Weekend trip to Diveagar and Harihareshwar, Konkan

Diveagar is on the western coast of India in the Raigad district of Maharashtra. It is one of the safest beach in the Konkan region. Diveagar is extremely popular for its beautiful beaches.  

We are looking for 2 days quick trip before summer vacation ends. The first 3 weeks of May were very busy with various summer camps. There was no activity in the last week and since it was our wedding anniversary, we planned a trip on 29th May. Considering time and distance, we decided to visit Diveagar and Harihareshwar as it is 4 hours drive from Pune. And Aaravya (my son) had to go there since, the famed 'Golden Ganesh Temple' Diveagar got back its gold idol on the auspicious Angaraki Chaturthi on Tuesday 23rd November 2021, which was stolen in a daring temple heist after killing two security guards in March 2012.  

Date – 29th May 2022 

We began our journey @ 8 am after having breakfast at home and reached Diveagar around 2 pm after having few quick stops at Tamhini for Karvand (berry-sized fruits). The route is amazingly beautiful especially during and after monsoons. Road is in good condition except 1-2 rough patches in tamhini ghat. 

The route to reach Diveagar is Pune – Paud – Tamhini Ghat – Mangaon – Mhasala – Diveagar. 

If you do not want to drive and only want to go to Diveagar, then there is a ST for Shivaji Chowk, Divegar from Swargate, Pune. It leaves Swargate at around 2 pm, reaches Diveagar at 7pm. The same ST leaves Diveagar for Pune the next day at 5:30 in the morning.

Somewhere at Tamhini Ghat

It was my second visit to Diveagar and third to Harihareshwar. 

Click here to read to my previous Diveagar travel blog. 

We had brought food with us as my in-laws were accompanying on this trip, he was on medication so didn't want to miss his mealtime. We booked 2 rooms at Aai resort as the booking was done just a day ago, AC rooms are not available, so we booked non-AC rooms. We wanted to stay at Aai resort as our previous stay was very comfortable there. Nowadays in Diveagar, few new hotels are built up and available for accommodation.  After some relaxation in the afternoon, we went to the beach at 5:30 and enjoyed swimming and water sports. 

We @ Diveagar Beach

The beach is on walking distance of 10-15 minutes, almost a kilometer away. The beach was not very crowded though it was Sunday, but more people were there than usual. The beach is a broad, sandy, and clear water; it is separated by a road. The climate was not very pleasant, but it was fine as expected at end of summer.       

Sunset @ Diveagar beach

We came back to the resort around 8 pm. After freshening up, we visited the resort and its surroundings and chatted with the resort owner and other guests in the courtyard. We had dinner at Aai Resort and the food was good. If you want to dine at any hotel or khanaval in Diveagar, you have to let them know in advance.

Date – 30th May 2022 

We got up around 7am as we don’t want to visit the beach in the morning. Our plan was to visit Suvarna Ganesh and Rup Narayan temples in the morning and then to Harihareshwar. We went to Roop Narayan temple first as Suvarna Ganesh temple opens at 8am.  

Rup Narayan temple is located close to the beach. It is a very old temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Temple is made up of laterite red bricks and it is beautifully sculpted, and idol is carved meticulously on black stone in a way that all ten avatars (Dashavatar) of Vishnu are visibly seen in a clockwise direction. The Lord Vishnu idol is with Sankh, Chakra, Padma and Gada in four hands and is so beautiful and mesmerized. One can feel good positive vibrations in this temple. There is another temple adjacent to it, it is of Lord Sundar Narayan. There is a well in front of the temple with very well constructed steps to go inside.  

Beach is at a walking distance from this place, the road to this place is very narrow so better to park the vehicle behind on the main road. 

Roop Narayan Temple, Diveagar

Roop Narayan

Deepmal

Sundar Narayan

When we reached Suvarna Ganesh temple it was opening. Good parking space available opposite Ganesh temple. We parked our car and move toward the temple. There was not much crowd but were only 15-20 people waiting for the temple to open along with us. As soon as we entered the temple, we felt very pleasant. The Ganesh idol in this temple was made up of gold, hence the name "Suvarna Ganesh". This temple earlier had a gold statue of Shri Ganesh, unfortunately it was stolen in March 2012. Thieves killed two security guards there. Later thieves were captured but gold idol and ornaments were melted. But it has now been replaced with another similar gold statue in November 2021.  

This Temple is reconstructed with beautiful design and the premise is very calm. It is situated at approximately 1 km from the beach. 

History of Suvarana Ganesh temple is quite fascinating and interested one. 

