Day 6 - Purnagad, Vijaydurg, Devgad and Kunkeshwar

Today's plan was to visit 3 seaside forts namely Purnagad, Vijaydurg and Devgad along with Kunkeshwar temple.. I started from Ganpatipuley at 7 am towards Ratnagiri. On the way is Bhandarpuley village. It also has nice beach and more or less untouched. Ratnagiri is around 15-16 kms away from Ganpatipuley via coastal highway. I withdrew some cash and filled some fuel in the Pulsar before  continuing towards Pavas which is again some 15 kms away. Just outside of Ratnagiri city is Bhatey beach which is not so pleasant as the water is dirty. Muddy water from the creek meets the sea close to the beach. May be it was because of the rains at night. In Pavas i had breakfast and moved on for Purnagad which is just 7 km from Pavas.

View of creek from Purnagad

Purnagad is located such that it can be used an outpost to guard from any movements in sea and the creek. It was built at the time of Raja Bhoj in 12th century and renewed in the era of Maratha rule. It is in pretty good shape. Although it is small, it's military importance was recognized by Great Shivaji Maharaj while he was on the way to Sindhudurg.

Here I met an old person who is related to Shivsena. He helped me to understand the history and geography of  the fort. Also, he added about one marathi film "Bayo" was shooted in and around the fort. Film is based on love story of childhood friends. It was great to know all the information.

As per plan, next destination was Vijaydurg fort. However I decided to visit Kanakaditya temple in Kelshi village which is 5 kms inside from the road leading to Vijaydurg. It is one of the few temples devoted to "Surya"(Sun).

Ammunation storage at Vijaydurg

 After coming back to the main road which goes to Vijaydurga, there is a diversion at Pedal Titta and then straight road goes to Vijaydurg. Vijaydurg is a massive structure built by Raja Bhoj and restructured by Shivaji Maharaj. It has many strongholds, 2-3 levels of fortified walls. Walls and major structures are in good condition. We can see ammunition storage, horse stable and "Sadar", "Bhuyar" (Hidden route) etc. From the fortified walls, we get to see amazing views of blue see and fisherman's boats and typical Konkan villages. One more thing one can notice, is the hugh walls at the entrance.




Fortified walls at the entrance of Vijaydurg

So far I have not seen such hugh walls at any fort. Also, this fort has been witness of an astronomical discovery related to presence of helium gas on Sun. I spent more than an hour exploring the fort. After I left for Devgad after having some meal. It took around 45 mins to reach there. Devgad village is famous for its alphonsoes (a type of mango, famous for it's unique sweetness). My purpose was to visit Devgad fort. It is not so big and there is nothing much  remaining other than fortified walls. There is a lighthouse inside which opens between 4-5 pm. As usual being a side fort this also offers majestic views of Arabian sea.

Kunkeshwar Temple



Then, I turned for my last destination, Kunkeshwar temple which is on the way to Malvan. It's a temple built around 1100 AD by the Yadav rulers and it has beautiful structure.  It is devoted to lord Shiva. The village has a long sea shore and the beach around is nice to spend some memorable time. I walked on the shore to the other end to check out the fishermen trying to catch fishes.. On the way I could see jelly fishes dead on the shore which are thrown by the fishermen. I spent that night at Kunkeshwar itself but i would recommend not to stay here. There are not many staying options and facilities are very basic.