Relaxing trip to Ganeshgule, Ratnagiri

Ganeshgule is a small village in Ratnagiri district, very close from well known village Pawas.  It is the place to go if you want to take a break from the city and reconnect with nature. Ganeshghule Beach is popular among nature lovers and is known for its clear sunset view. The beach is 1.5 km long and is flanked by mountains on both sides. The rocky, white sandy terrain and clear emerald sea of the secluded beach. The beach is a bit out of the way, it's worth to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Ganeshgule Village (old photo taken during monsoon)

We travelled to the place from Ganpatipule. You can follow below route if you are traveling from Pune.

How to reach Ganeshgule?

Amba Ghat Route

Pune - Karad - Take right at Narayanwadi after McDonald's and drive towards Kokrud village - Reach Malkapur follow Amba ghat route - Sakharpa Town - Pawas - Ganeshgule

Varandha Ghat route via Chiplun 

Pune - Bhor - Varandha Ghat - Mahad - drive to Khed (skip Poladpur via Kashedi Ghat) - Chiplun - Sangameshwar - Ratnagiri - Pawas -  Ganeshgule

Tamhini Ghat Route via Chiplun

Pune - Paud - Mangaon - Mahad - drive to Khed (skip Poladpur via Kashedi Ghat) - Chiplun - Sangameshwar - Ratnagiri - Pawas -  Ganeshgule

Kumbharli Ghat route via Patan and Chiplun

Pune - Satara - Umbraj - follow Umbraj Patan road - Patan - Kumbharli Ghat - Kherdi - Chiplun - Sangameshwar - Ratnagiri - Pawas -  Ganeshgule

We followed Kumbharli Ghat route as we wanted to visit Dervan and then Ganpatipule. Road condition was good except few rough patches. We were started our journey around 5.30 am early morning and reached the ghat section around 10 am, there was no traffic at all. We reached Ganpatipule around 2pm and stayed there. 

Next day after visiting Swami Swaroopanand Math at Pawas, we reached Rama Niwas around 2pm. As we stepped into the property, we were greeted by a sense of tranquility and relaxation. The hosts were friendly and made sure that we had a memorable experience. The room was spotless and well-maintained, offering everything we needed for a comfortable stay. There are only two rooms, owner stays at ground floor and rooms are at first floor. If you have a senior citizen accompanying with you then you should not choose the place as you need to climb iron staircase to reach the room and that staircase is not easy to climb for old person.

What really set this homestay apart was the private beach access. It felt like our own secluded paradise, away from the crowds. We enjoyed every moment of our stay and would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a serene beach retreat. They do not provide food, but their Aunty staying next door who provides authentic konkani food. We ordered Kala Watana Usal, Rice Bhakri, Phanas (Jackfruit) Bhaji and obviously Modak. Food quality was awesome.  We were tired and very much hungry so forgot to click photos. 😛

One more wonderful option to stay at Ganeshgule is Oceano Pearl, a property of hospitality firm O’Nest, that gives you the comfort of a hotel. I did not get the booking as due to some event whole property was booked on these dates. Megha Dhade's Villa Mangoes and Seashells is also few steps away from Rama Niwas, there you can experience a stay at perfect konkani house. 

But if you are looking for good accommodation in a reasonable rate then Rama Niwas is the best choice.  

Ganeshgule Beach (Photo taken from Google)

After taking rest for 2 hours, as the evening approached, we went to the beach and it looked just beautiful. We walked up and down the beach, feeling the softness of the sand beneath our feet and cool mild breeze in hair. It was Saturday still there was nobody except us, that feeling itself was very wonderful. The experience was so soulful, it felt as if the time just stands still. 

Ganeshgule Beach is considered a perfect place for those who want to relax and spend peaceful moments. Swimming and sunbathing are the favorite activities at the beach. No water sports are available on the beach, at least it was not available when we visited.

One should not miss the sunset here, the golden hours cast a spell in the environment like Midas Touch, turning everything to Gold. The beach is an isolated beach that gives a divine experience with a quiet and peaceful environment.

Sunset at Ganeshgule Beach

Next morning we left room around 8am to visit well-known Ganeshgule Temple which is located 1.5 km from the beach and is situated on a hill near the beach. This temple contains the idol of Lord Ganesha that is known as Swayambhu. The trunk of Lord Ganesha is towards the west in the temple. In addition, this temple contains an ancient well of the Pandava era. 

