https://travelindiathroughmyeyes.com/exploring-the-coastline-of-maharashtra/
Maharashtra is blessed with a very long coastline that stretches for more than 700 kms. Any road trip just 100 kms south of Mumbai takes you to a different world. Sahayadri range on the east and the vast expanse of Arabian Sea on the west makes it a picture postcard type of a trip. It is dotted with remnants of history in the form of numerous forts, temples along with quiet, pristine beaches. Rustic fishing villages, swaying coconut trees & long stretches of uninhabited coastal beauty add to the charm. For sea-food lovers it is liking icing on the cake. The veg Malvan thali is also an unique experience.
I have done a couple of trips with family & friends and always came back enchanted with the history & undulating picturesque landscapes. The landscape & scenery keep changing after driving for a few kms. It is a veritable paradise for nature lovers & history buffs. My travelogue today would take to you to Alibag (Alibaug), Revdanda, Kashid Beach, Murud & Hari Hareshwar. There is so much to explore along the coast that I have only touched the tip of the ice-berg.
A beautiful quote:
“Life is like Sea. As vast as you can imagine; as deep as you can think. Don’t waste time measuring your life. You won’t succeed. Instead, explore Life. Reach for new harbours as you pass through different phases of life. Make friends on each destination. Enjoy your journey.”
The last 13 months have put a temporary brake on this journey. Instead of cribbing about it, I have been channelizing my insatiable desire to travel through my writings. My travelogues allow me to travel to forts, palaces, beaches & mountains!
Murud Janjira – invincible fort
Our first destination is the sea-fort of Murud Janjira. It has an unique distinction – despite many attempts none of the adversaries could ever capture it. Murud is a small town in Raigad district located about 150 kms from Mumbai. The fort is only accessible by sail boats from the Rajapur jetty near the coastal village of Murud. The 2 kms journey by boat takes approximately 30-35 mins.
Origin of the name ‘Murud Janjira’
Let us first examine the interesting origin of the name Murud Janjira. The word ‘janjira’ has come from the Arabic word ‘jazeera’ which means island. The word Murud is believed to have come from the archaic Konkani word ‘morod’ which means either island or was a term used for ‘Habshi’. It refers to dark-complexioned people from East Africa particularly Abyssinia (now Ethiopia). They were known as Siddis who had come in large numbers to India. They were merchants, sailors, indentured servants, slaves and mercenaries who found refuse & patronage in the Sultanates of Bijapur & Ahmednagar. Majority of them had converted to Islam. There is still a population of over 50K Siddis in India and majority of them are based in Karnataka.
Brief history of Murud Janjira fort
The true history of the fort remains shrouded in mystery. Historians are of the view that the leader of the local Kolis (fisherman community) originally built a small wooden fortress like structure on the island in the late 15th century. This was primarily to safeguard themselves from the pirates. The strategic location of the island in the sea attracted the Sultan of Ahmednagar. He sent his commander Piram Khan and captured the island. Malik Ambar (1548-1626) of Siddi descent was the regent of the Sultanate of Ahmednagar. He was famous for his political acumen. He had raised a large army of 50000 which had 10000 Siddis. Malik Ambar built a massive rock fortress on the island.
The Siddis later declared independence and took control of Murud Janjira. They continued to show their allegiance to both Ahmednagar dynasty & Mughals. The fort gave the Siddis strategic control over the seas. They strengthened the fort and added number of heavy cannons.
Historian & scholar B. K. Apte writes
In his book ‘A history of the Maratha Navy and Merchantships, Professor Apte makes mention to the might of this fort. He writes “The bastions roughly measure 80 feet across and 30 feet deep. There are many guns of native and European make. Peshwa Bajirao I deserted the famous local cannon Kallal Bangadi when he left the main shore not being able to conquer Janjira. The European guns of Swedish, Spanish, Dutch & French make bear witness to Siddis’ dependence on foreigners for guns of good caliber” The Fort could never be captured. The Marathas, the Portuguese & the British made several attempts but failed.
After Chhatrapati Shivaji, his son Sambhaji Maharaj built another sea-fort just 9 kms north of Janjira and named it Kansa or Padmadurg. Sambhaji built it in order to have a garrison stationed there. This was to attack Murud Janjira either through the sea-route or by constructing a secret tunnel under the sea. The Murud Janjira fort became known as ‘Ajinkya fort’ – that which is invincible. Today Padmadurg designed in the shape of a lotus is under the control of Indian Navy. It is necessary to seek their permission to visit the fort.
