Day 1 Link here
The next day, as per the plan, was to explore Sindhudurg fort, Snorkel, visit tarkarli beach and take a boat ride to dolphin sightseeing and nivti bogwe beach.
We left at 8 am. The initial plan was to snorkel (300rs/person, 20mins). So we headed to a beach adjoining the malvan jetty where we would be picked up by boatman for snorkelling and visit to sindhudurg fort. But we changed our plans at the last moment.
We decided to visit sindhudurg fort first. We bargained and settled the to and fro price for 50rs/p.p.
I am a history buff, so it had to take a long time exploring the fort!
And i hope to take you to the same zeal through this write up.
It took 20 minutes to reach the fort from the beach.
We alighted at the base of the fort. The first thing that came to mind was ofcourse, Shivaji Maharaj the great. The second was the depilating condition of the fort.
Now the history;
For Shivaji Maharaj, it was a high time to strengthen naval bases on the konkan coast to thwart off the growing English and Portuguese presence. He even roped in "Kanoji Angre", formerly renowned as the master pirate who harassed the English and Portuguese sailors by hijacking their ships. It was said that nobody knew the seas so well as kanoji did.
To the north, in Janjira, the siddhi stronghold, who were the allies of mughals had dominance over the seas. Shivaji maharaj tried to win it, but it remained un-conquered till 1947. Sambhaji, the son of shivaji, had almost won it but had to abandon the mission as Aurangazeb moved in his forces to attack Sambhaji so as to divert his attention from janjira.
Shivaji laid the founding stone of Sindhudurg fort and was under his supervision for 3 years, the stipulated period in which it was built. The massive walls still stand strong today. But a part of it is crumbling.
The task of building this mammoth fort was assigned to Hiroji Indalkar, the man who built the raigad fort. He employed Portoguese engineers and workers from goa and local malvani population. The fort has 42 bastions.
The fort houses the ONLY temple dedicated to Shivaji Maharaj, the "Shiv rajeshwar temple". And you might be amazed to know, this is the temple which houses the ONLY portrait of Shivaji, without a beard and mouthstache.
Priests inside temple provide more details about this temple. A replica of "Bhavani sword" is showcased. The sword of Shivaji bestowed upon by goddess Bhawani.
The length of this sword is staggering. The original sword is studded with jewel stones and as the replica is. The original sword is kept in british museum, London.
Shivaji Maharaj was an ardent devotee of "Bhavani mata" so there is a temple dedicated to goddess bhavani the fort.
Inside the fort, there is an underground tunnel to facilitate an emergency escape. It is 3 km long as the guide said and passes under water. The mystery behind this tunnel architecture is not well understood as the govt is busy in appeasing. The guide mentioned if the science behind the construction is exlpored, we might found something fascinating about the ancient science of our past.
After British took over, these secret passages fell into ruins and since then no effort has been made to explore it.
The fort is in ruins; right? So we explored why did it fell in ruins.
The first reason we found is, the fort itself is divided in three regions. One governed by ASI, other by grampanchayat and the third i forgot. This makes the renovation more difficult due to red tapism. Secondly, the entry is free. I was at the opinion to charge at least 20rs per person. This would provide some money for renovation/renovation.
Anyways, this disappointing was overpowered by the location of the fort. It is simply awesome. Let the pictures speak.
The steps few meters from entrance lead to the top of the wall. The views from this place is superb!
Following the wall trail, you reach a small makeshift temple, which houses the hand print and footprint of shivaji maharaj. The foot print temple had water in it and was not visible. The hand print is built at a hieght so is clearly visible.
Further ahead, there is a Shivarajeshwar temple built by his son, Rajaram.
After a brief dip into history, it was time to adore the natural beauty!
The bhavani temple. I think this is renovated.
Unlike the mughals, Shivaji or Sambhaji never destroyed any mosques. His fight was against those who ransacked people using "Allah's" name. There was a battalion of 700 pathan muslims in Shivaji's army. The reason why it needs to be mentioned is; this fort had a unique tradition where in ONLY a muslim family was allowed to beat the "Nagada" (or a call drum) for a mass gathering. It continued right uptil a few years when it was abandoned just after independence.
With Shivaji in mind, we left Sindhudurg fort. The next activity was snorkeling According to description, it didn't seem interesting. One would prefer Scuba-diving over it. The rates for snorkeling were 300rs and scuba-diving for 1000rs. So we thought of giving it a miss.
Few pics from beach adjoining Malvan jetty.
We headed back to ST depot to catch a bus to Tarkarli. Tarkarli is 6kms from Malvan. As i mentioned, the bus was bang on time and within 20 mins we were at Tarkarli.
