Rameshwar Temple at Achara

Friday, March 14, 2014

After having done with Devgad Fort, Devgad Port, Devgad Beach, KunkeshwarTemple and Vijaydurg we headed back to Malvan.

As there was no direct bus to Malvan in the morning we decided to do a stopover trip, we boarded a bus to Achara. Btw the bus was going to Achara only.

We alighted at Achara after a three hour journey in the interiors of this place. It cost us Rs. 58 for this journey. 

Premises of Rameshwar Temple in Achara

We asked the locals around and they told us to visit Rameshwar Temple at Achara which is located at a walking distance from there. They told us that it would take us around 30 minutes to reach this place.

We walked on the road as we were directed and reached the entrance of the temple. This temple is beautiful. The pillars of the temple and the colors it was painted in, pushes one back in time.

There are a few old diya stands in the fort premises called as stumbhs in Marathi, they were constructed in the 17^th century.

Old Diya stands in the Temple premises

Chhatrapati Shambu Raje of Kolhapur had given this Iman (Iman means land given by Kings and Emperors to people for the achievements) to Shri Dev Rameshwar (i.e. Lord Shiva) this temple is dedicated to Shiva.

We decided to have our lunch at the temple premises. The lunch consisted of rice, dal curry, kidney beans and a sweet dish. The women in the temple premises prepare food for all the devotees who come here and serve it to them. The food is free of cost. The women serve food as they believe that they are blessed when they serve unknown people.

Free food served in the Temple premises

After Hithakshi got her blessings and our stomachs full to the core we decided to head back to Malvan.

Though the journey from Malvan to Devgad consumed just 3 hours of our time this return journey consumed around 8 hours of our time.

As we sat in a bus that took us on a darshan to the interiors of Achara and Devgad. Never the less travelling around in rustic Maharashtra was fun, the rollercoaster ride in the jungle the small and squeaky houses around both on low lying and high lying  areas was amazing.

I was imagining what a difficult life it is for these people to commute as they stay so deep in the heart of nature.

Finally at 1630 hours we reached Malvan ST Bus depot. We were on a mission now as we had to lookout for a place to stay for the night, that too a budgeted one.

Rameshwar Temple interiors

We finally got ourselves a room on rent at Rs. 700 per night at Hotel Sahil Palace. Thanks to the chemist we inquired at. The owner of the chemist turned out to be the brother of the local MLA who owned the Hotel. 

He gave us at a discounted rate but a spacious room for the two of us. 

Had thali dinner in a local restaurant and called it a night as we had to do Devbag beach, Tarkarli beach the next day.

Vijaydurg

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Finally at 11 am we reached Devgad ST bus stand. The bus to Vijaydurg was at 1130 am. So we decided to refresh ourselves with some sugarcane juice at the sugarcane juice centre located at the entrance of the bus depot. 

Vijaydurg Fort from VIjaydurg Village

We then headed to the bus, only to find that the bus that had dropped us here from Kunkeshwar was going to take us to Vijaydurg.

Got ourselves a ticket at Rs. 58 for the 1 ½ hour journey only to be dropped off at the entrance of the fort. 

We were told by the bus conductor that the last bus is at 1630 hours to Devgad ST bus stand. 

Temple in fort premises

History states that this fort was constructed by Raja Bhoj of Shilahar Dynasty between 1193 AD to 1205 AD. Its original name was Gheria Fort. It was situated near village Girye.

Shivaji Maharaj won this fort from Adilshah of Bijapur in 1653 and renamed it Vijaydurg.

The massive walls of the fort were impressive. This 17 acre fort is 2/3 in the water and 1/3 on land access via land and has 17 bastions on it. Each of the bastions named after a particular person or God I guess. 

Cannons placed at the entrance of the fort

At the entrance of the fort is a house and a temple, the temple is painted orange in color. A few cannons were located there; they were mounted on the mud bricks.

At the main entrance of the fort are placed cannon balls on either side of the passage. There are many houses in its premises, though most of them are unoccupied but they are in good condition.

We decided to survey the entire fort by walking on the walls of the fort.  The walls give an amazing view of the sea and the village based near the fort.  It also offers a view of the fortification, similar to the one I saw in Lohgad. located near Visapur and Bhaje Caves.  

