32.URBAT, BORSHI, DANDI (NAVSARI)

September 27, 2016March 1, 2017thebluedrive 1 Comment

We leave Surat in the afternoon with a plan to sleep at Navsari after covering a couple of places on the way along the coast. The first place we drive to is a popular beach named Urbat.

The beach is quite good but dirty as most of the beaches in Gujarat are.

The next place is not far away. It is at the opposite side of Urbat in the peninsula jutting into the sea. This one is called Borsi has a Lighthouse ( called Borsi-Vasi Lighthouse) and a fishing harbour. The Lighthouse design is quite interesting. One can see the staircase all the time. Yes, one can go up the top but the stairs are slippery after the rains and the persons in-charge advised us not to do so as it could lead to accidents.

The fishing harbour is walking distance from the Divadandi. The boats are on their way in. Fisher folks are busy in their activities. This is not the high season but that will start shortly. They do get a variety of fish and prawns. The place across the creak is Valsad.

planned we get to Navsari at the end of the day. Finding a hotel was not difficult. We decide to stay here and explore the places around. The next morning, we proceed to Dandi the place made famous by the ‘Salt Satyagraha’, led by Mahatma Gandhi and an important event in India’s freedom movement. Reaching Dandi from Navsari or from anywhere else needs travel through these overgrown thorny Babool trees. This is a feature of many of the village roads along the sea coast.

Dandi has quite a good beach with some afforestation for company courtesy Gujarat Forest Department. Cows go there for their morning walk.

The place for prayers and Gandhiji’s statue is well-maintained.

Saifi illa where Gandhiji stayed the night prior to the event is well maintained and has a permanent exhibition of photographs and some articles of the time.

One interesting thing the caretakers told us is that the actual act of defying the tax on salt imposed by the British Government took place at the doorsteps of the Saifee Villa. This implies that the sea or at any rate the place where salt was extracted was close to the Villa. Now it is about a kilometre away. This phenomenon is observed at many places. At some places the sea has receded like here and at some other places it has gobbled up land. We can see many places along the Gujarat coast (including near the Dwarka temple) where a lot of money is spent by creating embankments to prevent this.

On the way back from Dandi we miss our way and go into wrong direction to reach a village to witness a prawns harvesting activity at Samapore.

The prawns are harvested once in two years and our visits coincided with one of those.

The prawns are large in size and are destined for the big cities and for export market after processing. These are captive bred prawns and not form the sea/creek.

A small distance away, this man is hunting crabs by the creek.

We get back to Dandi again and go to Bhutsad Lake. The area around this small lake has plenty of birds, butterflies, insects and plant species.

The next place we visit near Dandi is called Onjal. There is nothing much at this place except that it has a Lighthouse. No, you cannot visit it now. Come at 4 in the evening.

The rates for visitors are displayed.

But this appears to be a permanent fixture on the gate.

21st & 22nd September 2016

Posted on 27th Sept.

30.BABA GHOR.

September 21, 2016May 25, 2018thebluedrive 3 Comments

The presence of people of African origin on the west coast of India, who arrived in historical times is heard or read in many different contexts. Near the Gir forests they have whole villages of the ‘Sidhis; as they are called. We have record of two princely states in Gujarat and Janjira in Maharashtra being ruled by Sidhis not too far ago.

Another important part of the Sidhi story is the legend of Bab Ghor

Baba Ghor or Babagor Baba Gor or Baba Gour , as the legend goes, was an African religious person who came to India with his followers. Baba Gor was a Muslim and he is considered a saint. He and his relatives have their own dargah complex at a place called Ratanpur or Ratanpore about 22 Kms. from Ankaleshwar. We drive through the rains on an extremely bad road towards the Rajpipla Hills which ultimately culminate into a wildlife sanctuary by the name of Shoolpaneshwar.

We find the Dargah complex easily into a forested area. The greenery in the mist reminds us of the Western Ghats in Maharashtra and Goa.

