Vijaydurga The sleepy village boasts of a seemingly impregnable, pre Shivaji period fort that, maritime history says, was the scene of many a bloody battle. It has been attacked from the sea by the British to take it over from its Indian occupants. A dilapidated board at the entrance of the fort tells you its history. Some of the board is readable whilst the rest is guesswork since the paint has peeled off. Once upon a time the steamer from Bombay to Goa used to halt at the jetty near the entrance to the fort. Now the catamaran whizzes past oblivious of the fort, the town and the beach. Incidentally the one of the best views of the fort is from this jetty. The fort stretches out in to the sea and a walk inside its precincts is worthwhile. When I was there last, the organisers of the McDowell Bombay – Goa Regatta had established a staging post inside the fort and there was quite a bit of revelry. Otherwise no one really bothers to come here. The locals inform us that Mr Vijay Mallya, the liquor baron, boss of United Breweries that owns the McDowell Brand, has bought over a 100 acres of land in the area just north of here with a view to building a resort some time in the future. Gives you an indication of the potential of the place. Vijaydurg’s beach is quite hidden from view and is not obvious to the casual visitor. Ask for the small bus terminus just before you get to the fort and the road ends. It’s tucked away in a corner. Go beyond the bus stop and you are on the beach. It’s a stretch of about a kilometer with good views of the fort stretching out into the sea to the right and a small plateau with a hut to the left. It’s relatively clean and peaceful as not even the locals bother to come here. North of Vijaydurg is a flat plateau that can be seen from the southern end of the fort. It looks very attractive with casurina plantations and some small stretches of isolated beaches. There is no ferry service from Vijaydurga north. One has to go back to the highway and then turn north towards Rajapur. Just short of Rajapur, look for the turning for a place called Jaitapur. The road leads back to the coast and should take you to the area that you were looking at from Vijaydurg. It’s a stony plateau with a lonely lighthouse at its western edge, the road towards which is quite rough and unmarked. I once banged into a rock and bent my rim of my front left wheel. Fortunately the damage was slight and the tyre did not puncture and I could wait until I got back to Bombay to have it straightened out. Devgarh A short 25km drive southwards from Vijaydurg without going back to the highway brings you to the larger town of Devgarh, famous for its Alphonso mangoes. It also has a post Shivaji period fortress which now houses a lighthouse within its ramparts. Devgarh is mainly a fishing village and has a wonderful natural harbour because of the way a finger of land juts out into the sea and then suddenly turn north forming a protective barrier. The beach is set in a gentle curve and on my first visit I missed it completely because the approach is not quite apparent. Go through the town and negotiate the bazaar that is located on a steep slope. A little after the slope peters out and the road progresses hugging the parked fishing trawlers, in various stages of repair and disrepair, turn left and a short drive will bring you to the beach. A brightly coloured temple to the left and the road climbing suddenly for a few feet marks the turning. The road continues up a hill and ends at the southern entrance to the fort. The view from here in the evenings is magnificent, especially on cloudy days when the sky rapidly changes hues just before sunset. The waves crashing on the rocks below provide a fitting serenade to this spectacle. Just like the Taj Mahal, I am of the opinion that Devgarh beach must be visited on a full moon night. (The daily newspapers, available here on the same evening, give the phase of the moon). A peculiar phenomenon of phosforence in the water makes the surf on the waves glows in the dark. Even when you kick sand as the wave recedes, sparklers seem to emanate from the sand and water. Talk about stardust on the beach. Southwards along the coast, beyond the creek at Mumbri, is a lovely walk all along the rocky slopes. It ends at the temple of Kunkeshwar, a lonely stretch of sand that simply sparkles in the sunlight. You can even approach this temple by the road that branches off at Jamsande. The drive has a grand finale when you near the temple and the panorama of undulating fields and swaying palms against the backdrop of a deep blue ocean unfolds beyond your windscreen. About half an hour’s drive north from Devgarh is the village of Padavnewadi. The road is not metalled after you leave the main road to Vijaydurg. Also the beach does not have shade and the sun can be quite fierce in such circumstances. So time your visit either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Why I feel its worth mentioning is because the local technique of fishing is much in vogue here and if you’re lucky you can time you visit to coincide with one such event. Try asking in Devgarh before you venture if you are interested. Just south of Devgarh is the village of Mumbri and if you want to get to its beach, you have to cross the backwaters of the creek by a local rowboat. Actually the boatman just punts across by pushing against the riverbed with his bamboo stick. There is also a rather large boat-building yard here near the mouth of the creek and when we were there last, we got to witness the elaborate ritual of launching a newly built boat. There’s lots of "puja", prayers and then begins the hard work of literally manually winching the boat into the water for the first time. You can drive right up to the jetty and safely leave it there under some shady spot. After crossing the backwaters for the price of Rs 2/-, just head west by means of any footpath that you see - never mind if its going through someone’s house, he won’t mind. After a while you should come to a beach – one of the rare ones that has sand dunes and shady palms. The dunes lend a different perspective to the way the beach appears. If you have the time, head north along the beach and take the bridle path up the hill and head for the temple of Kunkeshwar and another beach. Or try your luck and see if the locals are going to indulge in fishing. You may be able to capture some ethnic faces and people on your camera. Achra Its possible to go south from Devgarh without getting back to the highway as there are no creeks to impede your journey. Halfway to Malvan on this inner road is the village of Achra. Just west of it is it’s twin by the name of Achra Bandar. I harboured fears of a smelly jetty with the stench of dried fish when I read the word "Bandar" since locally the word is associated with a jetty where fishermen dock after they return with their catch. Imagine our surprise when after driving west for about 6 km from Achra Bazaar, through some rather unique mangroves we came upon one of the loveliest beaches on the coast. We could go right up to the beach. The sands stretched out for almost a couple of kilometres to the south and to the north there was a grove of coconut trees all bent to one side. On the sands were catamarans silently waiting to be put out to sea again. Local urchins frolicked in the huge waves and shouted at each other in gay abandon. The strong breeze gently rustled the leaves above us completing a picture of serenity. Some "Bandar". If you are spending some time somewhere around you could easily spend half a day picnicking and sun-worshipping here. Sindhudurg and Malvan It’s possible to continue on to the town of Malvan without getting back to the highway. The road goes through the village of Achra and then enters Malvan from its north. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation has established a tented resort at Tarkarli, approximately 2 km south of Malvan. I stayed there once and even though its located on the beach, the hygienic standards leave much to be desired and therefore it is best left alone. The beach is one long stretch from Malvan and the fort of Sindhudurg, which once was Shivaji’s Naval Headquarters, is visible from almost anywhere along the beach. A short boat ride from the jetty at Malvan takes you to the island on which the fort is situated. There’s even a guide to take you around inside. Villagers still live there as there are three fresh-water wells inside and they are completely cut off during the monsoons. A most interesting spectacle to witness at Malvan is the auction of the day’s catch in the evening when all the trawlers come home.