Ratnagiri is a place that is very close to my heart. It’s my native place, the place where I spent many of my childhood vacations at. Visiting Ratnagiri is like taking a trip down the memory lane for me. Located around 360 km away from Mumbai, Ratnagiri lies in the Konkan belt of Maharashtra.
Since it lies on the western side of the Sahyadri mountain range, it receives heavy rains during the monsoon season, making it a paradise filled with greenery. The fact that it lies on the western coast means that fishing is the one of the most important occupations in this region.
The first stop on my trip was obviously going to be my house at my native place. Although, no one lives there now and it has almost been abandoned, still my childhood memories still remain at that place.
The well whose wall I had once climbed up as a child, but had to be carried away by my granduncle since I didn’t know how to climb down ! Eventually we both fell down (not in the well), since he wasn’t able to carry my weight.
Next stop was the Ratnadurga fort, also know as the Bhagwati fort. This place offers breathtaking views during the monsoon season, although unfortunately I wasn’t able to visit it in that time.
Since I had visited Ratnagiri, during Holi, I was able to witness Shimga celebrations. Shimga is the version of Holi which is celebrated in Ratnagiri and other parts of the Konkan region. A paalkhi (palanquin) carying idols of various deities is carried to each house. A colourful procession of people dancing around the paalkhis can be seen during the journey.
Next stop was the famous Ganapati Temple in Ganpatipule.
This temple is extremely peaceful during the early morning, and it is adjacent to the beach, which makes it even more soothing.
Ganpatipule is also the birthplace of the famous Marathi poet Keshavsut. A memorial has been constructed in his birthplace in order to honour him. At the entrance you get to see the house where he was born. Further down the path, you’ll find the hall of poets where there will be different caricatures and poems of marathi poets.
We needed to do some shopping and for that we had to visit Ratnagiri city market, where we got a chance to visit the Theba palace. This is the place where the king Theba of Myanmar was exiled to after he lost to the British.
We concluded the last day, by visiting the Karhateshwar Temple. This is a old Shiv Temple and is located in a very remote spot making it difficult to find and very uncrowded.
While returning back to our hotel, we came across beaches with clean white sand, which were completely deserted. This tempted me into removing my clothes off (I was wearing my shorts on) and take a quick dip before I could leave for Mumbai.
In the end, this was a trip which combined nostalgia with adventure for me. I do hope to visit Ratnagiri once again.