Adventures in the Konkan land – I – Hyderabad to Kolhapur – 3 states, one love for the road
The months of April-May had been very exciting, the entire nation abuzz with elections, exercising your vote was the coolest thing to do and everybody seemed to be talking only about the elections and results. Along with the elections came unexpected holidays on voting days and for people in Telangana, it was a bonanza of holidays starting from election day on April 30th, followed by May Day, a Friday which we could always take off and then the weekend. Who in their right travel mind would let go of 5 precious holidays?
Our planning started almost as soon as the election date was declared. We had plans to go on a Jyothirlinga tour to Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra or Coorg or Kanyakumari but finally zeroed in on an adventure sports vacation to Malvan and Dandeli.
Fervour for India !
The day began with a lot of enthusiasm, we were going to seal the course India was going to take in the next 5 years. Despite the excitement of our trip, as dutiful citizens, we made it a point to go out and vote, first thing in the morning. Elections, Cricket and travel, nothing seems to be bring out national feelings like these !
Having exercised our Fundamental Right, it was time to hit the road, our “Fundamental Duty” ! As per schedule, we were to start by 10 AM, drive to Kolhapur, visit the Mahalaxmi Temple and proceed to Malvan for the night. The route was Hyderabad-Gulbarga-Bijapur-Kolhapur-Malvan, a total of 700 kms. Though a longer route, the roads were supposedly better.
Our group waited just outside Hyderabad near the Chilkur crossroads, while two other cars were to join us. It was almost 9.30 AM, we had a most authentic Karam Dosa breakfast at a Dosa cart on the roadside. There was no sight of the other cars and so we had to while away our time clicking some aimless pictures like these.
It was another 2 hours before all 3 cars assembled, if the late comer was excused and even sympathised with, it was all because of the national fervour that was running high that day, we had to be considerate for someone who was delayed at the polling booth !
Our trip finally began around 11.30 AM, 2 Figos and a Verna set out on a journey that spanned across 3 states. We were way behind schedule and had no idea if we could make it in time to Kolhapur. We checked the internet for the temple timings at Kolhapur and were hopeful that we could reach there before the closing time of 10 PM.
Election fever seemed to be catching in on most parts of Telangana. As we passed through Parigi, we saw over crowded buses transporting people, probably, to polling booths and back.
We had double lane roads throughout but the conditions were good and it was a fun drive for most part.
New states, new boundaries
It was past lunch time when we neared the Karnataka border close to Gulbarga. The erstwhile Andhra-Karnataka border shall now read as the Telangana-Karnataka border. How we love these welcome boards at state borders. They carry with them the excitement of entering into a new territory at the border. It is also hilarious to see your mobile phones go berserk receiving welcoming messages from networks on either side of the border !
The roads were in great condition in this part of Karnataka, we reached Gulbarga well past lunch time. We had to stop there as people were almost famished. We found a small eating joint called Hotel Sukanya in Gulbarga. The South Indian thali was simple but when you are starving, any food is doubly tasty !
From Gulbarga, our journey continued without breaks till Bijapur, where we stopped for a cup of tea, it was past 5 PM. From the tea stall on the roadside, we could see the Gol Gumbaz dominating Bijapur’s skyline, a great view to go with your evening tea !
After 6 hours of journey, we had covered only half the distance. We had another 170 kms to reach our first destination, Kolhapur and another 150 kms from there to Malvan. Things didn’t look too promising but we decided to move on.
Lost in transit !
From Bijapur, we headed towards Kolhapur via Athani. The roads were still in good condition but it got narrower and steeper, we realised we were getting onto to a higher altitude, you can actually see the road in a upward incline.
It was dusk time and the roads were getting deserted, if it weren’t for 3 cars travelling together, the scene would have given us some jitters. It was also, probably, because we were venturing away from the familiar zone of South India.
By the time we reached Athani, it was 7 PM and our troubles started. The Verna’s headlights weren’t working. We still had some 100 kms to cover before we reached Kolhapur and we couldn’t afford to travel in the dark without headlights, tailing another car was not a wise thing to do at night. We found a mechanic shop at Athani, who could fix our problems. We had already lost half an hour and the Verna group asked us to keep going ahead, they were sure the problem would be fixed in 15 minutes and the Verna driver was sure he could catch up, he is used to driving at supersonic speeds !
Google Maps told us we had to take the road to Arag from Athani. We followed the Google Navigator religiously until our human navigator took his eye off the phone for a brief while. Out of the blue, the road suddenly disappeared and we found ourselves on a dirt track which looked more like a never ending trench, instead of heading straight at a crossroads to Miraj, we deviated into some unknown village road ! By the time, Google could re-navigate, we had shot off our route by a long way and we were literally lost in the middle of no man’s land !
Pitch darkness surrounded us, there was no road, no sight of a human or any kind of vegetation for miles together. Google Navigator, though, wouldn’t give up and insisted there was a road ahead. Though, most of us could read the Kannada script, thanks to our Telugu background, reading signboards became a problem in the darkness. We had no idea where we were and how far Arag was.
