Vengurla: The Good Life

The wind howls high above Vengurla’s lighthouse, blowing around its little balcony that encircles its round, red-striped tower. The sea looks like burnished liquid gold, stretching as far as the eye can see. Rustic and thoroughly Konkan at heart, Vengurla is thankfully modest on tourist trappings, and also oblivious to its own simple charms.

Small boats slice the waters as they approach a wooden pier, where fishermen busily unload the day’s catch of silver-grey fish. The countryside is resplendent with little rivers snaking past palms. Bordering it all, like a strip of lace, is the Sagareshwar Beach, one of the many unspoilt beaches in Vengurla.

BEACH WATCH

At all the beaches, there are huge waves at high tide, and therefore, swimming isn’t encouraged. Locals warn that there are undercurrents and sudden drops in the seabed, so it’s best not to wade too deep. There are no lifeguards at any of the beaches. It is also best to dress as conservatively as possible.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO

Vengurla’s beaches are quite untouched and often it’s hard to come by another person here, which is perfect for the beach buff looking for a quiet holiday.

Besides chilling out on the beach, there is much to be seen – ancient temples, historical forts and quaint villages, all tucked away in the lush green countryside. Three days are ideal here, but if you want to explore the surrounding areas, make it a week’s stay.

The roads that lead to Vengurla’s main landmarks form a ‘T’, with the jetty and the lighthouse at one end, and the market at the other.

Sagareshwar Beach

Located about 3 km from the bus stand, this beach is hidden away behind rows of tall casuarinas swaying in the wind. Here you can plod up and down soft sand dunes that are white and thick with powdery shell deposits. At night, to the north, you can see the lights of the jetty and the red beam of the lighthouse. On some mornings, dolphins can be spotted near the southern end of the beach.

Access to the beach is either through the MTDC Tent Resort or via the path that leads to the ancient Sagareshwar Temple dedicated to Shiva. The temple, which is on the beach, has a huge deepastambh (lighted column). The structure itself is small; the temple is open only when the priest visits.

The Lighthouse

About 3 km from the town and near the jetty is Vengurla’s lighthouse, reached via a winding path that passes through shrubs and vegetation. It is perched on a small plateau atop a hill, and offers a spectacular view, with the immense ocean below you, stretching far to the horizon; the jetty and its boats; the gorgeous palm-fringed coastline to the left; and a creek far away trailing out to the sea. To the right is a sheer drop down to the sea past jagged cliffs. To the northwest are the Vengurla Rocks, also called Burnt Islands, which were an important pointer for seafarers in ancient times.

Take a stroll around the lighthouse. The northern tip overlooks an alluring horseshoe-shaped beach. Narrow winding pathways lead down to small coves, which are actually tiny strips of sand with the cliff-face rising on both sides. It is advisable for only experienced rock-climbers to venture down, and that too after thoroughly checking the timings of the tides.

Entry ₹10 Timings 4.00–5.30pm

TIP Single travellers aren’t allowed up the lighthouse all by themselves as the authorities are afraid of suicide attempts. Requests, however, usually work

The jetty at Vengurla, part of a trading settlement set up by the Dutch

Dhritiman Mukherjee

Vengurla Jetty

From afar, the jetty ad the area around looks like a shot from a classic Cary Grant movie: a sea veiled in shifting blue, little fishing boats in the foreground, a pier, red-roofed houses clinging to a hillock in the background, and a lighthouse looking over it all.

Vengurla’s jetty was once a bustling port, part of a trading settlement set up by the Dutch (the ruins of their warehouses are still found in the town). The best time to visit the jetty is around 5.00pm when the boats return with the day’s catch. The place comes alive with the sounds of fisherfolk: fisherwomen slip silver fish into their baskets and men anchor their boats with ropes. A little ahead of the slope that leads down to the jetty, look for an inconspicuous set of steps going down to a patch of beach and rocks, hidden by umbrella-like trees.

Vengurla’s Fruit Research Centre

If you would like to know how mangoes keep getting bigger and more delicious, head to the Konkan Farming University and Fruit Research Centre at Vengurla. You are more likely to find it if you ask for the ‘Sanshodhan Kendra’ though.