Fortification reminded me of Lohgad Fort

The walls were so broad that they could accommodate house like structures, a few of them have shapes in them like doors and windows and a few have tiled roofs. There are many with broken roofs too which have fallen within the structures.

Couldn’t stop myself from taking at photo at this place. Photo courtesy Hithakshi. 

That's Me

This fort had two walls for protection, one on the outside and the other on the inside, the outer one being small in height compared to the one inside.

Some parts of the fort are being redone, a big thanks to the guys who are trying to conserve our history.

We saw that one of the bastions was broken down; I guess this was done when a cannon ball was fired onto it from a sea vessel. I could see the damage it created. The impact bought down the entire bastion. 

View from the Fort Walls

I noticed that there are small openings in the wall for guns to shoot at the sea vessel, but what caught my eye is this mother opening that housed six small openings. I have been too many forts but something like this I noticed for the first time.

There were rooms for ammunition on the fort as well.

There are many huge structures placed all over the fort, they have windows in them but no roofs. No wonder what these were used for?

How I wish I had a time machine that could transport me in time.

One of the many structures built on the Fort

There are guides here who give information on the fort, but each guide interprets the fort differently. There is no uniformity in the information provided.

It takes around 4 hours to view the fort in entirety.

Again there were many idiots here who have ruined the walls by writing their names all over it.

Few visitors, maybe it was afternoon so it didn’t attract many. But to see this fort it takes around four hours so you will be baked in the sun. 

I located many of these unique slots on the fort walls, Maybe they were used to shot at the enemy outside the fort

This journey of ours through this magnificent fort was truly amazing. But we had to leave at our bus was at 1630 hours and to top it, it was the last bus for the day.

This fort surely ranks in the class of Murud Janjira. A beautiful fort.

A must on your trip to Devgad. 

Kunkeshwar Temple

Monday, March 10, 2014

A day before we had inquired at the ST bus stand regarding the timings for the buses to Kunkeshwar Temple and Vijaydurg Fort and how to go about it. We were told to do Kunkeshwar Temple in the morning and later head out to see Vijaydurg. Though there is no direct mode of transport to Vijaydurg we had to come back to the depot to board a bus to Vijaydurg.

We then decided to do Kunkeshwar Temple first and later do Vijaydurg. We planned to board the 730 hours bus to the temple.

As decided the night earlier, we boarded the 730 hours bus at Devgad ST bus stand. Note that there are few direct buses to Kunkeshwar and many going via Kunkeshwar, the bus we boarded goes via Kunkeshwar.

Kunkeshwar Temple

The bus was comparatively empty though it was morning. The view is amazing as the road is a rollercoaster ride in the hills offering amazing view of the land. The roads were good for car drifters, it reminded me of the scene in the movie, Fast and Furious 3 where they had ad drifting race downhill.

Finally after 1 ½ hours at a cost of Rs. 28 one way we were at the footsteps of the temple.

There are many stalls selling offerings outside the temple.

Hithakshi offered prayers here while I started my photo shoot of the temple.

The Kunkeshwar Temple is located in Kunkeshwar Village which is situated around 14 km from Devgad and the temple is dedicated to Shiva. This temple was built in 100 AD by the Yadav Kings. Shivaji Maharaj too tied to keep this temple intact.

Beach outside the temple premises

The temple was newly constructed near the sea. The beach had beige sands and grey colored water lashing on the shore. The water was good for a swim, but I couldn’t locate any one swimming on the shore. Some stretch of the beach was rocky especially the one near the temple.

There were no waste or sea weeds on the shore.

After we were done with Hithakshi’s prayers and my photo shoot we headed back to Devgad ST bus depot as we planned to do Vijaydurg today.

The ride back was also a rollercoaster ride, but this time cost of the ticket is Rs. 24. How come the price reduced by Rs.4. So we asked the conductor on which he told us it is based on the no.  of stops it makes. Ooo iii cccc

At around 1100 hours we were at Devgad ST bus stand.

Devgad Beach

Thursday, March 6, 2014

After exploring a part of Devgad Port we headed off to see the beach. We reached the point from where three roads meet, one heading to Devgad Fort and port, other to the ST bus stand and the third to Devgad Beach.

From this junction it takes 10 minutes to walk to the beach.

In no time we were on the beach. The stretch of the beach is not to long but it was beautiful.

