Ganpatipule
An extended weekend coinciding with Ganesh Chaturthi provided the perfect excuse to plan for a trip to Ganpatipule. Planned the trip a month in advance & made the booking for a peaceful & relaxing weekend away from the hustle & bustle of the city. We booked the MTDC resort at Ganpatipule while made return trip bus reservations for the journey.
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| Ganpatipule Beach - A Panoramic View |
Ganpatipule Beach
Ganpatipule’s virgin beach is one of the main tourist attractions in Ganpatipule. It is a 6 km long beach with clear waters & pristine sands. The sand here has high composition of shells and thus the appearance has a tinge of brownish golden colour.
Since the beach is just outside the famous Ganpatipule temple, it is often crowded with devotees who have just visited the temple. The beach however is not considered safe for swimming. This is also evident from the multiple signboards put up by the local authorities. One of the major reasons for this is the sudden drop in the level of the beach with the waves washing away the sand.
Having said that the beach however is awesome in terms of someone wanting to spend some peaceful time by the sea. Since most of the crowd is centered around the part of the beach close to the temple, the rest of the beach remains calm & very less crowded. I made it a point to visit the beach every morning for a walk. The experience was divine. The calm sound of the waves hitting the sea shores and rocks is soothing to the soul.
By evening the climate cools down with the pleasant sea breeze. We would ideally visit the temple around 7 pm in the evening for the aarti and then follow it up with dinner, Desert would ideally mean a walk down into the village to grab an ice cream from the local store. This was just to enjoy the pleasant weather.
Ganpatipule Swayambhu Temple
The Ganpatipule Temple is located at the foot of a hillock. The interior design of this temple is quite different from that of other Indian temples. The deity of this temple faces the west unlike other Indian temples in which the deity faces the east. The Swayambhu Ganpati Temple is believed to be 400 years old. According to legend, a farmer while walking through the jungles discovered the idol of Ganpati and later on he built a temple around the idol.
The original temple has been renovated and has made way to the current structure. A history outlining the same has been put up in the temple corridors. The temple premise also houses some guest rooms for devotees who wish to stay here. The rooms can be availed at reasonable rates which are available on first come first serve basis.
The temple has many stalls selling merchandise ranging from idols, garlands, toys, snacks & beverages, artificial jewelry, sweets, local cuisines like coconuts, kokam, tamarind, etc.
MTDC Resort - Ganpatipule
Though it technically doesn’t qualify as a place of interest to be visited while at Ganpatipule but it is definitely worth a stay. The best thing about this resort is that all the rooms are sea facing with attached sit out balconies. This is the USP of the MTDC resort at Ganpatipule. The property is huge and spread across the hillock which is just off the beach. The entire resort has about 4-5 exists which lead directly onto the beach. So, irrespective of the type of room you have chosen the beach is hardly 100 m away.
The resort has a children play area along with huge lawns with hammocks to relax. The resort is located just off the beach and opposite the famous Ganpatipule temple.
Hotel Tarang is the attached restaurant offering multi cuisine food options. I tried the surmai thali and found it to be awesome !!
The resort also has boating facility in the backwaters which is located behind the resort and close to the cottage suites of the resort. This normally remains closed during monsoons.
Prachin Konkan
As soon as you get close to Ganpatipule or you wander around the small lanes in this hammock, you can’t miss the signboards pointing to this museum. The museum is just 1 km from the beach and can be reached on foot or by hiring a local rickshaw at Rs 30 for a one way ride. I personally preferred walking to the museum since you get to experience the by lanes of this small & beautiful hammock.
This place is a showcase of the ancient cultural glimpses of Konkan. It is an open air museum and you are accompanied by the local guides amidst the thick woods. The entrance fee is Rs. 30 per person with additional Rs. 20 for a camera or mobile phone.
At the outset there is a zodiac garden called “Nakshatra Bagh”, which explains the different “aaradhya devat” (holy deity), “aaradhya vruksha” (holy tree) & medicinal plants & herbs based on an individual's moon sign or sun sign. This is quite an informational insight especially for people who practice the ancient Ayurveda.
As we commence the journey into the past we are greeted by a statue of Lord Parshuram since Konkan is very often referred to as the “Land of Parshuram”. It is said that Lord Parshuram conquered the entire land and then donated the same the very next moment since he could not make use of the land for himself. He is believed to have moved back the sea by 30 to 40 km giving birth to the land we know today as Konkan.
Within the open air museum you get the glimpses of local rural life including the local deities, the lifestyle, barter trade of the olden days, various professions of the people, etc.
Another place which is within 20 km from Ganpatipule & often visited by tourists is the Jaigad fort. The fort currently lies in ruins. But a tribute to its glory days is portrayed in the Prachin Konkan museum through a miniature replica of the fort.
There is also a sea shells museum at the end of the tour. There is a wide variety of sea shells on display and the guides provide good information regarding them. Photography is not allowed here. The tour completes with a souvenir shop where tourist can purchase items at reasonable rates. A place definitely worth a visit when you are at Ganpatipule.
