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Published: January 10th 2008
Yes...Konkan aaplach asa, but it took me 27 long years to visit this beautiful place!But better late than never & whats better than going there with your better half!Weeks long planning of both of us was materialised in 3rd week of June this year in 2007, as we got our leaves & travel tickets confirmed. It was becoming increasingly difficult for Sonu to take a leave for lack of cross cover especially after she returned back from US with new migrations.But at last she worked out somethings & we were on our way.Saturday morning 7.10 am Konkan Kanya Train to borad from Dadar.We have reached home very late on Friday night almost by 1.30 am.Which means that we will have only couple of hours of rest before we leave our home.Thanx to our packing which was done on Thursday only, we didnt have much to prepare.
I think we left home leaving a very short margin as we struggled to make it to Dadar by 7 am.It was almost 7.10 am when we reached platform no.4 on Central Railway, only to realise that the train has been delayed by 4 hours b'use of heavy rains in southern Maharashtra.Moments before we
wondered if we will make it in time at Dadar & now we have task of killing 4 hours at railway stations. But we had no choice. So first we had some brekafast at a hotel outside Dadar station, then went to CST & sat there till our train arrieved at 11.30 am.After some more delay, finally the train moved at 12.15.It was a two tier sleeper coach so I quickly jumped onto the sleeper & went to sleep.
This was my first long distance travel by train so I was skeptical abt comforts of the travel, but to my surprise it had everything we need. Good food, comfortable & well maintained couches, complimentary bed linen.The train was moving slowly owing to heavy rains in Southern part. As a result we reached Ratnagiri by 11 pm, 3 - 4 hours late than usual.But then on the train picked up its momentum & we reached Kudal Station by 12.45 am on SUnday.I must say whatever I have seen of those stations, they are really very well built & maintained.It was a pleasent journey for both of us.
We thought its hard now to get any Rickshawwala outside staion at
that time, but luckily there were many. Apparently they knew that the trains are delayed due to rains.We got hold of a local who dropped us at a nearby Lodge,Lodge SUnikhi.It was decent enough.Rs.600 day it was a fair deal.So we decided not to go any further & checked in at SUnikhi.Inside it was a AC room,with cable TV.We quickly unwound ourselves & went to sleep. A busy day was in schedule for next day.I was able to sleep but SOnu struggled. She generally does when its a new place.We got up by around 11 am next morning.It was drizzeling outside.We ordered for some Pohe & tea for brekfast. It was a joy having Pohe with hot vup of tea in that atmosphere.Then I quickly made arrangemtns with the same Autowala for our day's travel that includes visit to our Gavchi Devi,Tarkarli Beach, Sindhudurg Beach,Dhamapur che Tale & back to Kudal.The deal was fixed at Rs.700.POst breakfast we got done with our bath, prepared for visit & left the hotel by 12 noon.
From Kudal to Malvan, it was one of the most pleasentmost journeys.Coconut trees on both the sides, green farms inbtween, rivers making its way thru,Bullock carts...Our
countryside is truly wonderful.Previously we have only heard of it, now we were experiencing it.Its truly was a journey to remember.In couple of hours we reached Bharadi Devi Mandir at Chowke.Since it was lunch time, there was nobody at the temple. I reached out to nearby houses & got hold of the right person.He quickly came there & helped us perform all the rituals properly.I was the only one in my family who has not visited our native place.And especially after our marriage, it was required. It really was delayed. But we , Mom & Dad ..in fact all in our family were really happy that we made it there for AAiche Blessings.From there we move towards Malvan Market. Our driver recommended a Hotel named "Bamboo"to have our lunch.After lunch we thought what he said for true. It was a feast of Malvani food, with we both opting for CHicken Thali & Solkadhi.SOnu loves it like anything!!Malvan Killa.i.e SIndhudurg is just 5 mins from Malvan Market.Unfortunately due to high rising waves (as high as 15 - 20 feet) the local boat travel is generally closed during Monsoons. These boats takes you to the Sindhudurg Fort.Its arguably the most ambitious fort
built by SHivajai Maharaj. Standing in the middle of the sea, this sea fort has some really interesting things to watch out for.Namely a stone which handprint of SHivaji Maharaj himself, The onlt Shivaji Maharaj Mandir in Maharashtra, a unique Coconut tree with two branches apart from remains of the Maratha History.May be we will cover it in our next visit.A heavy downpur came in when we were at the jetty so we had to take a shelter nearby.But it lasted for a short while, We again went out in open, clicked a few snaps of the fort & its surroundind sea & then marched towards Tarkarly Beach.
