TOURISM: Alibaug

Showing posts with label Alibaug. Show all posts

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Vikram Vinakyak Temple

http://travel.sulekha.com/india/maharashtra/alibag/kashid-beach/photos/kashid-beach-10.jpg

Twenty kilometres from Alibaug, across the Revdanda Bridge, is the beautiful Vikram Vinayak Temple within the Vikram Ispat premises. Situated on a small hillock, a walk up the well-paved stairs leads directly to the temple.

The towering dome done up in exquisite white granite is visible from a distance far off and the surroundings of the temple comprise of a well-planned and well laid out garden and colourful fountains. The prayer hall is open on all sides, allowing access and entry from all four sides and the roof is made of transparent Polycorp sheet, providing an unadulterated view of the vast bright blue sky, creating just the right ambience for a prayer session. The temple has idols of Shree Radha-Krishnna, Shree Shiv-Parvati, Goddess Druga and Lord Surya. A life-size statue of Late Aditya Birla has been erected in the garden.

The arati and the puja is held everyday and can be attended at either 9.00 AM and/or 7.15 pm. General entry into the temple premises is open from 6.00 AM to 11.30 AM and 4.30 PM to 9.00 PM each day, all year through. Popular with the local followers, even devotees from other parts of the country flock here all across the year to pay their respects and seek the blessings. Do visit this beautiful temple for an uplifting experience and the quaint prayer hall!

Varsoli beach

A tiny satellite village base for large naval is the Varsoli beach situated on the Alibaug's outskirts. It is not visited by many. It is a quiet beach with white sand, clean and clear water, beautiful coconut and Casuarina on the coast.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Undheri fort

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0m78zWZ9OHk/SB7t2LS8UhI/AAAAAAAABnY/ihVB2XXNmg8/_MG_0397_edited-1.jpg

Another island fort is the Undheri fort which is 300m away from the Khanderi fort. It was constructed in1680 by Siddi Qasam. This fort was ruled by Peshwas, Siddis, and Angres and last by the British. Travelers are allowed to visit the place using local boats.

Sri Hanuman Temple

A small powerful Sri Hanuman Temple is located near Kanakeshwar Devesthan temple. Hanuman, the monkey god is a devotee of Sri Rama.

Someshwar Temple

http://www.meriyatrra.com/photos/images/panhala_2.jpg

The story of Lord Shiva ,known as Someshwar who drank poison that came up from within the ocean and turned into nector can be seen depicted at the Someshwar Temple. It is located around 3 km from Alibag. This temple was built by Satvahana rulers and reflects their style of architecture.

Pushkarna Kund

http://travelmaharashtra.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/alibaug.jpg

There is a large circular shape kund known as Pushkarna Kund which is located just behind Kanakeshwar Temple. Near the kund is a thick dense forest with panthers and Poisonous snakes. Travelers are not permitted to visit the kund.

Nagaon beach

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxlcC7mPR8MWtsIqg2X_vWtSuOLJr-TqocBhk_iCELpXtObO3TPA&t=1

The Nagaon beach is a wonderful beach, suituated at 7 Km from Alibaug. This place is well known for betal nuts and coconut trees. A superhit song from the hindi flim Sagar which was shot here, describes the beauty of this place. The tourists enjoy the clam water and the beautiful suru trees.

Magnetic Observatory

Alibaug has a lot to offer by way of tourist spots. The most talked about of these are the different-from-the-usual Magnetic Observatory and the Kanhoji Angre Samadhi.

Established in 1904, the Magnetic Observatory is the only one of its kind in Asia and one of only 13 in the entire world, with whom data is exchanged every 12 minutes. The building echoes the British style of architecture and houses rare valuable instruments like a magnetograph, which is built only in stone, with no steel used. The Observatory records magnetic movement in the earth's' crust and also magnetic storms caused by solar storms. A destination of pride for the Indians, the Magnetic Observatory stands apart for being unique.

Kulaba Fort

Kolaba Fort, an old military fortification in India, is unique in its location and is situated right by the seaside, at about a distance of 1 or 2 kilometres from the shores of Alibaug. Built by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1652, the fort was built to keep a check on the activities of the foreign naval powers of the English, Portuguese and the Siddhi of Janjira.

The Kolaba Fort, on account of its being a military fortification, is an extremely strong and impregnable fort with high ramparts and seventeen bastions. The main gate faces east and sculptures of a tiger, peacock, elephant adorning it, but with the passage of time they are becoming indistinct. Similarly, most of the buildings inside and the main fortification have perished due to lack of sufficient restoration attempts.

