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.