The people are of unmistakable African origin. The hair and the appearance remains African.

It is not clear from which African country Baba Ghor and his people came from. It is generally believed that they are Abyssinians which is Ethiopia and Eritrea in terms of current geography. If you do a google search you might find something to the effect that Baba Ghor came from Nigeria. This is unlikely as there does not appear be any contact between India and western Africa in those times.

The possibility that the people came from Eastern Africa is reinforced by the fact that they used the word ‘habshi’ in referring themselves. The word means East Africans in general and East African slaves in particular. Bilal-e-Habshi ( Habshi Muezzin) Provision Stores is here.

Baba Gor is known more for a trade reason than religious. He is associated with the mining, cutting and polishing a mineral called Agate. His followers were engaged in this activity in the Rajpipla Hills where this mineral is found. His expertise in this trade is recognized by the fact that a variety of Agate is named after him; Babagor.

The agate mining continues and the processing is industry is spread to other parts of Gujarat. It is no longer practiced at Ratanpur. One funny thing about the place is nobody knows by its name, it is simply called Babagor.

The people at dargah inform us that they are no longer engaged in Agate mining . When asked where it is found, they say that it is everywhere. One doe not even have to dig for it during the rains. Just spade through the mud and you will find the stones.

Baba Ghor was definitely a Muslim. It is not clear to which sub-sect he belongs to. The shopkeepers around has designated him a ‘sufi’, not just an ordinary sufi , a Black Sufi!!

Baba Ghor seems to have to India with a large number of his relatives. His brother has a tomb on a picturesque hill nearby.

Sister Mai Misra rests very close to the brother’s tomb. Mai Misra is a phenomenon that needs to be studied. I have found a tomb with the same name on a beach between Alang and Bhavnagar at a place called Kuda. The locals were of the impression that she come from Sindh.

There are other tombs around. When asked the people at the dargah tell you that they are of Baba’s Khadims- servants in modern language. There is a sizable water tank which has holy water which is reputed to cure people of their ailments.

It is a Sunday and the Dargah has a number of visitors. Buses are coming in. The tea and flower vendors are happy. Incidentally in addition to the flowers and the Chaddars which are the traditional offerings at a dargah, coconut is also offered here. Some sort of fusion.

I am curious about the language they speak. Apparently it is Gujarati. The signboards all over are in Gujarati. I am sure they speak Gujarati with a few words here and there from their native language., now difficult to understand.

An enterprising young man volunteers with some information. He says that their language is Swahili. He offers me a CD ( Rs. 151/-) with recordings of DHAMAAL, which according to him contains Swahili songs. On a casual hearing they appear to be Gujarati. I need to go through the recording carefully to see if it contains any Swahili words which are known to me. Unlikely as Swahili itself developed in the region south of Abyssinia.

In any case the Siddis have enriched Gujarati and Marathi language by giving them the word ‘dhamal’. I am not sure if the ‘Goma’ music that the Siddis use and which has a distinct African rhythm , has influenced any of the Indian musicians.

As more and more devotees start coming in, we decide not to adversely affect the Siddis’ business prospects by idle questioning. We retreat to Ankleshwar.

18th September 2016. suryakiran.naik@gmail.com

Posted on 21.09.2016

BHARUCH

September 19, 2016August 16, 2018thebluedrive 1 Comment

Bharuch or Bhadoch in Gujarati or Broach at an earlier time is another historical place on the Gujarat coast. A medium size town with a population of c. 400,000 and with two large industrial areas- Dahej and Ankaleshwar close by.

Although it has a history, Bharuch has very little in terms of monuments to vouch for it. It is said that after Varanasi, Bharuch is the oldest continuously inhabited place in India. If true, much needs to be done to document it. Very few people in the town know about it’s past. To make things worse for us, it was raining.

As landmarks we could see the Railway Station.

