Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SOUTHERN MAHARASHTRA
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Konkan Coast
Despite being flanked on both ends by two of India's top urban centres, it's laudable how
the Konkan Coast manages to latch on to its virginal bounties. A little-developed shoreline
running southward from Mumbai all the way to Goa, it is a picturesque strip of land
peppered with postcard beaches, vivid green paddy fields, rolling hills and decaying forts.
Travelling through this tropical backwater can be sheer bliss. However, remember that ac-
commodation is scant, the cuisine unsophisticated though tasty, and the locals unaccus-
tomed to tour groups, especially foreigners. Since transport is both limited and unreliable, a
good option is to rent a taxi in Mumbai and drift slowly down the coast to Goa. What
you'll get in return is an experience that money can't buy.
Murud
02144 / POP 12,700
Even if you don't plan on exploring the whole coast, the sleepy fishing hamlet of Murud -
165km from Mumbai - should be on your itinerary. Once you step on to its lazy beaches
and feel the warm surf rush past your feet, you'll be happy you came.
Sight-wise, Murud is home to the magnificent island fortress of
Janjira
(admission free;
7am-5.30pm)
, standing about 500m offshore. The citadel was built in 1140 by the Siddis, des-
cendants of sailor-traders from the Horn of Africa, who settled here and allegedly made
their living through piracy. No outsider ever made it past the fort's 12m-high walls which,
when seen during high tide, seem to rise straight from the sea. Unconquered through his-
tory, the fort finally fell to the spoils of nature. Today, its ramparts are slowly turning to
rubble as wilderness reclaims its innards.
The only way to reach Janjira is by boat (?20 return, 15 minutes) from Rajpuri Port.
Boats depart from 7am to 5.30pm daily, but require a minimum of 20 passengers. You can
also have a boat to yourself (?600), and most oarsmen will double as guides for a negoti-
able fee (around ?350). To get to Rajpuri from Murud, take an autorickshaw (?70) or hire a
bicycle from the Golden Swan Beach Resort.