We got off at the karli backwater tour office. Belly was nearly empty, so we inquired about homestay food. Asked few people, one name popped up, "Mayekar's" homestay.
2 mins brisk walk and we were there. Had good food and as konkani's are known for their hospitality, we were served a "Modak", which is a sign of sweetness (Often a prasad of Lord ganesha). It was simply outta the world! The mayekars also stock up the authentic "Kokam juice" which is well known for its digestive and appetizing property. I took back 1L of kokam juice for 70rs.
With fully belly and after a brief lobbying by me, we finalized a boat for Karli backwaters. These included few "points" as they say. The operator gave a nice presentation on the spots included which made up the minds of those resisting.
The tour cost is 1800rs, we were 7 people. Maximum 8 people are allowed. The first 1200rs are payable at the counter and rest to the boatman after the trip is done.
The first "point" was this luxury house boat. This is non-movable.
The second "point" is this ancient temple dedicated to lord shiva. It's unique bcoz it is sandwiched between the karli river and the beach on the otherside.
Within 15 mins, we were at Devbag beach. Enroute is the famous "Tsunami point" named after a small patch of sand that rose above sea bed creating a beach.
Next in line was "Crocodile face".
Then ofcourse, the highlight of this boat ride, Dolphin watching! We were deep in sea, no coast or island was visible. The boatman switched off the engine and asked us to observe keeping silence. We curious, looking for dolphins, 10 mins we stop and sat quietly.
Sadly, no dolphins were seen bcoz the sun was at its unforgiven since it was an afternoon. This reason explained by the boatman, seems justified as per the prior testimonials we listened or read. The best chance is early morning upto 8 am.
The 1200rs that you pay, show these so called "points", which was indeed disappointing. We wanted something exceptional. And the next leg of the journey was indeed proven that this place got potential! The real paisa wasool scene was coming up.
As we travel 5 more kms keeping the shore parallel, the landscape began changing. Beaches were more brighter and more sandier. And every beach was virtually empty tempting us to stop but we cant as the boatman promised a more beautiful sight ahead.
We argued with him, he politely said, if you dont like the sight that's coming up next, i wont take the remaining 500rs!
That was enough to shut our mouths and the curiosity about this place grew up. The expectation was high and yes! it lived up to what was promised.
We noticed certain weird rock formations. We'd seen it in harihareshwar, but not this big! These are mammoth rocks, just seen before landing to nivati beach.
And then, the show stopper! Nivati-bogwe beach!! And my god, What a spot it is!!!
The beach is not visible as it is hidden behind these mammoth rocks. And when you land on it, Gosh! Wow is the word! We were literally speechless for a minute gazing this beauty! I would like to keep it as a secret to myself ! :p
Quick photographs! The camera popped out later as we were memorizing this beauty!
Half hour of gaze, we return back with memories of the most surprising spot of this trip.
Within half hour, we reached the devbagh beach. The sun was about to set. And it did in style!
After sunset we stoppe at the "tsunami point" which i mentioned earlier.
Watersport is the activity here. Kiran was desperate for speed scooter ride. It was a Yamaha Waverunner. Cost rs 300 per ride. As i had experienced it in goa, i skipped it. Then myself and kiran went for kayaking. 100rs per kayak, 2 people, 20 mins.
The darkness then took over and we reached the govt office at 7pm. A brief evening snack on the roadside stall, the bus arrived and we reached malvan at 8pm. We crashed in bed after malvani dinner and i was sure that i'm gonna travel back to nivati in my dreams!
The next morning was breezy, We had no time to visit Tarkarli beach yesterday so we headed to tarkarli again in the same ST bus. Reached the beach and had some tasty "Pohe".
The "real" tarkarli beach is littered as tourists have flared up. It was a big dissapointment for us. But then we saw a mob of people enjoying on our right at a distance. It was the "Mtdc" beach. It was relatively clean.
Meanwhile it was hard navigating the streams as they were on their way to join the sea. So we had to travel round back via road.
Halfhour timepass on beach, it was time to bid adeau. We had reserved return tickets for the speedster janshatabdi express. We had already exaggerated the taste of hotel pushpa to amit, so he was adamant on having lunch at pushpa. With a full belly, we hopped in an auto-rickshaw to kudal station. The train arrived bang on time and reached again bang on time!
Before ending, few tips;
1) DO NOT LITTER.![[noway]](http://www.indiamike.com/india/images/smilies/no.gif "No Way")
2) Don't carry plastic bags. The govt has issued paper bags to the localites. Do follow the suite.
3) We missed, but check out the "great fish" catch at Malvan jetty early morning at 7 am.
4) Booking are not really required unless during peak season (diwali, new year).
