Jodhpur - Part I

The Blue City

The Blue City

That's what it is called. That is how it looks when you look down from one side of the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur.

Travelling to Jodhpur

We travelled from Udaipur to Jodhpur by car. The distance from Udaipur is around 266 kms which makes it a journey of around 5-6 hours. On the way are two places that you should visit: Kumbhalgad fort and Ranakpur Jain Temple. I'll talk about them momentarily.

Neatly piled flat stones that make the farm hedges

What thrilled me in the road travel was the landscape that changed from Udaipur to Jodhpur. Udaipur falls in the Mewar area which has a fair amount of greenery. As you travel towards northwest, the vegetation becomes sparse. Trees change into shrubs and bushes that line the borders of farmlands. Farms are neatly arranged with hedges that are flat stones piled neatly to form a small wall.

Passing through villages, you can see similar kinds of village houses. Each, however small it may be, has the same design. The facade is a small door with a couple of rooms to welcome the guests. Inside is an open square bordered on all four sides by rooms. At the far end is the kitchen. Peek inside and you'll see the women folks busy with their household chores. That's the real Rajasthan that you can see.

As the sun set while we were travelling to Jodhpur, we could enjoy the orange hues of the sunset and the long, increasing shadows.There were still miles to travel and we were quite tired as we reached our destination.

There was an exciting moment as we traversed the long highways. We were going at quite some speed when our driver suddenly slowed down, and for good reason too. Right in front of our eyes passed a pair of beautiful nilgai, the largest Indian antelopes. To see them in the wild was quite a treat and we really felt ourselves to be lucky.

Kumbhalgad Fort

Kumbhalgad

Situated around 82 kms from Udaipur, this is the birthplace of Maharana Pratap. Kumbhalgad is a beautiful fort whose boundaries extend to up to 36 kms. From the top of the fort, you can view the boundary on all sides far into the distance.

Built by Rana Kumbha, Prince Udai, the founder of the city of Udaipur was smuggled here for safety when Chittorgarh was under siege. There is an interesting tale about Prince Udai. His Dai Ma, his caretaker sacrificed her own son for Prince Udai. When Chittorgarh was under siege, she hid Prince Udai. She laid her own son on the bed that Udai was sleeping on. When soldiers came in to kill Prince Udai, she pointed to her son who was sleeping as Prince Udai. Her son was killed by the enemy soldiers and she smuggled Prince Udai to safety to Kumbhalgad.

Ranakpur temple

Kumbhalgad is a massive structure and definitely worth a dekko. We were in a hurry to reach Jodhpur and could spare only half an hour here. But to reach the top of the fort and to see everything, it would take at least two hours.

Ranakpur

The next stop was at Ranakpur. Ranakpur is famous for its Jain marble temple which houses 1444 marble pillars. No two pillars are alike. All pillars are carved in minute details and are full of animals, humans, gods, goddesses, and imagery. The roof too is intricately carved and it is mesmerizing to look at the beauty of the temple.

Roof of the Ranakpur temple

It is also said that it is almost impossible to count all pillars. With each pillar carved differently, it would definitely take hours together to look and admire each of them.

What to See in Jodhpur?

In Jodhpur, you should certainly not miss the Mehrangarh fort. If you really are interested, you can visit the Jaswant-da-Thada. And you should also visit the Umaid Bhavan Palace. Also, do not miss the main market place, also known as the Clock Tower area. It is always fun to walk around in the market place and enjoy the local life. 

One of the pillars in the Ranakpur temple

I am going to create separate posts for the attractions of Jodhpur, because this would otherwise be a very, very long post.

Where to Stay?

We stayed at Kiran Vilas and Marvel Umed. 

Kiran Vilas is owned by a Col. Rathore and is a decent place. Col. Rathore has converted his old home into a hotel. They serve good food and the service is good as well. Col. Rathore is a man of around 60 years, complete with a typical military-like moustache. He likes to regale you of tales of how his other haveli is converted to a hotel too where only firangis stay. He has a benign attitude towards life itself, which perhaps comes from his yoga practice, for which he gets up daily at three in the morning. He'll also tell, if you are keen and patient enough to listen, of how he and his son are advocates and happy with what they are doing. He'll boast of all the places that he has visited and the various hotels that he has stayed in. As a gift (of listening to his banter,) he'll give you lots of almonds. But despite all that, the hotel was good and we had a comfortable stay.