The fort which is in bad condition but offers beautiful view of River Narmada.

The Nawab’s haveli is in good condition. We had the good fortune of meeting the Nawabsaheb who is keen traveller himself. He showed us around a part of the haveli on the ground floor and showed us a number of antique objects in his collection. It includes a number of clocks and watches, very old but still functional. No. Photography is not permitted.

The city has two bridges ( 3 if you count the railway bridge separately) connecting it to the sister city of Ankaleshwar. The logistically important is the new bridge but the one of antiquity of 125+ years old is the 1412 meter long Golden Bridge by which the city’s inhabitants swear.

The Golden Bridge is a scary affair. It is a two-way bridge but scarcely any space between two cars. We had to retract the rear-view mirrors

Ankaleshwar is an out and out industrial town. Hence we decide to give it a miss as ‘industry’ is not a part of our tour agenda unless it is historical. Still we decided to take a drive-through trip of Dahej as it was coupled with visit to another place en route. Dahej ( & Lakhigam which is almost indistinguishable from it) has port terminals and a host of industries. It rained and we had to confine ourselves to the car and miss out on a few things including the Lighthouse.

The place we intended to visit is called Aaliya Bet, an island in the river Narmada. It is located off the road to Hazira to be crossed at a fishing village called Badbuth.

They are in fact two islands. The smaller one which is also nearer is simply called ‘bet’ or island. It is inhabited but does not have a name. Strange. We understand that the people on the ‘bet’ rear cows and the milk is sold at Basdbuth. We make enquiries about a boat to cross over to Aaliya Bet. We are persuaded not to. ‘There is nothing there’. ‘only villages and farming’, ‘there is no boat currently available’ etc.

On the banks of river Narmada, this village is engaged in Hilsa fishing which is sent as far east as Howrah market in West Bengal.

In this smallish village we could count at least 5 temples on the river bank itself, including one under construction.

Our next stop is another island in the river Narmada. Kabirwad is a famous place. Made famous by a religious place called Shuklatirth on shore and a huge banyan tree on the island. The tree is associated with the Saint Kabir and is said to have spread over two and half acres. ‘Said to have’, because we could not see it.

The boat service to the island is suspended for about 4 months now. We are told that there is a dispute between the Government and the contractor. Nobody is willing to take us across.

‘How about the people living on the island? How do they manage?’, ‘People on the island have their own small private boats’. Not for hire.

We saw a boat crossing to the mainland from a distance. We rush upstream but are told that it is a single crossing for the day. The boat will not comeback until the next day.

On the Banks of Narmada, opposite Kabirwad Island. The fruit for sale is the Star Fruit or Carambola.

16th &17th September 2016

Posted on 19th September 2016

KHAMBAT, DHUVARAN, ZAROLA, JAMBUSAR, KAVI.

September 17, 2016September 17, 2016thebluedrive Leave a comment

When we started out from Velavadar, the idea was to end the day at Khambat. However it was quite late by the time we reached a place called Tarapur which has highway accommodation and we decided to make a halt there.

It turned out to be a good decision. The drive from Tarapur ( not to be confused with the town with the same name in Maharashtra) to Khambat is something to cherish. The scenic beauty of the 22 Kms. road with greenery on both sides is unforgettable.

Khambat is steeped in history. Once a major port, the town lost its importance in the course of time perhaps due to silting of the seashore. The difference between the low tide and high tide sea level is huge. There is nothing like a port any longer.

A few old buildings are still seen. The time we spent in the town was very little largely due to the fact that the day was Ananth Chaturdashi, the last day for immersion of Ganesh idols.

We saw one being carried on a camel cart. This must be unique. Is there any other place where camel is used to carry Ganesh?

We decide to proceed and visit another place by the sea called Dhuvaran. Dhuvaran has a two-year old gas-based power plant which never started. Perhaps they made some mistakes. They certainly made one on this signpost showing the direction.

