Month: December 2013
A Day’s excursion to Morachi Chincholi
About Morachi Chincholi:
Chincholi Morachi or Morachi Chincholi (मोराची चिंचोळी), by name itself means a village of tamarind trees (Marathi:चिंच Chincha) & town of Dancing Peacocks (Marathi:मोर More) all around. It is situated near Ahmednagar-Pune Highway about 55 km from Pune. Even today, one can find lot of peacocks everywhere in this small village. This village gives you a true feel of Indian countryside!
Reaching Morachi Chincholi:
Its about 55 KM from Pune and 188 KM from Mumbai. (Nearest Airport and Railway station is Pune).
What is so special about this place?
Peacock (Indian Peafowl) is the national bird of India. It is a large and brightly colored bird of the pheasant family native to South Asia, but introduced and semi-feral in many other parts of the world. The species was first named and described by Linnaeus in 1758. The Indian Peafowl is found mainly on the ground in open forest or on land under cultivation where they forage for berries, grains but will also prey on snakes, lizards, and small rodents. Their loud calls make them easy to detect, and in forest areas often indicate the presence of a predator such as a tiger. They forage on the ground in small groups and will usually try to escape on foot through undergrowth and avoid flying, though they will fly into tall trees to roost. The bird is celebrated in Indian and Greek mythology and is the national bird of India. The Indian Peafowl is listed as of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). So, these beautiful creatures are obviously not found in crowded city areas. To see them in wild, you either need to visit some national park, sanctuary or other forest like areas around the city. And yes another place to spot these birds is the “Morachi Chincholi”. It offers you a unique opportunity to observer peacocks in their natural habitat. Though you need to be lucky to spot wild animals, sighting of a peacock is almost guaranteed here at Morachi Chincholi. Thanks to the wholehearted efforts of the local villagers.
My travel experience:
We started from Pune at around 10AM. Followed the route from kharadi -> Wagholi -> Lonikand -> Koregaon Bhima -> Sanaswadi -> Shikrapur and then took left turn towards Morachi Chincholi. Its around 24KM from the highway. There are many farm houses and Agro tourism centers in Morachi Chincholi. I had planned to visit “Mauli Agro Tourism” (http://www.chincholimorachi.com/chincholi-morachi-contact-persons/). It is not really mandatory that you have to visit some of the farm house or agro tourism center however if you don’t do so, there’s really nothing much you can do to spend quality time. So reached Mauli Agro tourism center by 12PM. We got refreshed by the welcome drink – “Limbu Sarbat” (Lemon Juice). This place is a typical countryside farmhouse. For me it was a “photography” treat. So many types of flowers, insects, birds…… truly amazing! There is an artificial lake prepared in Mauli Agro tourism center which hosts a paddle boat as well. So enjoyed boating in the lake and clicked some snaps of the birds around it. We then had lunch. The lunch was simple home made food yet quite satisfying. Then had a quick nap under tree shade :). Mr. Thopate (guide and owner of this place) took us for a tractor ride around the village. This was altogether a different experience and spotted many peacocks roaming freely on the agricultural lands. The villagers here, put grains around their houses in order to feed peacocks. So peacocks have got used to this and they visit near the houses twice a day, early morning and in the evening before sunset. So it was around 5Pm and we were eagerly waiting for peacocks to give us a closer appearance! Bingo! Slowly many peacocks started coming close to the (artificial) lake where grains were put for feeding. This is what I was waiting for and the prime reason I came here…. I clicked quick snaps as many as I could 🙂 The day proved out to be worth!!
Photos:
Cost Facts:
- Charges at Mauli Agro Tourism center are 400Rs per person for whole day (includes breakfast, lunch, tractor ride, boating, evening tea and snacks etc) For overnight stay, they charge 1000Rs per person per day. Please visit their website for updated rates / discounts. (This suggestion is purely based on my personal experience. There is no specific intention to promote this place.)
- If you are traveling from Pune and going to return on same day, you’ll have to pay 56Rs as Toll charges.
- Petrol / Diesel charges depend on the medium of transportation you choose.
Quick Tips:
- “Morachi Chincholi” showcases a true ideal Indian village with all traditional culture. Please don’t expect star grade luxury in this place or multi-cuisine food joints. Visit this place to enjoy its simplicity.
- Peacocks at this place are somewhat used to locals living in the village but are shy to tourists. So don’t make loud noises, sounds that would make peacocks disappear. Peacocks are very shy. If they feel that their is some new person in the area (mainly tourist) which would be a possible threat, then they won’t come out of their hiding areas for 2-3 days. Thus you’ll get disappointed of not spotting these beautiful creatures. So be calm, quiet and observe them from a safe distance.
