About the city
The vast water stretches in Alibaug lure you with the promise of dreamy, somnolent afternoons, punctuated with lazy sips of cool coconut water and bhajias on the beach, even as the temples up in the ghats soothe all who make the effort to reach their sanctum. A promise that they never fail to keep. This sylvan seaside getaway has long tried to please all comers, so whatever your fancy, some avatar of Alibaug will present itself before you. So if it's an active weekend you prefer, or a spiritual retreat, or even a journey into Maratha history, Alibaug has it. After all, not for nothing did Salim Ali, India's best known ornithologist, spend the better part of his life watching birds here. And not for nothing have the modern-day maharajas of Mumbai built their Weekend-Getaways-on-Sea by the shores of the Arabian Sea in Alibaug.
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Places in and around
The beach scene
Alibaug Beach has the blackest sand in the region and is very lively, full of bathers in the morning and food stalls by evening. You will also come here to head out to Kolaba Fort on a horse-cart. The cart driver will give you 30 minutes to do your exploring in. This fort, built by Shivaji, is now in ruins, though from the outside it still looks impregnable. Inside is a rectangular pond, its entrance wall defaced with graffiti like far too many monuments in this country. Also visit the Jai Bhavani and Hanuman mandirs inside with their idols of the trinity Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva. On the roof are two cannons of Yorkshire make and nearby is an ammunition godown.
Akshi and Nagaon
Only 3 km from Alibaug, Akshi is a quiet beach, favoured by birdwatchers and nature lovers. Ask the locals to show you the stone tablets, or shilas, on the way to the beach. One is close to Someshwar Mandir near the deepasthambh, and the other is just a little further down that road. You can tell Nagaon Beach from afar from the unmistakable smell of fish that assails your olfactory senses. This must-see beach, 7 km from Alibaug, is accessed through the fish market and the fishing village. You can visit the twin Khanderi and Undheri forts from here. Arrange with a boatman to row you across, but make sure he will stay and take you back. Warning: One of the forts is also a military/ customs establishment, where you will be extensively queried about your obviously nefarious intentions for visiting.
Kihim Beach
The famous Kihim Beach, a short ride (11 km) from Alibaug, can be a popular retreat from your retreat. The sand here is white but the beach is stony. To those fed on a regular diet of Hindi movies, Kihim, where several bump-and-grind sequences have been shot, might seem familiar. Kihim's other claim to fame is the pads of the rich and famous. Spend a night here under the stars; contact MTDC for tents on hire.
Versoli Beach
Drive right up to Versoli Beach, about 20 minutes from Alibaug. you will see the imposing outlines of Kolaba Fort on one side and on the other, Khanderi and Undheri. Nearby is the fishing village of Koliwada, complete with colourful boats bobbing on the sea. Versoli also has some Bhavani and Shankar temples. Note: Part of Versoli Beach has been earmarked for use by the army and is inaccessible for non-combatants like us.
Temple circuit
Situated 12 km from Alibaug on Rewas Road, after you have driven through coconut plantations and overlapping hills, the Kanakeshwar Devasthan emerges without a prelude. Unlike most temples which throb with local life and god's brokers, there's absolutely nothing happening around here to suggest that 750 flights up, there exists an elaborate conclave of gods and temples. Kanakeshwar, however, comes with an unwritten statutory warning: not for those with limited physical endurance, no matter how incessantly the gods beckon. On the way up you will come to a sign that says Nagobacha Tappa to inform you that snakes are supposed to lurk around here. On another step, the legend Devachi Payari, which, as the story goes, is the second point where Shankar's feet landed as he made his flight from the base of Kanakeshwar to the summit in three leaps. You cannot help but wish that you were similarly blessed. Almost halfway up and you see Nandi (Shiva's bull) next to a water tap. A little further up is a tank called Brahma Kund, with a small Maruti Mandir in its vicinity, and then all of a sudden you are there. Kanakeshwar Temple, built in 1764, is eye-catching, extensively decorated with colourful miniature idols of the gods. Besides devotees, mutts and mongrels stroll around with a confidence that comes from having residential status. Just behind the temple is the large, circular Pushkarna Kund, which you can't access any more because of a few mishaps in the past. Nearby is the dense Kanakeshwar Forest, but venture into it at your own risk because wild boars, poisonous snakes and panthers are the rightful owners here.
Nagoba Mandir (16 km)
Inside this temple, barely 20 minutes from Saswane Beach, you are greeted with bells upon bells hung in clusters of four, six, 12 and the odd solitary cymbal. People come here to ask for divine favours and return to tie bells once their wishes are granted. The central idol is of hooded snakes (there's a story about how someone who got snakebite had the venom magically disappear here). The temple also houses the samadhi of a saint said to have been blessed with divine powers.
Vrindavan Farm
Spread across an enormous 28 acres, Vrindavan Farm near Kanakeshwar Phata stocks all kinds of exotic and everyday plants. There are more than 70,000 plants on sale here crotons, cacti, many varieties of mango, guavas, sitaphal, chikoo, casuarina. Vrindavan also houses Tiny Wings, an art and crafts gallery which displays bidri ware, patta chitras, tribal produce from Bastar and lots more. Vrindavan offers a One-Day-Fun-Day scheme (Rs 750 per person, includes breakfast, lunch and tea) wherein guests take the launch from the Gateway of India in Mumbai, get picked up at Mandwa and brought to Vrindavan, spend the day there and then get dropped to Mandwa to catch the ferry back to Mumbai. The service is not available by catamaran during the monsoon. For bookings, contact Green Ventures, 5B, Bhaktawar, Nariman Point, Mumbai-400021. Tel: 022-22026226, 22028515; Email: greenventures@vsnl.net; Alibaug Tel: 02141-232558, 232578.
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