A perfect weekend gateway : Murud, Dapoli

Murud is popular beach destination in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. It is located in the Dapoli sub-district(taluka) of Ratnagiri district. Murud is commonly called Murud-Harnai to distinguish it from Murud-Janjira(near Alibaug). It is a growing tourist spot famous for its scenic beaches, ancient temples and medieval sea fort. Durga Devi Mandir and Murud Beach are the most famous landmarks in Murud.

There is an ancient temple of Goddess Durgadevi which is on a wooden pillar and delightfully painted in pastel shades. There are 28 carved wooden pillars in it. A huge metal bell, supposedly brought from the Vasai fort by Chimaji Appa is also there. The social reformer Bharat Ratna Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve was born here in 1858.

Karde(3km) and Harnai(5km) are the beaches which can be visited.

Fishing is the main source of business of the people of Harnai. It is a fish market where daily auction of fish is held. You can get variety of fish there and that too very fresh.

Suvarnadurg is a fort located on a small island in the sea near Harnai.

Shailesh and Shweta were travelling to Murud, Dapoli to celebrate their 1^st wedding anniversary and they asked if we could accompany them and we happily agreed. We wanted to start on 30^th Nov but none of us got the leave so our trip was of 3days -1st Dec to 3^rd Dec 2012.

How to reach Murud from Pune by road?

Murud is 200km from Pune via Bhor-Varandha ghat and it is 10km from Dapoli.

Route:

Pune- Kapurhol – Bhor – Varandha Ghat – Mahad – Karanjwadi – Valote – Palgad – Dapoli – Murud.

1^st Dec 2012

We left Pune around 7.30am in the morning, went through Bhor -  Varandha and wanted to have a stop at Varandha Ghat for tea(and of course photography). But we could not stop ourselves from having few pit stops near Nira dam for photography and had breakfast there at one of the small shack on the bank of Nira river.  

The Sahyadri Moutain Range

We were having a booking at Surabhi Beach Resort, Murud and reached there @2pm. Surabhi resort is a beautiful beachside resort with an amazing view of the sea. The great thing about the resort is the sea view and the distance. As soon as you come out of the resort, the beach is yours. Very peaceful place!! Outside each room, they had kept a table and 4 chairs. Sitting there, the sea in front looks very beautiful and you can spend time chatting. We spent a lot of time there.

We got 2 beachside cottages and so we were very happy. After lunch, we took some rest and went to the beach around 5.30pm. to enjoy water sports, we enjoyed a banana ride and a few more activities.  And finally, the time came for the Sunset! The pink, orange, golden, red skies and their perfect reflections. All forming one wicked blend. Sunset on the beach is exhilarating.

Sunset at Murud beach

PC - Kuldeep Takalkar

This was the only photograph of four of us together 

Happy faces after banana ride :)

It was 8pm already though we did not want to go back to the room, finally, around 9 pm we went to the room. Once freshened up immediately enjoyed a delicious meal on the table outside and our day ends around 11pm after walking in the premises.

2^nd Dec 2012

Kiran and I got up early in the morning and went to the beach for a morning walk. There was no one except the two of us.  Murud beach is made of very soft sand and is safe for swimming. The weather was a bit cold but fragrant. The village was quiet as the sun was about to rise. After walking for an hour, we just sat there and watched the surrounding area. 

After a while, the hot couple got up and called us to the room. We had breakfast and tea and decided to visit Anjarle but would come back to the room before lunchtime. Anjarle is known for Kadyavarcha Ganpati and unspoiled beaches. We had enough fun in playing water so decided to just visit the Ganpati temple and of course if it was a scenic place we would stop for a while to take photos.

Anjarle is around 14km from Murud and takes 40 minutes to reach. We left around 10.15am, on the way to Anjarle we saw a spot that was perfect for photography as one can spot Suvarnadurg Fort, Harnai village and Ocean. That spot is called Suvarnadurg Fort Point and almost every tourist stops there to click photos. We also clicked some good snaps and continued towards Anjarle and reached around 11.30am.

Harnai Village

Suvarnadurg Fort

Anjarle Beach

The temple is very beautifully maintained and clean. Must visit is Ganpati che Paul(Foot of Ganesh idol) area which is near to the main temple building.

The temple has a stone staircase on the right to reach the top of the temple (Kalas), which has a commanding view of the surrounding coconut and betel nut trees, the nearby Suvarnadurg Fort, the Arabian sea and surrounding hills. There is a pond in front of the temple where visitors can feed large fish and turtles. Beside the Ganpati temple there, is a small temple to Lord Shiva. 

Anjarle creek - a bridge on the Jog River

After coming back to the resort around 2pm we were contented with the taste of delicious Modak for lunch and after such a meal, good sleep is a must.  After 2 hours of sleep, we were back in the courtyard. Shailesh and Shweta were sharing their experiences in Malaysia, and then discussed in depth how they got married from there and so on. While indulging in the gossips, we sipped an evening tea. Just then someone came to take out the palm from the coconut tree & we took some palm from him and tasted it.

In the evening we went to the beach and played water impulsively, were back at the resort around 8pm. After dinner, we walked into the premises and enjoyed the cool breeze which was desirable to end our day.

3^rd Dec 2012

We got up a little late but were quick that day as wanted to leave for Pune after breakfast. After getting dressed up for the return journey we visited the Wadi of Resort owner which is full of lush green coconut and betel nut trees, had a small photo session there. 

Wadi

Look! I am here...

PC - Shailesh Deosthali

After having tasty food in the breakfast we left for Pune around 11am and reached around 6pm by following the same reverse route.

This was a short but amazing trip that refreshed us. 

Thanks for reading this blog. Hope you liked it.