The journey from Ratnagiri to Jaigad/Ganpatipule in itself is so relaxing and filled
with awesome views throughout. There is a good 3-4km stretch when you are fully
accompanied by the sea while you drive. This people call “Sea-side Drive”.
It is as soothing as it can get. I couldn’t control my excitement and asked the
driver to halt somewhere in between to capture few Kodak moments!
Continuing the journey, we headed
towards Jaigad first. Jaigad fort is another fort
like the Ratnadurg Fort and is a coastal fortification. It
lies on the peninsular tip of Ratnagiri. There is a river called Shastri which forms a creek while meeting
Arabian Sea. This is called as the creek of Jaigad. For the protection of this
creek two forts were constructed, one is Vijaygad at the north direction and the other
is Jaigad at south. Although this fort is smaller than the Ratnadurg fort but
not less attractive in any sense. You can sense the historical significance and
feel like travelling to the old historical era. The views from the fort are
quite enthralling too.
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| Spooky scenes at Jaigad Fort |
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| Entrance of Jaigad Fort |
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| Inside of Jaigad Fort |
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| From time immeorial |
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| Beauiful view from fort walls |
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| Fort walls at Jaigad fort |
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| Serene views from Fort |
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| View from the Fort |
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Post visiting the fort , I headed towards the
Jaigad Lighthouse. There was a lot written about the location and picture
perfectness of this lighthouse so I definitely wanted to visit this. It is 3km
to the west of the Jaigad fort and was a regular port of the call for the
Bombay-Goa passenger ferry service in the past. Currently it is well maintained
too but the compound building seems like a building from the pre-independence
era. It is not allowed to climb upto the lighthouse as in it was in Goa but
the views from the compound are equally good.
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| Pre-independence era building inside Lighthouse compound |
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| Lighthouse compound entrance |
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| View of the Lighthouse |
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There is one place called as “Shri
Kanhateshwar Temple” near the Lighthouse ,where fresh water is found
naturally, said my driver. I was quickly in for it as seeing fresh water just
next to salty water of sea and that too naturally is one thing I as a traveler
didn’t want to miss on! To say of the place , there is one very old temple
dedicated to Lord Shiva and there is place some 30 steps down where you could
see fresh water coming out of the cliff on which Jaigad fort is built. The place was well covered
with trees and the breeze coming from the sea made the place worth sitting
sometime.
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| Kanhateshwar Temple |
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Inside Kanhateshwar Temple
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| Fresh water storage in temple |
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| Amazing view of greenery and river |
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It was the time of lunch by the time we finished
the Jaigad Fort and nearby places. We straightaway started for Ganpatipule to visit
as well as find some food. Ganpatipule is a small town which is 25km away from
District headquarter and main town of Ratnagiri. It
is the place with one of the most spectacular white sand beaches along the
Konkan Coast - an idyllic getaway that attracts peace-seekers, beach lovers,
and pilgrims alike.
There is one Swayambhu
Temple dedicated to Lord
Ganesha or Ganpati (hence the name Ganpatipule). The interesting thing about
this 400 year old Ganpati idol at Ganpatipule is that it is said to have sprung
up from the soil, which means it is self-originated. Also this deity faces the
West, so as to guard the western gates, unlike deities in other Indian temples
who face the east. We visited the temple and after that quickly found something
to feed out hungry bellies.
The temple faces the awesome Ganpatipule beach. According to some
local (“Marathi Manoos”) , this is the world’s best white sand beach. I don’t
know about the claim but surely the beach is one gem. The beach is full
of shacks serving you traditional Marathi snacks such as Pani Puri , Sev Puri ,
Ragda , Bhel etc. They are surely worth a try. The beach is quite long and one
can have a long walk. There are options of water sports in the name of Jetski
and Motor Boats too! It is all in all a family place to enjoy. I walked along
the beach with slippers in my hand and found the water to be very clear when
compared to any other beach I’ve been to. The white sand was also helping the
water look clear. The weather was perfect and I had a perfect time at
Ganpatipule beach.
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