Harne - Anjarle - Velas (Turtle Festival)

Harnai – Anjarle – Velas

Journey Dates: 21,22,23 Feb 2013.

Travel Mode: Bike (Honda Shine 125cc)

Note : Click on photos for larger view.

Day 1: 21’st February 2013.

Route: Pune – Bhor – Varandha – Mahad – Dapoli – Anjarle – Harnai – Anjarle

        Anjarle was on my mind for last 2 years but work schedule kept me away from visiting this beautiful village in Kokan. But this time, everything worked out as expected. Even, my Wristwatch stopped working a day before the tour indicating that time has stopped for me. J  We left Pune at 5 A.M. To reach at Bhor, we took a right turn from Kapurhol on NH4 (Mumbai-Bangalore  National Highway). This road can be missed since there are no signboards and vehicle speeds are 50KM+. To identify this turn, look for HP Petrol pump on left as you approach Kapurhol. There is a hotel (Kunal Garden or Kunal hotel). The road opposite to this petrol pump takes you to Bhor. We took a tea break at Bhor and headed towards Varandha via SH70 (Pandharpur-Bhor-Mahad Road).

Road towards Varandha Ghat is better as compared to road in Tamhini Ghat road (Another road to enter in Kokan region from Pune). Backwaters of Nira-Deoghar dam on the left hand presents a scenic view as you approach Varandha ghat.

At the top of Varandha ghat there are some kiosks selling tea, Vadapao,Bhaji,etc. Don’t feed monkeys roaming around these food stalls. Ranges of Sahyadri Mountains look awesome from here. We then moved towards Mahad.

After passing through villages like Varandha, Birwadi, we came to NH17 (Mumbai Goa Highway). We skipped this highway and kept our road straight. Roads are in somewhat good conditions. Some roads are under renovation.  We then came across State Highway and took left turn to head towards Dapoli from the junction where these roads met ( A police check post is an identification mark).  Straight road goes to Mandangad. We skipped that road as we were told that road condition is not good (Co-incidently we came by this road while coming back to Pune).

Road till Dapoli is in good condition and shadows of tall trees on both sides of roads made our journey somewhat easier in the afternoon. Anjarle is 18 KM away from Dapoli. We took right turn from Dapoli. On the way, we found signboards of other beautiful beaches. Beaches of Karde, Murud can be approached via this road. We then came to Harnai Village. There is steep right turn indicating road to Anjarle. However, we opted to straight road passing through Harnai and Pajpandhari village. This is very rough road and should be avoided. Bridge of Anjarle looks beautiful from the top and what looks more beautiful is clean beach of Anjarle. 

After crossing this bridge, we turned left to enter Murdi village and then to head towards our homestay at Anjarle. Our room was located at 2 minutes walking distance from beach and sound of tides was audible even inside the room.

Owner of these room has their own home behind these rooms. We had lunch there and relaxed for an hour.

About Anjarle:

Anjarle is small village in Ratnagiri District of Kokan Region in Maharashtra State. Beach of Anjarle is pretty clean as compared to beaches in Raigad. One can enjoy sea tides, but not to enter in deeper sea. There are no Beach sports activities. Anjarle has very limited stay options. So, one has to book rooms in advance as this village is becoming a tourist spot by mouth publicity. The temple on top of the hill is another main attraction of tourists visiting Anjarle.

In the evening, we headed towards Harnai Village. Harnai is also a Port. Fishermen of Harnai and Pajpandhari village sail their boats in Arabian sea to catch various types of fishes. These fishes are then auctioned at the beach itself. 

Auction takes place twice in a day, in morning and in evening. We had a plan to Visit Suvarndurg ( A sea fort that can be seen from Anjarle and Harnai). 

Since, it was a weekday, there was hardly any boat heading towards Suvarndurg Fort. One boat told us charges of Rs.700 to which we refused. We then returned to Anjarle before Sunset keeping in mind condition of road. However, Sunset point on the road between Harnai and Anjarle is worth to visit.