- If you are a photographer interested in “Aviation Photography” then Lonikand is a place worth taking into consideration. This place is only 9.7 Nautical Miles (air distance) away from Pune International Airport. So the air-crafts which are about to land at Pune, can be seen very closely from streets of Lonikand. You can get some cools snaps 🙂 however you’ll have to plan your timings by referring plane arrival schedule!!
Other places worth visiting near Morachi Chincholi:
| Sr.No | Location | Distance From Morachi Chincholi | Map |
| 1 | Nighoj Pot Holes | 24.8 KM | Morachi chincholi to Nighoj Pot Holes |
| 2 | Ranjangaon Ganpati Temple | 23.7 KM | Morachi Chincholi to Ranjangaon Ganpati Temple |
| 3 | Saradwadi (Famous for Misal Paav) | 29.6 KM | Morachi Chincholi to Saradwadi |
Photography expediation to Diveagar
About Diveagar:
Diveagar (Dive Agar) is a locale in Shrivardhan Taluka, Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The area includes a fishing settlement, a beach, a temple, local businesses engaged in coconut and bettle nut tree farming, and some resort businesses such as restaurants, cottage rentals and motels, and six villages (from north to south): Velās, Musalmāndi, Agar Panchaitan, Diveagar, Borlai Panchaitan, and Kārle. The beach, facing the Arabian Sea, is approximately four kilometres long and undeveloped. At the north end of the beach where a small stream enters the ocean there is the fishing settlement, Velas Agar, and some paddy farming, while at the south end there is a sanctuary for migratory seabirds. Nearby, there is a small fishing village, where vendors sell fresh fish, which goes by name of Bharadkhol. The beach is accessible from the Mumbai-Goa highway via Kolad or Karnala. By air: Nearest is Mumbai. By rail: Nearest railhead is Mangaon on Konkan railway.
The beach contains a number of suru trees (Casuarina), which are common to coastal Maharashtra. The access to the beach has a dense cover of belu trees, which are otherwise uncommon in the area.
Historic References of Diveagar :
1) First written reference of Diveagar is there in ‘Velsi Agar Tamrapat’ (a copper plate) (973 B.C.) Velsi Agar is Velas village which is at the North of Diveagar.
2) Mummuniraj Shilahar founded corporation in Diveagar and gave all administration of Diveagar to it. He exempted the taxes of residence and hospitality of authorities (A.D. 1053). Both ‘Tamrapat’ are in Sanskrit.
3) Diveagar ‘Tamrapat’ A.D. 1060 is well known as first Marathi ‘Tamrapat’. There is mention about Mavalbhatt, Vasudeo Bhatt, Nagrudra Bhatt etc. Brahmin used to live in Diveagar. They gave 127 gold ‘Gadyanak’ coins to neighbouring Stitipuri village for ‘parishad’. Shilahar ruled more than 450 years (800 to 1265 A.D.) in north Konkan and brought peace and prosperity during the rule.
Arab pirates used to attack rich Diveagar by sea. Many temples and attractive idols were destroyed during these attacks but luckily Suvarna Ganpati’s idol (Golden Ganesha idol) was buried to save it from Arab pirates.
Having known enough of Historic and Geographic background…. let me share my experience:
Day 1-
Started from Pune at around 8AM. Decided to go via Tamhini ghat -> Nijampur -> Mangaon -> Mhasala -> Borli -> Diveagar (Click on the link below for more detailed route)
Quick Tips – Road condition in Tamhini Ghat is poor. Its really hard to travel at speed more than 20KMPH. But you would come across many scenic spots at Mulshi and Tamhini ghat itself. There is dense forest and you might spot many different kinds of birds. So if you are “Bird Watcher”/ Photographer, it may be worth going this route. There are couple of restaurants near Mulshi like Quick Bite. They are slightly costly and service here is quite slow. So take a pit stop at such restaurants only if absolutely necessary, otherwise it would unnecessarily delay your journey ahead.
Reached Diveagar by 12:30. Being very hungry, we decided to visit “Bapat Khanaval” on priority. (It is managed by Mr. Suhas Bapat- +91-09423837967 / +91-09271127337. You need to call him and inform 3-4 hours prior to your lunch/dinner). The cuisine is typical Maharashtrian (specially Konkani) style. Lunch here would give a home like experience and great amount of satisfaction.
After lunch, we checked-in in our hotel (Srushti Villa) and had some rest. In the evening we rushed to the Diveagar beach which was at just 5 min walking distance from out hotel. Diveagar beach hosts many different kinds of water sports. The one I was particularly interested in was Para Sailing. It was an amazing experience all together. Then enjoyed photography of Arabian Sea at sunset and headed back to hotel. To our surprise, we were served delicious dinner including Tandulachi (Rice) Bhakri, Pithla, Birdyachi Usal, Sol Kadhi etc.
