Travel: Explore the splendours of Sindhudurg

Joanna Lobo

It’s an empty beach. Empty of people but abounding with so much more — white sands fringed with swaying coconut trees, the sound of waves crashing, the sight of swooping Brahminy kites, and the touch of a gentle breeze. Despite having grown up around pristine beaches, this one still makes me stop and stare.

I am at Nivati Fort in Sindhudurg, looking out onto Bhogwe Beach in Maharashtra. I climb down the fort to walk the beach’s white sands, watching birds fishing in shallow pools, with the sound of waves as my background music. It’s the best way to start the morning.

Sindhudurg, truly, is magical.

This district on Maharashtra coast is a cluster of pristine beaches, historic forts, lush forest cover, placid backwaters, cashew and mango orchards and picturesque landscapes. It is just an hour’s drive away from the new airport in Goa, making it ideal for a quiet weekend getaway.

Sindhudurg is best explored at leisure. I have just two days. In the morning, I accompany Kamlakant Redkar, my local guide, on a trek to Nivati Fort. As the sun ascends, we hike up through empty fields, past mango and cashew orchards, inhaling the fragrance of ripening cashew. A gravelled road forks our path into two. The left takes us to ‘rock beach’ or Nivati beach, which is a secluded cove bound by black rocks. The right path takes us to Nivati Fort, whose history is obscured and tangled as its current state.

Built just after the more popular Sindhudurg Fort, all that remains are remnants of the moats and bastions overcome with vegetation. It’s a fort with stunning views of the beaches and out in the water, a lighthouse on a rock.

Compared to those in Goa, the beaches here are emptier and often cleaner, fringed with palm trees. There are also fewer fishing boats out at sea. One can spot dolphins at Devbag or go diving in Tarkarli.

Malvani food is the primary cuisine here (Malvan is a town in Sindhudurg), and much like other Konkan food, is rich in coconut, seafood and an abundance of rice. A spice mix called Malvani masala is used to make many dishes. Tamarind and kokum are used as souring agents, and besides rice, there are a lot of bhakris made with wheat or millet.

Sindhudurg is known for its Alphonso mangoes and most of the orchards here are dedicated to the fruit, and cashew. On a warm afternoon, I take a boat out to Devgad peninsula, known for having the best hapus mangoes. The waves are choppy, especially at the confluence of the river and the sea. On the way, we pass by mangroves and Tsunami Island, which reveals itself only at low tide but has temporary structures on stilts from where water sport activities take off. At Devgad’s Aryavarta Beach Resort, the prized sight is an unending orchard of mango trees. I meet the owner, Janardhan Raghunath Samant, who is happy to take me to see his prized mangoes and the orchard that extends all the way up the hill, while talking animatedly about his cultivation techniques.

The passion of Sindhudurg’s people is heartwarming. I meet another passionate artist, Chetan Parshuram Gangavane. The Gangavane family has been into kalsutri (puppetry) for 400 years, and they have a small museum and gallery, Thakar Adivasi Kala Angan in Pingule village, which showcases dying cultural arts and traditions. After the puppet show, Chetan reveals another little-known practice, Chitrakathi, using paintings and pictures to tell traditional stories. These colourful paintings dot bags, keychains and cards. I buy a cloth bag decorated with a regal, bedecked queen. She’s the ideal souvenir from Sindhudurg — beautiful, historic and unique.

Travel tips

How to reach: Sindhudurg is accessible from Sindhudurg airport, Manohar International Airport at Mopa in Goa and Belagavi airport in Karnataka. It takes around an hour (90 km) to reach Sindhudurg from Mopa airport in Goa. If going by train, get off at Kudal or Sindhudurg station. From Ratnagiri, it’s over a 100 km (about 2 hours) to the nearest stations of Kankavli/Kudal and Sindhudurg.

Travel You can explore the region by car or hire an autorickshaw.

Season The best time to visit would be winter or the beginning of mango season.

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