Day 2 : 22'nd February 2013

Route : Anjarle – Kelashi- Bankot- Velas  & Return Journey:

Plan for second day was to visit Velas village to witness Turtle Festival (more details about Turtle Festival at snmcpn.in). We left Anjarle at 7 A.M. Coastal road from Anjarle is really beautiful. We passed through Padale and Ade villages and stopped at Kelshi village for a breakfast. Then we proceeded towards Velas. From Kelshi, there are 2 ways to go to Velas. On the way, you will find a small board written in Deonagari script mentioning a left road going to Velas (22 KM) and straight road going towards Devhare (6 KM). We initially picked up left road. But after travelling for 700-800m, we found that the road is in extremely bad condition. Also, some trucks were running from this narrow road (Later we learned that, this road leads to Boxite ore). On the advice of a localite, we returned and took road towards Devhare. Then we came across a joint called Kelshi phata. Road to right goes to Devhare and Mandangad and road to left goes to Bankot and Velas.

One has to drive carefully on road towards Bankot as there are some trenches on this road. One has to pass through Bankot village in order to visit Velas. Road between Bankot and Velas is coastal road and high tides of Arabian sea force you to stop for a minute or two. We then reached to Velas village only to find no one at the site of Turtle Festival. We then walked on the beach and rocks on the coast. 

Sea here is considered as dangerous and tourists are advised not to enter in the sea. 

While returning, we met some localites, who gave us valuable information about Turtle Festival. Everyday, these people check out if hatchlings have come out and release them in Arabian sea at 7 AM and 6 PM. Unfortunately, we were too late there. They also told us that, there is high possibility of hatchlings coming out from eggs on next day and asked us to come on next day. We were bit upset while leaving Velas as we had some different plans for Day 3.

We came back to Anjarle, relaxed for a while and then went to beach. We played in sea till Sunset. I enjoyed tides higher than my height (Author advises to play safe and not to enter in deep sea). We took a long walk at Sunset and saw few Dolphins swimming in deep sea (sadly, none of them jumped up). After coming back to room, we scrapped our original plan of Day 3 and decided to visit Velas again.

Day 3: 23'rd February 2013

Route : Anjarle – Velas – Mandangad- Mahad – Bhor – Pune.

We left Anjarle at 5 A.M.  It was pretty dark and since there were no street lights, we had to drive with headlights of our bikes. As we had already visited Velas on Day, the road was familiar for us and we reached Velas before 7 A.M. To our surprise, some 70-80 people had already reached there. Volunteers of Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra gave us instructions to follow discipline while hatchlings are released in sea. All tourists were excited to see hatchlings. As localites opened up cover on the nest, baby turtles came out and we ran towards barricades arranged near sea to capture photographs. We were lucky to witness release of 57 hatchlings (Highest for 2013 season at Velas). One by one all baby turtles entered into sea and began their Journey of life. We then decided to return home. Photos of Turtle Festival are available here

On the way to Mandangad, we took stop at Devhare Village for a breakfast and then headed to Mandangad. Road from Mandangad-Mhapral-Mahad is not good and this was the same road that we skipped on Day 1. While approaching towards Mahad, we found a board in Deonagari script about hot water springs. I had read about hot water springs at Unhavare Village near Dabhol, but was unaware of this place. So we decided to check it. 1 K.M. travel by rough road from the farms takes you to these springs. Some families are staying near this springs. Unfortunate to see ( and say), women over there were washing clothes in that water. We didn’t click any photograph as we got upset after seeing the condition of water over there. We really don’t value such natural resources.

We returned to Pune via Mahad and Bhor (same road used on Day 1) with memories of beautiful Anjarle beach and unforgettable Turtle Festival of Velas.

Some Travel Tips:

1)      Most of the direction boards in Kokan region are in Deonagari Script. Do ask villagers if you are not able to read this script.

2)      Do not disturb local eco system. You are guest over there. Stay as a guest.

3)      Carry enough water with you and do not throw empty bottles on road/beaches.

Do write your feedback and queries if you wish to visit these places. You can directly email me or just write in comments section. Have a safe journey. :)

Kude Caves - DiveAgar - Janjira Fort

Journey Title : Kude caves –Dive Agar – Janjira Fort

Jouney Dates: 22'nd and 23'rd January 2013.