It was special day of Sankashti Chaturthi of Hindu Calendar on Dated 17th November 1997, there was found a copper box in a coconut farm while doing cultivation. The Box was Muddy as it was buried and looked ancient. It has some words written from the old Sanskrit. This incident attracts the interest of entire Village people of Diveagar. The box had a sculpture of Lord Ganesha made of pure gold along with Gold ornaments of it. It was then that god was named as Suvarna Ganesh. It is believed that Lord Ganesha idol is approximately 400 years old.     

Suvarna Ganesh Temple, Diveagar

The temple atmosphere is very calm and clean. It’s a small, peaceful but a divine place. After spending half an hour there we went back to the resort as we placed an order Ghavane and chutney for breakfast there. Unlike Pune, in Diveagar, tea or breakfast is not available early in the morning; you need to wait till 9 am.  

At 9 o'clock we were very happy to get white-soft-big ghavane and spicy chutney, the tongue is satisfied with authentic konkani menu and we were served hot tea after that.  

Our initial plan was to visit Harihareshwar in the morning and come back to Diveagar and check out in the noon after some rest, so we placed lunch order in Bapat Khanaval for veg thali with modak and solkadhi. But considering distance and time to travel to Harihareshwar and of course the bright sunlight we changed our plan and decided to travel Pune directly from Harihareshwar. The distance from Diveagar to Harihareshwar is 35 km which requires almost 1.5 hours due to narrow and rough road. 

After breakfast we packed our bags, checked out the resort and headed towards Harihareshwar. 

Harihareshwar village in Shrivardhan taluka of Raigad district of Maharashtra, it is know for Lord Shiva and Kalbhairava temples. The place is also known as Dakshin Kashi. This temple is most ancient, and the main deity of the temple was the ‘Kuladaivat’ of the Peshwas, the prime ministers of the great Maratha Empire. 'Pradakshina Marg' around the temple was built by Chandrarao More. Even in 1674, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has also visited the Harihareshwar temple. Later, the temple was even renovated completely in 1723 by Bajirao Peshwa I after having been almost destroyed in a fire. 

The road is not in good condition but drives along the sea is pleasant. We stopped a few times to buy Mango, Karwand and Jamun and reached Harihareshwar in an hour. It was very hot at that time, after parking a car and you need to walk a little to get to the temple and there are steps in some places. My father-in-law would not have been able to walk so much hence they both stopped at a restaurant and three of us went to the temple.  

The architecture of the temple is unique and attractive. Inside the main sanctum of the temple, there are idols of Shiva, Parvati, Vishnu and Brahma in the shape of a linga. Quite close to the temple, there is are other two temple - Lord Kalbhairav and Goddess Yogeshwari.  

There was little rush due to Monday as it being lord Shiva’s day, few people doing abhishek and pooja. We could take blessings in 15-20 minutes and then went to halfway of the pradakshina path. We have enjoyed tides and photography there but due to bright sunlight we were feeling exhausted. There are few Sharbat stalls available where you will get nice drinks, we enjoyed cold buttermilk which was must needed that time.  

 A pradakshina path goes around the temple, along the seashore. It is not advisable to go on this route during high tide. The day we were there was exactly the new moon(amavasya) hence pradakshina path was closed due to high tide. 

High Tide @ Harihareshwar Beach

Pradakshina Path during High Tide

After spending an hour there, we left and done some shopping and came to the place where my in-laws had stopped. As it was almost 12.30, we wanted a good veg meal. We enquired there and got to know about Ashokvan, a place for pure veg meal which is a kilometer away from the parking. Actually, we wanted to eat modak, solkadhi and rice bhakari but you need to place an order for this menu a day before.  

We stopped at ‘Ashokvan Pure Veg’ after seeing the board at left side while travelling from Harihareshwar to Diveagar/Mhasala. The place is a bit inside, it is not easily noticed from the road but there is a board at the roadside. You need to park your vehicle near the board and walk 2 minutes to reach the house where the food is served. It is a simple place with simple setup, a typical Konkani house where a buffet is arranged. Everyday menu is written on the board there. They start serving food @ 1 pm sharp, we had to wait as we reached there around 12.40pm so we roamed their wadi which is very beautiful.

Mangoes!!

The crowd started to grow as soon as it was 1 o'clock. We also started the lunch which was delicious home-made food. The taste was awesome, typical brahmani food, we all really enjoyed it. Their charges are Rs. 200 unlimited food for adult and Rs. 100 for kids. This place is 100% must visit when you are in or near Harihareshwar and of course a vegetarian.       