Ganeshgule Temple Arch

Ganesh Temple, Ganeshgule

Undir mama (Mouse)

Lord Ganesh, Ganeshgule

Information Board in Temple

You can see picturesque view of a village from the temple.

Hill seen from Ganesh Temple

From Ganesh temple we went to Laxmi Narayan Temple in Ganeshgule, I got to know about this temple from one of my friend and wanted to visit since long time. This is very old temple surrounded by mango trees and made up of woods. There is beautiful wooden carving inside the temple, crafted wooden pillars, it gives feel of typical konkani temple. It is very calm and peaceful place. Beside this temple there is another temple of lord Shiva made of stone.

Laxmi Narayan Temple, Ganeshgule

Garud (Eagle)

Traditional Tulashi Vrundavan

Laxmi Narayan

Deepmal

For breakfast we have chosen Hotel Kshanbhar Vishranti near Kasheli Phata. This is a small hotel beside the bay of Kasheli, right next to the back waters of Muchkundi River, this place is scenic and windy. It’s a place for breakfast and snacks, they serve simple home style food. We enjoyed Cut Wada, Wadapav, Poha and Misal, taste of food was amazing.

This small restaurant in the village outskirts is a good option for travelers.

After breakfast we went to visit Devghali beach which is in Kasheli village and approximately 25 kms from Ganeshgule, it took us an hour to reach the beach. Devghali beach in Kasheli village is a hidden beach, the recent photos on social media attracted many tourists and I was one of them. Kasheli is a hidden village in the Ratnagiri district. Many people are still unaware of it. Since it is a hidden beach, it is very clean and scenic.

This beach is majorly known for its sunset.  If possible, plan to spend an evening there so you can capture spectacular view of sunset from the hill. Swimming on this island is strictly prohibited. From local folk we got to know that entry to this beach is restricted during monsoon. The beauty of Devghali beach can not be expressed, it can only feel.

Devghali beach, Kasheli

Sea view from Devghali Beach

Then we went back to the room around 1pm, after having lunch we checked out and travelled to Vijaydurg Fort. 

Please check the blog for Vijaydurg Fort -https://bhaktitakalkar.blogspot.com/2024/03/quick-trip-to-vijaydurg-fort.html

Useful Info - 

Dinner at Rama Niwas, veg thali at 200 Rs. per person

Stay at Rama Niwas - 2500 Rs per day for AC room with wifi

Useful Contacts - 

Rama Niwas, Ganeshgule - 9405069665

Aunty at Rama Niwas for food - 9673249735

Hotel Kshanbhar Vishranti, Kasheli - 9403838725

O'NEST Oceano Pearl - 8378957789 

Trip to Guhagar, Konkan

Guhagar is tehshil in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. Guhagar is famous for Durga Devi temple, Guhagar and Shree Vyadeshwar temple. The pristine white sand beach of Guhagar is the main attraction for the tourists. Guhagar beach is of the longest beaches in the Konkan region that boasts of its clean and vast stretch of white sand. I remember my first trip to Konkan when I was in collage. I really liked this small town which had one long street and had houses with wadis of coconut trees leading up to the sea on one side.

Guhagar Beach

Day 1 - 26 Oct 2022

We started our journey around 5.30am as wanted to avoid traffic and need to reach Dervan before 12 pm. The journey felt very pleasant due to the rosy cold, dark fog that continued at the end of the ghats till Mahad. The green fields, fog and breeze was a wonderful combination. 

Road to Tamhini Ghat

Somewhere near Mulshi

We had a quick stop for tea after Tamhini ghat and reached Dervan around 11.45am. Ram mandir closes at 12pm, you can allow to enter in the temple only if you are fully dressed. Its compulsory for ladies to wear saree and full length pant for gents. 

We were not dressed like this so missed visiting ram mandir but could see all statues of maratha worriers and Chhatrapati Shivaji maharaj. 

After spending an hour there we headed towards Guhagar and reached Seawinds Hotel around 2pm. 

I booked a room at Nakshatra Resort but there was some miscommunication and our booking was not confirmed then I booked a room at Seawinds Hotel. Room is spacious and clean; only corridors are not that much neat and clean. Ample of parking space is available but no covered parking for your vehicle.

After having some rest we went out at 5pm and visited Vyadeshwar Temple dedicated temple of Lord Shiva, which is main temple in the town and considered as the Kuldevata of many Chitpavan from Konkan region. In the premise there are few more temples.