By the sea there are two temples. We have posted too many pictures of temples on this blog. For a change let me post some signboards.

Sometimes old dilapidated structures, including industrial ones look cute. This pumping station for an old power plant is by the sea rendered useless by the new power plant which is not functional. Tragic.

By now we have decided on Jambusar as the place to make the night halt. That is the best option we have as Bharuch is a bit too far and we have one or two places to cover which are accessible from Jambusar. Before we reach Jambusar we come across a scene to remember. Sarees, hundreds and thousands of them hanging from the trees on both sides of the road for nearly half a kilometre. A sight that would make even the most disinterested person to stop and take a note.

We make enquiries about the phenomena. The explanation came out very easily. This is the shrine of Chudail Maa. You go to this deity and make a wish. It will be fulfilled. You have to come back and offer a saree to Chudail Maa. The saree will be hung up there. Consequences of not offering the saree are serious.

Going by the number of sarees hanging there, it appears to be a serious business and worth trying. By the way, you need not go there with a saree, they are available with the local vendors. Incidentally, did you hear the women in Hindi movies calling each other ‘chudail’ ? They don’t know what they are talking about.

Jambusar is a very ordinary small-town. ONGC is active nearby. Nothing to write home about, a stopover place like it happened for us. The place we go and see from here on the sea is called Kavi. Kavi is on the opposite side of the Gulf of Khambat and one can see Khambat. The actual seashore is 5 kms from the Kavi village and has a mosque, a Jain derasar and the famous Stambeshwar Mahadev temple in the sea.

19a

The temple is operational only during the low-tide and is immersed in water at high tide exactly like the Nishkalank Mahadev temple. The difference between the two is the distance. Nishkalank is far out in the sea, Stambeshwar isquite close on the beach. Therefore, Nishkalank is more famous and has more devotees than Stambeshwar. Those planning to build temples in the sea, kindly make a note of this.

These are the fruits of Dhattura which are offered to Stambheshwar Mahadev by the devotees. He must be the most gracious God to accept poisonous fruits as offering.

Gods have the monopoly to grant us wishes, not financial institutions. Here at Stambheshwar Mahadev, Bank of Baroda has thrown an open challenge to God(s). It is publicly offering to fulfil all (tamam) manokamana (wishes). This is an affront to the divinity. The Gods should take immediate action against the Bank and Government of India, it’s owners.

14th & 15th September 2016

Posted on 17th September 2016.

BHAVNAGAR, VELAVADAR,DHOLERA & LOTHAL.

September 16, 2016September 16, 2016thebluedrive 1 Comment

Bhavnagar was a disappointment. Despite being the capital of a major princely state, it has very little to offer in terms of architecture. Just about four monuments can me mentioned including the palace which is now a hotel.

Barton Library is a landmark. It was under repairs when we visited.

Alfred High School is another notable structure along with the nearby buildings housing the law courts.

2-alfred-high-school

The Ganga Chhatri is a finely designed 1893 make structure badly in need of some care. It is a memorial to a queen who died in childbirth. People are urinating, plants are growing between the pieces of marbles. It would not be long before it is gone unless something is done urgently.

4-ganga-deri

A parrot atop the Ganga Chhatri

5-2

The Victoria Park in the centre of the town and the adjacent lake are environmentally important places providing the leisure space and quite a bit of minor wildlife. The important aspect of the Victoria Park is that it’s tree species are all locals.

A few miles outside the town is an important mechanical device, a gate which maintains the water level at low tide in a shipyard. The adjacent Bhavnagar port, however appears to be past its days.

Beyond Bhavnagar and up to Bharuch which is located beyond the Gulf of Khambat, there are not many places on the coast which would be of interest to us. However, we intend to visit as many of them as possible. The next important place on the coast is Khambat but before that we decide to visit two more places which are not exactly on the coast but within a 30 Kms. distance which is the limit we have set for ourselves.