We rambled on the path that was big enough for a Figo to scrape through, if we had a flat tyre, there was no place to even place the car jack ! For the nth time, we had lost our way, this time in transit between Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Border blues !
Our phones buzzed after sometime to inform us that we had crossed over to Maharashtra. We had planned to take pictures of border arches and sign boards as proof of our grand entry to Maharashtra but at the point where we entered the state finding a sign board was asking for a miracle !
After what seemed like ages, we found someone on a motorbike, stopped him and enquired if there was a road ahead. The Marathi-Kannada mix that the man spoke was beyond our comprehension, all that we understood was the road was “ache” after some “chaar kilometer”, thank God for Hindi !
Reading the signboards in Maharashtra was easier because it was in Devanagari and most of us were familiar with Hindi, the difficult part was that the numerals were also in Devanagari. So though we knew the road would lead us to Arag, we had no idea how far it was ! Google Maps? What Google Maps when there were hardly any mobile signals !
With the feeble signals, we managed to call the group in the Verna and cautioned them to be attentive at the crossroads, we gave them the directions but true to the traditions of our group, they too lost their way and didn’t miss on the adventure !
Our woes finally ended when the trench like road joined the highway to Miraj, we were back in civilisation. The word “relief” never sounded so sweet !
In awe of Kolhapur !
In the entire process, we lost about 2 hours and by the time we reached Kolhapur, it was past 10 PM ! We had a wild idea of proceeding further to Malvan but you have to be sensible atleast once in our life and so we decided to stay back in Kolhapur for the night. We had come this far and we couldn’t go without visiting the Mahalaxmi Temple. The resort at Malvan kept calling us wondering why we hadn’t turned up yet, we had already booked accommodation for 2 nights there but had to cancel one.
As we approached Kolhapur, the first thing that struck us was the grand archway at the entrance of the city, excuse the hazy picture but we couldn’t do a better job from the windshield.
Until then, we had thought Kolhapur was some small town, popular for the Kolhapur Chappals. Kolhapur turned out to be a huge surprise – a big city and a rather modern one at that. We were impressed.
At 10.30 PM in the night, we went in search of food but most of them were closing down, people were getting cranky as hunger and sleep began to beat their patience. Someone had the genius idea of calling “Just Dial” for accommodation and hotels at Kolhapur. Promptly, the owner of Solanki Guest House responded, he came all the way to meet us, directed us to a nice hotel, Hotel International, which was still open close to midnight. We will remember the taste of the Kichdi at the hotel for the rest of our lives !
Kolhapur was preparing for the Maharashtra Day on May 1st and the roads were busy with celebrations. Being strangers in the city, we were a little wary of the loud celebrations and hurried over to Solanki Guest House for the night.
We had only planned for adventure sports but day 1 of our trip turned to be more adventurous. It started with breakfast in India’s brand new state, lunch in an ancient city of Karnataka and dinner in the “Great State” of the Marathas, we travelled across 3 states but our love for travel on our country’s roads was one !
Info tidbits
– Don’t take your eye off Google Navigator especially when you are in a new place, even better, simply ask !
– Hyderabad-Gulbarga-Bijapur-Athani-Kolhapur seems the decent route to Kolhapur. We had neat roads until we lost our way. The one via Pandharpur is supposed to be in a rather bad condition and we can vouch for the not so great roads on the Zaheerabad highway. If you plan to travel to Gulbarga or Bijapur from Hyderabad, take the Parigi route.
– Gulbarga and Bijapur are about 3 hours apart, you could stop by for breaks here. If you are not in a hurry, visit the Gulbarga Fort and don’t miss the Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur.
Adventures in the Konkan Land – II – Ashtadasa Shakti Peetha – Kolhapur Mahalaxmi Temple
The Ashtadasa Shakti Peethas are 18 important pilgrim centers in India where the Divine Feminine Power is worshipped. These 18 places were listed by Sri Adi Sankara. The Kolhapur Mahalaxmi Temple is one such Shakti Peetha. Kolhapur is itself a very ancient city, going back to the Puranic times. Up until we realised we had to pass through Kolhapur on our way to Malvan, we had no idea about the importance of this place, again goes to show how little we know of our own land.
Goddess Mahalaxmi’s abode
We were up as early as we could and went to visit the temple. From Solanki Guest House, where we were put up, the temple is a short distance, you could even walk up if you wish. Enroute, we came across a fort wall, there is a statue of Shivaji in front of the fort wall.
Maharashtra Day celebrations began as early as 6 AM and the loud festivities made us a little cautious, you don’t want to get into trouble in a new place !
Vehicles are not allowed near the temple, you have to find some place to park and then walk up. When you reach the temple, the first thing that that grabs your attention is the grand entrance archway.
The short walk from the entrance to the main temple takes you through the shopping area, shops are lined up on either side, a typical scene of a pilgrim centre. It was early in the morning, there wasn’t much crowd around, the fresh air and the pleasant surroundings were simply blissful.