Many more memoirs to share .... Sachin
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| Ganpatipule Beach |
Since the beach is just outside the famous Ganpatipule temple, it is often crowded with devotees who have just visited the temple. The beach however is not considered safe for swimming. This is also evident from the multiple signboards put up by the local authorities. One of the major reasons for this is the sudden drop in the level of the beach with the waves washing away the sand.
 |
| Ganpatipule Beach |
Having said that the beach however is awesome in terms of someone wanting to spend some peaceful time by the sea. Since most of the crowd is centered around the part of the beach close to the temple, the rest of the beach remains calm & very less crowded. I made it a point to visit the beach every morning for a walk. The experience was divine. The calm sound of the waves hitting the sea shores and rocks is soothing to the soul.
 |
| Ganpatipule Beach |
 |
| Ganpatipule Beach |
By evening the climate cools down with the pleasant sea breeze. We would ideally visit the temple around 7 pm in the evening for the aarti and then follow it up with dinner, Desert would ideally mean a walk down into the village to grab an ice cream from the local store. This was just to enjoy the pleasant weather.
 |
| Ganpatipule Beach |
The Ganpatipule Temple is located at the foot of a hillock. The interior design of this temple is quite different from that of other Indian temples. The deity of this temple faces the west unlike other Indian temples in which the deity faces the east. The Swayambhu Ganpati Temple is believed to be 400 years old. According to legend, a farmer while walking through the jungles discovered the idol of Ganpati and later on he built a temple around the idol.
 |
| Ganpatipule Temple |
 |
| Ganpatipule Temple |
The original temple has been renovated and has made way to the current structure. A history outlining the same has been put up in the temple corridors. The temple premise also houses some guest rooms for devotees who wish to stay here. The rooms can be availed at reasonable rates which are available on first come first serve basis.
 |
| Ganpatipule Temple |
The temple has many stalls selling merchandise ranging from idols, garlands, toys, snacks & beverages, artificial jewelry, sweets, local cuisines like coconuts, kokam, tamarind, etc.
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| Toys stall outside Ganpatipule temple |
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| MTDC a panoramic view from Ganpatipule Beach |
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| MTDC Entrance |
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| View of MTDC Resort |
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| MTDC Resort |
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| View from MTDC Resort |
The resort has a children play area along with huge lawns with hammocks to relax. The resort is located just off the beach and opposite the famous Ganpatipule temple.
 |
| View from MTDC Resort |
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| View from MTDC Resort |
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| Surmai Thali @ MTDC |
The resort also has boating facility in the backwaters which is located behind the resort and close to the cottage suites of the resort. This normally remains closed during monsoons.
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| MTDC backwaters |
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| MTDC Jetty for Boating |
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| Premium suites @ MTDC |
Prachin Konkan
As soon as you get close to Ganpatipule or you wander around the small lanes in this hammock, you can’t miss the signboards pointing to this museum. The museum is just 1 km from the beach and can be reached on foot or by hiring a local rickshaw at Rs 30 for a one way ride. I personally preferred walking to the museum since you get to experience the by lanes of this small & beautiful hammock.
 |
| Prachin Konkan |
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Prachin Konkan - Booking window
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This place is a showcase of the ancient cultural glimpses of Konkan. It is an open air museum and you are accompanied by the local guides amidst the thick woods. The entrance fee is Rs. 30 per person with additional Rs. 20 for a camera or mobile phone.
 |
| Prachin Konkan |
 |
| Nakshatra Bagh |
At the outset there is a zodiac garden called “Nakshatra Bagh”, which explains the different “aaradhya devat” (holy deity), “aaradhya vruksha” (holy tree) & medicinal plants & herbs based on an individual's moon sign or sun sign. This is quite an informational insight especially for people who practice the ancient Ayurveda.
 |
| Lord Parshuram |
As we commence the journey into the past we are greeted by a statue of Lord Parshuram since Konkan is very often referred to as the “Land of Parshuram”. It is said that Lord Parshuram conquered the entire land and then donated the same the very next moment since he could not make use of the land for himself. He is believed to have moved back the sea by 30 to 40 km giving birth to the land we know today as Konkan.
 |
| Koli - Fisherman |
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| Nhavi - Barber |
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| Village Khot (Head) |
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| Kunbi Shetkari - Farmer household |
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| Kunbi Farmer's house |
Within the open air museum you get the glimpses of local rural life including the local deities, the lifestyle, barter trade of the olden days, various professions of the people, etc.
 |
| Masewali - Fisher lady |
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| Kumbhar - Potter |
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| Vaani - Shopkeeper |
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| Suthar - Carpenter |
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| Lohar - Blacksmith |
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| Teli - Oil Extractor |
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| Burud - Bamboo handicrafts |
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| Konkani Kitchen |
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| Sonar - Goldsmith |
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| Kasar - Bangle seller |
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| Charmkar - Cobbler |
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| Dhangar - Shepherd |
Another place which is within 20 km from Ganpatipule & often visited by tourists is the Jaigad fort. The fort currently lies in ruins. But a tribute to its glory days is portrayed in the Prachin Konkan museum through a miniature replica of the fort.
 |
| Jaigad Fort replica |
There is also a sea shells museum at the end of the tour. There is a wide variety of sea shells on display and the guides provide good information regarding them. Photography is not allowed here. The tour completes with a souvenir shop where tourist can purchase items at reasonable rates. A place definitely worth a visit when you are at Ganpatipule.
Many more memoirs to share .... Sachin
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