Mandwa Beach and Jetty.

Mandwa beach is a clean beach next to Mandwa jetty about 20 mins. from Alibaug. The beach has water sports activities such as jet-ski rides, Kayaking and banana rides.It is a nice place to visit in evenings especially at the time of sunset. There is a parking space and a restaurant which serves veg as well as non-veg food near the beach.

 A ferry from Mandwa port to Gateway of India takes about an hour to reach. One can enjoy a day's tour from Mumbai to Mandwa by ferry.
Click Here for information of  ferry services between Mumbai and Mandwa port.

Places to visit nearby:
Kolaba Fort
Kihim Beach.

Mandwa Beach.

Mandwa Jetty.

View from Mandwa Jetty.

Hedvi and Velneshwar temples-near Guhagar.

Hedvi temple is about 30 mins by road from Guhagar. The place is famous for Lord Ganesha's temple. The temple is also called Hedvi Dashabhuja Ganpati temple, referring to the 10 hands Lord Ganesha idol has.The idol is about 3 feet tall and is carved out of a white stone. The temple is said to have been built by the Peshwas during their rule. The stone is thought to be have been brought from Kashmir.Photography is not allowed inside the temple.
Hedvi is on the way from Guhagar to Ganpatipule via Tavsal ferry boat service.

Entrance to Hedvi Temple.

Hedvi Temple.

 Click Here for Ganpati idol at Hedvi.

Velneshwar Shiva temple is close to Hedvi temple,about10 mins by road towards Guhagar. The Lord Shiva temple is famous and  thronged by many devotees throughout the year. Mahashivratri is celebrated in the town with great enthusiasm. There are other temples such as Ganesha temple, Vishnu temple and a Nandi bull temple within the premises.
Road to Velneshwar beach is right next to the temple.

Entrance to Velneshwar Temple.

 

Velneshwar Temple.

Raigad Fort.

Raigad fort is a hill fort situated at a height of about 2700 feet above sea level near Mahad in Raigad district of Maharashtra. The fort was made capital of Maratha empire in the year 1674 by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The fort was captured by Shivaji Maharaj from Chandrarao More in 1656.

Raigad fort previously known as Rairi belonged to Mores of Javali, who were feudatories of Adilshahs of Bijapur. It was used as a prison cell by Adilshahs before Shivaji Maharaj took it over.

In 1818 the fort was bombarded with cannons and partly destroyed by  British forces and was controlled by East India Company.

Raigad Fort.

Raigad fort is about one and a half hours drive from Mahad. There is a ropeway which takes you to the fort within a span of 10 minutes. Alternately one has to climb about 1737 steps to reach the fort. There is a museum near the begining of the ropeway and a canteen at the top. Lodging and boarding facilities are available at Raigad fort.

Raigad fort which was partly destroyed by British cannons still shows some features which are reminiscent of  historical times. The ropeway takes you to Mena Darwaja Some of the places of interest are Takmak Tok (execution place),Wagh Darwaja, Bazarpeth ( market place) and Nagarkhana (entry place). Shivaji Maharaj's royal throne is seen about 200 meters from Nagarkhana. There is a lake inside the fort called Gangasagar Lake. Besides one can see Ranivasa (residence of queens) and main tower inside the fort. Shivaji Maharaj's samadhi memorial is seen in Jagdishwar temple within the fort.

Bajarpeth- old market.

Ranivasa, Gangasagar lake and Main tower seen on right.

Nagarkhana Darwaza.

Pachad is a place located at the base of  Raigad fort. At this place Shivaji Maharaj had built a palace for his mother Jijabai during her later days as she preferred staying at a lower altitude. The palace was destroyed by the British during their rule and is in ruins now. There is a memorial of Jijabai near the place which can be approached by a motorable road.

Jijamata memorial, Pachad.

Raigad fort is about 102 km from Mumbai near Mahad on Mumbai Goa highway. The road from Pune is via Khalapur and Pali.

Places to visit nearby: Harihareshwar beach, Gandharpale caves, Shivthar Ghal and Mahabaleshwar.

For information on Raigad ropeway:  Click Here.

Gandharpale Buddhist caves, Mahad.

These are a group of 30 caves situated on a hill on  Mumbai-Goa highway just before Mahad. They have been believed to be excavated between 150-300 AD. The caves are situated at the confluence of Gandhari and Savitri rivers and located near Pale village, thus the name is a combination of the two.