Jodhpur and Umaid Bhavan seen from the Mehrangarh Fort

Marvel Umed was the best hotel in our entire trip. We had booked their super deluxe room and really liked the room. The room was equipped with a nice, warm bed with side tables on each side. A big wooden cupboard was provided to keep our belongings. A beautiful wooden writing table was also given which served a nice place to keep our things that were frequently required.

What we really liked was their service. The hotel is professionally managed and the staff goes out of their way to make sure that your stay is not just comfortable but also something to remember forever. Marvel Umed has their restaurant in an open space. It's private and relaxing. But the open space also makes it very cold. The staff was very helpful and made a separate "shekoti" for us. They prepared a small portable fire for us while we had our dinner. The food was very good and with the warmth of the fire, we really enjoyed it to the fullest.

The next day, we were supposed to leave early by 7.30. Their breakfast is served by 8 a.m. When we inquired if we could get our breakfast before that, they readily agreed to serving it before we checked out. Our breakfast was served to our room within 15 minutes of our informing them, and a complete breakfast it was: parathas, chai, toast, jam, bread, sugar. Hot and yummy. We really had a great stay at Marvel Umed and advise you to book it if you are planning to visit Jodhpur.

Where to Eat in Jodhpur?

The market place! Seriously! If you do not want to eat at your hotel, the central market place offers a great variety of eating options. At a small corner just before the Clock Tower, is a good samosa and chat center which was pretty decent. It is a road-side eatery joint. Have a samosa there or some chat.

But if you want to try Rajasthani thali or any such item, go to Priya Thali. This shop is right at the main corner of the market. It is a proper hotel, but interestingly, it is not housed in proper rooms. It's an extension of the footpath, and you can sit there and enjoy the market sounds, traffic, chaos around you. It is a welcome change and the price is also not too high. You'll see a lot of firangis too here. Priya Thali is indeed a good place to have your lunch or dinner.

General Information About Rajasthan

The Land of Kings

Rajasthan is a beautiful state in the northwest of India. It is the largest state in India and covers 10.4% of area of India. Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan and is the largest city in the state.

Rajasthan literally means the "land of kings." It was formed on 30-March-1949. Rajasthan enjoys a long history going back to the Indus Valley civilisation. The Rajputs, Rajpurohits, Charans' Jats, Meenas, Bhils, Gurjars, and Bishnois, and other tribes contributed in building the state of Rajasthan. All these tribes have taken great efforts to protect their land and culture.

Geography of Rajasthan

The Aravalli Range runs from southwest to northeast for almost 850 kms. The northwestern Rajasthan is sandy and dry and most part of it is covered by the Thar Desert. The Thar Desert is thinly populated.

Rajasthan is surrounded by Pakistan on the west, Gujarat on the southwest, Madhya Pradesh to the southeast, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to the northeast, and Punjab on the north.

Rajasthan has only one hill station, Mount Abu, that lies in the southwestern range end of the Aravalli range. The southwestern region is the wettest in Rajasthan and has dense forestation.

Rajasthan has various regions such as the Kathiabar-Gir region in east and southeast, Vagad region in south Rajasthan, Mewar just above the Vagad region. Mewar boasts of the famous cities of Udaipur and Chittorgarh. On the southeast lies the Hadoti region. North of Hadoti and Mewar is the Dhundhar region that has Jaipur. Mewat is the easternmost region of Rajasthan.

Climate in Rajasthan

Rajasthan has a wide range of climatic variations with extremes of hot and cold in the desert areas, and relatively moderate climate in the hilly areas of the south. In peak summer in May, June and July, on an average day temperatures can reach a high of 44° - 46° C (111-114° F). The evenings are cooler and there is a palpable drop in night temperatures. Similarly, the winter temperatures can go lower than 0° C. 

Best Time to Visit Rajasthan

The best time is the winter season in India, between October to February. This is the time when the sun is mild enough even in the desert for you to enjoy the harsh, arid landscapes. Even during the day, you can feel the chill, and may make you wear light warm clothes. Nights are pretty cold with a biting nip in the air. You should pack good warm clothes for the night.

What to Eat?