Day 2-
Wanted to visit Jaljira fort so left for Dighi at around 8:30 and reached there by 9Am. Click below link for detailed route from Diveagar to Dighi Diveagar to Dighi .
Bought tickets for ferry to Jaljira and waited. The first ferry to the fort leaves at around 9AM. We just missed it and then had to wait for long till the next ferry came in.
Quick Tip: The ferry does not leave until its full on capacity. So you have to wait till more tourists come in. This is quite irritating. So its better to reach there by 8:30 and board the 1st ferry of the day. If you are lucky, then you might spot Dolphins near the Dighi Port.
The ferry gets you closer to the fort then you are shifted in another small boat and then transferred to the fort. The process is time consuming. The fort looks great from outside but is ruined from inside. There are 2 (sweet water) lakes/ponds inside the fort but full of water plants and algae. You could observe clear lack of maintenance. So there is nothing really great you could possibly see in this fort. It has a good history but you can read that in books as well!! It was around 1PM while we returned back to Dighi Port. Headed fast to Diveagar for lunch at “Bapat Khanaval”. Enjoyed Modak’s. Then after some rest, again went to Diveagar Beach in the evening. (If you want to know history about Janjira Fort, you can check https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murud-Janjira )
Quick Tip: You can take your car right on the beach. The sand on the beach is stiff and you can have nice joyful experience of driving your car on Beach. Specially for new learners, this is a great place to learn or practice on your vehicle.
After the sunset, visited famous Suvarna Ganesh temple and did some local shopping. Suvarna Ganpati’s idol (Golden Ganesha idol) was buried to save it from Arab invasion. Later on it appeared in 1997. This Golden Ganesha is of southern style from Shilahar, having uncomparable carving.
Quick Tip: There are 2-3 shops (run by locals) opposite to Suvarna Ganesh Temple where you can buy local specialties like Amba (Mango) poli, Fanas Poli, various types of Papad’s and Pickles etc.
Then returned back to hotel and enjoyed another mouth watering Dinner.
Day 3-
We started return journey to Pune. Since the road from Tamhini Ghat is in bad condition, we decided to travel to Pune via Mahabaleshwar. The route to be followed is Diveagar -> Goregaon -> NH17 -> Poladpur -> Mahabaleshwar -> Panchgani -> Wai -> Katraj -> Pune. No doubt, this is a longer route. But the road is in good condition and you also get a chance to spend time at Mahabaleshwar. But you may feel strain since you have to cross almost 5 ghats (2 ghats from Diveagar to goregaon, poladpur ghat, pasarni ghat and katraj ghat). And be extra cautious while driving on NH17. Its a patch of 38 KM from Goregaon till you reach Poladpur. Its 2 lane highway full of trucks , buses and heavy vehicles. And people overtake like crazy :O For detailed route, click below link:
Diveagar to Mahabaleshwar (Via NH17)
Mahabaleshwar to Pune (Via NH4)
We finally reached Mahabaleshwar after crossing long and tedious Poladpur ghat. (Poladpur ghat is about 40KM long).
Quick Tip: As soon as you enter Mahabaleshwar (from Poladpur side) there is a check post. You have to pay vehicle entry tax and sightseeing fees if you are going to roam in Mahabaleshwar. Also I spotted 1 traffic police frisking people randomly. So do keep your Driving License, Car registration papers, Insurance papers ready.
It was around 12:15PM and we were quite hungry. We followed the route towards Old Mahabaleshwar and went to “Saba Garden” restaurant. (Its located on one of the turns while you travel to Old Mahabaleshwar). You can enjoy snacks like Corn Pattice, Misal Pav etc. The thing I like here the most is fresh Rose Icecream. They have their own strawberry/rose garden. When you order icecream or shake, they plug rose/strawberry from the plant right in front of you and add it as topping to your desert.
Went to Mapro Garden, had classic Veg. Sandwhich, bought strawberries and then moved straight towards Pune. At Panchgani, you have to pay vehicle tax even if you are not going to stop or roam in Panchgani (this is quite annoying 😦 ) .
Photos:
Cost Sheet:
Quick Tip: The following costs depends on factors like the mode of transport you use (Petrol/Diesel car, public transport etc), the type of food you prefer (Veg/Non-Veg etc), the interests you have (water sports activities etc) and the route you choose to commute.