We didn’t take our camera along because photography is not allowed near or inside the temple. We could only take a picture of the temple from outside.
Going by the view from outside, we had expected a small temple but once we stepped inside, the ancient temple stood before us in its grandeur ! It is not a massive temple but the architecture and the sculpture is amazingly beautiful.
The temple’s history dates back to the 5th Century A.D, the present structure, according to the information on the internet, was built between the 10th-13th Centuries A.D. Either way, the temple that stands today is atleast a 1000 years old. We do not have photos to show you but the internet has some nice pictures and details of the temple. Even better, visit Kolhapur and see this ancient marvel for yourself !
Inside the Garbha Griha is the small, big eyed and charmingly “cute” idol of Goddess Mahalaxmi. There are shrines for other deities around the temple. We had a darshan of the Goddess and went around the temple. We went inside again for another round of darshan. It was time for the morning Aarthi and as we stood watching the event amidst chantings and people praying in total sincerity, it felt like the most peaceful place to be. Such is the power of positive energies of people when they come together, that is why, probably temples were built, it is that positive energy that is the real Divine Power inside a temple.
We walked around the temple one more time, we had no idea that Kolhapur had such an architectural and spiritual treasure and when we discovered it, we just couldn’t have enough of it !
The forgotten sporting hero
GK Question – Who was the first sportsman from India to win an individual medal at the Olympics? Here is the answer:
Shri K.D.Jadhav, Bronze Medal in Wrestling at Helsinki Olympics, 1952. Until Leander Paes won a Bronze Medal in Tennis at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, he was the only Indian to have won an individual medal at the Olympics.
Very few of us might have heard of K.D.Jadhav, we didn’t until we saw his statue in the middle of the road leading to the temple at Kolhapur.
Initially, it looked like some Roman statue, it was only when we read the above plaque that we learnt about this great sportsman. The plaque also lists other wrestling champions from India.
When we come across things like this, we feel ashamed at how little we know about our country. Indian sportspersons outside of Cricket don’t seem to even exist for us. Even the Government of India seems to have taken its own time to recognise him, he was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2000 posthumously, 16 years after his death and 44 years after his win at Olympics ! And, we complain about how badly our sportsmen perform at international events ! Atleast Kolhapur seems to take pride in their heroes.
Kolhapur turned out to be a surprise package for us and we drove back to our hotel wondering if this one lifetime would be enough to learn about India.
Celebrating Maharashtra
Back at our hotel, we had to wait for our group while they visited the temple, some people couldn’t wake up early and they were left behind when we went to the temple.
We went to the terrace of the hotel for a view of the city, as it woke up to Maharashtra Day.
On the road below us, celebrations were in full progress. Young men drove around on motorbikes beating drums and shouting slogans, people were out on processions carrying swords and fire torches.
It looked more like warriors marching out to war, the pride in their Maratha legacy was heartening. It also got us thinking how important it is to teach the common youngster the difference between pride and fanaticism. When the lines blur between the two, things take an ugly turn, as is it happens in so many cases in India.
By the time our group assembled after visits to the temple, it was time to leave Kolhapur. We couldn’t leave without checking out the local breakfast. We found a roadside eatery, the famous Vada Pav was going to take sometime, so we our fill of Poha, another famous item on a Marathi breakfast menu.
It was time to take leave of Kolhapur and continue our journey towards the Konkan coast.
Info tidbits
– Kolhapur is around 230 kms from Pune, 380 kms from Mumbai and 560 kms from Hyderabad. Being an important city, you will find buses and trains to reach Kolhapur.
– The Mahalaxmi Temple is open from 5 AM to around 9-10 PM. For more details about the temple and sevas check the temple’s official website http://www.mahalaxmikolhapur.com
– There are several other temples and places to visit in and around Kolhapur. The temple website lists those places. We did not have the time so we only visited the Mahalaxmi Temple.
– If you want to visit all the places around Kolhapur, you might need 2 days.
– Finding accommodation at Kolhapur is easy, there are many hotels and guest houses. Solanki Guest House, where we stayed is a budget hotel. It is decent enough for quick stopover, especially if you are not very particular about state of art facilities.
– Buy the famous Kolhapur Chappals, while you are there. We were there very early in the morning and most shops were closed, so we couldn’t get to do some chappal shopping !
Adventures in the Konkan land – III – Kolhapur to Malvan – Welcome to the Konkan Coast !
When you travel, the journey is as important as the destination, the sights, the discussions, people, anecdotes, these are all as memorable as the awesome places you visit. Especially, on a road trip, the drive becomes the most important part of your travel and when your drive is through one of the most beautiful regions on the country, you couldn’t ask for anything better !
Scenic highway
We started from Kolhapur a little past 8
AM. The 174 odd kms between Kolhapur and Malvan is a paradise for those
who love the road. The scenes are so pretty, you would want to stop
every now and then for pictures and to simply stand and stare. We passed
by the green fields dotted with sunflowers. 