Good hotels on national and state highways provide Punjabi food, and Gujarati and Rajasthani thalis. The thalis usually consist of numerous vegetable preparations (sabjis) and lentil curries, along with a sweet, rotis, and rice. If you do not want the whole thali, you can also choose from Rajasthani vegetable preparations, and rotis. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food is available. Mostly, chicken and eggs are preferred to any other non-vegetarian items.

What to See?

There are so many places in Rajasthan: Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Ajmer, Ranakpur, Kumbhalgad, Mount Abu, Bharatpur, Ranthambore, Pushkar, Chittorgarh. You can research about these and choose your own places.

Get Going

For more information, you can just google for Rajasthan and you'll get plenty of information. So, what are you waiting for, get set, and start planning your next trip to Rajasthan, the Land of Kings.

Places That We Saw In Rajasthan

Destinations in Rajasthan

One of the first few things, apart from the number of days of leave that you can get from work, that you need to finalise is the places that you want to visit in Rajasthan.

You can choose from the following places in Rajasthan.

Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Ajmer, Ranakpur, Kumbhalgad, Mount Abu, Bharatpur, Ranthambore, Pushkar, Chittorgarh

And there are many more that I have not listed here.

Depending on the days that you have in hand, you can select the places. One thing that you must keep in mind is the distances between two places. Rajasthan is a huge state. Really big. The distances between two cities worth seeing is most of the times not less than 250 kms. That means around 5-6 hours of travelling. So plan your trip accordingly.

Our itinerary

After a lot of deliberation, we decided on the following places:

• Udaipur
• Jodhpur
• Jaisalmer
• Jaipur

You can see the route that we took in the adjoining map. The distance from Jaisalmer to Jaipur directly was long and we opted to go back to Jodhpur from Jaisalmer, stay there for a night and then from there we moved to Jaipur.

The roads are good in Rajasthan, at least the roads that we travelled. There's not much traffic too and you can travel fast. But as I said before, the distances between all these cities was more than 250 kms each and that can be quite tiring.

Nevertheless, a good itinerary is what you need for sightseeing in Rajasthan.

Ideal itinerary

I would recommend at least 7 days in Rajasthan for just the three cities of Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Jaipur. An ideal itinerary would look like this:

Day 1: Arrive in Udaipur, sightseeing. Stay in Udaipur.
Day 2: Sightseeing in Udaipur. Stay in Udaipur.
Day 3: Start early morning to Jodhpur. Sightseeing in Jodhpur in the second half of the day. Stay in Jodhpur.
Day 4: Sighseeing in Jodhpur. Stay in Jodhpur.
Day 5: Start early morning to Jaipur. Sightseeing in Jaipur in the second half of the day. Stay in Jaipur.
Day 6: Sightseeing in Jaipur. Stay in Jaipur.
Day 7: Sightseeing in Jaipur. Stay in Jaipur.
Day 8: Back to your home.

If you want to add another destination, you should add 2 days so that you are not just travelling and find time for relaxing too.

On the way to Jodhpur from Udaipur, you can stop over at Kumbhalgad and Ranakpur.

You can get detailed information about all the places that can be visited in these three cities in separate posts.

So, go ahead and plan your trip to royal Rajasthan.

Royal Rajasthan

I am back from a week long holiday in Rajasthan and boy! What a time we've had! We've travelled a lot and  visited four cities in Rajasthan. There were so many new things, different people, different landscape, different weather, different surroundings, and so much to see and learn and enjoy!

I am going to attempt capturing all that we experienced in our trips in my blog posts here. The aim is to help other tourists to plan their Rajasthan trips. And of course, I want to pen down all my thoughts as I travelled in unknown lands. I also want to note my experiences, my understanding, and the rich culture and history of Rajasthan.

Do wait for my next posts. Till then wishing you all a very Happy New Year! Have a safe, joyous year ahead!

The Holiday Starts

It's after another year that we are going for a vacation. The past year has been full of ups and downs. Full of surprises, full of hardships, Winnings, losses, learnings, realisations, and a lot more.

Finally when we decided to take some time off from office and head for a vacation, there were so many destinations to choose from. After a lot of thought, we've zeroed upon Rajasthan. We will be there for around 6-7 days. I plan to take a lot of notes during the whole trip, take a lot of pictures too, and after coming back, write a bunch of posts on the trip. Let's see if that really works out.