Travel Mode: Bike (Honda Shine 125cc)

People: 2 (Abhishek Sawant and Mahesh Sontakke)

Route:

Day 1 : Pune – Mulshi – Tamhini - Mangao – Indapur – Tala – Kude Caves – Mhasla – DiveAgar (Total 192 KM)

Day 2 : DiveAgar – Dighi – Janjira (via launch) – Borli – Mhasla – Mangao – Tamhini – Mulshi – Pune (Total  182 KM)

Day 1 : We left Pune at 05:40 from Chintamani Hospital at Bibwewadi. It was dark and chill. Within 1 hour via Chandni Chowk, Pirangut, we arrived at Mulshi. We took almost 50 minutes Halt at Disha’s Dhaba (Very first food center in Mulshi on Pune – Tamhini road). We then moved via tamhini ghat.  The condition of road cannot be described in clear words. For few KMs you will find absolute clean and drench free roads. Some roads have patches applied and some are having a lot of drenches.  At the end of Tamhini ghat you will reach to Vile Bhagad MIDC. While going through MIDC road, do take precaution as heavy trucks and containers run around. We then reached to Mangao via Nizampur.

After arriving at Mumbai-Goa Highway, we took right turn towards Mumbai to reach Indapur. Indapur is 9-10 KM from Mangao. Keep your vehicle on left of the road as the Tala village is on left side of the road. After seeing the signboard of Tala or Talashet (written in Deonagari script), turn left at next road. From here, starts road towards Tala village. Drive for 13-14 KMs and you will see Tala Fort. We skipped this fort as we wanted to reach Kude caves as early as possible. Take left turn from Tala village. Ask villagers about Kude Caves and they will tell you the road better. (I believe, local people can tell you roads better than any navigation system in the world).

After leaving Tala village, you will find it difficult to search Kude caves as there is not a single signboard to tell the directions towards it. We kept asking road construction workers. Luckily, you don’t have to leave the main road. While travelling through the turning roads, keep a close eye on your left side. At one turn you will see a rough road, look for a signboard Kulkarni Farm around it. This is the place. The road is pretty rough and one should not risk driving on that road. A puncture can cost you dearer as nearest village is few KMs away on this isolated road. Park vehicle there and walk for 100-150m. You will see a bungalow/farmhouse on the way. Caves are at just 200m ahead from this location.

Kude caves were not known to me till 3 days before our trip. I tried to search it on Google map when read about it on few blogs. These caves are built around 2000 years ago and not known to many. These caves are of Buddhist Style. You can see “Stupa” in 2-3 caves. 

The biggest Cave (6’th or 7’th) has many things to see. Just outside this cave, you will find sculpture of an elephant with broken trunk. 

This cave has many Carvings of Lord Buddha. There are some inscriptions written in unknown script (could be Pali or Brahmi, not sure). 

Surprisingly, we found a graffiti made there in 1887 (written in Deonagari Script). This shows that bad habit of diminishing the beauty of monument is older than a century. Felt very sad to see that.

Many caves have similar interior. There are small rooms and shelf in each of cave. Hinges of doors and windows suggest that these caves were inhibited. 

Inscriptions written there might want to tell much about it, but only few will understand that script. (I have taken many photographs of these inscriptions, please email me/ write comment in case you need to study them). Inside caves, you will experience complete silence and a glance out of caves, you will see a breathtaking sea view. 

Wow, is the first word you will say when you’ll turn back to see out of the caves. It takes around 60-90 minutes to see these caves. Take a 3 minute visual tour on YouTube by clicking here.

After seeing these caves,  we left Kude Caves and headed for DiveAgar. The road goes down from Kude Caves can take you to Rowala and then to Mhasala village. From Mhasala, you can reach to DiveAgar via Borli village. We had already booked a room to stay at DiveAgar (Shivaji Chowk). Room did cost us Rs. 700, of which we had paid Rs. 350 in advance by internet banking and rest of money were paid after reaching there. At DiveAgar, you would hardly get lunch if you reach after 2 P.M.. Luckily, our room owner informed us about one Khanaval (lunch home) which serves food till 2:30 P.M. (Patil Khanaval).  After lunch, we went to Borli village to get Kites. Unfortunately, the only shop selling kites in village was closed on that day.

