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The coastal climate of Maharashtra makes travelling
pleasant all round the year. Seas are rough
only during the monsoon which strikes between
June and September.
Dahanu
Bordi
Dahanu, a quiet seaside
town with a sprawling, uncluttered
beach, is situated in Thane District.
The Dahanu-Bordi
stretch is 17 kms. This once-barren
land thrived under Irani settlers,
an earthy
people. Dahanu is lined with fruit
orchards and is famous for its chickoo
fruit. Accessible
from Dahanu is Udwada -- an important
place of worship for the Zoroastrians
-- with
a large, beautiful temple that houses
their sacred fire. An amazing fact
but true,
this fire has been kept alive for almost
a thousand years.
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Ganapatipule
The
sun-kissed beach and lush green of Ganapatipule
inevitably draws tourists back, year after
year. The added attraction is a 400-year
old temple which houses the Swayambhu Ganapati.
Some interesting excursions are: Malgund,
the
birthplace of Keshavsoot, the Marathi poet.Ratnagiri,
the birthplace of Lokmanya Tilak, and Thebaw
Place, where the deposed king of Burma was
confined. Jaigad Fort and Swami Swarupanand's
Ashram in Pawas are also worth a visit. Water
Sport facility available (Except during monsoon).
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Mandwa
and Kihim
You will find these two
beach fronts 12 miles north of Alibag on
the north coast and easily
accessible from Mumbai. Mandwa is a beautiful,
untrodden beach. On a clear day one can enjoy
a long, breathtaking view across the bay,
up to the Gateway of India. Mandwa village
too,
has a charm of its own -- with its beautiful
groves of coconut palms.You can plan an unusual
tent holiday nearby at Kihim. Unspoilt and isolated,
this beautiful
place has a soothing effect on all city dwellers.
For the nature lover, Kihim has a lot to
offer: woods brimming with wild flowers and
rare butterflies and birds.Worth visiting
is the Kolaba Fort, just a furlong away from the shore. 15 kms from
Alibag is Chaul, an historic place with Portuguese
ruins, Buddhist Caves, the Hamam Khana, a
church, a temple and even a synagogue.
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Marve
Manori and Gorai
North
of Mumbai and away from its bustling crowds
and pollution, are these 3 gems that have
become
popular havens for Mumbai's beleaguered fun
lovers. Marve, the closest and the quietest
is a lovely
little fishing village. There are some beautiful
bungalows and up-scale homes belonging to the
city's wealthy used mainly as weekend getaways.
Low hills along the beach offer you extraordinary
views of sunrise and sunset. Gorai and Manori,
a little further away, are more crowded with
revellers and are famous for all night beach
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Shriwardhan
Harihareshwar
Gentle winds, soft
sands and inviting waters make Shriwardhan
Bay irresistible to beach
lovers. And if one relishes sea-food, there
is no dearth of delicacies to sample here.
Adventurers can even take a small boat to
the north side of the bay and explore a land
where
the Peshwas or prime ministers of the Maratha
kingdom, originally resided. The Peshwa Smarak
is of interest to most people who visit Shriwardhan.The
town of Harihareshwar is known for its tranquil
and picturesque beach and is also famous
for the temple of Harihareshwar.
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Dahanu
Bordi
Dahanu, a quiet seaside town
with a sprawling, uncluttered beach, is situated
in Thane District.
The Dahanu-Bordi stretch is 17 kms. This
once-barren land thrived under Irani settlers,
an earthy
people. Dahanu is lined with fruit orchards
and is famous for its chickoo fruit. Accessible
from Dahanu is Udwada -- an important place
of worship for the Zoroastrians -- with a
large, beautiful temple that houses their
sacred fire.
An amazing fact but true, this fire has been
kept alive for almost a thousand years. |
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Vengurla
Malvan
With its long stretch of
white sands, and hills covered with cashew,
coconut, jackfruit and
mango groves lies the pristine and beautiful
town of Vengurla. It has two well-known temples:
the Shri Devi Sateri temple and the Rameshwar
Mandir.Vengurla is often mentioned in history
books as a trade settlement. Twice burned to the
ground, it was the target of repetitive attacks
and plunders between 1664 and 1812. To the
west-north-west lie the Vengurla Rocks, also
called Burnt Islands. On what was once an
inner island, and is now part of the mainland, lies the old town
of Malvan, almost hidden by palms. The rocky
terrain of Malvan holds 2 forts: Sindhudurg
and Padmagad. It is said that there was an
underground route joining them. Formerly
a trading zone, Malvan is toady known for
its salt pans, Chinese clay pottery and the
special Malvani cuisine which is quite distinct
from Konkan food.
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Velneshwar
North
of the Shastri River lies the idyllic village
of Velneshwar. The quiet, coconut-fringed
beach offers the visitor the ideal opportunity
for
swimming or just relaxing . There is
an old Shiva temple in the environs which
is often
frequented by pilgrims. Velneshwar is
the focus of attention once a year in March,
when the
Maha Shivratri Fair is held in honour
of the god Shankar or Shiva.
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Tspan
Situated
6 kms south of Malvan and 546 kms away from
Mumbai on the coast of Maharashtra is
Tarkarli. The majar attraction here is
the long and narrow stretch of beach, with
its
pristine water. On a clear day, you can
see the sea bed through a depth of 20 ft.
Then, of course there are the forts, Singhudurg,
one of Maharashtra’s more popular and
importance sea forts, built in the 17 th
century and the
famous Padmagarh fort.
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