Veg Thali @ Ashokvan Pure Veg

We didn't expect it to be so crowded but in next 15 minutes only there were almost 20 people were waiting and almost 40-50 people were already dining. Better do prior booking on the previous day. They serve Modak but you need to tell them a day prior.  

After having a hearty meal and filling stomach, we talked to them for few minutes only as he was very busy in arranging the food and table for those who were on waiting and of course we complimented them for the taste of food.  

We left around 3pm, headed towards Pune and reached home around 9 pm only after a pit stop at Tamhini Ghat for tea.

Highlights -

Trip duration - 2 days (29 May 2022 and 30 May 2022)

Distance travelled - 400Km

Budget - 15K

Useful contacts - 

1. Aai Resort, Diveagar 

2. Ashokvan Pure Veg, Harihareshwar

Trip to Revdanda, Alibaug

Revdanda is small village at western coast near Alibaug, Raigad district of Maharashtra. Its a serene location with beautiful beach and historic forts. 

After many days of waiting, we were planning to go out, but due to lack of car, it was very difficult to travel at present as we sold out our car. Lots of travel plans were made and canceled.

Aaravya was bored so we decided to go out on upcoming weekend to Mahad, Pali then Revdanda, immediately booked the car on ZoomCar.

We left Pune for Mahad at 6.30 am on Saturday and reached there at 8.30 am. 

Mahad Ganpati Temple, is one of the Ashtavinayak temples of the Hindu deity Lord Ganesha called as Varad Vinayak. It is in Mahad small town situated in Khalapur taluka near Karjat and Khopoli of Raigad District, Maharastra, India. We wanted to take blessings before 9.30 because at 9.30 I had to attend online parent teacher meeting. Hence as soon as we reach there we stood in the queue for darshan of lord Varad Vinayak.

The temple is simply designed with a tiled roof. This temple is said to be built by Subhedar Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar. The idol of this temple faces the east and has his trunk turned to the left. A Gomukh is seen on the north side of the temple from which flows the holy water. A holy pond is situated on the west side of the temple.  This temple also has the idol of Mushika, Navagraha Devtas and Shivalinga. There are 4 elephant idols guarding the 4 sides of the temple. As there was not much crowd, the darshan took place in 15 minutes and after sitting in front of Bappa for 10 minutes, we came out of the temple. 

Immediately after the visit we had a quick breakfast in a small hotel there, and once the school meeting is over at about 10 o'clock, we headed towards Pali. Located in the Sudhagad taluka of Raigad district, Ballaleshwar Pali is one of the ‘Ashtavinayakas,’ and remains thronged with the devotees of Lord Ganesh.

Ever since watching Fatteshikast movie we have been very curious to know about where exactly Umberkhind is and wanted to visit it once.  Umberkhind is one of the most iconic historical places in Maharashtra. Battle of Umberkhind took place on 3 February 1661 in the mountain range of Sahyadri near the city of Khopoli, Maharashtra, India. The battle was fought between the Maratha army under Shivaji Maharaj and General Kartalab Khan of the Mughal Empire. The Marathas defeated the Mughal forces. It instantly transports you back hundreds of years to the era when the famous Battle of Umberkhind was fought. Remembering the history, we reached Pali around 12pm. As its February, Sun was little bright, we parked the car and headed straight towards the temple.

Dhundi Vinayak temple is on the way to the temple. Many times, many visitors can get confused and may think that this is Ballaleshwar. The Ballaleshwar temple is  wooden temple which was renovated in 1760 and built in the shape of the letter "Shri" in Devnagiri script. The temple is constructed in such a way that the sun rays fall directly on the deity during prayers. The bell in the temple was brought by Chimaji Appa after he defeated the Portuguese in Vasai. The two lakes nearby add beauty to the temple. 

After spending an hour there, we left for Revdanda, and on the way the cricket match was going on in the field, so after watching the match for a while, we went ahead and reached the destination at 3pm. The first thing we did when we got there was lunch because we were so hungry.

After resting for an hour, we went to the beach at 5:30 pm. Revdanda beach is a silent beach, not much crowded, but water was a bit muddy. There is Revdanda fort, an old Portuguese fort situated at the beach. Korlai fort is close by too, which is a must visit. We skipped both the places as we were tired and Aaravya wants to enjoy playing in water and water sport activity. And I don’t want to miss the sunset there, as it was as beautiful as ever.