Then the highway took us through lush green woods. 
We drove past terrace fields and tiny villages nestled in the valley between the hills. 
Shortly after, we screeched to a halt near a curve on the small ghat
road because we spotted a fantastic sight all of a sudden ! 
We were standing on the ghat road, looking below at the Radhanagari
Dam, one of the oldest dams to be commissioned in India, way back in
1907. We had no idea that there was dam in Radhanagari or that it could
be viewed from the highway or that the green fields, the red soil and
the brown coloured dam would present such a beautiful sight ! Such
pleasant surprises along the highway add to the experience of a road
trip.
It gets prettier by the mile !
As we drove further, the views got more picturesque, this time the
road took us through thick forest areas, the green canopy almost blocked
out the sunlight at times. It felt like we were travelling through a
natural tunnel ! 
The highway threw some more beautiful surprises at us along the way.
This time we spotted a vast dry bed of what looked like a lake. 
To reach the spot, we had to climb down a steep slope with loose
pebbles that seemed to slip the moment you placed a foot on them !
When we finally managed to get down, this is what we saw and for a
minute we thought we had suddenly landed up in some fantasy world !
It was just a simple bridge archway but the stream flowing through it,
the hills in the background, pin drop silence except for the sound of
the cool breeze and the dry land that stretched as far as we could see,
gave it a fairy tale feel !
What stood out for us throughout the drive was the contrasting colours, green trees, blue sky, brown hills, red soil and the grey road. This riot of colours stay in your mind long after you leave the place.
“Saharsh Swagatham !”
Soon, the landscape changed and we once again hit a ghat road, this time we officially entered into the Konkan. “Saharsh Swagatham”, the welcome board said along with a little poem in Marathi, we thought it was a great way to welcome people to the Konkan land ! Most sign boards in Maharashtra give you a very “hearty welcome”.
We tried a rough translation through some common Hindi/Sanskrit words we knew, “the new season gives you a hearty welcome, the Konkan land begins here, sing a happy song !” We may have got it entirely wrong but we loved this version of the lines !
The highway took us on a ghat road with mesmerising views of the Western Ghats and the valleys. It was peak Summer and most of the hills were a dull brown, the monsoon season is when one should really travel on these roads.
We reached Phondaghat around 11 AM. Phondaghat is a small hill town enroute Malvan. Though it was close to noon in Summer, at Phondaghat, the weather was very pleasant with a chill breeze. None of us was in a mood for lunch but when we spotted a Vada Pav stall, we decided there was no greater lunch idea than Vada Pav !
The stall owner made enough money for the whole year as 10 of us gobbled up almost all his stock of Vada Pavs ! Food and travel, what a combination !
See the sea !
We had to wade through a busy market road to cross Phondaghat and after a short distance, we were driving down the ghat road approaching the plains of the Konkan coast. A good one hour later, we could see the land flattening out and sandy soil on either side of the road. We needn’t have thought much, we were close to our destination, Malvan.
Throughout the highways in Maharashtra, you will find sign boards warning people to be attentive while driving, to control speed and to drive safely, each sign board has a creative punchline, very lyrical.
It was lunch time when we reached Malvan. Located on the Konkan coast, Malvan is a small village by the sea, now famous for Scuba Diving and other water sports.
We can never forget the moment we saw the sea, suddenly coming in view when we turned around a corner, we let out a collective gasp ! The backwaters were very close to the road and with some mangroves on side,
and a stretch of coconut trees on the other,
it was the perfect sea view !
We had arrived at Malvan but we had to go round and round in search of our resort, Daryasarang, mainly because we couldn’t understand the language much ! Finally, we found tiny road leading to our resort. The dirt track lead us through the sleepy little village, snuggled under the shade of the coconut trees.
We checked in to our resort, freshened up and were ready for our first ever Scuba Diving adventure !
Adventures in the Konkan land – IV – Scuba Diving at Malvan – Discovering a “fishy” world !
Ever since the idea of Scuba Diving came up while planning for this trip, people in our group had sleepless nights. For some it was out of excitement, while others (or probably the only one) like yours truly because they dreaded it !
Having checked in at Daryasarang Resort, near the Chivala Beach in Malvan, we met our Scuba Diving organiser. He gave us half an hour to refresh and then our adventure would begin ! Getting ready and driving down to the beach felt like a prisoner being readied for gallows !
Why? Now, imagine. You are 15-20 feet under the sea, suspended to the surface by oxygen pipes. You are venturing into some unknown world, breathing oxygen through a pipe held in your mouth. What if the oxygen pipe leaks? What if you suddenly feel like breathing with your nose? What if the oxygen pipe slips out of your mouth? This writer is nothing if not paranoid !
On your mark, get set for the Scuba Dive !
Malvan is one of the popular destinations for Scuba Diving and other water sports in India, more economical than its richer cousin, Goa, 80 kms away.