| Sr.No | Description | Cost |
| 1 | Fuel (Diesel) | 1700 |
| 2 | Toll after Chandni Chowk | 20 |
| 3 | Breakfast at Quick Bite Mulshi | 120 |
| 4 | Lunch at Bapat Restaurant (For 2 days including 5 Modak’s) |
380 |
| 5 | Para sailing | 700 |
| 6 | Car Parking at Dighi Port | 20 |
| 7 | Ferry Ticket to Jaljira Fort (60Rs per person) | 120 |
| 8 | Guide charges at Jaljira Fort (30Rs per person) | 60 |
| 9 | Hotel Stay (2 Nights 3 Days including Breakfast & Dinner) | 3068 |
| 10 | Local shopping at Diveagar | 500 |
| 11 | Toll at NH17 | 20 |
| 12 | Toll after Poladpur Ghat | 50 |
| 13 | Rose Ice Cream+Misal Paav+ Corn Pattice at Saba Garden, Mahabaleshwar | 180 |
| 14 | Classic Veg Sandwhich at Mapro Garden | 144 |
| 15 | Strawberry (250Gm box x 2) | 100 |
| 16 | Toll at Panchgani | 50 |
| 17 | Toll at NH4 | 56 |
| Total | 7288 |
Some contact details for stay options in Diveagar:
(Note: There is no intention to promote/rate the hotels given below. Since Diveagar is a very small village, don’t expect star grade luxury in hotels. Stay here is simple yet rejuvenating. You’ll enjoy and find yourself quite relaxed at the end of your vacation at Diveagar!!)
| Sr. No | Hotel Name | Contact Details |
| 1 | Anand Yatri | Abhay Bhatawadekar +91 94204 23533, +91 93231 37055 |
| 2 | Srushti Villa | Abhay- 9423211689 Santosh- 9421170783 Vinesh- 9657572175 Landline- 02147 691838 |
| 3 | Kunjvihar | 02147-225017, +91-9421966803, +91-9767903661, +91-9270759203 |
| 4 | Prathanmesh Holiday Homes | 7507771313, 7507771616 Parag Nahar +91 98220 50197 Sandeep Garudkar +91 98220 91822 |
| 5 | Woodland Resort | Mr. C.R.Kale 09371011392 – 020-30721393 |
| 6 | Sea Shells | +91 988-111-2440 |
| 7 | Pearl Resorts | 09921016969 – 08806926969 02147-224050 |
| 8 | Exotica Beach Resort | 9969572239, 9923613339 |
| 9 | Sur Agro Tourism | 919822773721 Ms. Anushree Ms. Sneha Sathe- 9403324428 |
Some Safety Tips:
- After sunset, there is very less light on streets of Diveagar. So do carry a powerful “Torch Light”.
- The roads within Diveagar are very narrow, drive carefully and don’t disturb the locals.
- The roads around Diveagar are quite uneven. Be careful with ground clearance of your vehicle.
- Be very cautious while roaming through plantations (“Vadi”). There are many natural hide-outs for snakes and reptiles. Also there are lot of insects and frogs (which ideally forms a food chain — insects <- frogs / lizards <- Snakes). These creatures are easily camouflaged and could be dangerous if you disturb them even unknowingly!!)
- Small sized crabs are found in plenty on Diveagar Beach. Be careful while you enjoy there!
- Don’t park your vehicle under a coconut tree! A raw coconut might abruptly fall on your car causing severe dents!
- Try to switch off AC of your vehicle while traveling on “Mud Roads” in the village.
- Don’t go in deep waters at Sea. I couldn’t notice any lifeguards at coast. There have been many unfortunate casualties specially at Harihareshwar Beach!
Other Places Near Diveagar:
For me, intention behind trip to Diveagar was mainly Photography and get relaxed from my daily routine stress. So I didn’t travel much around Diveagar. But if you are have few days in hand 4-5 Days then you can travel around Diveagar and experience the serene beauty of “Konkan”. Here is the list of places around Diveagar along with their distances:
| Sr. No | Place | Distance From Diveagar | Map |
| 1 | Dighi Port (For Jaljira Fort Ferry) | 16.7 KM | Diveagar to Dighi Port (For Jaljira Fort Ferry) |
| 2 | Srivardhan Beach | 19.7 KM | Diveagar to Srivardhan Beach |
| 3 | Murud Beach | 25.3 KM | Diveagar to Murud Beach |
| 4 | Harihareshwar Beach | 33.7 KM | Diveagar to Harihareshwar Beach |
| 5 | Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary | 53.7 KM | Diveagar to Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary |
| 6 | Kelshi Beach | 101 KM | Diveagar to Kelshi Beach |
| 7 | Dapoli | 105 KM | Diveagar to Dapoli |
| 8 | Anjarle | 106 KM | Diveagar to Anjarle |
| 9 | Harnai Beach | 115 Km | Diveagar to Harnai Beach |
| 10 | Ladghar Beach | 115 Km | Diveagar to Ladghar Beach |
| 11 | Mahabaleshwar | 132 KM | Diveagar to Mahabaleshwar |
| 12 | Guhagar Beach | 148 KM | Diveagar to Guhagar |
This Journey Is Fun!!! 