The caves are believed to be resting places used by the Buddhas while travelling. A few stupas, prayer halls (Chaityagrihas) and carvings of Lord Buddha can be seen in these caves. Cave nos. 1,8,15 and 21 are important as they have various stupas and sculpture images inside.

There is a stony staircase close to the highway to approach these caves on top. It takes about half an hour to climb the way up. The view from the top is awesome.

View of caves from highway.

Steps for climbing.

Cave no. 21

Carvings of Lord Buddha in Cave no. 1

View from top.

Best time to visit this place is during or soon after monsoon as there is a lot of greenery on the hill and around it.

Konkani food items.

A place highly recommended for shopping Konkani eating items is Konkan Food Bazaar. It is located about 5 km from Alibaug on Alibaug Revdanda road-the road from Alibaug to Murud. One can get all kinds of food items,ingredients,spices belonging to this region here.

 Food items such as spices, papads, kokam syrup, which form daily part of Konkani meals are available here. Mango,gooseberry and jackfruit items are available here in plenty as they are found in abundance in this region.

Konkan Food Bazaar is a place worth visiting while travelling to Kashid or Revdanda beach. There are plenty of varieties of fresh food items available here. I would like to recommend the Papads, Kokam syrup and masalas which are delicacies of this region. Besides, Alphonso mango items are available in different forms such as aam papad and aamba vadi.

How to reach Alibaug and Kashid?

Alibaug is about 100 km from Mumbai. There are two ways of accessing it from Mumbai-road and ferry.

The road from Mumbai to Goa ie. National Highway 17 takes you to Alibaug. The road from Mumbai goes to Panvel followed by Pen. At Pen, you reach Vadkhal Naka, where there is a diversion. One road which goes straight goes to Alibaug whereas National Highway 17 continues as Mumbai Goa road. The road to Alibaug goes via a place called Poynad and reaches Alibaug. For Kashid, one has to take a left turn once you reach Alibaug. This road goes via Nagaon to Revdanda and is called Alibaug Revdanda road. Once it reaches Revdanda, it continues as Revdanda Murud road to reach Murud. Kashid is on this road before Murud.

Alternately one can take a ferry ride from Mumbai. The ferry starts at Gateway of India and reaches Mandwa port in about an hour's time. The private ferry operators have arrangements to drop you at Alibaug bus depot, from where one can take a bus to Murud via Revdanda and Kashid.

Mandwa Jetty.

Mandwa beach.

The distance by road from Pune to Alibaug is about 140 km. One has to take Mumbai Pune expressway and exit it at Khopoli to reach Pen followed by the road to Alibaug.

Recommendations on Mumbai Alibaug road journey:
Restautant Kshuda Shanti Bhuvan is a great place to have breakfast if you are travelling by road. It is located at Vadkhal Naka at Pen. It is famous for Maharashtrian dishes like Vada Pav and Misal Pav. Car parking is a bit of a problem at times of season as the restaurant touches the main road, however, the restaurant guard is always keen to help you.
There is a petrol pump right opposite the restaurant where one can fill up their tanks.

Lokmanya Tilak birthplace.

Undoubtedly the most important structure in Ratnagiri, one which makes every Maharashtrian proud is the birthplace of Lokmanya Tilak.

Lokmanya Tilak or Bal gangadhar Tilak was the first leader of India to fight against the imperial British Raj. He advocated the word "Swaraj" which meant self-rule. He said "Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it." Thus the fight for independence against British rule began.

The place is on Tilak Lane. It is close to Congress Bhavan. There is a big statue of the great leader at the gate. Visitors are allowed inside the place.There is a museum inside having photos showing some of the incidents in the life of the great freedom fighter, his freedom struggle, family life etc. Some of his personal belongings also are kept here. The place is now looked after and maintained by Maharashtra state archaeological department. It is a heritage monument.

The birthplace of Lokmanya Tilak is a place worth visiting. History lovers will enjoy visiting this place.It has a beautiful garden full of trees and a nice backyard for relaxing. The place is very neat,quiet and tranquilizing. The house has traditional looks which is typical of the Konkan region.
The place is closed on Mondays. There is no entry fee. Photography is not allowed inside the house.