At Malvan, you could do Snorkeling and Scuba Diving. The diving is conducted by people approved by the Maharashtra Tourism. For Scuba Diving, you need to head to the Chivala Beach at Malvan. The actual diving takes place near the Sindhudurg Fort, located in the middle of the Arabian Sea.
A 15 minute boat ride takes you near the fort. Moving away from the shore and into the middle of the sea always gives you a slightly jittery feeling.
A boat, probably belonging to Coast Guard passed by, people cheered as they spotted the Indian flag fluttering in the air.
We arrived at our Scuba Diving spot near the Sindhudurg fort around 2 PM. There were a few people already Snorkeling around, which looked much more safer than Scuba Diving but our dive organiser insisted that Snorkeling was not even half fun as Scuba Diving.
The preparation for the Scuba Diving begins with instructions from your dive instructors. At Malvan, Scuba Diving is done through oxygen pipes attached to a tank on board the ship, you do not carry the oxygen cylinders while diving. The instructors teach you how to breathe using the pipe and hand signals to communicate underwater, simple “up” and “ok” signals. You are then given an option of changing into the diving suit or dive with your own clothes. The instructor told us to wear our own clothes so that we could make out who was who in the pictures ! You will have to wear canvas shoes given by them.
A lead strap is tied to your body so you can sink in. You are also given plastic goggles too see underwater, these goggles are designed in such a way that they even plug your nose, you are automatically forced to breathe through the pipe attached to your mouth.
Taking the plunge !
At a time 3 people could go in for the dive because there were 3 instructors. Each dive takes about 10 minutes. We were first asked to hold the boat ladder, put our heads underwater and get used to breathing through our mouth using the pipe. The first few attempts of putting our heads underwater and breathing through the pipe were some of the most scary moments of our lives, most of us couldn’t hold in for more than a few seconds, our heart rate increased because of the tension ! The instructors were very friendly and encouraging though.
After a few attempts, they take you in the middle of the water and let you float with an inflatable tube till you feel comfortable.
There are 2 instructors per person. One hovers on the surface looking out for you and the other takes you underwater. When you are ready, take a deep breath and then take the plunge !
The instructor holds your hand and down, down you go. All of a sudden, as if by magic, a whole new world emerges before you. A world of sea weeds, corals, rocks and fish !
You are guided around by the instructor who even throws some food for the fish and they come swarming at you ! For all the tension that we felt before the dive, once underwater, everything is forgotten, you will even be surprised how effortlessly you are able to breathe through the pipe.
We went some 15 feet underwater, we glided past corals, sea weeds waved at us, here and there a few fish peeped out of their homes. Being Summer afternoon time, the water was not very clear but the visibility is good enough. We tried looking up towards the surface and could see sunlight streaming in through the water. What a mystic, divine sight it was !
Zen under water !
We came up to the surface for a bit of fresh air and the next time, Mr and Mrs.Truly dived together, it is total fun doing it with your spouse ! The instructors took us near a big coral and made us pose for pictures, they also made a 1 minute video !
We stood holding the coral, while the video was being recorded and looked around at the silent world around us. All you can hear is your own breathing through the pipe. There was this one moment, when we felt a sense of complete bliss, where our minds were devoid of any thoughts, there was nothing to think, feel, experience, it was a state of nirvana !
After our group of 10 completed their dives, some of the guys didn’t have enough and went for another round, this time they went deeper to about 25 feet.
Check out some little fish swimming past the human species and wondering what fishy business is going on around them !
From dreading to even think of the dive to going into a state of zen and far from being an adventure sport, Scuba Diving is a magical experience !
Dining in Konkan style
Scuba Diving done, our boat took us back to the shore, it was well past lunch time and a few fishermen were returning from the sea.
We were starving after our dive and headed for lunch at a restaurant nearby. While in the Konkan area, you cannot miss the varieties of fish that they serve you. Our group binged on everything that was available on the menu. A few vegetarians like this writer did not have too many options but the Thali was as delicious as it could get. They served some dessert that looked like whipped cream, it was so tasty that we lost count of the number of cups that we ordered !
Lunch done, we waited for another boat to take us for a tour of the Sindhudurg Fort.
Scuba Diving at Malvan was an experience for our lifetime !
Info tidbits
– Scuba Diving is easy once you get a hang of breathing through your mouth with the help of the pipe.
– If you feel any discomfort, show the thumbs up sign to your instructor and you will be pulled on to the surface within seconds. You may feel a little pain in the ears while ascending back to the surface.
– Follow your instructors and don’t try to venture on your own and do not disturb the underwater life.
– At Malvan Scuba Diving starts at 8 AM and goes on till 4 PM. They usually do not conduct the dive if there is a high tide.
– It is preferable to wear t-shirt and shorts for the dive or hire the diving suit.
– Avoid diving after a heavy meal.
– The cost comes to around Rs.1200/- per person in the off season.
– The best time for Scuba Diving in Malvan is November to February when the water is very clear. Mornings are ideal. The brighter the day, the clearer the view.
