All the city dwellers always want to go to a non-polluting and silent place so that they can enjoy a few moments of relaxation. And one such place, which matches in this category, is Ganapatipule! It is a tiny sea-village to the south of Mumbai and near Ratnagiri, and it is one of the important tourist spots of Maharashtra!
HOW TO GET THERE?
By Road:
Mumbai-Ganapatipule- 375 kms
Pune-Ganapatipule- 331 kms
Ratnagiri-Ganapatipule- 45 kms
(S T and other private buses play from Mumbai and Pune to Ganapatipule. Usually, the bus departs at night and reaches Ganaptipule in morning)
By Rail:
Bhoke (35 kms from Ganapatipule) and Ratnagiri on Konkan Railway are the nearest railway stations. But the latter is more convenient.
The climate is pleasant here. The temperature in the summer is very high, around 38 degrees celcius. The temperature is cool during winter. Rainfall is mostly in the monsoon season. Ganaptipule is free from pollution (till now!).
Non-veg food in Ganapatipule will be available only in the hotels. If you visit Ganapatipule, do not forget to drink the Kokam Sherbet. It is tasty! Also try the ‘Modak’. Here, these Modaks are brown in colour but have the same taste of a Modak. The local people in Ganapatipule are very very friendly people! They are ever willing to chat with tourists and help them.
HOTELS IN GANAPATIPULE:
MTDC HOLIDAY RESORT: The best and the most popular and reasonable resort of Ganapatipule. It is spread on 45 acres of land and is near to the coast. Each room gives a spectacular view of the sea! The Non-AC rooms give better view than the AC rooms (I think so). The rooms are clean and cozy. The restaurant in the resort provides nice food. The Batata Wada here is delicious (I have noticed that in every MTDC Resort, the Batata Wada is great!)! I strongly recommend you to book here during your stay in Ganapatipule.
HOTEL LANDMARK: Another nice hotel in Ganapatipule. A slight costlier than MTDC, it has nice rooms and food. But its only problem is that it is away from Ganaptpule. But though it provides a nice sea-view of the beach. But not so nice as MTDC gives!!
There are also other hotels in Ganaptipule like Abhishek Beach Resort, Hotel Durvankur, Hotel Shree Sagar and Krishnali Beach Resort. Though these resorts are nice, I strongly advise to stay in MTDC and Hotel Landmark.
SIGHTSEEING IN AND AROUND GANAPATIPULE:
GANAPATIPULE BEACH: This sun-kissed, unspoilt, serene and sprawling beach is beautiful. Just stand in the beach and let the waves of water touch your feet! You will feel great! Really, try it!
SWAYAMBHU GANAPATI TEMPLE: It is believed that the idol of Ganesha in this temple self-originated and therefore the name of the temple. It is flocked by thousands of tourists every year. The devotees take a ‘pradakshina’ in the ‘Pradakshina Marg’, which is near the temple. It is about a kilometer in length. Everybody takes this walk, some simply to enjoy the surroundings. It is a beautiful road with trees and plants all-around. The beach looks great from here. Please, don’t forget to take the ‘pradakshina’!
GANAPATIPULE MARKET: Ganapatipule Market is a small and beautiful one. The Kokam sherbet and the ‘Modak’ are available here. Pav Bhaji, Chaat dishes, Wada Pav, Samosa Pav, Lime Water etc is also available here!
MALGUND: This is a small village, just 1-2 kms away from Ganapatipule. Malgund is the birthplace of Keshavsoot. Keshavsoot was the most famous Marathi poet. His house has become a tourist attraction now. His house is renovated but it still has the simplicity of the olden times. Keshavsoot’s inkpot, his writing desk and his ‘jhula’ is still kept and preserved. Beautiful!
JAIGAD FORT: This legendary fort is about 35 kms from Ganapatipule near Sangameshwar river. It is a popular tourist attraction.
RATNAGIRI: The land of the ‘Hapus’ mangoes, i.e. Ratnagiri is just 45 kms from Ganaptipule! It is also the birthplace of Lokmanya Tilak, the most famous freedom fighter. If you are visiting Ganapatipule, it is advisable to stay a night in Ratnagiri. The most famous and reasonable hotel in Ratnagiri is Hotel Landmark (The makers of this hotel and Hotel Landmark in Ganapatipule are same). It has nice, well-furnished rooms. The food is also very nice and tasty here. The places of interest in Ratnagiri are:
(i). TILAK SMARAK: This is the house of Lokmanya Tilak is now open to visitors. It is beautiful and the articles from the olden newspapers are still preserved here.
(ii). BHAGWATI MANDIR: This temple, situated on a hill, is of great importance and a well-known tourist spot.
(iii). PATIT PAWAN MANDIR: This temple was opened by Swantryaveer Savarkar, the revolutionary freedom fighter, for the Dalits.
(iv). THEBAW PALACE: This palace was built in 1911 for the King and the Queen of Burma. They lived here till their death in 1916. It is a nice and well-preserved palace. It is just 2-min walk from Hotel Landmark.
(v). THEBAW POINT: It is a tourist spot which provides a nice view.
Along with these, the other places of interest are Bhatye Beach, The Coconut Reasearch Centre, Ratnadurg Fort, Bhagwati Bunder and the Seafood Processing Centre.
PAWAS: It is about 35 kms away from Ratnagiri. This place is important for the ashram of Swami Swaroopanand, the spiritual leader who influenced the entire generation of the people of Maharashtra. There is also a temple inside. Watch out for a tree inside the ashram, which has the natural formation of Lord Ganesha.
On the whole, Ganapatipule is a great tourist spot and if you are living near Konkan coast and still not visited Ganapatipule, do visit it as fast as possible.
(PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT SPOIL THE BEACH IN GANAPATIPULE. LET THE BEACH REMAIN AS IT IS!)
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