What was interesting this time was the way we both felt as we left the office on Friday. Because we won't be there the next week, we had to complete quite a few tasks and get all things up-to-date. We both felt just as we had felt two years back when we were leaving office on the last day before our month-long vacation for our wedding. Deja vu. Very weird!

But that's how it is! So here am I, writing my last post before the vacation. The next I'll write only after I am back. See you! Tata!

Diveagar and Srivardhan

If you want to enjoy the beach, head to Diveagar. The beach is safe, beautiful, and vast. The waters are comparatively cleaner.

Map

Routes to Diveagar

1. Via Tamhini Ghat
This is the commonest and probably shortest route to go to the Kokan area from Pune. From Chandani Chowk, take the road towards Paud, Mulshi, and follow it up to the Tamhini ghat. After crossing the ghat, you have to join the National Highway 17, the Mumbai-Goa Road at Kolad.

2. Via Khopoli-Pali Road
From Pune, you take the Mumbai Expressway. Take the Khopoli exit. From Khopoli, take the Khopoli-Pali road. I don't know much about this route. We did not take this route. With this route, you get out on the NH 17 somewhere near Kolad.

3. Via Khopoli-Pen Road

From Pune, you take the Mumbai Expressway. Take the Khalapur exit (go past the Khopoli exit), and take the Khalapur-Pen road. This is a beautiful drive, though a bit lonely. It's a stretch of 25 kms and takes approximately half an hour. There aren't any shops or garages on this road. So, make sure you have an extra tyre with you, and also get to know how to change a punctured tyre, just in case. This route goes directly in the Pen city right through the market. Cross the town and join the Pen-Alibaug road at the other end of the town. After around 5 kms, take a left at the Wadkhal naka. That's where you join NH 17.

Eventually, all roads lead to NH 17. :)

On NH 17, you will pass all small and large villages and towns. The important towns on the way are Nagothane, Kolad, Indapur, and Mangaon.

To go to Diveagar, you must take a right at Mangaon. Just after crossing the ST stand on the right hand, a small road is seen on the right. It can easily be missed, so keep a watch on it. Interestingly, the road points to only Morba, the next village on that route. But that really is the turn that you need to take to go to Diveagar, Harihareshwar, and further down south.

From the Morba road, you must cross the Morba-Sai ghat. After Sai (a village), comes Mhasla. At Mhasla, you need to take the right turn to go to Diveagar and Srivardhan.

4. From Harihareshwar

Marine Drive: Harihareshwar-Diveagar

If you have visited Harihareshwar first and are coming to Diveagar, the route that you take is through Srivardhan. This road is called the Marine Drive. It's no comparison to Mumbai's Marine Drive. Initially, you might just feel that why the hell is it called Marine Drive. But patience and you are appropriately rewarded. The road at one point goes on to become parallel to the coastline and it definitely deserves to be called Marine Drive.

Srivardhan

Shreemant Balaji Vishwanath Peshwe

Srivardhan has a great historical background. Unfortunately, nothing of this great history is now visible in Srivardhan. It's the birthplace of Shreemant Balaji Vishwanath Peshwe, the Prime Minister of Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj. But what remains now of the house in which he was born is nothing but a statue.

We had hoped for at least some sort of museum or some relics that would help relive history. But nothing at all.

Srivardhan beach

I guess, Srivardhan is now more known because it is a Taluka place. It was bustling with activity even in the afternoon when we reached there. The traffic was pretty heavy and had to be monitored by traffic police.

Again, the beach at Srivardhan is beautiful and quite long. We were there in the afternoon and did not find anyone else on the beach. Perhaps it's busy in the morning and evenings. But, it's better to check with the locals about how safe it is.

We did not stay at Srivardhan. So, I cannot provide much information about the places to stay and eat at Srivardhan. However, I am sure you will be able to find homemade food and rooms that are let for staying.

Diveagar

Diveagar main road

Diveagar has recently, rather, since 1997 suddenly appeared on the tourist map. Earlier, it must have been the same old sleepy coastal town, that not many knew about. In fact, Borli-a town around a kilometer away from Diveagar has been the market center.