5) Buy yourself authentic "Kokam juice". I would suggest to buy from homestays.
6) Chances of dolphin sightings are more at early morning.
7) Do not drink and drive.
8) Tarkarli/Malvan is not a party town. Pile up your stock of booze before 9PM.
9) People are very friendly (more than you'll find elsewhere in India!).
Finally, my dogma of life;YOU LIVE ONLY ONCE, SO GO OUT AND EXPLORE!
The next day, as per the plan, was to explore Sindhudurg fort, Snorkel, visit tarkarli beach and take a boat ride to dolphin sightseeing and nivti bogwe beach.
We left at 8 am. The initial plan was to snorkel (300rs/person, 20mins). So we headed to a beach adjoining the malvan jetty where we would be picked up by boatman for snorkelling and visit to sindhudurg fort. But we changed our plans at the last moment.
We decided to visit sindhudurg fort first. We bargained and settled the to and fro price for 50rs/p.p.
I am a history buff, so it had to take a long time exploring the fort!
And i hope to take you to the same zeal through this write up.
It took 20 minutes to reach the fort from the beach.
 |
| Leaving behind the beautiful beach! |
 |
| Perfect place to hang out! |
 |
| The Malvan bunder. |
 |
| Heading towards destination. |
 |
| More closer! |
 |
| Clear water. That's where you snorkel! |
We alighted at the base of the fort. The first thing that came to mind was ofcourse, Shivaji Maharaj the great. The second was the depilating condition of the fort.
Now the history;
For Shivaji Maharaj, it was a high time to strengthen naval bases on the konkan coast to thwart off the growing English and Portuguese presence. He even roped in "Kanoji Angre", formerly renowned as the master pirate who harassed the English and Portuguese sailors by hijacking their ships. It was said that nobody knew the seas so well as kanoji did.
To the north, in Janjira, the siddhi stronghold, who were the allies of mughals had dominance over the seas. Shivaji maharaj tried to win it, but it remained un-conquered till 1947. Sambhaji, the son of shivaji, had almost won it but had to abandon the mission as Aurangazeb moved in his forces to attack Sambhaji so as to divert his attention from janjira.
Shivaji laid the founding stone of Sindhudurg fort and was under his supervision for 3 years, the stipulated period in which it was built. The massive walls still stand strong today. But a part of it is crumbling.
The task of building this mammoth fort was assigned to Hiroji Indalkar, the man who built the raigad fort. He employed Portoguese engineers and workers from goa and local malvani population. The fort has 42 bastions.
The fort houses the ONLY temple dedicated to Shivaji Maharaj, the "Shiv rajeshwar temple". And you might be amazed to know, this is the temple which houses the ONLY portrait of Shivaji, without a beard and mouthstache.
Priests inside temple provide more details about this temple. A replica of "Bhavani sword" is showcased. The sword of Shivaji bestowed upon by goddess Bhawani.
The length of this sword is staggering. The original sword is studded with jewel stones and as the replica is. The original sword is kept in british museum, London.
Shivaji Maharaj was an ardent devotee of "Bhavani mata" so there is a temple dedicated to goddess bhavani the fort.
Inside the fort, there is an underground tunnel to facilitate an emergency escape. It is 3 km long as the guide said and passes under water. The mystery behind this tunnel architecture is not well understood as the govt is busy in appeasing. The guide mentioned if the science behind the construction is exlpored, we might found something fascinating about the ancient science of our past.
After British took over, these secret passages fell into ruins and since then no effort has been made to explore it.
The fort is in ruins; right? So we explored why did it fell in ruins.
The first reason we found is, the fort itself is divided in three regions. One governed by ASI, other by grampanchayat and the third i forgot. This makes the renovation more difficult due to red tapism. Secondly, the entry is free. I was at the opinion to charge at least 20rs per person. This would provide some money for renovation/renovation.
Anyways, this disappointing was overpowered by the location of the fort. It is simply awesome. Let the pictures speak.
 |
| The front entrance. |
 |
| The Hanuman Idol at the entrance. |
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| The old dug out canoe on display just as you enter. |
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| What a grace it would've been when its d-days! |
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| Clear Green waters! |
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| Malwan jetty as seen from fort. |
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| Strong fort walls! And clear waters!! |
Following the wall trail, you reach a small makeshift temple, which houses the hand print and footprint of shivaji maharaj. The foot print temple had water in it and was not visible. The hand print is built at a hieght so is clearly visible.
 |
| Shivaji's foot print in lime, preserved in this small enclave. |
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| Hand impression of Shivaji Maharaj. |
 |
| Walls and Coconuts! |
Further ahead, there is a Shivarajeshwar temple built by his son, Rajaram.
