Inspite of my friend Sanjay asking me to visit the place almost 2 years back, I never felt the urge. But this time, things were different. I guess god wanted me to visit him or I felt that the time has come for me to step into god's abode , hence with last minute reservations done we left for Ganapatipule early morning at 06:40 IST .
The best part of the journey to an unknown destination is the travelling part. It really gives an adrenaline rush in your body while going through some of the best exotic locations which very few people might have explored, eating by some little unknown places that really taste far more better then eating in a good multi star restaurant with less burden on our wallet.
The best part of the journey to an unknown destination is the travelling part. It really gives an adrenaline rush in your body while going through some of the best exotic locations which very few people might have explored, eating by some little unknown places that really taste far more better then eating in a good multi star restaurant with less burden on our wallet.
Though my friend has told me that it’s a beautiful place but as he had travelled with his family members and that too in a MUV , he had a good backup of people and vehicle to come handy when needy . In my case , it was only me and my better half , Saumya with our small bag of clothes , armed with DSLR camera and our old trusted aide of many of our journey in the past , our Maruti esteem .
We had booked our room in MTDC sea view room which I must say has the finest view of the sea , it has a small sitting place outside the room with a couple of chair's incase you want to sit and enjoy the view and think whatever your mind or your heart thinks about.
The Temple of Swayambu Ganapati is really a beautiful monument of architecture , though the old structure was really splendid with its own old boy charm ( I got to see the photograph of the old temple from the “prasad” envelope which the priest at the temple has send it across to us with their acknowledgement letter for our offerings to the god ) . It can be done by paying the fees of the pooja you want to do and they will give you an envelope to write down your address, this will be then send with the prasad and saffron tikka .
The Temple of Swayambu Ganapati is really a beautiful monument of architecture , though the old structure was really splendid with its own old boy charm ( I got to see the photograph of the old temple from the “prasad” envelope which the priest at the temple has send it across to us with their acknowledgement letter for our offerings to the god ) . It can be done by paying the fees of the pooja you want to do and they will give you an envelope to write down your address, this will be then send with the prasad and saffron tikka .
It was Tuesday and next day was Sankashti, I hardly found any crowd . Believe me , the idea to see god without any crowd is really an experience you can never miss , you have all the time in the world to stand in front of the god without having the fear of getting pushed ahead without even having a glimpse of the god. You can also sit comfortably in the temple courtyard facing the god .
There are many places to visit in and around Ganapatipule. We hired a rickshaw for Rs. 500/- and asked him to take us for a view of the village and it's known areas and structures. He took us to the famous memorial cum house of the legendary poet " Kavi Keshavsut's" . There is a room with all the details of Maharashtra’s legendary writers , poets , from British Era . Also, details about even present day writers are available .
Jaigarh Fort
Some of the famous places are the Jaigarh Fort though it really needs a major facelift as it was in shambles. It has a small Ganapati temple inside .It’s not a very big fort but yes, it still had that feeling that some of the old inhabitants were still watching and guarding the place. Please don’t feel eerie about it but I guess we all feel the same way when we visit forts, old structures and places.
The Jaigarh Light house is in a very serene and beautiful place.The view from the top of the light house is breath taking as you can see from the snaps taken from the top. You need to shell out Rs. 10/- per person and Rs.20/- if you are carrying a camera, but to be in heaven without losing one’s life is worth the amount, isn’t it?
Shiv Temple
There is a very old Shiv Temple at a distance of almost 30 Kms from Ganapatipule. It’s a beautiful work of architecture; It has a Ganapati temple in its premises. When you move down few steps next to the temple , you will reach the sea side. On our way towards the seaside , we came across this small water tank into which the water was flowing out from the structure of a cow with its mouth open.
Flora, Fauna and the Beach.
Ganapatipule and its surrounding are rich with flora and fauna when I visited it towards the end of the rainy season. Some of the beautiful flowers are found in this part of the country. The beach is also very clean, very few people come there to soak in the sea water as pre-dominantly it is still known as a religious place.
Aquarium
A privately ran aquarium with some really decent collection of different varieties of fish is also one of the attractions of the place.The Fishes ranges from Piranha to Oscar , from Turtle to Crab , From Frog to Cat Fish.I am sorry , I am not good with names of the fish but it’s really a delight to watch them in their own natural way swimming here and there without any wordly thoughts.They were in their humorous best , In their fearful worst . I felt looking at them what a way good way of life god has given them , we slog out day in day out and still run after something or the other , but here they are enjoying their life.
Like all living things have an expiry date the trip also had one but the thought of going back makes me feel livelier.
Definitely a place to visit time and again during our lifetime.