The first of these is the Velavadar Blackbuck Sanctuary & National Park.

dscn5078

Velavadar is closed for the monsoons which end on 15th October for the department of forests of the Government of Gujarat. It is a 4 months holiday. We are stopped on the public road which passes through the sanctuary to reach the villages beyond and admonished for taking photographs. We are to stay at the Blackbuck Lodge a couple of Kms. beyond. The Lodge is excellent and well managed. I wish we were visiting during the migration season when the park gets a number of migratory birds. We still hoped to see an indigenous but local bird- the Lesser Florican. We spent almost half a day with a local guide. No success. the grass is grown a bit more than what is ideal for it’s sighting. There are other birds like this spoonbill which are not migratory.

dscn5186

We enjoy our one night stay at the Lodge. It is a place to remember. This was our cottage.

dscn5020

The migration season is just starting and we could see a female Montagu’s Harrier and an European Roller. The local Guide Amit Velavadar is an young student but quite knowledgeable of the local and visiting species. The thing to remember on the wildlife side was the sighting of a leucistic female Blackbuck. There are two of them in the park. It is not common because the leucistic specimen of animals cannot expect to survive long in the wild as they lack the natural camouflage of their species.

dscn4941

Another interesting thing we find at the Lodge ( and around it) is a wild variety of Ochra(Bhendi). It is growing naturally and has similar flowers but the fruit has a design on it which is not found in the domesticated variety. No, we did not taste it.

ochra

We come of the Park area and drive towards Khambat. On the way between Bhavnagar and Khambat , one can see an interesting twist of history. We cross Dholera, the proposed megacity , the Hong Kong of India and drive towards Lothal an Harappan city at least 4000 years old. The two places are quite close by. By the time Dholera is fully complete, Lothal would around 25 Kms. across.
There is not much in Dholera at the moment except for the very promising billboards and hoardings offering all kinds of real estate.

dscn5193

Lothal gives you a good insight into the Indus Valley civilization townships. The factories, the port, the Chief’s residence are all there. This site is not as big as Dholavira in Kutch but is important as it was a maritime place with a port and trade with several overseas territories in the Persian Gulf as well as Africa.

The chief stayed here.

A part of the Harbour. The Archaeological Survey appear to have done a good job. The small museum at the site is helpful in understanding many aspects of the Harappan life. The place does not have the usual tourist crowd and hence is clean and neat.

This is the part of the harbour where the ships of overseas traders docked. Now it is several kilometres from the river which connects it to the Arabian sea.

12th to 14th September 2016

Posted on 16th September from Bharuch.

GOPNATH,JANJMER, TALAJA,ALANG KUDA , GHOGA.

September 15, 2016April 14, 2020thebluedrive 1 Comment

We start the day with a beautiful sunrise from the Arabian Sea at Gopnath, move around the estate of the Maharaja, look at the beach and start for Janjmer.

The reason for going back to Janjmer is the Lighthouse we had missed yesterday on our way from Mahua to Gopnath. We have to go through the entire village to reach a small hill which used to be a fort to reach the lighthouse.

2-2

The surrounding as seen from the hill are incredibly beautiful.

The village has an old Vav. This is a regular well, not a step-well.

A colony of spoonbills on the way.

dscn4749

The next place on the way is Talaja. This is an important Jain pilgrimage centre with caves along the hill and the temples on top. It also has some Hindu temples as well. This hill forms a part of the famous Shatrunjay Hills group which include the more famous Palitana.

We cross a couple of rivers and reach the junction to Alang. This port was once credited to be the world’s largest ship breaking yard. I am not sure if it still holds the record but one can certainly see large number of vessels meeting their end along the coast at various yards.

The shops between the port and the highway sell whatever could be salvaged from the dead ships. This includes anything from dinner plates to large lifeboats.

Alang port houses a Lighthouse. We have taken it upon ourselves to create a photographic record of all Lighthouses on our route.