After a brief dip into history, it was time to adore the natural beauty!
 |
| Fort Premises |
 |
| Bhavani Mata temple |
With Shivaji in mind, we left Sindhudurg fort. The next activity was snorkeling According to description, it didn't seem interesting. One would prefer Scuba-diving over it. The rates for snorkeling were 300rs and scuba-diving for 1000rs. So we thought of giving it a miss.
Few pics from beach adjoining Malvan jetty.
 |
| Good bye Sindhudurg |
 |
| I got wheels! |
 |
| Dead Jelly Fish |
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| Clean beaches! |
 |
| Malvan jetty! |
We got off at the karli backwater tour office. Belly was nearly empty, so we inquired about homestay food. Asked few people, one name popped up, "Mayekar's" homestay.
2 mins brisk walk and we were there. Had good food and as konkani's are known for their hospitality, we were served a "Modak", which is a sign of sweetness (Often a prasad of Lord ganesha). It was simply outta the world! The mayekars also stock up the authentic "Kokam juice" which is well known for its digestive and appetizing property. I took back 1L of kokam juice for 70rs.
With fully belly and after a brief lobbying by me, we finalized a boat for Karli backwaters. These included few "points" as they say. The operator gave a nice presentation on the spots included which made up the minds of those resisting.
The tour cost is 1800rs, we were 7 people. Maximum 8 people are allowed. The first 1200rs are payable at the counter and rest to the boatman after the trip is done.
 |
| The boat parking lot |
 |
| Enjoying the ride! |
 |
| Dug out canoe! |
 |
| Moon Star boat |
The second "point" is this ancient temple dedicated to lord shiva. It's unique bcoz it is sandwiched between the karli river and the beach on the otherside.
 |
| Ancient temple |
 |
| Devbagh Beach |
 |
| Crocodile face. |
Sadly, no dolphins were seen bcoz the sun was at its unforgiven since it was an afternoon. This reason explained by the boatman, seems justified as per the prior testimonials we listened or read. The best chance is early morning upto 8 am.
 |
| Devbag beach! |
 |
| Proud boatman |
We argued with him, he politely said, if you dont like the sight that's coming up next, i wont take the remaining 500rs!
That was enough to shut our mouths and the curiosity about this place grew up. The expectation was high and yes! it lived up to what was promised.
We noticed certain weird rock formations. We'd seen it in harihareshwar, but not this big! These are mammoth rocks, just seen before landing to nivati beach.
And then, the show stopper! Nivati-bogwe beach!! And my god, What a spot it is!!!
The beach is not visible as it is hidden behind these mammoth rocks. And when you land on it, Gosh! Wow is the word! We were literally speechless for a minute gazing this beauty! I would like to keep it as a secret to myself ! :p
 |
| First view of Nivati beach |
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| The dried leaf! |
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| Our boat being parked at Nivati beach |
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| Stream joining the sea! |
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| Clean sand and the mammoth rocks! |
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| Me posing @ sunset behind the rocks. |
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| Sea-gulls |
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| Sunset at Devgag beach |
 |
| Hide n Seek! |
Watersport is the activity here. Kiran was desperate for speed scooter ride. It was a Yamaha Waverunner. Cost rs 300 per ride. As i had experienced it in goa, i skipped it. Then myself and kiran went for kayaking. 100rs per kayak, 2 people, 20 mins.
 |
| Speed scooter! |
 |
| Me on Yamaha Wave-runner |
 |
| Kayaking |
The next morning was breezy, We had no time to visit Tarkarli beach yesterday so we headed to tarkarli again in the same ST bus. Reached the beach and had some tasty "Pohe".
 |
| Konkani Poha is must eat! |
Meanwhile it was hard navigating the streams as they were on their way to join the sea. So we had to travel round back via road.
 |
| Clear waters of Tarkarli beach! |
 |
| My Shadow |
 |
| Clean beach Tarkarli. |
 |
| The backwater leading to Tarkarli beach. |
Before ending, few tips;
1) DO NOT LITTER.
2) Don't carry plastic bags. The govt has issued paper bags to the localites. Do follow the suite.
3) We missed, but check out the "great fish" catch at Malvan jetty early morning at 7 am.
4) Booking are not really required unless during peak season (diwali, new year).
5) Buy yourself authentic "Kokam juice". I would suggest to buy from homestays.
6) Chances of dolphin sightings are more at early morning.
7) Do not drink and drive.
8) Tarkarli/Malvan is not a party town. Pile up your stock of booze before 9PM.
9) People are very friendly (more than you'll find elsewhere in India!).
Finally, my dogma of life;YOU LIVE ONLY ONCE, SO GO OUT AND EXPLORE!