What has made Diveagar famous is a golden idol of Lord Ganesha that was found buried in a trunk in a field. The story goes that in 1997, a peasant was digging in a field and he stuck gold. Literally! He found the buried trunk containing the idol of Shree Ganesh. The trunk also contained some ornaments for the idol. Diveagar suddenly warmed up to the blessings of the Lord, and lo behold, it is now a much sought after place!

The gold idol is placed in a Ganesh temple not far from the site it was found. The temple is very much in the center of the town and there's a parking lot just opposite the temple, where all tourist buses are parked.

Diveagar Beach

The beach in Diveagar is beautiful. It is long, calm, and clean. In the evenings, a vehicle is available that aids you para-sailing. I cannot give it a name. You are tied to the para-sailing equipment and a jeep takes you till a certain point, with you are in the sky around 35 feet above the ground. People assist you with the equipment and also help when you touch down. It might be fun. I didn't try it out.

Diveagar beach

In the mornings too, the beach is beautiful. You can take long walks on the beach and enjoy the cool waters. Of course, be it in the morning or evening, do keep a watch on the tides. As always, the high tide waters rise drastically and might be dangerous.

You can have nice coconut water, bhel, kadak chai, or also buy a few toys at a couple of hathgadis available there. You can also enjoy a water ride in the boats available. Do make sure that they provide you with life jackets before you go for the ride.

Where to eat at Diveagar?

Two places really...Bapat Khanawal and Paarkar Khanawal.

For vegetarians, you just cannot miss Bapat Khanawal. The food is awesome. And the most important part is that you get to have modaks that you just cannot miss.

To go to Bapat Khanawal, you have to cross the Ganesh temple, and keep going straight ahead. The lane is full of Bapats. There you will see a small board explaining that the Bapat Khanawal is the 5th gate on the right. It's damn easy to miss the gate. So, better count them correctly! Because, if you miss that, you are going to miss an awesome food offering.

Mind you, you need to tell at the Bapat Khanawal in advance before you go for lunch or dinner. You cannot just barge in and sit down to eat. Also, when you are asked to come before a certain time, do make sure you go before that time. The Bapat Khanawal can take only around 100-150 people to eat at a time and you should not miss it. They close down at the decided time. Don't miss the right time.

If you want to have modaks, you must also place an order for that. Place an order of how many per head you will have. They make it in that much quantity and you cannot have more than that. But, seriously, do NOT miss the modaks.

For non-vegetarians, Paarkar Khanawal is the best place we thought. Awesome fish you get there. Pompfret, surmai, chicken is all available there. At Paarkar Khanawal too, if you are going in a large group, it's better to inform them in advance. Otherwise, it really gets crowded and there's a big waiting list then. Vegetarian thali is also available here. So, for groups that have people who are vegetarians and non-vegetarians, this is a really good place.

All in all, other than eating and visiting the beach, there's not much to do in Diveagar. So, relaxing is best done here.

Staying at Diveagar

Innumerable bed-and-breakfast places are available. You should find a place to stay easily. However, if you are going for a weekend that is kind of a long weekend, it is better to book rooms before you go. After noon on a weekend, you might find it difficult to find a place.

Tips for Visiting Diveagar

• Keep first aid, sunscreen lotion, caps, old newspapers handy. All these are useful at times.
• Keep a torch handy as night falls.
• Depending on how much time you want to spend on the beach, a day and half is more than enough for Diveagar.

Happy vacation!

Harihareshwar

Harihareshwar is located on the western coast in the Raigad district of Maharashtra. It is known for the Shiva temple known as Hareshwar. That's why the name: Harihareshwar.

Harihareshwar lies about 220 kms from Pune. There are multiple ways to reach Harihareshwar. The one we took was probably the longest route.

Routes to Harihareshwar

1. Via Tamhini ghat

Map

This is the commonest and probably shortest route to go to the Kokan area from Pune. From Chandani Chowk, take the road towards Paud, Mulshi, and follow it up to the Tamhini ghat. After crossing the ghat, you have to join the National Highway 17, the Mumbai-Goa Road at Kolad.

2. Via Khopoli-Pali Road
From Pune, you take the Mumbai Expressway. Take the Khopoli exit. From Khopoli, take the Khopoli-Pali road. I don't know much about this route. We did not take this route. With this route, you get out on the NH 17 somewhere near Kolad.