Between Alang and Bhavnagar the coast ( which is by now the Gulf of Khambat) has a large number of temples ( what else?) and dargahs. The most famous of the temples is the Nishkalank Mahadev Temple at Koliyaak . The temple is operational only at low tide. At high tide it is submerged preventing Lord Mahadev from blessing the large number of devotees waiting in hot sun on the shore

dscn4865

The beach is disgustingly dirty with all kind of waste.

The debris includes the idols of Nishkalank Mahadev’s son Ganapati immersed earlier by devotees and mercilessly rejected by the Arabian sea as unsuitable.

Between here and Bhavnagar town which is our next stop, we have two beaches and one island. Kuda beach has a temple and a Dargah. Ghoga has a Lighthouse, two jetties. There is an island called Pirambet. We make an unsuccessful attempt to visit the island. It requires permission from Marine Police, Ports Authorities and the Lighthouse authority. It would be easier to visit Pentagon. The island is uninhabited save for the lighthouse staff.

Piram Island lighthouse from the shore.

dscn4832

At Kuda beach we find, adjacent to the Dargah, a temple to a goddess and another dargah of a woman saint. This is the first to me. The locals reveal that the devi as well as the female Muslim Pir came from Sindh.

Here is the dargah of Mai Misra Mata. What do you call a female Pir? anyone?

1th & 12th September 2016

Posted on 15th September (on account of bad connectivity)

26. PIPAVAV GAM, VICTOR BANDAR, CHANCH, MAHUVA, UNCH KOTADA, GOPNATH

September 11, 2016July 31, 2020thebluedrive 2 Comments

We start the day at Hindorma near Rajula, district Amreli. Within a short distance we come across a signpost showing Pipavav and a temple. This is the original village VAV , a step well after which the village and now a major port is named.

and the peacocks in abundance. This one is making a pass at the cow.

As we drive towards Bhavnagar ( not knowing where we will close the day), we come across a huge signage showing directions to Victor Bandar or Port Victor, an unusual name for a place in Kathiawad. As suspected it turns out that this place is named after an Englishman. We could not find the full story. We drive on 1.5 Kms of cement road and then through 2.5 Kms of field of ditches knee deep to be told that the port is dysfunctional or nearly so. There is a small signpost and entry is not restricted. An old office block indicates that there was some economic activity here in the distant past.

This place is on a creek, not on the seashore. What attracts our attention is an oldish looking structure well beyond the other side of the water. The creek can be crossed by a boat which can take a motorcycle, not a car. But then this structure is very attractive, it is on the seashore and must be seen. Our research before starting had not revealed any such thing. At least it is not in my notes. Google map also fails to reveal anything. We make inquiries with the people at the crossing. Yes. It is a palace and the place is called Chanch and is also a port or used to be a port for transporting salt in good old days. How do we go there? ‘Go back to the main, drive towards Bhavnagar about 20 kms, take a right turn and drive another 16 Kms’. In the event, this drive revealed something which you do not find on the internet, at least we did not. An 84 room palace of the Maharajas of Bhavnagar, built in 1945. Not in a very good shape internally but cannot be called dilapidated. It has excellent view of the sea but does not have a beach. It is on a cliff and overlooks the Arabian sea. We are told that it has been sold to be developed as a Heritage hotel.

From the huge galleries of the Haveli, as it is called locally, one can see Pipavav Port, Shiyalbet and also another smaller island behind Shiyalbet. This smaller island is not visible from the Pipavav Port side. It has a Lighthouse.

We come back to state highway and drive towards Bhavnagar. At around lunchtime we come across Mahuva town. We decide to look around the town and spend the night here as accommodation is available, Mahuva does not have much to write home about but the outskirts towards the west have some beautiful places.

Bhavani Mandir on a cliff on Bhavani Beach is worth visiting.

Childless couples make an offering of these little wooden cradles to the Goddess for the desired result.

