Ganapatipule beach holiday

Achoo! I went, achoo! again. Oh God! I hope I make it this time to Ganapatipule, a beach that has been on my check list for long. And thank God, we managed to take that weekend (1st weekend of Dec, 2006) off to G'pule.

There are 3 ways to get there. Either one drives down or opts for a bus or train. The journey being 8 hrs long, we thought train would be a better idea. The closest station to G'pule is Ratnagiri which is connected to the mainland by the Konkan Railway - all credits to the Konkan rail go to Mr.Sridharan, bless him for it and for the wonderful metro-rail network that he is putting in place in Delhi and Mumbai. I sure wish there are many more like him.

The Matsyagandha train beginning at Tilaknagar terminus, Mumbai and terminating at Goa, left the station at 2.00 pm and got us off at the Ratnagiri station at 9.00 pm the same night. The road journey to Ganapatipule from Ratnagiri was a pleasant one hour drive, complemented by good roads.

By the time we checked into the rooms, it was well past 11.00 pm. Our plans had worked out just fine so far. The nomenclature "Sea view" rooms was not a let down since the rooms were indeed right by the beach. They were on a hillock ~30 ft above sea level. The rooms had a porch which opened onto the sea and the sands.The path outside

Right by the room

While I lay on the ledge, there was nothing or no one that came between me and the pristine sands and vast ocean....I turned around to lie on my back to see the dark skies sprinkled with stars....almost like a part of designer bridal collection (a la Tahiliani) - dark prussian satin with shining silver sequins.

Early morning skies

The next morning, we were up early by 6.30 am. A lazy stroll on the virgin sands, the cool winds caressing us, sent a gentle chill down the spine. The sun was still wondering whether it was too early to rise. When it finally did, the gentle morning rays unvieled a flock of little birds busy with their morning ablutions. It was a delight to see them in flight.

As we continued the stroll, we looked back occasionally at the footprints we left behind in the sands, and were reminded of the Psalm of Life by Longfellow.......

.....Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.

Two generations...

It was 9.00 am and time to get back to the rooms for our morning chores. Had a good hot bath followed by some tasty Maharashtrian fare for breakfast - masala chai and kanda poha. Not bad. The morning was spent lazing around on the porch , dreamily observing the now azure skies and palms gracefully swaying in the breeze. The waves that moved back and forth tirelessly, the trollers that busily went about their daily routine.

So much calm & serenity; the only sound was that of an occasional bird and the waves that danced to the tune of the gentle breeze, almost like an opera to the conductor. Each time the winds blew harder, the waves lashed out higher......completely in sync :)

A quick lunch at the closest bhojnalay, and we set out to look around.Some places we visited.....

Ganapatipule temple

Ganapatipule temple, right by the beach. While the entrance to the temple lies along the roadside, the temple opens onto the beach. What a lovely sight. The deity worshipped is Swayambu Ganapati (the Elephant headed God).

An unusual banyan tree

We also saw a century old Lighthouse, albeit from a distance. On way to Jaigad fort was an interesting Banyan tree, with trunk at the extreme left and the foliage all bent towards the sea (pic above). Very little is known about the fort - who built it, who resided there, is pretty much a mystery. The fort remains on the list of the Archealogical Society of India, as a piece for preservation. The only reason of visiting the fort, was the view from the top.

Atop Jaigad fort

By the time we got back that evening, it was late. But were keen to watch the sunset. So back we went to take a dip in the ocean, and soak the atmosphere while the sun set.

Sunset at the beach

We then headed for dinner; the main course followed by some delicious 'modak' - a jaggery based sweetdish. It is almost like a sweet momo. Made of ground blackgram and rice flour steamed with a filling of coconut, jaggery and cardamom. Yum....

That night while I lay on my bed, I pulled back the curtain to look out at the ocean which was clearly visible on the moonlit night. The silhouette of the palms and pines made for a lovely picture.

The only time I regretted being there was when I could not have some good fresh catch (fish) for my meals. Imagine being on the Konkan coast and not being able to bite into some delicious fresh fish in coconut curry or simply in fried / tandoored form. But well as usual Pari, my kind, amiable better half came to my rescue. He said "dont you worry! we are not leaving this place until you have had your fill" and off we set out to Ratnagiri. The road journey takes an hour and fifteen minutes and is ~48 kms long. Unlike Ganapatipule which does not serve nonveg fare owing to the vicinity to temple (holy) premises, Ratnagiri has some good fish served at reasonably priced places.

Since the entire day was to be spent at Ratnagiri, we decided to make the most of it. We hired a vehicle to take us around to some popular, historic spots. We visited the home of Lokmanya Balgangadhar Tilak, the man who popularised Sarvajanik Ganapati celebrations (community celebrations during Ganesh chaturthi), with the objective of spreading awareness and support for the Indian Freedom struggle.

Some of the other places which deserve a mention are - Museum by the Fisheries dept; which houses the skeleton of a huge Whale (Devmasa),
Bhatye beach,
The Thebaw palace; home to the Burmese king Thebaw (1858-1916) which finds mention in Amitav Ghosh's The Glass Palace,
Thebaw point, an attempt by the inhabitants of Ratnagiri to have a recreational spot of historic significance,

Patita pawan temple, the first temple where Veer Savarkar allowed non brahmins to worship Lord Vishu and Lakshmi

After the regular site seeing, we went to a hot fish spot ;), and relished some freshly fried surmai and solkadi (a coconut milk and kokum based accompaniment)

There are friends who ask me whether Taarkarli or Ganapatipule is a better beach. While the sands are more clean at Taarkarli, Ganapatipule has some great views as the cottage is housed on a hillock.

I would cherish this trip as long as I am not down with Alzheimer's!, and as for you...I will leave you with something to look forward to....

Somewhere - Linda Harnett

Oh, to be lying,
On a beach,
Somewhere,
With sand in my toes,
And the wind,
In my hair.

And only the sound,
Of the seagulls,
On high,
On a beach,
Somewhere,
Under sunny blue sky.

The gentle caress,
Of the waves,
On the shore,
And you close,
Beside me,
Could I ask for more?

A soft sandy beach,
That goes on,
Forever,
You, me,
And a beach,
So happy together.