marble itself made out of black marble. This 5 feet idol is very beautiful and bright.

2) Karhateshwar- It is situated 18 KMs from Ganpatipule and very near to Jaigarh fort.You will be spellbound after seeing the beauty of this Place. The temple is made of wood and built by Shilaharas King’s. It has been said that no one can anticipate the beauty of this place till he reaches the place and I found this saying true. Shri Narayanbhau Jogi, a ramdasi had described this place in the beautiful words “The deity of Karhateshwar is installed at a beautiful lonely place, at whose feet the roaring sea is there forever.

3) Jaigarh Light House & Fort-5 KM ahead of Karhateswar lies the jaigarh light house and fort. It is situated at the mouth of Shastri River. There are specific timing’s (4PM-6PM) to watch this light house and a minimal ticket of Rs.10.You can view a wonderful view of the sea from the light house and you can also understand the functioning of light house from the caretaker .

The fort is very near to this light house and you can get the wonderful view of sea while walking on the parapets of this fort. The fort is in good condition and was built to guard the Jaigarh Port.

4) Hedvi – It is a small coastal village situated at the other end of Jaigarh Creek. To cross the Creek you have to take a ferry from nearby Saakhar Bazaar to Tavsal. This ferry can also carry big vehicles like trucks and matadors. It’s a real treat and you can see spectacular view of Jaigarh and the surroundings while on this ferry. Hedvi is around 40 KMs from tavsal.

Hedvi is famous for its beautiful Ganesh Temple and the “Baman Ghal”, at this place the rocks are cut by sea water and a gorge has formed. During the high tide, the water gushes through the gorge and it rises up to 100 feet in the air. This was a real treat to eyes but check the high tide timing’s from the locals.

5) Velneshwar – It is an idyllic but beautiful fishing village just 15 KM ahead of Hedvi. This Place is famous for its ancient Shiva temple and its beautiful black sand beach.

The beach here is secluded and free from crowd. You can spend hours sitting at the beach with its beautiful surroundings. MTDC has a resort here that is situated on a hillock and gives 360 degree eye view of sea. There are no restaurants here. So you have to rely on the home cooked delicious food cooked by the locals.

You can directly reach Pune back from Velneshwar by following this route Velneshwar- Guhagar-Chiplun-Karad-Satara-Pune. For Mumbai you can take Goa-Mumbai National Highway from Chiplun.

I recommend this 4 day trip to everyone those who want to have a fun-filled family vacation near to Mumbai or Pune. Do not forget to miss a single chance of tasting local delicacy drink “Sol-Kadhi” at each and every point of Konkan.