Our trip to the fort
We 4 along with 16 others boarded a small boat at Rajapura jetty for the thrilling 30 mins ride to the fort. The main gate of the fort is at such a strategic place that it is neither visible from the shore or the sea. As the boat approaches the fort one can appreciate the sheer strength & height of the massive granite walls.
The fort has an irregular oval shape. It has many towers, turrets and 19 bastions. The bastions are intact to this day. Once upon a time the fort had 572 cannons but today only three large ones can be seen. They have interesting names such as Kalalbangadi, Gomukh and Chalaklombdi. The main buildings inside the fort comprised of a five storeyed royal palace, houses of noblemen, mosque, stables, granaries. There were a number of fresh water tanks to sustain the population living inside the fort for a very long time. One has to climb 125 steps to reach the highest point of the fort known as Bale Killa. There is an interesting carving at the entrance to the fort – it depicts a tiger holding five elephants under its claws.
The boatman offered his services as a guide and regaled us with interesting stories for about 45 mins. He gave us another 15 mins to roam around as the boat was to return with the same set of passengers.
Pictorial tour of Murud Janjira fort
Ahmedaganj Palace
The coastal road from Alibaug to Murud is picturesque as it affords a beautiful view of the sea for several kms. Just before one gets down the ghat to Kashid Beach (6 kms before Murud), on one of the bends on the road on the right side comes a majestic palace in view. This is Ahmedaganj Palace also known as Nawab Palace or Nawab Kothi. It is a nearly 150 years old imposing palace. It is built in a combination of Mughal & Gothic styles of architecture. Spread over a 45 acres estate it has a strategic location facing the Arabian Sea. The Nawab family doesn’t stay here any more and the palace is closed for public viewing. A prior permission from Nawab family is required to enter the premises.
Kashid Beach
Kashid Beach is located at a distance of 33 kms from Alibaug and 21 kms before Murud. It is a pretty clean beach with clear blue sea water and vast expanse of white sands. It has many resorts and is preferred by many weekend travellers for a relaxed holiday. The adventure seekers can enjoy a wide range of water sports activities. Children & adults can enjoy horse rides on the beach.
Kolaba Fort
We visited another sea-fort. It is called the Kolaba Fort and is also known as Kulaba Fort or Alibag Fort . It is located close to Alibag beach. In low tide one can walk up to the fort in knee deep water or take a horse cart ride. While in high tide one has to go by motor boat. When we reached the beach, the tide was high so we took a motor boat ride. When we were returning after an hour it was low tide and we could see some people coming to the fort in a tonga.
Brief history of Kolaba Fort
I could not find much about the initial history of the fort. According to historian B.K. Apte, Chhatrapati Shivaji had started the construction of the sea-fort in the last year of his life i.e. in 1680. It was later completed during the reign of Sambhaji Maharaj.
Kolaba fort stands on an island measuring roughly 900 ft. from north to south and 350 ft. from east to west. The height of the fort–wall varied from 20 to 28 feet at different places. The fort has two gates – one facing Alibag beach while the other faces the sea. The fort had seventeen towers. They served as watch points. The main gate of the fort was once super-imposed with a pointed arch with two towers on either side. The teak-doors had strong iron-spikes driven in them. At a short distance from the main gate is a small doorway as an extra defensive measure. The command of the fort was in the hands of Darya Sarang and Mainak Bhandari Under them, Kolaba Fort became the centre of the Maratha attacks on British ships.
Fort under the control of Angres
In 1713 under a treaty with Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, Sarkhel Kanhoji Angre became the independent commander of Kolaba along with several other forts. He used it as his main base from which he launched raids on British ships. In November 1721, the British, incensed at Angre’s activities, joined the Portuguese in an expedition against Kolaba. A Portuguese land force of 6000 and three English ships made a joint operation but the attempt failed. The British blamed the failure to the “cowardice of the Portuguese”.
In 1729 a major fire destroyed many buildings. In 1787 another major fire incident destroyed the Angre Wada.
Our trip to Kolaba Fort
The fort had temples of Ganapati, Bhawani, Maruti and Gulbai. Siddhivinayak temple of Ganapati is still in good condition. Annual Ganapati festival is celebrated in the fort. There is a large water tank with steps near the temple. There is a Dargah of Haji Kamaluddin Shah on the fort. Near the northern wall of the fort lie, two English cannons mounted on wheels.