A Ganesh temple, built in 1759 by Kanhoji Angre, still survives. A wall surrounds it and a large number of devotees come to pray at the temple on a regular basis. The idol, made out of marble, is definitely worth a look. Another unique structure worth a visit is the isolated fortified structure a little distance north of the main fort, which was named Sarjekot and was consider the eighteenth bastion of Kulaba.

An interesting feature of this sea fort is that it has freshwater wells in its premises even though it is a seaside fort. In the monsoons, the fort can be reached by wading through waist-deep water at low tide, while, at high tide, boats must be used to reach it.

A favourite spot with the locals, even tourists from rest of the country gather to visit this beautiful fortification. A must-see while at Alibaug, do not let this one go unvisited.

Khanderi fort

The Khanderi fort is situated in the sea around 3 to 4 km from the Thai beach. It was constructed in 1678. After various attempts, the British captured the fort as a part of Peshwa Territory after 1750. Today the fort is under the control of Bombay Port Trust, visitors can use local boats to visit the fort.

Kanhoji Angre Samadhi

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Kanoji_Angre_Samadhi.jpg/220px-Kanoji_Angre_Samadhi.jpg

Another tourist spot which garners equal interest is the Kanhoji Angre Samadhi. The structure has eight faces and the pillars are exquisitely sculpted. Though in a dilapidated state presently, it stands in the hallowed memory of the great Maratha Admiral Kanhoji Angre.

Both these sights foster a lot of interest in the minds of the travellers to Alibaug. Drawing larger crowds of tourists each year, the Magnetic Observatory and the Kanhoji Angre Samadhi are growing in popularity as more and more time goes by.

Kanakeshwar Forest

http://images.world66.com/ka/nk/es/kankeshwar_temple_galleryfull

The dense forest with a greenish lush look is the Kanakeshwar Forest. Poisonous, wild boars, snakes panthers and wild leaopards are the right rulers of this forest. The visitors are allowed at their own risk into the forest.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Janjira Fort

Janjira Fort, counted amongst the few sea forts of India, is bounded by walls that rise to a soaring height of 40 feet, and still retains its strength and grandeur. The Janjira Fort was built by the rulers of Ahmed Nagar under the patronage of Emperor Malik Amber in the 15th century AD. An interesting nugget of information about the Fort is that it was never conquered by any enemy for over 350 years. Shivaji, Sambhaji and the Peshwas tried to take over the fort but the Marathas, British or Portuguese could never capture Janjira.

The Janjira Fort was initially a wooden structure, constructed by the fishermen of Murud, to serve as their protection from the pirates of the sea. Later, the wooden structure was demolished under the orders of Buran Khan, the minister of Nizamshah. In its place was laid down the foundation of one of the most impregnable forts of India, the Janjira Fort. Adorning the fort are a number of towers and turrets, which were basically used for the purpose of keeping huge guns that could be used for military purposes.

The main entrance door of the Janjira Fort has a stone carving, which depicts a single tiger that has been trapped by a six elephants. The sweet water lake inside the premises of the Fort has existed since the origin and construction of the Fort.

The Fort of Janjira was an architectural marvel. While much of the fort has been corroded and washed away after centuries of battering by the ocean, the fort still continues to stand very strong. Full of interesting sights, the Janjira Fort is worth dropping by on your next holiday to Alibaug.

Jai Bhavani temple

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_9faxDOp_kuQ/S7sKFHgMocI/AAAAAAAAAHI/LymrPV8AQNw/DSC00038.JPG

Jai Bhavani temple belongs to the 12th century and is dedicated to the Goddess of source of energy and power of nature. The goddess has 8 arms, holding Mahishasura's head in one and weapons in the other hands.

Brahma kund

http://travel.sulekha.com/india/gujarat/dwarka/photos/dwarka.jpg

The Brahma kund is situated on top of the hill, with the two kunds namely, the Brahma's pond and the Shiva Pool. It is a rectangular water tank, with all the four sides encircled by steps. This was encoded during 1612. Near the temple is a small statue of 'Mirchi Baba'. You will also find a Maruti Mandir there. It is believed that the water created in the pool was collected while Lord Krishna was bathing, and that Lord Brahma bathed him.

Alibag Beach

The beach with black sand is the Alibag Beach. It is the main beach of that town. It is famed for its clean water, fresh air and sands. Alibag Beach is named after Ali Shah Bawa's mazhar which is right in the center of the town. The Kolaba fort is seen from here. A safety platform is built by the government for the visitors to take bath and to enjoy the beach.

Akshi Beach

The perfect gateway for the tourist is the Akshi Beach, situated 5km away from Alibag. It is an eye catching place, with white sand and clean water; it renders safety to step inside the unruffled Arabian Sea. It is also a beautiful place for the nature lovers and birdwatchers. The long stretch of beautiful suru trees along the coast is a treat to watch.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Labels