Heaven In The Neighborhood Itself.

Life in a metro city like Mumbai (Bombay) is fast-paced and could get a bit stressing at times. People start to look for a change in the living once they encounter such stressful moments. Last month, i went through a similar kind of situation and so i decided to take some time off work and go out on a vacation. I chose to visit my aunt’s native place.

The place is called Devgarh.It is situated on the western coast of the state of Maharashtra in India. The western coast of Maharastra is called the Konkan coastline. I reached there by taking a more than 15 hours roadtrip. As soon as i reached there, i got a very a peaceful and quiet feeling. However, the sites and scenes are naturally beautiful. I had been to this place after 11 long years, yet still nothing has changed over here.

The first among many memorable places is Vijaydurg. Named after the famous fort over here, the Vijaydurg fort is the chief attraction for the tourists. Maritime history tells that the fortess was the scene of many a bloody battles. The board at the entrance of the fort tells about its history. Vijaydurg fort alias Gheria was constructed by Shilaharaj king Raja bhoj. It was later on ruled by Adilsha and finally by King Shivaji before the British. There is a wall constructed strategically inside the sea before the fort in order to crush the warships heading towards the fort. The fort streches out in the sea and a walk inside its precincts is worthwhile.

The Vijaydurg’s beach is hidden from view and not obvious to the casual visitor. Its a stretch of about a kilometre with good views of the fort to the right and a small plateau with a hut to the left. Its relatively clean and peaceful and the locals don’t bother to come here.

North of Vijaydurg is a flat plateau that can be seen from the southern end of the fort. It looks very attractive with casurina plantations and some small isolated beaches. There is no ferry service from Vijaydurg north. One has to go back to the highway and then turn north towards Rajapur.
Just short of Rajapur, look for the turning to a place called Jaitapur. The road leads back to the coast and should take you to the area that you were looking at from Vijaydurg. Its a stony plateau with a lonely lighthouse at its western edge, the road towards which is quite rough and unmarked.

Devgarh – A short 25 km drive southwards, without going back to the highway, brings you to the larger town of Devgarh, famous for its Alphonso mangoes. It also has a post Shivaji period fortress. It is a fishing village. The beach is set in a gentle curve. There is a bright coloured temple located to the left. The road continues up a hill and ends at the southern entrance to the fort. The view from here in the evenings is magnificient, especially on cloudy days when the sky rapidly changes hue just before sunset. The waves crashing on the rocks below provide a fitting serenade to this spectacle.

If you have the time, head north along the beach and take the bridle path up the hill and head for the temple of Kunkeshwar and another beach. You may be able to capture some ‘ethnic’ faces and people on your camera. The local technique of fishing over here is much in vogue.

Vengurla - The last outpost before the Maharashtra coast merges with that of Goa is Vengurla and the beach at Ubhadanda. There are many lodges with basic amenities. A bus out of Vengurla will take you to Sawantwadi and then on to Goa. Standing on the beach at night, one can look at the blinking light house located on Vengurla rocks, about 10 kms out in the sea.

There is just one light-keeper posted out there for couple of years. I could just imagine how lonely life must have been there.

This journey was one of the most memorable and enjoyable experience for me. I hope reading about it interests you as well.