30. Weekend vacation at Diveagar, Shreevardhan & Harihareshwar (1)

Diveagar:

Some 170 kms out of Pune on the central part of the Konkan coast is this abode of the gods. If you are the blue sea, blue sky and long white beaches kind of person (who isn’t) you should make a trip to Harihareshwar via Diveagar. At the start of this New Year we drove to Diveagar via Paud, Mulashi, over Tamhini ghat, Vile, Nizampur, Mangaon, Mhasala. The drive is good, bad and ok –ugly in parts. But the good news is they were patching the ugly parts when we went, and is quite doable. 

 Mulashi lake amidst the Tamhini Ghat

The road twists and turns the whole way

  

 Diveagar has any number of homestays. MTDC has franchised a small set up which we found to be only average. We stayed at the oldest homestay in Diveagar called Kshitij Holidays. It had the advantage of serving decent meals and catering to hundreds of people on the weekends without neglecting their own guests. The facilities were basic but clean. The advantage was that the beach was in its backyard; a short walk away through the keora and arecanut orchards. 

The homestay

arecanuts being processed

Beetelnut orchard

Keora trees

 

Gulls in flight

The sun is a star

waves

silhouette

The Roopnarayan temple dating back to the 13^th century was a surprise discovery. The idols are quite exquisite. The temples belong to the Shilahara dynasty. They are also close to the beach.

Roopnarayan Temple

The beautiful idol

Harihareshwar:

A short 36 km drive along the coast from Diveagar is the more popular town Harihareshwar. The drive is going to be the high point of the trip so one must stop often to soak in the scene and take pictures. You will cross the town of Shrivardhan which we omitted to explore. It has two temples, the Laxminarayan temple and the Jeevaneshwar temple. 

An ad film being shot

Harihareshwar’s claim to fame, apart from its beach is the Kalbhairav temple of Shiva, also on the beach. It is said to have been consecrated by Agasti Muni and has earned Harihareshwar the name Dakshin Kashi, which signifies its importance as a pilgrimage town.

The Kalbhairav Temple

The beach

 Behind the temple you climb up some steps to reach atop a rock which is split into two with a whole lot of steps going down to the sea. It is said Bhima of Mahabharata fame had split this rock with his bare hands. 

The climb up

The climb down

Bhima's footprint

 

Kamdhenu losing her shape

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