How I reach & explore Konkan during Ganesh Festival 2017 & much more!
No matter how frequent or often travel do you take, if you’re curious enough to explore some places, then you will end up meeting ample of surprises and the facts about the places.
I’ve heard a lot about Konkan division also known as “Little Slice of Paradise” of Maharashtra. This region of Konkan consists of amazing places including hill station, fort, waterfall, lakes, Shore temples and Idyllic beaches. So, recently I’ve decided to explore some places near Konkan coastal region, but not so sure about the destination, where to go?
Travelled through four major districts (Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg) of the Konkan coastal region, I’ve to reach down at Kankavli, through public transport (Buses), it didn’t cost me much, however, it would be advisable to go by trains, which would be much more cheaper.
About Kankavli
Kankavli is a small town in Sindhudurg district. It is an important town due to its central location in the Sindhudurg district.
More than fifty plus villages include in Kankavli taluka and the total population of the whole town is 16,500.
Majorly known for its culture and natural beauty like Idyllic Beaches, Backwater, Waterfalls and Pilgrimage centers, but the place is not so commercialized.
Interesting things got to know about the places:
The first place which I explored was “Kasarde Village” which is 22km from Kankavli bus stop. The route is fully surrounded by lush greenery, which has lots of amazing scenic beauty.
There’s lots of black & white Sesame seed (Til Seed) Farm in “Kasarde village” and they majorly use it for oil extraction. Black sesame seeds contain more oil, after extracting black seeds and white is mostly used for making laddoos, cookies, chikkis and much more. Sesame seeds contain high amount of protein & oil which is widely used for health benefits.
Ganesha Chaturthi is a very popular festival in Maharashtra, especially in Konkan, this festival is being celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm and happiness. The interesting thing about this festival is, 95% of home has a clay idol of Lord Ganesha in Konkan, for almost 11 days. I’ve seen some of the clay idols more than five feet in their home, and some of them are very enthusiastic about their backdrop decoration, which they change it on daily basis for all those eleven days.
Very Interesting facts about Sindhudurg district is, it has average literacy rate more than 86% and now local people have started showing some interest in others things apart from farming, like tourism and hospitality.
About Devgad
After exploring Kankavli, I got to explore few places around Devgad. It’s a taluka in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra state in western India comprising of 98 villages, which is 50km away from Kankavli and located on the Arabian Sea in the coastal Konkan region of Maharashtra.
Town got its name from the legendary fort called “Devgad Fort” and it has all the required arrangements for tourism and easily available.
Interesting things got to know about the places:
Devgad Famous Alphonso mangoes aka Hapus (The heartland of Alphonso mangoes): Devgad is also widely known for its exports of locally grown pure Alphonso mango farming. It is the oldest and biggest co-operative society of mango farmers in India, also known as one of the largest mango processing factory in the Konkan region.
It can be characterized by its aroma,(other varieties of Alphonso do not have similar aroma), thin skin and thick saffron pulp. Few seller set up the stall at the market yard and sell it by saying “Devgad Pure Alphonso” (Be aware of that fake seller).
Idyllic beach named as “Kunakeshwar Beach” nearby devgad. Kunakeshwar beach is 16km away from devgad, know for it’s famous for Hindu deity Shiva, “Kunakeshwar Temple” which is situated on the high coastal hill and also a tourist attraction.
Establishment of Kunakeshwar Temple has its own story.
“A sailor traveling in the sea for trade came near the beach of Kunkeshwar. Suddenly a havoc appeared in the sea. The sailor was a Muslim. The ship seemed to sink in the sea. He saw a lamp on that beach. He prayed to that lamp “I don’t know who you are. But if you will help me and stop the havoc I will build a temple for you”. And his ship came to the seashore of Kunkeshwar without any problem. He built the temple as promised. The Lingam was already there. As the Sailor was a non-Hindu, he thought that his religion will not accept him. Therefore he committed suicide from the top of the temple.”
As all, we know Konkan is know for its famous spices and delicious cuisines like Fishes, Kombdi Vade (Chicken Curry-Puri) and Sol kadi.
My name is Ankit Mishra. I work as a UX/UI Designer at Achieveee Design & Development studio based in Mumbai, apart from that I like to take solo trips & explore places.
This is where I share my travel experiences & stories. I want to travel and seek experiences & open my mind to new possibilities.
To sum up I must say from traveling, you can get to know things that you’ve never imagine. Thanks to people who guided me about routes and information about this wonderful places.
Every fortnight I share here my experiences as a traveler and as a designer, you can read my previous blog post here: https://medium.com/@ankitm616
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