Adventures in the Konkan land – V- Sindhudurg Fort – Where Shivaji is the Lord !
In India, it is rather rare to see people celebrating a king who lived centuries ago, except in the history textbooks, we hardly ever remember any of them. The people of Maharashtra are an exception, it is heart warming to see how people still worship Chatrapati Shivaji and no where is it more evident than at Sindhudurg Fort in Malvan.
Guarding the Arabian Sea
When we actually saw it the first time we reached Malvan, we thought it was some island in the distance, we realised it was the fort only when we zoomed in our camera lens.
Built by Shivaji in the 1600s, Sindhudurg Fort, stands on a small islet in the middle of the Arabian sea. The fort was built to guard the land frontier and even today there is a Coast Guard base near Sindhudurg.
To reach the fort, you have to take a 15 minute boat ride, sitting on those boat and venturing into the middle of the sea is an adventure in itself !
A temple for Shivaji
As you get off the boat and walk towards the fort, you cannot but wonder how they built such a big fort in the middle of the sea ! How could they transport the building materials needed to build a fort of such huge dimensions !
This mighty fort was once the guardian of the Arabian Sea. Strategically, it would have protected against sea faring enemies and would have been hard to capture a fort out there in the middle of the sea even if the enemy attacked from the land !
They say, from a distance, it is very difficult to find the entrance of the fort, unless you go very close to it. The entrance to the fort is a narrow opening between two fort walls. As you enter, the giant, black walls seem to look down on you, they still seem to be doing their duty of frightening a trespasser !
Today, there is not much left of the fort but the first thing that grabs your interest is the temple for Shivaji Maharaj, the only one of its kind in India.
In a country that easily builds temples for film heroes, this is probably the only temple in honour of a historical hero ! There is an idol of Shivaji inside. The priest asked all of us to pay attention as he narrated the history of the fort and temple but unfortunately for us, it was in Marathi/Konkani (we couldn’t understand which of the 2 languages were being spoken) and except for some information like “this is Shivaji Maharaj’s Temple”, “it was built in the 16th Century A.D by Shivaji”, we had to stare at the priest and nod our heads as if we understood everything ! To know about the fort, read the note on Maharastra Tourism website.
A konkan sunset
As we said, there isn’t much remaining of the fort except a few wells and a small temple for Lord Shiva.
As you walk around, you will find some shops selling soft drinks, snacks and so on, there also seemed to be some people living still living inside the fort. Imagine, living in an ancient fort in the middle of sea, wonder how the nights are around here !
In one of the shops, we found a picture showing the aerial view of the entire Sindhudurg Fort.
That should give you some idea about how far the fort walls extend ! A major portion of the fort’s boundary wall is still intact.
Further up, we found a watch tower overlooking the sea. A perfect spot to view the sunset.
From there we could see the boundary walls stretching for miles around the islet. The sun began to set slowly, the lovely breeze of the open sea – your perfect evening of bliss !
The only regret was that we weren’t carrying a bigger lens with us and had to adjust with a normal one. As we always believe, no camera can catch the beauty and the dimensions of the human eye and mind.
It was getting dark and we had to leave the fort in time to catch the last boat for the day just after sunset. One cannot write enough about these architectural wonders. Building a mighty fort in the middle of the sea some 4 centuries ago, try beating it !
Mid sea adventures
While waiting for the boat, we found some construction activity near the fort which included big trucks and huge cement mixers.
Earlier, we found some trucks being transported to the islet on rafts attached to steamer boats, these engineering and mechanical stuff is always interesting.
Our boat arrived as it was getting dark and we were asked to sit in the order instructed by those manning the boat because they told us, the tide was high, sea was rough and since it was getting dark, it would be difficult to spot and manoeuver over the under water rocks ! We knew this was going to be a bigger adventure than our Scuba diving experience !
The boat rocked rather roughly, at times it felt like we were going to be thrown off. Here and there, black rocks would be visible underwater and sometimes the bottom of the boat would scrape past the rocks, making people let out a collective scream !
In between all this, there were some beautiful views of the boats in the sea with their beacon light showing the way, under the cresent moon. We tried to capture the moment, if you find the picture slightly askew, well, you know why !
You can’t hold the camera still on a boat that is being tossed up, down, right, left in the middle of the Arabian Sea !
For all the fun and frolic and jokes on boat disasters, we have to admit, we were relieved when we reached the shore !
We headed straight to the Scuba diving organiser to collect out pictures and then to our resort. For a change, none of us was very hungry and we sat up watching the TV on the projector screen. We watched some movie trailers that made no sense, it was all about the “feel”, sitting under the coconut trees out in the open on the sea shore and watching something on a giant screen !
That was a day of Scuba Diving, boat riding in the dark, a day when some of us accomplished what we always wanted to do and some others pushed their limits to do what they never imagined they could !
Info tidbits
– Sindhudurg Fort is open from 10 AM to around 5PM. The ticket cost Rs.50 per head and can be bought at the ticket counter from where you board your boat.
