Travel: Ganpatipule

Ganpatipule is pristine religious destination in Western India. Located in the ratnagiri district 370 kms South of Mumbai, this place represents one of the holiest must-visit for a Ganesh fanatic. The temple is very beautiful, with its ochre colored structured against the backdrop of a hillock and facing the sun-kissed sands and the sea. The DeepMala (tower of lamps) stands tall, and i can imagine its beauty on a Diwali night. Here is more on Ganpatipule

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I travelled to Ganpatipule from Panchgani. I took the NH4 towards Satara, and midway, i had take a turn for State highway. Amazing for an State run road network, Maharashtra highways are awesome, and besides very few disruptive patches (owing to road work), it was smooth metalled road. It wound through the hills, and forests, and quaint villages locked in time decades away. Here was Maharashtra in its natural beauty, not the grandeur that is Mumbai.

The State highway leads me to NH17 (Mumbai-Goa Highway). There , after a few distance, i took off to Ganpatipule. The drive to Ganpatipule from NH17 is boring, yet the anticipation of the glimpse of sea is exciting. It is only at the end of the drive, that there is sudden dip from the Plateau and right into the coastal area of Ganpatipule. The dip is breathtaking, and inviting too.

Ganpatipule has a few hotels, but i had booked a beach side resort called tranquility Beach resort via MakeMyTrip. That resort was awesome. Located in Malgund, 5 kms from Ganpatipule, it was right on the beach. The resort is next to Best Western run blue Ocean resort (for those who want to indulge). We had booked a Konkani ten(non-ac). Upin arrival, we were hit with the humid climate on the beach, and the tent was not enough. There were AC options, but more expensive. But this tent let us acclimatize fast, and soon, we were dipping into the cool blue sea.

Night was cool, and i would say cold for a beach. This was March, btw.

Besides the temple, Ganpatipule has a hiloock based walk through into Prachin Konkan , a series of displays depicting how Konkan life had been in early 16th century. Nearby, there is Jaigad fort (not much is left in the inner structure), and the Kanthreshwar temple. This temple was unique in its structure. Inside, it was peaceful, and hanging series of colored paper flags (red and white) made it simple yet mesmerizing.

Between Malgund and Jaigad fort, there is pictureseque fishing village. It is located at juncture where a small river ends into sea. The boats with their colourful mast are arranged along the coast and demand to be framed.