Vyadeshwar Temple

Deepmal

After Vyadeshwar we visited Ufrata Ganpati temple in Guhagar, it is said that this Marble Ganesh idol was found in the sea of Guhagar to Fishermen while fishing. Then they handed over the idol to the Brahmins. The Brahmins installed this idol at the Varcha Pat in Guhagar. About 400 years ago, the sea once flooded. Water started to enter in the village and the whole village was about to drowned. 

One of the devotees of Ganpati invoked God and prayed to him to save Guhagar from this calamity. 

At that time, this east-facing Ganpati turned west and calmed the sea. Since then this Ganesha is called as Ufrata Ganpati. The temple is of old Kaularu style and the roof is wooden.

Then we went towards beach to capture sunset, its very memorable to spend an evening on the beach with your loved ones. 

Sunset at Guhagar Beach

Sunset at Guhagar Beach

Before going to Seawinds Hotel we has dinner at Suruchi Hotel near Beach. It is a clean, hygienic restaurant, with many authentic konkani food products served! Food was very tasty food. It's been so long that I go to Konkan but rarely I get authentic Konkani veg food items. We ordered tandalichi bhakri, Kelful bhaji and walachi usal which were just amazing, only thing to complain is size of bhakri is too small. We decided to visit the place again as we want to buy pickles and mango pulp and reached hotel around 9.30pm. 

Day 2 - 27 Oct 2023

We decided to visit all places this day so we will be having a day only for rest and chill out in hotel. 

At 9am we reached at Bamanghal near Hedvi which is 30km from Guhagar. After reaching beach you will find Uma Maheshwar Temple.

Bamanghal, Hedvi 

Hedvi Beach

Bamanghal is an incredible creation of nature. It is a small walk along the rocky beach and one can observe a large crack formed in the slopes. The water vigorously enters this crack and fills the 3-4m deep and 1m wide crack and sprays upwards through the narrow opening. But be careful and do not try to go deep inside as this place has different shapes of hard coarse rock which makes it a bit slippery, 

few accidents were happened and people died after falling in to it. Sun was too bright to stand there for long time hecne we left the place within 15-20 minutes. 

On the hedvi ganpati mandir we visited Shri Laxmi Narayan Temple which is a typical konkani but very beautiful temple surrounded by trees. A small path descends from the temple and there is a small river on reaching the place, it feels like an old village. The surrounding area was very quiet.

Some women in the village were carrying water, washing clothes there and it looked like a typical village in a any Marathi story book. 

Shri Laxmi Narayan, Hedvi

Local Shop

Small Shack but good quality food

Kokum Sarbat

After spending 30 minutes there we reached to Hedavi Ganesh Temple. The name of this temple is 'Dashbhuja Ganapati Temple' or 'Laxmi-Ganesh Temple'. The temple is situated approximately 3 km away from Hedvi Beach. The deity has been founded on the top of Mountain. The ganesha statue is carved in white stone and has ten hands. This symbolic representation of warrior Lord Ganesha is extremely rare. This is an ancient temple erected during the period of Peshwa.

Panhala Fort made by Kids during Diwali Vacation, its somewhere near Hedvi

Konkani House

While returning to Guhagar we visited Shri Velneshwar Temple. this temple is located very close to the beach. Velneshwar Beach is positioned at a distance of roughly 7 kilometers from Hedvi Beach. 

This beach is celebrated for its crystal-clear waters and the scenic coconut groves that grace its coastline. A notable attraction nearby is the Velneshwar Temple, It is believed to be one of the ancient temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and his consort Goddess Parvati.

Shri Velneshwar Temple

Deepmal at Velneshwar Temple

We reached at hotel around 1.30 pm and after freshen up went to Jog Aaji's place for lunch. She offers authentic maharashtrian food one should not miss. Highly recommend this place for the most amazing food and experience. Please make sure to place your order in advance before going for meal. Modak she served are the best modak I have had till date, you must try if you are near Guhagar. 

Jog Aaji home

Dining area

Selfie with Jog Aaji 

After lunch we left for our next destination, The Anjanvel Lighthouse which is a nice place to visit especially in the evening. The Anjanvel Lighthouse is one of the primary attractions and one can climb up to the top by paying a nominal fee.  Though not very tall, the view from the top of the light house is magnificent. The visitor timings are 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm and they do not allow cameras to be taken to top.

Just outside the lighthouse there is a small temple of Tolkeshwar Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. On 2kms distance there is Anjanvel Fort but we skipped it due to lack of time and we tired up as we were roaming since morning. 