– Boats ply up and down from the shore to the fort. You are given about 1-2 hours time to finish you visit and come back for your boat. It usually doesn’t take more than that to visit the fort.
– Do not wander off too far and do not try stunts on the boundary walls, it could be a direct fall into the sea.
– The fort is already littered and not very well maintained. Do not add to the garbage !
– There is not much to see around here but visit it as it is one of the important sea forts in India and where you can find a temple for a king. If you can make it around sunset time, you will love the experience.
Adventures in the Konkan land – VI – Chivala Beach – Waking up to the waves !
Darya Sarang Beach Resort
If you are someone who loves beaches, a stay at Darya Sarang Beach Resort in Malvan is a must do. This resort is located at the edge of the village, right on the shore of the Chivala Beach. When you wake up each morning, the first thing you will see is the sea and hear the roar of the waves. Darya Sarang is your best stay option at Malvan.
The resort looks like a mini Konkani village in itself and takes you back to the rustic environment of a fishing village, starting from the cottages that remind you of the little houses with sloping roofs and coconut trees everywhere, typical of the Konkan villages.
Step out of your cottage for a glorious view of the sea from between the trees.
You could sit under trees or lie on the hammock and stare at the blue sky above and blue waters below, soaking in the bliss of doing nothing !
Darya Sarang is not one of those luxury beach resorts, it is as basic as it can get and gives you a feel of staying in a sea shore village.
The kings of the sea !
We were up by sunrise and took a walk down the beach. Coming from the East coast of India, it was a different feeling for us to be walking by the sea on a morning and not seeing the sun lighting up the sea !
By the time we reached the beach, fishermen were already out for their early morning catch.
Wonder how life is on the other side of the wave?
Some fishermen were returning from their morning duty. You have to admire their skill and hardwork, whatever your profession, small or big, it is all a struggle for survival !
Here is the reward for the hardwork !
Our morning was spent walking around the beach. The Chivala Beach is
one of the peaceful beaches we’ve seen and relatively clean too.
The sea coast makes a beautiful curve at Chivala. We don’t need to tell you how scenic it is !
Beaches are always fun and a pristine beach like the one at Chivala comes with an added feature of serenity !
Hide and seek backwaters
After spending a relaxing morning at the beach and lazing under the trees, it was time to wind up our Malvan visit and pack off to our next destination. We had a wonderful time at Malvan and would love to go back there again some other time, there still are a lot of places to explore around here.
Just as we were leaving the village, we passed by the backwaters that we spotted the day before. Something looked different this time !
We remembered seeing the water right upto the edge of the road. Then it dawned upon us that the tide was low and so the backwaters had disappeared for while ! Even the mangroves that seemed to be floating on the water, the previous day, now looked rooted to the land !
Funny are the ways of nature !
From the Maharashtra side of the Konkan region, we moved on to the neighbouring state of Karnataka.
Info tidbits
– If you are looking for economical stay at Malvan, Darya Sarang is the best option. The resort has all the basic comforts but does not have the look and feel of the regular resorts, that is the fun part, though.
– We did not try the food here because we had lunch near the Scuba Diving area, skipped dinner and left before breakfast time. From what we heard, it seems to be decent though you wouldn’t have too many options.
– Each cottage costs around Rs.1000/-
– There are other beaches around Malvan like Tarkarli Beach, Devbagh Beach and Tsunami Island. Tarkarli beach is popular for water sports and Dolphin Safari. We were told November-December was the best time to view Dolphins. Tarkarli has an MTDC beach resort. We didn’t visit any of the other places in Malvan.
Our journey across the Konkan region continued, we were back on the road towards our next destination, Dandeli but before we reached there, there were some beautiful locales to see and some not so amusing experiences.
A “Pav”erful breakfast !
As we left Malvan, we knew we were in for a drive through the Nature’s favourite colour – Green. The highway was bordered on either side with trees typical of the coastal regions, you see these trees, you know you are near the coast.
We left Malvan without breakfast and so food pangs set in soon. The nearest town where we could hope to get some decent breakfast was Kudal, 29 kms away.
Kudal gave a delicious surprise. To begin with, the place was very picturesque, it had the small hill station town feel, fresh morning breeze and lovely sights. We stopped for breakfast at Rani Hotel on the main road. It looked like the most happening market area in Kudal with shops, hotels and people busy on a Friday morning. While we waited for breakfast, we took a quick walk around the place hoping to mend a torn shoe, we found a cobbler who did a great job with the shoe (the stitches are still intact). We were impressed with Kudal.
We almost ransacked the food at Rani Veg Hotel, with 10 hungry foodies, you couldn’t expect anything less ! Plates upon plates of Misal and Usal Pavs were served and disappeared in minutes, followed by Vada Pavs and Dosas. Taste for good food, we tell you, is God’s greatest gift to mankind !
The owner of Rani hotel must have had the greatest day of his business life as he pulled out a bill of Rs.1000/-, the bill was almost a foot long !! If you ever go to Kudal and ask him about a group from Hyderabad, he might even tell you stories about our eating adventures !