This lighthouse called Jegari on the hill opposite the temple take us some time to reach as we have to return to the town and drive again in the same direction but from another place. The Lighthouse surprised us by saying that we are welcome and we bought the visit tickets, camera tickets etc. The next moment they tell us that we cannot go up as the lights have already come on and the regulations do not allow us to climb up at this time. We have to come back tomorrow evening at 4 pm. This information is revealed only after we buy the tickets for Rs. 90/-

The port of Mahuva is a minor port and it has silted and used only for fishing boats.

The next day (Saturday, 10^th Sept.) we leave Mahuva to see Unch Kotada, a town by seaside famous for a temple complex and a beach. We drive on the smaller village roads nearer to the seashore instead of taking the better roads connecting cities.

Practically every village which has a seaside has it’s own temple, especially if it has a hill or hillock. The main temple is on Unch Kothada a hill but one can drive up there. One cannot see the sea clearly from there as a wall surrounds the place.

Our next station is Gopnath. On the way we find this step well (Vav) at Vejodari. The Vav is an important institution in this part of the world often accompanied by a temple. The Vavs have been kept alive even at those places that have piped water.

Gopnath or Gopnath Mahadev is known for it’s temple (s) and the sea shore.

It also has a Lighthouse. In fact this place had a lighthouse during the reign of the Maharajas. The remnants of the old one can still be seen.

The new operational Lighthouse:

The old one.

dscn4671

The ‘Floating Stones; is a major attraction in the temple complex.

The interesting part of Gopanath is that it has hotel accommodation. An old property overlooking the see belonging to the Maharaja of Bhavnagar has been converted into a hotel. We decide to spend the night here to have a feel of how the royalty spent it’s time or rather where they spent their spare time. The manager of the hotel Mr. Ajay Singh treats us well.

dscn4658

9th &10th September 2016

Posted on 1th September 2016

suryakiran.naik@gmail.com

25. GUPT PRAYAG, JAFARABAD, PIPAVAV, SHIYALBET .

September 9, 2016April 14, 2020thebluedrive Leave a comment

We leave Diu early in the morning and proceed to the next place which could be either Nava Bandar or Gupt Prayag with a little early morning thrown in as bonus. Delvada is the junction on the way from which these two places are to be accessed.

As things turned out we make it to Nava Bandar first. Another fishing harbour, another Lighthouse another mosque. Nothing out of the way except that the method of dying fish hanging by ropes starts from here.

The first picture shows how people go to and from the fishing boat.

The Lighthose

The Mosque

Back to Delvada for a refreshing green coconut at Rs.10/- each. Move on to Gupt Prayag. It has a temple or temples and a story. Lord Vishnu disappeared from the rest of the world and lived here for one year. This is the story told locally and we have no means of verifying it at the moment.

Back to Delvada and towards Jafarabad. On the way we witness harvesting of nuts of another palm called Hoka.

Before reaching Jafarabad, we take a detour to a small village with a beach called Sarkeshwar. Nice little beach with a little temple. In the village it is time for Ganapati Visarjan. We are promptly appointed the official photographers of the event. Just about everybody wants to be photographed. I ask for an e-mail Id for sending the photographs. Someone volunteered with a wrong one. The pictures will perhaps be never seen by the enthusiastic folks.

We start Jafarabad with the Lighthouse and the jetty beyond. The beach is rocky and has a temple like most other populated seaside towns.

10a

The town has an old fort counting its last days and has been partly converted into a public health facility.

The most outstanding feature of this town is the trade in a single species of Lizard Fish popularly called Bombay Duck or (Mombil ,Bombala etc. in Indian languages), Harpadon nehereus to the biologists. Almost the entire town (or at least the female part of the town) is engaged in the handling, drying and making ready for sale this species in what appears to be in huge quantities. I don’t know why they call it Bombay Duck, it should be called Jafarabad Duck. Incidentally most of the catch from here is sent to Mumbai. Here are some of the activities captured by us.