After spending an hour at Anjanwel, Dabhol-Dhopave Ferry as we were going to visit Chandika Devi Temple at Dabhol. 

The Chandika Devi temple housed within a small cave in the mountainside.  It is believed to be from the Pandav era. The idol of Goddess Chandika here believed to be Swayambhu means have formed naturally on its own. To reach the deity, you have to pass through a low darkened passage. Even though the space inside the Goddess looks small in the dark, it is enough for 400 people to stand around the Goddess. So by circumambulating the Devi we can come back to the original entrance.

Chandika devi mandir, Dabhol

A natural cave formed in purple rock houses a black stone shendur-encrusted idol of the goddess about 3 feet tall. Devi has four arms, sword, shield and other weapons in hands. The entrance to the cave is very small in height and one has to bend down to enter. The entrance of this cave is covered with silver sheet. As soon as you enter, there are steps leading down to the cave. After moving forward with the support of the wall, the light of Samai appears in front of the goddess and the auspicious form of the goddess is seen. Coming into this dark cave and seeing the radiant form of the Goddess is an extraordinary experience. Moreover, only the nandadeep is lit in the cave. Other lighting devices are strictly prohibited here. Photography was not allowed inside the cave.

Sunset at Vashishti River near Dabhol

While returning to Guhagar we had a break for tea and snacks as we were too tired, we skipped dinner and reached hotel around 9pm. 

Day 3 - 28 Oct 2023

We wake up little late and went to beach around 7.30 am, we wanted to just chill and relax so we enjoyed swimming and other water sport activities and were back hotel around 9 am. 

We enjoyed TV time for an hour and went to explore Guhagar town and visited few temples in Varcha Pat, Guhagar. 

Durga Devi Temple which is also considered to be the Kuladevata or clan goddess of many Brahmin families from the Konkan region. The Temple is old with full of greenery along with Bhakta Niwas in nearby location. It is located in an area surrounded by lush green coconut plantations and farmlands. 

We also visited Kopari Narayan Temple, Ashtavane Ganpati Mandir and Shree Datt Mandir. 

Kopari Narayan Mandir, Guhagar

Kopari Narayan

Shree Datt Mandir, Guhagar

Shree Datt Mandir, Guhagar

After having lunch at Jog Aaji's place we went back to Hotel around 3pm.  We enjoyed evening on the beach  and our days ends after having meal at Suruchi Hotel.

Quick capture from Hotel Window

Day 4 - 29 Oct 2023 

We decided to leave early to avoid evening traffic in Pune, so our plan was to reach Pune before 5pm. 

We left Guhagar around 10am after having delicious breakfast at Suruchi followed few konkan products shopping. While our return journey to Pune we visited Parashuram Mandir in Chiplun.

Parashuram Mandir, Chiplun

 

Parshuram Temple is a temple of Lord Parshurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism located in Parshuram village near Chiplun in Ratnagiri district. Since Parashuram created Konkan land, he is considered the presiding deity of the Konkan region. Srikshetra Parashuram is a pilgrimage site on Mahendra mountain with a history of hundreds of years. The temple was built by initiative from Swami Paramhans Brahmendra.  As it was 12.30pm so they offered us Khichadi, Shira and Pickle as prasad. Khichadi was too good, its taste still lingers on my tongue.

Our wonderful trip ended at 6.30 pm when we reached home. 

Highlights - 

Trip duration - 4 days (26 Oct 2022 to 29 Oct 2022)

Distance travelled - 850 Km

Budget - approximately 25K

Useful Info - 

1. Room charges at Seawinds Hotel, Guhagar - 1650 per day (including discount as booking was done through yatra.com)

2. Veg meal at Job Aaji - 170 Rs per person (excluding Modak 20 Rs per piece)

3. Veg meal at Durga Devi Mandir - 100 Rs per person

4. Anjanvel Lighthouse visitor timings - 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm 

Useful Contacts - 

1. Nakshatra Holiday Homes, Guhagar - 9403646277

2. Seawinds Hotel, Guhagar - 9920994229

3. Vasudha Jog (Jog Aaji) for veg food - 9158158316

4. Shalaka Khare (Durga Devi Mandir Guhagar for stay) - 9421604134

5. Sukhada (Durga Devi Mandir Guhagar for Prasad) - 9422998937

6. Hotel Suruchi, Guhagar - 

Hotel Suruchi