Bhavali Dam ( Igatpuri )

 

After days and days of Work, Every individual expects a day out to relax and flex the muscles. The best way to get this objective right is to walk right into nature. Nothing can heal the human soul as perfectly as mother Nature. Sadly, our wrong activities are rapidly killing the nurturing capacity of nature, and people do tend to involve in wrong practices while visiting such pristine spots. It is our moral responsibility to preserve these beautiful spots while we keep our steps into these beautiful laps.

In this read, we will experience a beautiful destination popularly known as Bhavali Dam, amidst the hills of Igatpuri, a small hilly area near Nashik city. The place is known for its beautiful backwaters of Bhavali Dam, which is built on the Darna River, and the beauty is increased due to a naturally formed waterfall lying exactly opposite the lakeside. The waterfall is highly active and beautiful only during monsoon season, supported by the ample waterfall in the area. Due a well built road that crosses the spot, the area is easily accessed by many visitors and is quite popular as a single day tourism spot for Nashikkars.

Things to Explore

1. Bhavali Dam: It is an earth fill dam developed on the Darna River. Though restricted for open tourism, visitors tends to drive upto the construction for some wonderful clicks. As a warning, Precaution is required during monsoon, as water overflows from the construction.

 

2. Bhavali Dam Backwaters

A more seasoned tourist spot, which is easily connected by road. The location is a real beauty as the lake is surrounded by hills. The place is good to visit throughout the year. There are good spots on the road that offers a good sunset view, as the sun hides behind the hills.

3. Bhavali Waterfalls 

This is naturally formed, two tier fall which gets into full flow during monsoon when the rainfall is heavy and water erosion is high. This place is suggested for visit only during rainfall. Adventure seekers can climb around the fall to reach the top of the flow. The villagers places food stalls near the place to serve the visitors with snack items. If you drive few meters ahead, there is another free falling waterfall, which is also a beautiful spot.

 

How to Reach

The place is easily accessible by road from nearby cities of Nashik, which is around 50km and Mumbai, which is 180km. The nearest rail-head is Igatpuri, which is 11 km from the spot or Nashik Road railway station at 56km. The nearest airport is Ojhar Airport, Nashik but major connectivity can be obtained from Mumbai. 

 

 

Where to Stay

The place comes under Igatpuri, which is an important tour destination, so offers many good stay options. For family visit, It is suggested to stay near the Mumbai highway, so you will have access to all essential needs. If you are seeking stays amidst nature, a few home stays, farm stays and resorts have recently cropped up near the spot like Grand Gardens, Touchwood Bliss which are quite a lavish construction. Please pre-book your stay and confirm the charges on call to avoid discomfort.

 

 

The picture above is a remainder of the dirty footsteps that visitors brings along with them. Natural habitats are very much a soul charger but actions like this really downgrades the effectiveness of the location. Traveling is a wonderful hobby and traveling amidst nature is really a blessing. I write these blogs to inform all about the beautiful destinations that exists around us and I got the privilege to visit. But, a responsible traveler ethics are very much needed among all to maintain these heritage for years to come. So, next time you travel amidst nature, do take care to bring all your dirt back with you for proper disposal.

 

Do Travel, but Travel Responsibly !

Mangaluru - City amidst Hills and Beach

 

India has a long coastline, and there are many cities that have popped up near seaside and many of them are attracting good residential population. A destination that serves the tag of coastal landscape and a happening city is a preferable setup for family trips. The city life offers a comfortable travel option for all ages and the beach setup offers a soothing natural space that has a pinch of adventure. In this journey, I will be taking you to a destination that is well known as a metropolitan life, education hub and a avid coastal town.

Mangaluru, a beautiful coastal town in the state of Karnataka, that is blessed with amazing natural escapes blended with a metropolitan culture. Being a educational and IT hub, the increasing flow of young crowd has pushed the development process to match a metro city aspects. As a tourist destination, Mangaluru city is more of a religious town, with mostly Hindu and Christian influence, but a few kilometers outside the town can serve you with both hills and beaches. If you are traveling to tourist destinations like Coorg or Udupi, you can spend a day exploring the brilliance of Mangaluru.

Explore Religious Destinations

Kudroli Gokarnath Temple:

The temple is present in the middle of city at a distance of 7 km from Mangalore Junction railway station. I suggest all to visit this beautiful temple at night to witness its golden illumination. The temple is constructed in 1912 by Adhyaksha H. Koragappa, a tile businessman, with the spiritual guidance of Shri Narayana Guru from Kerala. The temple timings are 6am – 2pm and from around 5pm to 9pm. 

