Saturday, December 15, 2007

9 to 11-Feb-2007 Ganapatipule and Ratnagiri

We had heard about Ganapatipule. We had never been to Kokan region. Hence we decided to visit the place once. From Pune or Mumbai, one has to reach Ratnagiri. Buses ply from both these metros. From Mumbai, railway also takes you to Ratnagiri.

We had booked MTDC cottage. The cottages are at a very beautiful place. They are very near to temple and they overlook the beach. The beach is also clean.

9-Feb-2007
10:00 PM Start from Pune to Ratnagiri
We took a travel bus from Pune to Ratnagiri.

10-Feb-2007
6:00 AM Reached Ratnagiri via Chiplun
The bus reached Chiplun early in the morning. From there, it took us another 3 hours to reach Ratnagiri. It was almost 7 AM in the morning.

10:00 AM Reached Ganapatipule
We waited for a bus to Ganapatipule. The journey should not take much time. However, things depend on lot of other factors. The buses are usually very crowded. Finally we were at our destination. The MTDC resort is right in front of the bus stand. We took possession of the room. It was a beautiful scene from the room. The balcony opened towards beach. We could see the beach through the trees.

1:00 PM Ganapati temple

From Ganapatipule Temple Trips - Ganapatipule Ratnagiri Feb 07


After having our bath we visited the temple. The temple is also on the beach. This temple is very famous hence crowded. The reconstruction of the temple has take care of the crowd management. It is very clean. Things are in orderly manner.

In the afternoon, prasad (lunch) is served to whoever is present there. It is usually khichadi (rice preperation).

The circumambulance to the temple is rather confusing. It is not to the temple, but to the temple and the hill behind the temple. So the circumabmulance is rather long. But the route is scenic hence we can enjoy. The entire path is covered.

2:00 – 4:00 PM Pracheen (ancient) Kokan
After darshan, we walked down to a place called Pracheen Kokan. Here, the lifestyle of ancient village is recreated. Houses are recreated. The original utensils are also kept. Models are created.

From Facade of a house in the village Trips - Ganapatipule Ratnagiri Feb 07


For those who have not seen villages, this is a very nice place. However, for those who have already stayed in a village, there is nothing new. This is a place worth visiting along with the children.

6:00 PM Sunset on the beach
After having some rest in the room, we headed to the beach for evening and sunset. The beach was very crowded. People were enjoying the waves. This beach is safe.

For dinner, we were trying to find out some vegetarian Kokani food. However, despite a lot of efforts, we could not find one. One person explained the logic that most of the tourists come from Pune or Mumbai. Hence they had to cater to all this population. Hence they prepare food which will be acceptable to most of the people.

11-Feb-2007
9:00 AM Started for Ratnagiri
In the morning, we vacated the guest house and started for Ratnagiri. The buses were irregular and crowded. Somehow, we entered one. No other option. We reached Ratnagiri. We kept most of the luggage at the travel company's office.

We enquired to an autorickshaw about taking us to different places. We agreed for some amount.

The first thing I wanted to see was Lokmanya Tilak's birthplace. We wnet to the house. But it was under repair. Hence we could not see much.

Across a few blocks, we saw the place where Vinayak "Veer" Savarkar used to stay. That house was demolished.

We learnt about Patit Pawan Mandir. This is the temple constructed through efforts of Savarkar himself. He saw that the traditionalists were too resistant to open temples for untouchables. He constructed this. The temple was thrown open to all. The pooja was performed by any person irrespective of his caste. This was a social revolution at that time. Savrkar did a lot of social reforms during his stay in Ratnagiri.

4:00 PM Ratnadurg
We went to see Ratnadurg fort. Actually this fort is very big. Today the other fort seems disconnected from the bastion. What people usually see is bastion. In the fort, there is a temple and one statue of Kanhoji Angre. Through the fort walls, we can see the harbour of Ratnagiri.

Kanhoji Angre was the commander of Maratha navy. He spent his early years in Suvarnadurg. He contained the navy of the British, Portugese. He was undefeated untill his death in 1729.

6:00 PM Sheeba palace
Sheeba palace was built by the king of Bramhadesh when he was exiled in Ratnagiri. The palace is now into dilapid condition. Some belongings of the king are preserved in the palace.

10:00 PM Bus to Pune
We took a night bus to Pune.

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