Harihareshwar Beach near Shrivardhan Beach in Raigad district in Maharashtra

Friday, October 2, 2015

After have a good time on the shores of Shrivardhan, we decided to explore Harihareshwar beach the next morning.

Waves lashing on the rocks at Harihareshwar

The next morning we woke up as decided as we have to exit at 7:30 AM. We left no time, again traveled by the narrow and curvy roads to reach the Harihareshwar Beach.

Note, from the ST bus stand from Shrivardhan there are Hirkani Buses plying to Mumbai (Not sure where in Mumbai) and Borivali in Mumbai. Not sure about the timings of the buses. From the Shrivardhan market there are Tum Tum plying to Harihareshwar temple at a price of Rs.28 per seat. 

Panoramic view of Harihareshwar

It took us around 30 minutes to reach Harihareshwar Beach. Paid and parked the car outside the temple premises and headed straight to the beach. 

Harihareshwar Beach

The time was now 8 AM on my watch and the rays of the sun, had begun to hit us hard. But that didn't dampen our spirits on visiting the shore. Instead of walking on the black sand beach, we decided to walk from near the temple premises so that we could get a good view of the sea. Took some wonderful photos here. 

Diya Stand at Harihareshwar Beach

The two temples at Harihareshwar are a pilgrimage sites and visited by devotees throughout the year. There are many stalls located outside the temple premises selling articles of worship. The temples and the diya stands near the temple are very old. The diya stands are cylindrical and tall but not as tall like to one I saw in Vasai. Not sure as to when they were built. We didn't enter the temples but headed straight to the extreme end of the temples to get a good view of the sea.  

Temple at Harihareshwar Beach

The tide was high and the waves were lashing against the rocks near us. Neha told us that we could walk all around the hilllock and we decided to do just the same. As we started walking on the ankle length water, the waves lashed onto us and wet us in the process. We then decided to retreat. 

View from the barge across River Savitri

We then braked for breakfast in the form of a hot cup of tea and Vada's. Have to admit the vada looked like a regular looking vada but the taste was amazing. 

Fare Chart and Barge timings

We then headed off to see Harnai Beach and forts surrounding it. Now we had to cross the River Savitri to go to  the other side. 

Luckily we were at the Ferry at 9:15 AM to board the 9:30 Am ferry. I didn't discuss the ticketing cost. Vehicle cost is Rs.120 with driver free. Passengers will cost Rs.10 each. 

Direction from Shrivardhan to Harihareshwar

Shrivardhan Beach near harihareshwar Beach in Raigad district in Maharashtra

Thursday, October 1, 2015

After exploring Bankot Fort, we headed over to Bankot Jetty to board a ferry (named Shantadurga) run by Suvarnadurga Shipping and Marine Service Private Limited, to cross over so that we can explore the beaches of Harihareshwar and Shrivardhan located in Raigad district in Maharashtra. Two reasons to hurry are, firstly we were not aware of the ferry timings and we didn't want to miss in case if it was the last ferry to crossover and secondly we didn't want to reach Shrivardhan Beach post sunset. 

That's Manohar in the black Swift in the barge

Now don't get confused between Shrivardhan Fort and Shrivardhan Beach. These are two different places. Shrivardhan fort aka Rajmachi is located in Karjat/Lonavala and Shrivardhan Beach is located in the Konkan. 

The jetty offers a wonderful view of the hill ranges, the mosques, temples and houses in a distance. Again the waters was covered in a sheet of gold, due to the rays of the sun. 

Fare Sheet

A barge plies over the River Savitri. The barge can take cars too apart from us humans and motor cycles. This is the first time our car is going over the barge. It took us around 15 minutes to cross over to the other side. Had we traveled by road, it would have taken 1 1/2 to 2 hours of our time. The barge is like a blessing for travelers. 

Panoramic view of Shrivardhan Beach

Once you cross over, the road divides into two. One going to Harihareshwar and the other to Shrivardhan. It took us around an hours time to reach Shrivardhan Beach. We parked the car near the shore and headed straight in the water. 