At the university, experiments on mango, cashew and fruits indigenous to the region are conducted to study the effects of pests and fertilisers. If you want to see the entire process of how cashews are separated, roasted and packed, head to the cashew factory nearby. Remember that you can’t buy cashews here.

Research Centre Location At a distance of 15 minutes from the beach, in the Camp area

Vengurla Market

Vengurla’s tiny yet bustling market will surprise you with its exotic fruit. Most eye-catching are the plump cashew fruits in all shades of yellow and red, which, as the seller will warn you, are to be eaten with salt, first thing in the morning before it ferments. Also sold are pink jaam, a fruit the shape and size of a top with a small marble-like seed, slightly sweet, sour-sweet bulls-heart (ramphal, a relative of the sweet custard apple), green betel leaves, and Alphonso mangoes.

Mochemad and Vayangani

Vayangani and Mochemad, the first two gems in the string of stunning beaches that trail the coast, lie on either side of Vengurla town. Vayangani is a tiny beach, 7 km from Vengurla, and is accessed via shady paths that wind through Vayangani Gaon, darting between towering supari and casuarina groves.

The way to Mochemad, 9 km from Vengurla, is past a little blue-and-white church reminiscent of Goa’s old, charming churches, looking over green fields. The beach is on the road to Shiroda and, to access it, you have to disembark from your vehicle and walk for about a kilometre. With a backdrop of towering hills, the beach is the most scenic spot to visit on this stretch.

Shiroda and Aravali

Keep your camera ready as you drive past these villages. White egrets dot paapdi (a locally grown bean) fields. Small bridges slide over creeks that snake out into the sea. The wind ruffles paddy fields, brushing it with different hues of green.

Shiroda, 10 km south of Vengurla, is home to the Mauli Devi Temple whose presiding deity is the kul devi, or patron goddess, of the region. The salt pans in this village are memorable, particularly because Mahatma Gandhi visited the place during the significant Salt Satyagraha of 1930.

Shri Sateri Devi Mandir in Aravali, a town near Vengurla

Punit Paranjpe

Aravali, Shiroda’s twin village, houses the Sri Vithoba Temple and the Sateri Devi Mandir.

Shri Sagarteerth and Velagar beaches

These beaches are about 14 km south of Vengurla town, and are attached to the villages of Shiroda and Aravali. Though both have become popular with tourists from Kolhapur and Belgaum, the beaches are still pristine. The beaches lie in a line, one continuing from where the other leaves off. The white sand glitters silver in the moonlight, thanks to the high content of shell deposits. Dolphin cruises are offered at Velagar Beach by the resorts located there.

Redi Beach

About 21 km south of Vengurla, Redi is the southernmost beach in Maharashtra, bordering Tiracol and Goa. Redi is known to many as a small mining town. But it’s most famous for its Ganapati Temple, close to the beach, and the six-foot-high statue of the elephant god. Stroll down the path behind the temple for a view of a stretch of beach. Also visit the Redi Jetty, about five minutes from the temple, from where you can see barges being loaded with ore from the region, to be taken to Goa to be refined.

SHOPPING

As this is a cashew district, you can shop for all kinds of cashew products in the market at Vengurla, such as packets of roasted cashews and laddoos and pedas made of cashew. Also pick up amla candy (gooseberry candy) and mango poli, a sweet made from ripe mango.

WHERE TO STAY

Vengurla has only a few stay options, which might explain the lack of crowds. Some locals let out rooms to tourists, and shopkeepers in the main market or around the ST bus stand should be able to guide you to their houses.

In Vengurla town

Hardika Beach Resort (Tel: 02366-228293, Cell: 09422075664; Tariff: ₹800–1,200) located close to Nivati Beach, has 15 rooms in three cottages. Mermaid Beach Resort (Cell: 09423683855; Tariff: ₹600–3,000) offers two sea-facing rooms and some at the back. Gajali Hotel (Tel: 262615; Tariff: Rs. 1,200–2,000) has four rooms, three of them are sea facing. Hotel Laukik (Tel: 263418; Tariff: ₹600–3,000), near Vengurla Market, has eight clean rooms, one of them with an AC. Samir (Tel: 262112; Tariff: ₹400 per person), near the Fruit Research Centre in the Camp Area, is a PWD property with two clean rooms. Reservations have to be made at the PWD head office (Tel: 02363-272214) at Sawantwadi. Don’t forget to collect your pass from this office before heading to Vengurla. You can get some good food if you order in advance.