Devgad Beach sandwitched between the windmills located on a cliff on one end and another cliff on the other.

Clean white sands with grey waters lashing against them made it an amazing view. But this view short lived due to the short stretch of the sea.

The beach is sandwiched between the windmills located on a cliff on one end and another cliff on the other.

Now it was 1700 hours in the evening and there was no crowd on this beautiful beach. A few people, wait let me count them, 20 people were on the beach out of which 10 were in the water.

We headed off to see the Windmills located on the cliff.

Devgad Port

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

We headed out of Devgad Fort on the staircase that led us to the Customs House. From here the road goes straight to Devgad Port. 

Fortification around the Devgad Port

 The Devgad Fort was erected by Kanoji Angre in the year 1705. The Fort was built at the confluence of the Devgad creek and the Arabian Sea. The fort is accompanied by a Harbor at the base where once a upon a time big ships used to dock.

Even near the Port the fortification still exists. I guess the Port and the Fort were constructed around the same time. My assumption is based on the stone walls. Thought the port is no longer in existence.

We met an elderly fisherman Chinappa, who has made the jetty his home for a few months. He told us that he has come here from Karnataka to catch fish and to make a living as he has a family of five at home out of which he needs to get two of his daughters married off. I was touched when I heard his story. He offered us coconut to eat. After having the coconut we told him that we plan to explore the port.

Chinappa, who has made the Devgad Port his home

We saw a few cannons here. As it was a port I guess trading was in full swing and so for security reasons the cannons were placed here.

As per the inscriptions on the walls the port was built somewhere in the 17^th century.

Fishing boat in the waters which are made by the confluence of Devgad Creek and Arabian Sea.

He told us that it is not safe for the two of us to hang around alone in the portside. There were many houses here and they looked as if they have been vacated for quite some time now, making them appear like haunted houses. We took his advice and headed off to Devgad Beach.

Devgad Fort

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Hithakshi inquired at the ST bus stand regarding the whereabouts of the Devgad Fort.

At the inquiry counter we were advised that the Fort is at an hour’s distance from here. There are no buses plying there. But rickshaws would land us there in no time, but we would miss out on the beauty around us. We then decided to walk it out to the beach hoping to get some wonderful shots.

The road was narrow with houses located near it. These houses were quite old, I guess around 100 years and above. There was a masala making factory near the road so we decided to check it out. As we were tourists here, everyone around looked at us with a suspicious eye though they were very helpful in guiding us to the Fort. 

Entrance to Devgad Fort.Staircase is from Customs House  in near Devgad Port

It was around 1500 hours and there was not a soul on the road. Guess too many people don’t visit this place or maybe it’s the heat that’s keeping the people away.

This is a fishing village with fishing boats all over the place. Some were on their way back collecting the day’s catch of fish. The view of the boats in the water against the green hills was simply amazing.

The Devgad Fort was erected by Kanoji Angre in the year 1705. The Fort was built at the confluence of the Devgad creek and the Arabian Sea. The fort is accompanied by a Harbor at the base where once a upon a time big ships used to dock.

A staircase near the Customs House Devgad leads us to the entrance of the Fort. Drinking water is available from a tap near the Customs House. 

View of the green waters of the Arabian Sea from walls of Devgad Fort

In no time we were at the entrance of the fort. The walls of the fort were not very high. As the fort was on a cliff they didn’t require high walls I guess. The walls were made of black stone with bordering of white.  The stones were huge and were placed one above the other with no adhesive to lock them.

The fort offered a good view of the sea, that’s the reason a light house has been built here. It offers a good view of Devgad Beach and the Windmills in a distance.

Three bastions that are accessible to public offer a good view of the sea and the area around us.

I noticed that there is no thrash or graffiti on the walls of this fort. This is good. I guess too many people haven’t heard of this place.

In the premises of the fort are temples dedicated to Ganesh and Hanuman. 

View of the Fort from the inside, the light house in the corner and the remains of the houses with stone boundares and dried water cistern

There are stones which I guess were a part of the walls of the houses here which no longer exist.

There is also a well up here which is around 5 to 6 stories deep. And bathing ground which was dried up.

The entire fort can be done by walking on the walls of the fort.