Sunset at Shrivardhan Beach

The white sand beach, had very few people on it, which is good as I don't like too much crowd. Promenade which is around 1 to 2 KM long, is located near the entrance of the beach. There are flood lights and sitting arrangements so that people can sit and watch the sun go down. 

Manohar , Neha and Me at Shrivardhan Beach

We watched the sun go down as we walked through the waters of Shrivardhan. The cool breeze blowing relieved us off our tiredness. Up ahead in a distance we saw a few fishing boats in the water. How I want to spend a night on one of them, something on my bucket list.

Our accommodation for the night

After watching the sun go down, we had to search for a place to stay for the night. Plenty of options are available here from home stays to hotels apart from Govt Guest House. We checked the Govt Guest House, sadly it was under renovation. but the rates were as good as free. Rs.150 for people and Rs.75 for Govt officials. 

Pomegranate near Shrivardhan Beach

You  will notice a couple of hotels mentioning affiliated to MTDC. These are not connected to MTDC, but have boards placed so that they can gather crowds. The home stay is also a good option. We got a descend room for three at a price of Rs.600 after negotiating at Yogiraj Nivas near the market place. The rates are usually negotiable. The room rates usually vary from Rs. 600 to Rs. 1500 for Non AC. Rs1500 to Rs.2000 for AC.

Another Pic of Dusk at Shrivardhan Beach

We had dinner in the form of Veg Thali at Hotel Atharva, a family that serves food in its premises. Something similar to the ones in Malvan and Devgad. The veg thali cost us Rs.70. Prices may vary when you visit this place. The food was finger licking good. Followed by a walk on the promenade to digest the food, we finally called it a night at 12. 

Veg Thali at Hotel Atharva

Next day we had wake up  early as we had to explore Harihareshwar and later the forts near Harnai Beach. 

Map to Shrivardhan Beach

Bankot Fort aka Himmatgad aka Victoria Fort in Ratnagiri district in Masharashtra

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Bankot Fort is located at the mouth of Bankot Creek, where River Savitri (which originated from Mahableshwar) meets the Arabian Sea. Bankot Fort is located in  Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra.  

Chicken Thali at Mandangad

 After having a spicy chicken thali at a local restaurant at Mandangad (market place near the ST bus stand) we decided to go visit the Bankot Fort. Here is a photo of the Chicken Thali. The Veg Thali photo is not available, as it is bad manners looking into other's food plate. LOL. 

The time was now 2:30 PM on my watch. We didn't want to waste any time travelling on the wrong roads so we decided to ask the locals for direction to reach the fort as fast as we can, as we had to board a ferry to cross over to visit Shrivardhan Beach. 

Entrance to Bankot Fort

Again the roads are not in the best condition, so one needs to drive slowly on the narrow roads. The roads offer a wonderful view of the hill ranges around. It took us around an hour's time to reach the Bankot Fort. One can reach by car to the entrance of the fort. So no climbing or trekking is needed here. 

Manohar, Neha and Me near Bankot Fort

The time was around 3:35 PM on my watch now. We decided to explore the fort. The fortification of the fort was intact. This is a very small fort in comparison to the many forts that I have seen. The Main Entrance or Maha Darwaza has two bastions surrounding it apart from other bastions. It also has a chor darwaza. We climbed over the walls of the fort to explore the fort from within and outside. 

Inside Bankot Fort

History doesn't mention as to who built Bankot Fort. But the fort has conquered by many. The latest rulers were the British who had named it Fort Victoria. They had conquered it from The Marathas, who had conquered it from the Portuguese and named it Himmatgad. The Portuguese had conquered it from Adil Shah.  

Fortification of Bankot Fort

Nothing much to see in the inside of the fort. There is a temple and water body. The entire fort can be surveyed in 20 minutes time. This fort might have been built as a watchtower offering a good defensive view of the creek, land and sea around.  

Shinning waters at Bankot

The fort offers a wonderful view of the Bankot Creek. As the sun was shinning, it appeared like the land was covered in a sheet of gold. Good I was wearing googles, else I would have been blinded with the glitter. 

Fortification at Bankot Fort

We then hurried away to the Bankot Jetty to board a ferry to cross the creek, to reach Shrivardhan Beach.  

Directions to Bankot Fort from Mandangad