Caught snapping !
Breakfast accomplished, we resumed our drive to Dandeli, enroute we were interested in checking out Amboli, a popular hill station on the way.
The roads were in great condition throughout, for a brief while between Kudal and Sawantwadi, you will even hit the NH17 with its sleek 4 lane roads and awesome roadside views. We hardly knew when we left the plains of the coast and reached the hill ranges again, the dark green canopy of the thick forest area told us there was a change in the altitude.
The deep shade of green towering upto the sky was a treat to eyes.
We seemed to be cruising along until we reached the Amboli Ghat road, where we were stopped by some policemen. You know the reason, our cars had an AP registration which meant we were strangers in the area. They found all our papers in order but still, one car was asked to pay up because they had a tint on the glasses, despite the glasses having 100% visibility, we even tried telling them that even the Supreme Court didn’t mind if a car had a tint with 100% visibility. They said, a tint was a crime, whether the inside of the car was visible or not ! The other car was fined because the car belonged to the driver’s brother and he wasn’t accompanying him in the car ! Well, if the policemen had decided to fine us either way, who were we, mere mortals to stop them? So we gave in. Interestingly, there were several MH and Goa registration cars, with totally black tints, that zoomed past them and they didn’t bother to even glance, they stopped just one car when we asked them how they alone were allowed to go !
In the meantime, our photographer thought it would make for some amusing blog material if we clicked some pictures of our boys getting fined. What the photographer didn’t know was that when pictures of the boys were clicked, the policemen would also be a part of the picture and the senior, burly looking cop caught us in our act.
He was by our car window in seconds demanding to know why we were clicking pictures, asking us if we were playing the fool around there and who we were thinking of complaining to by clicking the pictures, he said he could even seize our camera ! Boy, if you wanted to know how it feels to be intimidated by a policeman, you should have been there ! Did the policemen think they could get into trouble if we published their photos?
We meekly told him we were just trying to click pictures of our people, he asked go ahead and click pictures of them with the beautiful hills in the background and not when they were being punished (punished for what is still beyond us !). He demanded that we showed him what we clicked and then began to mock our photography skills, he told us our pictures were pathetic and that he could click far better pictures because he had a certification in photography ! Wow, some talented cop that ! Not wanting to let go of our most prized possession or ending up behind the bars in a strange place, we apologised and deleted the few pictures we took there. The cops decided they had enough of us and let us go after giving us a receipt acknowledging our crimes !
Amboli – A flood of green even in summer !
The incident with the cops didn’t stay in our minds for long, in fact all our thoughts were erased the moment we saw this beautiful green landscape of the Sahyadri mountains as we neared Amboli !
It was peak summer but it didn’t seem to matter to these hills, the various shades of green seemed to be posing a challenge to the red hot summer !
When we planned this trip, Amboli was the first place we thought of because we wanted to visit a hill station. The trip plan then slowly expanded later on to other places and so we decided we would atleast drive through Amboli on the way to Dandeli. And so, there we were, sitting inside this cosy looking shelter on the roadside and gazing at the hills.
They even have benches here to sit by and watch the sunset, this viewpoint is the best part of Amboli.
The best season to visit Amboli is after the monsoons when the place is full of waterfalls and clouds descending on you. We had seen pictures of waterfalls flowing down beside the ghat road. Being summer, there were no traces of waterfalls anywhere but imagine, driving through the lush greenery, white clouds and waterfalls throughout this stretch of the mountain range !
It was burning hot outside and very sultry but the lovely hill breeze was refreshing as we spent some relaxing time near the viewpoint.
The Western Ghats stretched as far as the eye could see, what magic could have created these mountains !
By
the time we left Amboli, it was past lunch time, we drove through the
town hoping to find a place to have lunch. There were only a few
roadside stalls, nothing that interested us. The town was full of
resorts though, post monsoon, this place would transform itself into a
green, fairy tale world. Some other time, we thought and drove out of
Amboli.
We’ll be back, Maharashtra !
Hills and forests continued to keep us company, good roads, good cars and nature at its greenest best, what more can a traveller ask for?
It was time to say bye to Maharashtra but we aren’t done yet, this is only the beginning, we haven’t even scratched the surface yet !
Karnataka, here we come !
Info tidbits
– The 80 odd kms from Malvan to Amboli takes about 2 hours. Kudal and Sawantwadi are main towns in this area if you wish to stop by for a break.
– Amboli is best visited after the monsoons. We only stopped at Amboli in passing, so we couldn’t visit any places of interest.
– We didn’t find too many hotels in this stretch till Amboli, it would be handy if you carried something to munch till you find a good place to eat.
– Make sure your car and tyres are in good condition, the drive is through ghats and forests, with very few villages/towns enroute. Fill your car with enough fuel.
– Always carry all your car papers with you, never argue with cops, especially if you are in a different state and you don’t know anybody else. Don’t click pictures of cops !!!
.jpg)
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.