I could not locate single cannon on the fort. Now this is strange as this is a sea fort and the danger of being attacked from the sea is always there and there are no cannons for security. What happened to the cannons, where did they go, where they stolen or did they never exist here were some of the questions running in my head.

One can view the lighthouse, daily between 1600 to 1750 hours. The entry fees are mentioned on a signboard and they are very economical. We were unlucky that day, as the person in charge had not reported and so we couldn’t see the light house.

The part of the fort in the premises of the lighthouse is in accessible to public for security reasons.

After enjoying the beautiful view around and the strong breeze on a sunny afternoon we headed off to see the Devgad Port.

Journey Malvan to Devgad

Friday, February 28, 2014

Devgad was on our list when we set off from Mumbai. So we had made inquiries at the Malvan ST Depot regarding a bus to Devgad.

We were informed by one of the staff, a day before our journey that there is direct bus at 730 hours to Devgad and that it would take around 3 hours for us to reach there.

We then planned to board the bus at 730 hours to take us to Devgad.

The next day we were up at 600 hours. We headed to the beach for a morning walk and then packed our stuff to go to the ST bus stand.

We reached the bus stand at 7:15 hours. Without wasting anytime we decided to ask the Inquiry counter the pickup point of the bus, to which the person at the counter replied “Bus gele, ata dusri bus sade nau la ahai” meaning the 730 hours bus departed and the next bus is at 930 hours.

We checked up on one of the boards with bus timings and it stated a bus at 830 hours. We told the Inquiry desk about the same, to which he replied, “Toh zuna timing ahai” meaning it is the old timing.

Two hours of waiting time just to board a bus to Devgad.

What is more annoying is that the boards had the wrong timing and no one paid any heed to get the timing rectified.  And the next bus was in two hours time. I guess the bus at 730 hours would have been full so they let if off even before we arrived :(

Rickshaws are a very expensive affair here as they don’t charge via the meter and it would cost us more cash and time so we decided to wait for the 930 hours bus. Just hoped that the bus is on time.

Finally at 925 hours the bus arrived at the stop, we immediately boarded the bus and got a place to sit in it. Luckily the bus was less crowded.

We got ourselves a ticket at a cost of Rs. 91 each. For a three hour journey.

The view from the bus was simply amazing.

Plenty of jackfruit and mango farms on the way. Hithakshi wanted to reach out her hand and pluck mangoes and jackfruits. They were that close to us.

This year I guess the harvest is going to be real good.

The roads were very narrow and used to go up and down the terrain in the jungle, giving us different views of the land. Shades of green all around us. The tree sporting different shades of green leaves and the green waters of the lake nearby was amazing. The color green was so soothing to our eyes.

Suddenly the view changed to barren lands as far as my eye could see. In a distance I could see houses made of mud with tiled roofs which were around 100 years old but they looked beautiful in a distance.

The view from the bus, on our way to Devgad was beautiful. As the bus was racing at high speed, I was having a tough time taking photos.

After 3 ½ hours we reached Devgad ST Bus Depot. This was a fun filled rollercoaster ride for us and now we had to find ourselves a place for the night.

There are not many stay options in Devgad. It is not as well developed as Malvan in regards to tourism. But we managed to get a place to rest for the night behind the bus stand.

Pacific Safari charged us Rs. 500 as rent for a twin sharing room (Non AC) and Rs.1000 for a twin sharing room (AC). The rooms weren’t that great, but for travelers who are out exploring the entire day it isn’t going to be much of an issue.

We then set off the explore Devgad Fort in the afternoon.  

Kolamb Beach in Malvan

Friday, February 21, 2014

It’s an amazing feeling, to walk barefoot on the clean white sands of the beach. The water lashing against the shore, the strong winds blowing, I could feel it in my short crop haircut. The sound of the waters mixed with the wind though loud was very pleasing to my ears.

This is Kolamb Beach a beautiful beach very near to the hustle and bustle of Malvan City on the way to Devgad. 

As we rented rooms in Hotel Samudra, which is located on the shores of Kolamb Beach at a cost of Rs. 600 per room. Have to stay that these are the best rooms I have stayed in ever since I have been travelling. The rooms and the glamour rooms are clean and well kept.

Hotel Samudra located on the shores of Kolamb Beach

There is no mineral water available here so have to make do with the local well water or you need to fetch water from the city. The hotel provides homemade food for a price. The food is good to it.