We spent nearly an hour exploring this majestic sentinel of the sea which is a good specimen of Maratha architecture. Chhatrapati Shivaji had a few other sea forts under his command which include Sindhudurg, Vijaydurg and Swarnadurg. He had realized the importance of safe guarding the seas for the safety of his kingdom.
Revdanda Fort & Beach
Portuguese Capt. Soj built Revdanda Fort in 1524. St. Francis Xavier delivered one of his early sermons in India at this fort. Marathas captured it from the Portuguese in 1806 . Finally it came under the British in 1818. It is at a distance of 16 kms from Alibag and is a little diversion from Alibag-Murud road. Revdanda came into limelight a couple of decades ago when Russian historians discovered that the first Russian traveller to India by ship had landed at Revdanda. He died there. A high powered Russian delegation visited the fort in 2000 CE. A memorial was erected in his honour. There is a sizeable population of Jews near Revdanda. They had come to India nearly 700 years ago and settled down here.
At one time the water of the creek surrounded the fort on three sides. The fort is in ruins today, a tower and the walls of a chapel still stand and the walls of the fort can be seen from the beach. The beach is beautiful and the swaying coconut & betel-nut trees add to the charm of the place. We were surprised to find that the beach had black sand and walking over it was a different experience. We had reached the beach around sunset time so we enjoyed watching the beautiful sunset.
Hari Hareshwar
We, fourteen old friends from Nasik hired a 16 seater tempo traveller and made a wonderful 3 nights/4 days trip to Hari Hareshwar at a distance of 325 kms. The journey took us 8.5 hours with one hour stop for lunch. It was non-stop fun all the way. We stayed at MTDC Resort which has the best location in Hari Hareshwar. It is a beautiful property located on a cliff and gives an unhindered view of the Arabian Sea with magnificent sunrises and bewitching sunsets
Hari Hareshwar is a quaint little town in the Konkan region. It is called land of the gods as it is endowed with amazing natural beauty. It is surrounded by four holy hills Harihar, Harshinachal, Bramhadri and Pushpadri. The presence of the hills on all sides add to the beauty of the long stretches of pristine beaches. It is located close to the creek where Savitri river that originates from Mahabaleshwar meets the Arabian sea. There are three beautiful beaches in Hari Hareshwar – Diveagar, Shrivardhan and Harihareshwar. The beaches in Hari Hareshwar are a bit rocky so it’s not advisable for bathing. Sea, beaches, hills & rivers all combine to make it a picturesque location.
Beautiful temple in Hari Hareshwar
Hari Hareshwar has a lot of religious importance attached to it. A 16th century temple built in a style typical of Konkan region near the Harihareshwar beach was renovated by the Peshwas in the 18th century. It houses the trinity- Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva in a single temple. Adjacent to this temple is the temple of Kal Bhairav. As per legends, Lord Vishnu has blessed this place. It is also said that Agastya Muni took Samadhi here on the sea shore.
Nature has the uncanny habit of surprising you in the most amazing way !!
While others opted for spending time at the Harihareshwar beach, three of us decided to take pradakshina behind the temple premises. We were not prepared for the out of the world experience that awaited us.
A climb of 50 steps took us to the top of the cliff and then as we turned left we came to a narrow opening between two cliffs that offered us a spectacular view of the Arabian Sea. We climbed down 150 steep steps to reach a platform made of natural rocks. The scenic landscape that unfolded before us left us awestruck with marvel & amazement at nature’s wonders. We were bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun. We marvelled at the natural rock formations and fossils in different shapes due to constantly being battered by sea water during high tides. The majestic sunset left us in a trance. This pradakshina is possible only during low tide.
A ride in the barge on the Savitri river to the other bank for visiting Bankot fort was an exhilarating experience.
All the places are easily accessible by road from Mumbai or Pune. The best time to visit these places is between November to February. There are hotels & resorts to suit every budget.
References:
(1) ‘A History of Maratha Navy and Merchant Ships’ by Professor B.K. Apte (2) Wikipedia
The vast land of India is a continent within a continent – full of wonders both man-made & natural. It has been my endeavour to bring these beautiful treasures some well-known and some lesser known to your knowledge. As far as possible, I also try to provide the history associated with the monument or the place.
Regular updates
I have clicked all the pics except my own pics.
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Disclaimer:
I have made sincere efforts to provide you the correct information about all the places that have been culled out from various sources. I do not take any responsibility for any errors that might have crept in the narration. There is no intention to hurt the faith or religious sentiments of any person or community.
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