We returned to our room, parked my bike and walked towards beach. Beach was at 7-8 minutes walking distance from our room. The entire beach was empty. Far way, there was a group of 20-25 people enjoying cricket and parasailing. We enjoyed tides and sand till Sunset and returned.  After 7, you would hardly see activities in this village. Only few khanavals serve food (But, you need to tell them to cook food before 6 P.M.). After having dinner, we again went to Beach to see tides in moonlight. White tides look too beautiful in the dark. We stayed there for a while and returned to our room to take a good sleep.

Day 2:

We had Janjira on mind before coming back to Pune. We left DiveAgar at 8:30. Via Borli, we reached to Dighi village which is at 15 KM from DiveAgar. Dighi is also a port.

From Dighi village, we bought a return ticket of a Launch to Janjira (Rs. 52 per person). As soon as launch left the land, one assistant came to us and offered us  a seat at the top at Rs. 10 extra. We opted for it for better view of Janjira as our launch was full of school children on picnic. Janjira looks awesome from a distance. 

The solid architecture in sea built around 900-1000 years ago makes you speechless. You need to go to another boat which takes you to steps of Janjira. Be careful while jumping on these steps, especially when you have camera in your hand. 

Boatmen over there alternatively play role of Guide.We didn’t opt for a guide as everything there was in ruins and charges told by them were quite high. If you don’t opt for a guide, these boatmen will tell you to return in 45 minutes to board on boat again. Alongside the steps, you will see an emblem used by "Siddis" (Rulers of this fort).

We got disappointed as we walked through the remains of Janjira. In the large well of green water, people had thrown plastic bottles.  The fort that has survived high tides of Arabian sea for 1000 years, could not survive plastic tides. There are mosques and remains of old palace. 

We wandered through some interiors to see the architecture of that time. 

Through the windows of few rooms, you could see and hear tides hitting the wall of Janjira. Close your eyes and listen that sound. We then moved to upper area to see some old age Canons pointing at Murud Village. 

From the top of port, look at the North-West and you could see Padmadurg.

Padmadurg Fort was built by “Marathas”  to fight against Siddi of unconquered Janjira. Canons on Janjira were continuously attacking when the construction of Padmadurg was in progress. As per information given by localites, one need to take permission from Navy and Custom department to visit Padmadurg and local boatmen generally do not go there due to high tides. One local person admitted that, sometimes they go to Padmadurga to party with their family. (Now, I wonder about state of Padmadurg).

We came back to Dighi and headed to Pune. Earlier we had plan to come via Mahad- Varandha road. But we change our plan after reaching at Mangao since Sun on our head was at its peak of Day log schedule. We ate a some small food joint in Mangao and returned Pune via Tamhini. The return journey was bit painful. We had to stop for 10 minutes after every 25 KM due to heat. We came back to Pune and kept discussing about next trip for an hour. Next Bike Trip will be in February. I am hopeful to visit some unheard places.

Do write your feedback and queries if you wish to visit these places. You can directly email me or just write in comments section. Have a safe journey. J

Travel and Tell

Hi friends,
I have come up with my third blog. I have created this blog for Travel purpose only. When I visited few places in last couple of months, I found it difficult to get information about some remote places. Few bloggers had given information which was more useful for me than the official websites of those places.

So, I decided to write a new blog about my journeys. I would try to keep this blog as informative and narrative. I would give details about distance, road, travel time, mode of travel and stay options. This blog will not endorse any hotel, resort or restaurant, but honest feedback about the places I visited will be there. Your suggestions to improve my blog are always welcome.

I hope you will enjoy it. If you need more information about places that I visited, just drop me an email or write a comment and I'll write you back. May be someday we will travel together.

Keep reading. Have a safe journey!!!