3. Via Khopoli-Pen Road
From Pune, you take the Mumbai Expressway. Take the Khalapur exit (go past the Khopoli exit), and take the Khalapur-Pen road. This is a beautiful drive, though a bit lonely. It's a stretch of 25 kms and takes approximately half an hour. There aren't any shops or garages on this road. So, make sure you have an extra tyre with you, and also get to know how to change a punctured tyre, just in case. This route goes directly in the Pen city right through the market. Cross the town and join the Pen-Alibaug road at the other end of the town. After around 5 kms, take a left at the Wadkhal naka. That's where you join NH 17.

Eventually, all roads lead to NH 17. :)

On NH 17, you will pass all small and large villages and towns. The important towns on the way are Nagothane, Kolad, Indapur, and Mangaon.

To go to Harihareshwar, you must take a right at Mangaon. Just after crossing the ST stand on the right hand, a small road is seen on the right. It can easily be missed, so keep a watch on it. Interestingly, the road points to only Morba, the next village on that route. But that really is the turn that you need to take to go to Diveagar, Harihareshwar, and further down south.

From the Morba road, you must cross the Morba-Sai ghat. After Sai (a village), comes Mhasla. At Mhasla, there are two ways to reach Harihareshwar. One is a direct route to Harihareshwar through several ghats. The other route is via Diveagar and Srivardhan.

We took the direct route to Harihareshwar. This route is a bit lonely. I would recommend taking the other route via Diveagar and Srivardhan. Not only is it scenic, but also easier to drive and not very lonely. The distance is also lesser. Or may be the scenic road makes it seem lesser.

Staying at Harihareshwar

Tents at Harihareshwar MTDC Resort

We stayed at the MTDC beach resort. It is good, clean, and peaceful. In fact, it has it's own beach, though small. You can go for boating at the MTDC resort. The rates are around 1500-2500 per night based on the type of room you choose.

We stayed in the special room and then upgraded to a tent for a day. If you plan to stay at the MTDC resort, go for the tent. The experience is amazing. All the tents are situated amidst tall trees and have a view of the open sea. It's beautiful to get up in the morning to the view of the vast sea in front of you. Also, at night, it becomes a bit creepy to feel all alone in the tent and the quietness around. You might hear a bird perching on the roof top of the tent and get the jitters. It's great fun.

Other than MTDC, there is also a good resort very near the Harihareshwar temple called the Hari-Hareshwar Beach Resort. This too is priced at around the same price. The tents are bigger here and it's very close to the beach.

Where to eat at Harihareshwar?

There are several places where you can get decent food in Harihareshwar. One such place is Prachiti Bhojanalay. It is very close to the temple and you get only vegetarian food there. Priced at Rs. 50/- per thali, you get unlimited food here. Just opposite Prachiti is the Hari-Hareshwar Beach Resort that also offers veg and non-veg thalis. Priced at Rs. 120/- and above for non-veg thalis, it's bit costly. However the food is good.

The MTDC resort has its own restaurant called The Grasshopper Inn. Don't know why it has such a weird name. We thought it was exorbitantly priced and the food was also only just okay, average.

On the way to MTDC is another small khanaval (forgot the name) that serves vegetarian food for Rs. 70/- per thali. Even this is affordable and pretty good food.

A few meters ahead, there is a turning at which are several tapris that serve wada-paav, bhaji, bhurji. At that junction, there's a nice joint aptly called Turning Point that serves batate wade, anda bhurji, kanda bhaji, chai. It's really nice and a good breakfast stop.

Apart from these, there are many places where you can tell in advance if you want to have food there. These are mostly arranged at the homes of the locals there, who serve home-made food.

Harihareshwar Beach

MTDC beach at low tide

This is one thing that you need to be damn careful about. The beach at Harihareshwar is not good for swimming and fun and frolicking. It is full of rocks that go under water when it is high tide. If your first look at the Harihareshwar beach is at the time of high tide, you might be misled thinking that the beach is pretty good and safe. But it really is not. The sand at the beach is quicksand and pulls you inside. The rocks are dangerous, jutting out in the open. In fact, at the beach near the temple, there is a low-lying area which is covered by 5-8 feet of water during high tide. Boats are anchored there when high tide. So, you can imagine how deep it becomes.

