Exploring Dapoli in the Konkan region of Maharashtra
Before I start narrating my experience, let me give you brief detail about this place called Dapoli. It is a small town in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra in India. The town is known for its cool climate throughout the year. Even though it is situated at an altitude of 800 ft, the coast of Arabian Sea is just 7 kms away from the main town of Dapoli. Are you are a foreigner or an expat who want to visit this small town, but are afraid of hygiene? Don’t fret! Dapoli was awarded the 'Sant Gadgebaba Gram Swachatta' award for cleanest village by the Maharashtra government.
Now back to my wandering in Dapoli. I wanted to experience the place and not just roam around like regular tourist, hence I avoided staying at a hotel. With determination and wandering as my skill set, I was finally successful in finding a place that provided me comforts of home and a locally enriching experience. I would like to call it an experience to ‘Live in the Tree-House’.
Though it’s a small town, Dapoli has an array of experiences up it ‘s sleeve. Be it historical, cultural, natural or spiritual.
Historical Experiences in Dapoli
One can indulge in historical experiences at Suvarnadurg Fort and Panhalekaji Caves.
Suvarnadurg Fort is located on a small island in the Arabian Sea, near Harnai in Konkan, along the West Coast of India, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is spread over an area of 8 acres and is about 1.6 km from the main land. As is common in other similar forts, it is encircled by a dry moat.
Building of the fort is credited to Sultan Adilshah of Bijapur. The forts were captured by Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire, in 1660. Subsequently, Shivaji, other Peshwas and the Angres further fortified the forts for defence purposes. The literal meaning of Suvanadurga is “Golden Fort”. Built for the Maratha Navy for defence purposes, the fort also had a ship building facility.
The walls have been mostly cut out of the rock exposures on the island. However, some part of the fort walls are built with large stone blocks of 10–12 feet. It has two entrances or gates, known as the 'Mahadarwaja' (big gate) on the east, which faces the land and 'Chor Darwaja' (secret entrance) on the west; which faces the sea. At the main entry, carvings of a Hanuman carved on the wall and a carved turtle on one of the leading steps are seen. The sea-gate depicts carved figures of a tiger, eagle and elephants. The fort is fortified with many bastions, which also have small built-in rooms. The central part of the fort has two granaries and a decrepit building.
The fort also includes another land fort called the Kanakadurga at the base of headland of Harnai port on the coast. In the past, the land fort and the sea fort were connected by a tunnel, but now defunct. The present approach to the sea fort is only by boats from the Harnai port on the headland. The fort can be approached only during the low tide condition when it is also easier to walk in the precincts of the fort. The present entry from the main east gate is blocked by thorny bushes but can be accessed from a narrow entry, locally known as the devdis.
Panhalekaji, are the famous rock-cut caves are situated on the bank of the river Kotjai. These historical man-made caves are believed to be more than 1000 years old and are the great examples of ancient culture and architecture. There are a total 29 rock cut-caves, both big and small spread along the river bank. There are sculptures of various deities and scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana on the walls. The carvings in these rock-cut caves create a unique blend of history of that period and natural beauty. It may take couple of hours to see all these caves in detail.
Creation of these caves started approximately at 3rd century AD, in time when influential merchants were spreading the teaching of Buddha in India. Many large temples appeared near ancient trade routes. Panhalekaji was one of such temple complexes, located at busy route from inland to Dabhol - one of the most important port cities at Arabian Sea in these times. Dabhol has been marked even in maps of Ptolemy.
Later, circa 10th - 11th Century AD, the caves became a stronghold of small group of followers to Vajrayana sect (Tantric Buddhism). Some of the earlier caves, were adjusted for the worship of deities like Akshobhya and Mahachandaroshana. Interesting monument of art is five Budha sculptures, possibly representing Vajrasana Buddha - showing relatedness to iconography of Ajanta Caves. Caves represent exquisite monument of ancient art - both regarding architecture, art and the quality of craftsmanship. Among other values caves contain also few inscriptions - one inscription in Brahmi script and one in Devanagari script. Unusual element in this complex is large boulder in river - it also has been carved with four imitations of doors.
Experience Nature in Dapoli at Unhavare (Hot Springs), Murud, Anjarle, and Ladhgar.
Unhavare, a delightful village famous for its natural hot spring is 35 km from Dapoli. It is nestled deep in the heart of a beautiful valley on the bank of a picturesque river and is surrounded by undulating hills, majestic forest and rolling farm land.
The boiling spring water bubbles up from deep inside the earth and cascades down into a series of three rock pools and gets cooled by a breeze coming from the river. The hot spring water is clear with just a faint smell and taste of sulphur. The sulphur is said to have medicinal value and can cure some skin diseases. There are shelters available to people for bathing. The origin of the hot spring is considered as a sacred place and has to be visited barefoot.
On the right side of river is a dense mangrove forest. These mangroves have a threefold advantage - they provide shelter for young fish, stabilize land and form a buffer zone to absorb floodwaters. Located in beautiful natural surroundings, Unhavare is really a must see during your Konkan beach holiday vacations. A bath here is soothing and energizes and invigorates the mind. Highly Recommended Experience!
The old Durga Devi temple on the main road, was built way back in the 18th century and there is a lovely pond with refreshingly cold water behind. The carvings on its wooden pillars are worth seeing! A large bell hangs above the left side of the entrance. It is said that after winning the battle of Vasai, Chimaji Appa - the great Maratha warrior had brought that bell from one of the churches.
Anjarle is one of the finest places in Konkan. It is just 20 km from Dapoli,and has a clean, unspoiled beach with white sand and surrounded by palms and trees. This Palm Beach is an ideal place to visit on a long weekend. Anjarle is a nice little, green village having all basic facilities. However, as there are no beach resorts or hotels at Anjarle, one must find rented house to stay. Local people are extremely friendly and helpful. Some of them also provide rented accommodation in their homes and serve delicious home-made food at a very low price.
Ladghar is a lovely place just 14 kms from Dapoli, popular for its nice beach and an unspoiled landscape that will refresh your spirit and recharge your energies. This beach is known as ‘Tamas Teertha’ as some part of the sea appears to be red in colour. This beach has religious value and the bathing here is a big attraction. Also, it's a great spot for swimming, either in the sea or in the adjacent area where a river empties into the sea. Some part of beach is covered with coloured pebbles and boulders, creating a beach-rock collector's paradise. For those wanting a more strenuous walk this is a spectacular piece of coastline.
The area is undeveloped, has an untouched feel and is beautiful around sunset. Viewing the sunset here is a breathtaking experience as the beach, sea and the horizon get bathed in numerous shades of red colour. One can also participate in dolphin watching trip in boats. This beach has the two beautiful, ancient temples - one of Lord Shiva known as "Veleshwar" and other of Lord Datta situated on a small hill. You can take a 15 min beach walk on the north side to reach this beautiful Datta temple.
If you wish to enjoy mouthwatering, delicious fish food then Ladghar is the place for you. It houses some really good resorts famous for serving fresh fish in local cuisine. On the south side of the beach is a small fishing village called Burondi. The fishing boats with their twinkling lights make the Burondi harbor a fascinating sight to watch in the evenings.
Well... there are more experiences to narrate, which I will share, but in the second part of this blog-post. Until then... Keep Reading and Keep Wandering!
Article Source: Travelblog
If you want get travel to Harishareshwar with Lots of Fun and experience please visit: http://www.travelthemes.in/
Nice monteria resort
ReplyDelete