Sunset at Revdanda Beach

Korlai Fort seen from Revdanda beach

After 7 o'clock we went to cottage, we stayed at Uday Homestay which is a bit old and a budget cottage, but he is our family friend's neighbor so we preferred to stay at his place.  After freshened up and we went out to explore the surrounding area; and most importantly we wanted to find a delicious meal for the night. After inquiring, we found out that there is Fafe's restaurant in Chaul which is famous for veg food.

We wanted to visit Chaul next day as to see famous Rameshwar temple there. The Chaul region is famous for its temples. But Google Map showed 10 minutes only, so we went to Raghunandan Restaurant. On the way to the restaurant, we saw Rameshwar temple and immediately stopped there. That temple is very beautiful, a typical Konkani temple; many Marathi movies have been shot here. The temple was shown in Cycle Cinema, ever since I have wanted to visit it. We decided to come back the next day because we came to know that the hotel was crowded as it the only pure veg restaurant in the premise. 

We ordered paneer butter masala, dal tadka, garlic naan and pav bhaji for Aaravya and all the food was very tasty and not spicy at all. If you are close by the place, try this restaurant once and you will definitely like the food there. After drinking cold coffee, we reached the cottage around 10.30 pm.

Photo taken from Google

Next day, Kiran and I got up at 5:30 in the morning and went to walk on the beach. The atmosphere is very fragrant, a nice combination of a slight and gentle breeze. We sat on a wooden bench and chatted for hours. Then we walked to the market and stopped at Suruchi Snacks center for tea. We placed an order (ghavane and chutteny) for breakfast, we went to the room, freshen up, checked in. 

We went to Rameshwar Temple after having heavy breakfast with kanda bhajji, ghavane and chutney, misal at Suruchi. Chaul is about 15 Kms from Alibag, and the drive takes us through the picturesque villages of Akshi and Nagaon. There are three prominent temples in Chaul – the Rameshwar Mandir, Datta Mandir and the Hingulja Devi Mandir. Due to interest of time we visited only Rameshwar temple.

The Rameshwar temple seemed much more beautiful than the darkness of the night. It is a very ancient temple of Lord Shiva. The Rameshwar temple has existed for several centuries, but the exact time of the construction is unknown. Research shows that the temple has been renovated many times in history. The Mandir has three tanks : parjanya kund, agni kund, and wayu kund, representing three elements of nature – Rain, fire, and air. The temple is a perfect place for tourists to spend time, it is typical simple coastal temple, wonderful place to spend some relaxing time and to meditate. Apart from us, there were some other tourists. 

Rameshwar Mandir, Chaul

Rameshwar Mandir (inside)

We did not want to leave the Rameshwar temple, but since we wanted to visit Nagaon beach and Birla temple, we immediately headed towards the Nagaon beach.

Nagaon Beach

Nagaon was very crowded and somehow, we managed to reach to the parking. On the beach, it was crowded like a fair.  As it was getting hot we decided to leave the place as early as possible, after playing some water sports, we left in half an hour and reached Birla Temple via Chaul.

Birla Mandir is a Ganesh temple of very modern architecture in white marble, situated on a small hill (130 easy steps) near Salav village. The temple is built by Vikram Ispat company, which is a part of Birla group, may be hence the lord Ganesh is called as Vikram Vinayak. 

The temple has marble floors, and the hall of the temple is open from all sides. The ceiling of the temple is transparent which allows free flow of air and ample of light to come in. On entering the temple there is a square shaped nave. The nave is also made of marble and is very beautifully carved. The beautifully carved idol of ‘Ganapati’ is placed the nave. The idols of ‘Riddhi and Siddhi’ are placed on both sides of idol. Around the nave are small temples of ‘Radha-Krishna’, ‘Shiv-Parvati’, ‘Bhavanidevi’ and ‘Suryadeva’. In the garden next to the temple there is a statue of “Late Aditya Birla”. This is a place visited by tourists from all around. The entire hill is a temple complex with beautiful gardens & fountains all around. It's a nice place to spend the evening, a very peaceful point. We should have visited in the evening to feel the lighting. 

Birla Mandir, Revdanda (Photo taken from Google)

Aditya Birla statue at Birla Mandir (Photo taken from Google)

 

Please note no camera and mobiles allowed inside and there is no locker facility if you visit by public transport and you are alone, if you are with family you have to give all the mobiles to one family member who will wait outside the temple.

After visiting Birla mandir, we directly travelled back to Pune and reached at 5 pm via Tamhini Ghat. 

We :) 

Highlights - 

Trip duration - 2 days (12 February 2022 and 13 February 2022)

Distance travelled - 400Km

Budget - 15K