A longish drive from Mumbai
takes you to this beach. The road seems to travel on and on and
you cannot even get a glimpse of seawater until, from top of a hill
you suddenly can see the entire beach with white sand and blue waters.
All your fatigue will surely vanish at this beautiful sight.
 The
unspoiled beach has fine silvery white sand. The beach has rocky
stretches where swimming can be dangerous. There is a lagoon where
one can paddle a boat. The more adventurous can try balancing a
kayak. There are very few beaches that can match the beauty of this
place, which has everything for the entire family to enjoy.
The beach ends at the base of a small cliff and the view from the
top, is breathtaking. There are many trails along the beach, lined
with cashew and the mango trees. One sees glimpses of life still
in its youth, the village lasses carving `Rangolis' in the sand,
Crabs drawing beautiful patterns in tandem, fishermen going about
their business, men collecting seashells and laughingly telling
you to your amazement that they are going to make vegetable-soup
out of it. You can spot some exotic birds. The small green bee-eater
has made this place its home and one feels that the bird is performing
all the aerobatics just to make people watching the show, happy.
You should not miss eating lunch at one of the several eating places
run by the locals. The food is very Maharashtrian and the mango
pickle is worth carrying home. Also popular is Konkan food like
Ghavan (rice Chapati), Moong Amti, Solkari (Coconut Curry). There
is an MTDC restaurant which serves you Chinese, Continental, Muglai
& Konkan food.
The place gets its name from the 400 -year old temple, which houses
the Swayambhoo Ganapati (Ganpatipule means Ganapati of the
sand). Come night and its the perfect time to pay your respects
to the temple. The Pradakshina (The ritual walk) around the temple
is not to be missed and you actually walk over a hill while completing
one. An impressive temple with sculpted structures, pillars and
walls.
The priest would tell you
an interesting story. `Swayambhoo' (transpired of its own) is the
belly and chest of the Elephant God, and if you take a round of
the place, you would encounter the trunk, and it is believed that
the entire Ganpatipule is the head of the God.
Alongside the temple there
are some small restaurants which serve you all kinds of meals.
Shopping is basically seaside
artifacts made of seashells. But in the summer season you can taste
the best of Mangoes, in all shapes and all sizes.
 The
best time to get here is between November and April. Summers can
be very hot but you will not mind the heat when you sip some Kokam
sherbet. The air at this time, is full of the rich fragrance of
the ripe Alphonso Mango and Cashew fruit.
Getting there:
Air: The nearest
airport is Kolhapur, which is 144 kms away.
Rail: One needs to
get down to Ratnagiri, which is 50 kms away from Ganapatipule. There
are 4 trains going to Ratnagiri for Mumbai on the central route.
(1)Madgaon Express: Departure at 5.15 am and arrival at 12.05 in
the afternoon. (2)Konkan Kanya: Departure at 22.30 pm and arrival
at 5.30 am the next morning. (3)Kurla Netravati: Departure at 16.40
pm and arrival at 23.05 pm. (4)Mangalore Kurla: Departure at 15.15
pm and arrival at 21.35 pm.
(Fare: 2nd AC Rs.738/- Sleeper Class: Rs.174/-.)
Road: The Ganapatipule
beach is 375 Kms. from Mumbai and take about 9 -10 hours
of driving. From Panvel, you have to take the Highway No.17 (Mumbai-Goa)
and travel from Pen to Mahad. Travelling further you will pass Chiplun,
which has developed as an industrial township.
After reaching Ratnagiri you have to travel northwards again, for
about 20 Kms. to get to Ganapatipule. The entire journey is along
the Konkan region and people come back over and over to relive the
fun.
Also, there are direct
buses from Mumbai (375 kms), Pune (331 kms) and Kolhapur (144 kms)
via Ratnagiri. There are plenty of buses from Ratnagiri. There is
also one direct bus from Panaji, Goa. Similarly, there is one direct
bus to Mumbai (7.30 pm), to Pune (8 pm) and to Goa (6.15 am). Evary
our there is a direct bus to Ratnagiri. |
Nearby is a place called Malgund the birthplace of Keshavsut or Krishnaji Keshav Damle,
one of the greatest poets in Maharashtra. Malgud is also a village
suspended in time with a `Datta Ram Temple'