Marine Scientist claim that the best Marine Sanctuary on Western coast is located in & around Tarkarly.In fact we I heard is this is the only part on western coast where we can see dolphins. In fact they have set up a tourist center with trained guides which will help you go Scuba Diving & swim with Dolphins in the sea.SOunds exciting.Definitely on for next visit!The beach was deserted as expected due to monsoons & rough sea, but then we saw a few fisherman along the coast.From Tarkarly to Kudal on our way back, we had yet another spot.Dhamapur Lake.Like almost any other tourist spot in Malvan, this place also has its own story.They say water level in this lake doesnt change,irresptive of whether its harsh summer or heavy rains!Interesting Haan!!It has another Bharadi Devi temple on it banks. Locals says that our Bharadi Devi & This Bharadi Devi were sisters, both served a noble cause in their own way.On our way we also saw wonderful waterfalls.It had rained cats & dogs for last whole week in Malvan & nature was its best!Enjoying these scenic beauty we reached our hotel at 6 pm.On our way we decided to check out from Kudal & reach Sawantwadi for part II of our journey.ST Station was a quick 5 mins away.The bus to Sawantwadi was scheduled at 7.45 pm & it arrieved on time.We got down at Sawantwadi ST station at around 9 pm.Next task was to locate a decent hotel.After looking at a couple our autowala drove us towards the last..The Mango managed by Kamat's.And that was it.It was a pleasent surprise to find such a good hotel at Sawantwadi. It was almost at par with any star hotel in Mumbai.We settled the dues with autowala & checked in at Mango.After unwinding we made a ldeeway for their restaurant.What a food we had..Really marvallous!Malvani Chicken with Wade plus solkadi.Sonu just loves it!We were dead tired by then & so quickly jumped into our bed & went to sleep.
Next day the itnerary included Amboli.One of the most famous hill station in Maharashtra.They have direct buses to Amboli from Sawantwadi ST station.Though we got up little late, we then hurried up to finish our brekfast & reach Sawantwadi ST station by 11.30am.On our way we picked up a rainy cap b'use locals told us that its raining heavily up there.Rest of the rain gear we had with us.We thought that would be enough.But that was not the case.Road to Amboli is difficult to drive as one has to go thru typical twists & turns of tha ghats.The famous Amboli waterfall is on the way. We got a glimpse of it on our way up.It was heavy mist at Amboli.We strolled the streets there for a while feeling the cold vibes.It was wonderful.Visibility was limited to only 5 - 7 meters.We were looking for some home made food, but but unfortunately didnt found anything worth eating.Finally we went to a Maharashtrian Hotel bang opposite St station.The food there was good.We had stomochful.After making due inquiries at that hotel, we decided to hire a auto to visit the main 2 attrctions at Amboli.Kavale Shet & Hiranyakeshi.First we went Kavaleshet.Its famous for its Reverser Waterfall.Puzzled??We were too. How can there be a Reverser Waterfall?The puzzle unfolded when we witnessed the natural wonder ourselves.Its deep valley at Kavale Shet so water from all over the area which is accumulated there turns into a waterfall, but wind pressure there is so strong that whatever flows down turns upward & results in a water shower on those standing near to the waterfall.Its a sight that you can see only in Monsoon.It was truly wonderful!What added to the fun at Kavale Shet is the rains.BY the time, we walked back from the point towards our auto,we were extremely wet.From Kavale shet we turned towards Hiranyakeshi.Road to Hiranyakeshi is again full of twiets & turns.But like winning a prize after hard work,we were pleasntly surprised to see the way Hiranyakeshi has been maintained.Hiranyakeshi is a river which originates at Amboli & the spot where it originates, is called Hiranyakeshi point. There is a beautiful temple,at that spot which hosts the Hiranyakeshi Mata statue.LOcals say that there is a cave behinf the temple, which is big enough to accomodate 500 people.This place is truly serene & quiet. Its very relaxing to hear the noise as Hiranyakeshi river gushes down to the nearby villages.B'use of heavy rains, the river was in its full flow.We quietly offered our prayers to Hiranyakeshi mata, clicked many snaps before retruning to auto.The approch road to Hiranyakeshi is really well developed & maintained.we were very very happy & content leaving Hiranyakeshi.For this 2 spots, the autowala charged us Rs.175.he dropped us back at the ST station.We paid his dues & went to the same hotel where we had lunch.And this is where the trouble started.While eating hotel waitors & myself, we noticed some blood marks on the floor, but ignored it thinking that it was of some other customer who left before us from hotel.But then suddenly one of them realised that its none other than me who was bleeding.Thanx to couple of "Jalu's".these 2 Jalu's climbed onto me, probably at Hiranyakeshi, but never realised it.That waitor quickly snatched one of them & the other one has already dropped off.But not before leaving me in blood shed.We used some local techniques but blood was not stopping.Sonu was really worried looking at that.To prevent any serious complications out of it, we decided to reach our hotel as quickly as possiblle.We took the next ST & reached hotel by 5.30.At hotel again we applied lot of Haladi & ice.But it was only after half an hour that blood finally stopped and We were relieved!