MTDC beach at high tide

Even at the MTDC beach, at the boating area, there is small stretch of beach that is covered with water at high tide. If you are at this beach at the time of high tide, you can experience for yourself how the water rises slowly and covers all the rocks. Be really careful with the rocks. They have sharp edges that easily cut your feet if you step on them by mistake.

So in all, I would advice that the Harihareshwar beach is best to be seen from far and enjoyed. Don't venture too much in the waters. If you want to enjoy the beach, Diveagar is the place for you.

Harihareshwar Temple

Going down to the sea on the Pradakshina Marg

The Shiva temple is famous for its Pradakshina. It takes around 30 mins to complete the Pradakshina. The temple itself is also beautiful just like other Shiva temples. What makes it unique is that it is situated right at the sea, and has a Pradakshina that actually is a complete one unlike the one we usually take in a Shiva temple. Inside the temple, you can take the half Pradakshina. Outside, the Pradakshina is a full one involving climbing up the mountain and then climbing down and walking along the sea-cut rocks. It's actually spooky.

When you reach the top, you get to see a notice that warns that the sea near the Pradakshina Marg is dangerous, you should take care not to venture near the lashing waves during high tide, and that you should first get information about the high and low tide timings. You might feel like overlooking the notice (feeling you are at the top of the mountain, and there's no sea there.) But you are mistaken. As soon as you turn left, you will see the deep gorge that you need to climb down that goes directly to the sea. And you certainly are frightened.

Pradakshina Marg

As you climb down, you can see yourself literally climbing down into the sea. There is a small pathway carved in the rocks that's the Pradakshina Marg. On the rocks you can feel the power of the sea. You are at the mercy of the Elements and know in your heart that you are a mere midget in the vastness of this universe. The wet rocks are a proof of how far the waves come in. And you thank yourself that it's low tide at the moment.

So, if you want to do the Pradakshina, make sure it is low tide. Don't leave the hands of your kids as you complete the Pradakshina.

Tips for Visiting Harihareshwar

• If you are visiting Harihareshwar directly, take the route that comes via Diveagar. It's more enjoyable.
• Keep a watch on the high and low tide timings. If you have internet on your smartphones, all the better. We used this site to check the timings: http://wap.swellwatch.com/tideStation.php?dataPoint=5890&region=1456&regionName=Arabian+Sea&trace=region:1092:The%20World%7Cregion:1647:Indian%20Ocean%7Cregion:1456:Arabian%20Sea. After the high tide time shown on this site, we observed that bigger and more powerful waves kept on coming to the shore for the next hour or so. So, to start with, this is a good site. But you would want to consult other resources too as well as consult the locals about the tide timings (In Marathi, high tide is called bharti and low tide is called ohoti.) Moreover, the site shows the timings of the Arabian Sea. The timings at individual beaches may differ based on the water level and coastline. So, do consult other resources for accurate information.
• Keep first aid, sunscreen lotion, caps, old newspapers handy. All these are useful at times.
• Keep a torch handy as night falls. The electricity at Harihareshwar cannot be relied on.
• One and a half day is more than enough for Harihareshwar. To enjoy the beach, proceed to Diveagar.

Have fun!

The Start

It's really the distance. It's always told merely 200 kms. But it turns out to be really 250 kms. And you just keep on driving and driving. Mile after mile you cover hoping that the next turn will be the last turn, but it turns out to be just another turn.

Perhaps, it happens only with me. But it never turns out that I leave for a journey at a pre-decided time. More often than not, I tend travelling for a longer period of time than required.

As I traverse the known roads, the destination seems to be close by. I travel those roads with a feeling that four-five hours is nothing and I'll reach the destination soon. Every turn is familiar and I am happy that the journey has finally started.

As miles pass after miles, lunch hour approaches. I get down to stretch myself and to have lunch. If it's a pre-decided lunch stop, you the taste and food. It it's not, I am in anticipation of what I'll finally get before me. After the sumptuous, or not-so-good food, you are back on road.

As the journey progresses, I start losing patience. The journey seems to be never-ending. Turn after turn and mile after mile is crossed. I keep looking at the odometer counting the kilometers that I have covered.

At last after being completely tired and woebegone, huts and small houses are visible. The town that we have decided to stay finally arrives. My fears that the town may not actually exist are thankfully not realised. I get down and stretch myself.

Finally, one part of the journey is over. In fact, the Start has finally ended.