Mangaladevi Temple:

The temple is dedicated to goddess “Shakti”, and the city is named after the deity. The temple is ancient and is said to be built by King Kundavarman of Alupa Dynasty, in 9^th century AD. It is said that, if you are in Mangalore, your visit should start from here. It opens at 6am and closes at 8pm with a break between 1-4pm.

Kateel Shri Durgaparmeshwari Temple:

A beautiful temple setup dedicated to goddess “Shakti”. This temple holds an important religious importance amidst believers. The scenic prospects of the temple are extended by the holy River Nandini, and the temple is placed on a small island which is reached by a pedestal bridge. Many religious activities are surrounded around this temple like Bhojanalaya, Education centre. The place is bit far, around 27km from city. 

Kadri Manjunath Temple and Hill Park:

It is an ancient temple, reconstructed later, and located at base of Kadri Hills. It is believed that the bronze alloy status of Shri Lokeshwara was staged by King Kundavarman of Alupa Dynansty. The temple has a Buddhist connect as well. Visitors can climb the hill besides the temple complex, which is extremely green and picturesque. There is a natural spring on the hill with a mythological sense saying that’s it is the water of River Bhageerathi of Kashi. 

St. Aloysius Chapel:

A beautiful church complex in the middle of city, which is built by Jesuit Missionaries in year 1880, and the interior painting is done by Italian painter Antonio Moschini.  

Our Lady of Rosary Cathedral:

It is a beautiful Portuguese church which is at 2km from Mangalore railway station. The historical church was destroyed, and it was restored. The architecture has a western design.

Explore Beach Destinations

Panambur Beach:

A beautiful stretch of beach in northern coast of Mangalore, which is around 16 km from Mangalore railway station, and is well known for its water sports. The area is well developed with all amenities.

Tannirbhavi Beach:

The place is a thin stretch of land bordered by Arabian Sea on west, and River Gurupura on east of it. The beach is well developed with most amenities. The place can be reached through road or river jetty.

Ullal – Someshwara Beach:

A pristine stretch of beach on the outskirts of city, in the south of Mangalore, and the area is decorated with some historical things like Abbakka Devi temple, stretch of coconut palms. You can see a lot of Brahminy Kites flying around the area. 

 

Other Locations

Sultan Battery:

An ancient war construction by Tipu Sultan in the year 1784 as a security watches area on the banks of River Gurupura. Historically, this was an artillery area guarding the movements in river. Presently, the area is inaccessible and kind-off recovered by vegetative growth. You can see this monument if you take a jetty ride on river.

How to Reach

Mangalore is a well connected city with most of India's important cities. The city is served by Mangalore Central (located in the middle of city) and Mangalore Junction (located at outer of the city), which has trains connecting all major cities via Trivendrum in Kerala, Madgao in Goa and Mumbai in Maharashtra.  Mangalore Airport serves flights from all important domestic terminals and few international flights. The city is well connected with beautiful highways that can be used for scenic road trips. It is an important business town served by ship port for material trade.

Important: If your train is from Mangalore Junction, arrange for private taxi before-hand as reaching here is bit tedious. 

Where to Stay

Being a Metro city, the city has numerous options in all budget levels for stay during your trip. The stays in interior of city has nominal charges. You can opt for high end Gateway Hotel, or the lower mid Hotel Surya. In my stay, I opted for Hotel Karuna Residency, due to its closeness to Mangalore Central Railway station. The hotel is new, nominal on pocket, a good in-house breakfast restaurant and clean stay. If you are opting for beach stays, good options are not available here. You can drive north to Udupi or south to Kasaragod for beach stay experiences. 

 

Eateries - Not to Miss

 

Mangalore is famous for some of its unique non-vegetarian dish. Chicken Ghee Roast, Kori-Rotti, Neer Dosa and Ghasi dishes are top in the demand chain.  Goli Bajji is a veg breakfast item which should not be skipped. Some good to go eateries are Shetty's Lunch Home, Kori-Rotti (only for Kori Roti), Machhali for lunch and dinner. Hotel Woodlands, Taj Mahal Hotel for breakfast. If you ask any Mangaluru guys, Ideal Cafe is their good to go place for snacks and Ice cream. In my experience, Pabba's Ice Cream was world class.   

 

 

 

Travel Days: 

Mangalore can be easily covered in a day trip, so it is advised to combine this with tourist spots like Udupi, so that a good 2 - 3 day trip can be composed.

 

Mangalore is a beautiful destination in the Karnataka coast, with lovely beaches and lush green hills. The city is a lovely combination of nature and urban civilization. Travelers looking for a perfect outdoor comprising of lavish jungles, sandy beaches  and an urban lifestyle should look at Mangalore as a positive destination for your next family visit.  

Happy Traveling !