We were exhausted by this whole unexpected episode.So we decided to have some eveing snax.Again at the Mango Restaurant.BY now we have made it our official eating adda!!After the snax, it was time to explore the local markets.Sawanwadi is famous for its wooden toys.We walked thru the markets & picked up a wooden car.something like a vintage classic car.We also wanted to buy some local postcards.Somebody refered us name of a localite, who they said has publishe dihresidence address which was not far from our hotel. We decided to give it a try.With help of some direction we finally found his home.He came across as somebody who is trying his bext to promote Kokan tourism.Publication of Kokan postcards is nothing but a effort in same direction.We bought 8 postcards from him.Sonu was excited with his pet dog...a samll puppy. She played around with him as we discuss his efforts & challenges.After meeting him, it was back to Mango.After yet another feast of Malvani food, it was time to go to bed.
Next day was last day of our journey & we had two things to cover.Local attraction of Sawantwadi Palace, Moti Talao & Visit to Vengurla at Tai's native place.First thing that we did after finishing bath was to pack our bags so that in the evening it doesnot cause any inconvenience.Then after quick & nice breakfast we hit the roads.Palace was just 10 mins from hotel across Moti Talao.We see Sawantwadi municipal corporation building on the way.Sawantwadi Palace is the official residence of Maharaja of Sawantwadi.Even though its glorious days are over, this palace still has some charm left.Now it provides place for local artists who prepare Ganjifa.Its a internationally renowned royal game, similer to Chess.Its prepared completely by hands & can fetch a price upto Rs.5000 for some exclusive pieces.It was a journey in the past for half an hour as a local guide narrated brief history of legacy of Maharaj of Sawantwadi.From Sawantwadi palace we then went back to Mango & checked out. Kept out luggage at the counter, had lunch at the usual place & moved towards Sawantwadi ST stand to pick the bus for Vengurla.Lucky us, the bus scheduled at 3.10 ..only 20 mins wait for us.That time was spent chatting.The bus again arrieved on time.The travel till Vengurla, an hour long was a pleasent one.Green crops, Rivers, bikes, cows & buffelos it was a great countryside siteseeing tour.We got down at the Vengurla junction.Thinking that we may not get time later, we decided to go to Vengurla Harbour first.To reach there we hired a auto.Road towards Jetty is parallel to sea & offers a fantastc view of the Arabian sea.At Jetty, the sea was very rough due to Monsoons. Some fishermen were trying their luck at catching a fish.After spending some time there, we started walking back to hire a aoto again. But since its not a peak tourist season, there were no autos available.Finally we got one after walking for 10 mins.Destination was Swapneel's Aaji's place.Even after giving direction we struggled to find their place as Autowala himself got confused.Finally after asking a few more people, we finally got to their place.Swapneel;s aaji like Sonu a lot & loves us very much every time we meet.After initial greetings, she showed us around her place.It was very loving gesture. Swapneel's Ajoba & Kaki was also at home.We gave her the gift we bought from Kudal. She was very happy on receiving it.We never realised how that half an hour went chatting with all of them.It was 6 pm now & Aajoba told us that the last bus for Sawantwadi has left already. So now we had no other option but to hire a cab again.AAjoba called for one at his place.The deal was fixed at Rs.200.Travel back was equally good.After reaching Sawantwadi, we went straight in the hotel.Sonu was a bit tired so she decided to rest at the waiting area.I was in two thoughts to have a round in the market, but then I changed my mind.Return ticket to Bombay were booked in advance.The bus was scheduled at 9.30 pm.We reached the Bus stop much in advance.Unfortunately the bus was late by half an hour.Finally it arrived at around 10.15. We put our bags at luggage section & boarded.Next halt was some roadside hotel,where we had some ligh snax.Inside the bus, it was a sleeper coach with TV.We both had a light sleep.We had another hault in the morning somewhere near New Bombay.After getting refreshed, it was back on roads.People in bus started getting down as their stops apparched.Ours was last stop at Borivli.It was around 9.30 when we got down at Borivali East on Highway.After having morning snax at a nearby hotel, we hired a auto again & reach home by 10.30.
It was our first visit to our native place.More importantly a long awaited visit to Bharadi Aai mandir.Since It is Malvan, we decided to visit a few interesrting places around & make it interesrting.And actually, it turned out to be more intersting & exciting than we thought.Ride on Konkan Railway,Visit to our Bharadi Devi,Malvan & Sawantwadi siteseeing, Amboli, vengurla..It was trully comprehensive & fulfilling.At the end of travel, Iam definitely convinced about one thing..Our countryside is one of the best place to enjoy natual beauty.Its definitely calling us again!!
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sanjay mhapsekar
non-member comment
good try