There are no power trips here, which is good.

The room rates are negotiable but depend on the season. This place is more or less like a homestay, but we enjoyed it a lot.

As our room was sea facing, when we opened the glass window we could clearly hear the sound of the waves mixed with the wind gushing to the shores.

I enjoyed myself chilling on the hammocks placed outside the hotel. This was the first time I ever sat on the hammock and I enjoyed it, though initially I had a tough time getting myself onto one.

The beach has clean white sand and grayish water and no garbage or thrash but seaweeds that made its way ashore. A few fishing boats were parked on the shores a few metres away from the hotel where we were. A few metres ahead there was a rocky cliff.

Evening at Kolamb Beach

Having the beach entirely to yourself, the feeling that you got, we had the same feeling in us as it was just the two of us on the lovely beach.

In the evening a few locals gave us company, the sum of us all totaled to 8. 8 that’s it.

I usually prefer staying in the city area as it is well connected in terms of lodging, food and travel in comparison to and isolated place like this.

But for the moment I enjoyed my stay here thoroughly, being disconnected with the city.

God alone knows whether I will get an accommodation like this ever, but I have my fingers crossed.

Malvan - Journey Mumbai to Malvan

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Blue waters of the Arabian Sea lashing against the clean white sands of Maharashtra with light blue skies above makes a photo truly beautiful.  Fishing boats parked on the white sands waiting to be sailed in the blue sea and a few fishing boats out for a good catch makes our photos even more interesting. Yes this is Malvan.

I always wanted to visit the Konkan stretch so had planned the same with Hithakshi, remember Hithakshi, she accompanied me to Chinchotiwaterfalls.

We decided to do Malvan, Devgad and if possible Vengurla in the eight day trip, considering two days for travelling we had six days for sightseeing.

I inquired with the Sandeep the bus agent and he told me that there are no Volvo’s, AC buses and Sleeper buses plying to Malvan. The only mode of transport is a 2 X 2 seater bus or a private vehicle or ST bus. The later cannot be booked there.

He also told me that it would take around 14 hours to reach Malvan. “14 hours, I takes 12 hours to reach Goa, then why 14 hours to Malvan?” on this replied that for 4 hours the bus keeps moving in Mumbai city itself in order to collect commuters and then heads out of the city.

I got our tickets for a 2 X 2 seater bus. These buses are slightly smaller than the regular buses. Why are these buses smaller, is what I was wondering, never the less we had a place to sit in the bus and that is what matters.

The bus took off at 15:30 hours from Gokul near Borivali and I boarded the bus at 16:30 hours at Andheri. One hour just to travel from Borivali to Andheri. And to make it worse at 18:30 hours we were still in Bhandup in Mumbai. I lost my cool as it was three hours and we were still circulating in Mumbai picking up commuters.

And to top it, it took 4 halts on the way, ranging from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. Which made me very uneasy.

No wonder it takes 14 hours. These private buses are a pain up the a**. Next time I’ll take the services of the ST bus as they will at least save me time commuting.

Finally next morning, when my eyes opened I saw small narrow tar roads cutting through the fields. The red tiled roofs of the beautiful colored houses of various shapes and sizes and the temples adorning the land. The private farms growing mango and jackfruit. “I am in Malvan” is what I said to myself.

Now I know why the size of the buses is smaller than the regular ones, because to the roads.

I finally alighted on the Malvan soil.

The roads throughout the city are narrow, wondering what a tough time the vehicle drivers will have trying to drive on these roads with the people and cattle for company.

Soon we were a part of the roads either walking on them or travelling by ST buses and rickshaws.

Malvan is famous for Sindhudurg Fort which can be accessed from the Malvan Jetty, The beaches of Malvan and the historic temples of Malvan.

We boarded a rickshaw from the market at a cost of Rs.50 to take us to Samudra Hotel on the frontiers of Kolamb Beach. The rickshaws here don’t work on the meter; the prices are expensive in comparison to the ST bus but better than walking it out at least.

Finally in around 30 minutes time we were at the Hotel, Samudra Hotel.

Tricolour in the Eye

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

I captured this photo of the tricolour in the eye of Hithakshi my travel buddy on my trip to Malvan. To read more on my explorations in Malvan stay glued to my blog