Thali at Konkan Kinara

Sagar Holiday Resort (Tel: 280363, Cell: 09405227521; Tariff: ₹1,500– 2,000) offers sea-facing rooms in Vergula Bunder. Sagar Sarita Beach Resort (Tel: 262698, 280698; Tariff: ₹1,500–2,000) is also on Vergula bunder and offers accommodation in five tents, along with a restaurant and bar.

On Sagareshwar Beach

Hotel Kokan Kinara (Tel: 263366; Tariff: ₹1,200–1,500), on Khardekar Road has 13 rooms plus a restaurant and bar.

Perched on a rocky outcrop, a stone’s throw from Vengurla Jetty is the PWD guesthouse Sagar (Tel: 02363-262411; Tariff: ₹400–800) facing the sea, with two VIP suites. The USP of this place is the amazing view of the sea, right up to the horizon.

It is compulsory to make reservations at the PWD Head Office (Tel: 02363-272214) at Moti Talao, Sawantwadi. You have to collect a pass from this office before proceeding to Vengurla. Though the rules dictate it’s only for PWD or government employees, one can make a special request at the Sawantwadi office.

On Velagar Beach

The best option on the beach is the Dolphin Bay Beach Resort (Tel: 227529; Tariff: ₹600–2,500), which has ten tents with common baths. They have well-furnished, clean AC rooms as well.

Variety of fruit for sale, Vengurla Market

Dhritiman Mukherjee

The resort has a pretty, open canopy restaurant that serves Malvani, Goan and other Indian vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian dishes. They also organise dolphinspotting boat rides for guests. Tents are, however, not available in the monsoon.

WHERE TO EAT

The locals cook exotic vegetables made from tender green cashewnut, potato-like roots, and paapdi. They make kelphoolachi bhaji, a Konkani dish made of banana flowers. In mango season, their aamras is the ambrosial must in any thali. However, when it comes to fish, they wield a magic wand. The freshest fish – bangda (mackerel), surmai, prawn, domas, karli, or whatever the boats just brought in from the Arabian Sea – arrive at your table, ready to be consumed with a glass of sol kadi.

You must also ask for the local speciality vade sagote, which are delicious thick puris made with multi-grain flour, and served with pieces of chicken in a thick gravy.

Vengurla has a few small restaurants. Bamboo Inn, located on the road to Sagareshwar Beach, about 1.5 km from the ST Bus Stand, serves good seafood, Chinese as well as vegetarian dishes.

It comes with a bar and restaurant, as does Gajaalee near the jetty, which, thanks to its location, serves a popular fish thali. You can find several hole-in-the-wall places such as Gomantak in the market, which serves both vegetarian and fish dishes.

AROUND VENGURLA

Sawantwadi (27 km)

For a long time, Sawantwadi was just a station on the way to Goa. Today, it has morphed into a place where you can stop over, and one sign of this transformation is the number of hotels sprouting up here.

If you visit this place, you can’t miss the sentinel of the town’s royal past. Built in the era of Khem Sawant Bhonsale III (1755–1803), the palace here is unlike most others you’ve seen. A simple, red stone structure covered in ivy, it sits peacefully in the shade of palms, facing Moti Talao, the storybook lake at the centre of town. Sawantwadi is also famous for its painted wood toys.

Where to Stay and Eat

Hotel Mango (Tel: 02363-271048; Tariff: ₹1,000–3,500) is located in the centre of town. Hotel Tara Central (Tel: 272923; Tariff: ₹600–940), Gandhi Chowk, has a restaurant and a bar. Konkan Crown Resort (Tel: 258555; Tariff: ₹1,124–2,800) has swimming pool and a children’s park.

The 24-hour Food Fiesta restaurant at Konkan Crown serves Konkani food. Mango Hotel’s Mango Thali has great thalis while Bhalekar famous for seafood. For a good vegetarian thali, head over to Bharat Mata or Visawa.

Location 28 km from Vengurla Air Dabolim, Goa Rail Sawantwadi Station