13a

We move on. Hindorma near Rajula on the way to Mahuwa has nice accommodation. Hotel Siddhi is well managed. We decide to break here for bit of a rest. In the evening we make a trip to Pipavav port and Shialbet island. We need to take permission from the port authorities to enter the port on our way to Shialbet. One can see the activities in the port which includes shipbuilding and handling of petroleum.

dscn4432

dscn4431

By the time we reach the place from where they ferry the residents of the island across, it is bit late and windy. We decide not to cross to the island which does not have any local transport and our car cannot be carried across. No, not even motorcycles. This island did not have electricity until last year although it has a population of more than 5000 and even has education facilities up to 10+2.

dscn4424

dscn4426

On the way back to the hotel we stop at Reliance petrol station near Rajula to be greeted by this huge lizard.

dscn4435

8th September 2016

Posted on 9th Sept. 2016

suryakiran.naik@gmail.com

24. DIU

September 8, 2016April 14, 2020thebluedrive Leave a comment

The tiny half of Union Territory of Daman & Diu and earlier a tinier part of Goa, Daman & Diu and still earlier a part of Portuguese colony Estado da India is a faint memory of my childhood. I was born in Goa and remember the horror stories of government servants being transferred to Diu if they misbehaved in Goa. It was considered a punishment posting to a faraway island.

As we enter the island from Kodinar side(north), we immediately realize that the place is a beauty. It is also very neat and clean thanks to the Union Territory administration.

When we mention Diu, we immediately remember the Portuguese. Many people do not know that when the Persian Zoroastrians came to India, their first ship which came from Hormuz made its landfall at Diu in 936 AD, a good five centuries before the Portuguese. They had to leave their land for their faith. Nothing much is left of this part of the history except a couple of buildings on a small hill. The Tower of Silence has survived well or perhaps maintained well.

Following the chronology (but giving a miss to a lot of history in between), we go on to the Portuguese built fort which is the major tourist attraction. Let the pictures speak for themselves as it is a complex piece of architecture and fort design.

It has an outcrop separated from the main fort and is called Pani Kotha. This is at sunrise not sunset.

We move around looking for the tell-tale marks of Portuguese occupation of the place. We find some but not as many as expected. Unlike in Goa, the Portuguese failed to make any impact on the cuisine of Diu, for example. Here are some structures and signs that ring Portuguese bells.

The electricity generation station.

There are three churches, one of which is under renovation and another one is used as a Museum.

The small island of Diu is graced by 5 Lighthouses or objects serving the similar objective. The two major ones are inside the Fort. The third one is in the vicinity on the Pani Kotha. There are two others are at the Vanakbara beach. Shown here in that order. The last two at the mouth of the creek to guide the fishing boats.

Naida Caves. If you ask anyone in Diu about the places to be visited, after the Fort, the most recommended place would be the caves. They are worth a visit. They are not a wet, dark scary place. They are airy, with a lot of light coming in from the top and are very pleasant which is not expected of caves. It is speculated that the caves were formed when the Portuguese cut for stones for building the fort which is not far away. If they did that, I am inclined to think that they cut the stones or slabs skillfully to make another structure under the ground.

Among other things one can have look at is the Sea Shell Museum which is unique. It houses the collection of shells belonging to one individual who has passionately collected them from many parts of the world. Capt. Devjibhai Fulbaria served in merchant navy and has retired for 15 years devoting his time for the Museum. What this labour of love is seriously lacking in is scientific display technique.

There is a tree called Rukhda tree which is claimed to be 400 years old (you will find this kind of claims almost everywhere). It is supposed to be a Baobab tree of Madagascar origin. For me it appears to have too many branches and leaves to be called a Baobab but then I am not the authority.

And then of course there are the beaches. Diu island as well as the portion on the mainland have several beaches. Barring one or two, they are rocky and could be dangerous for swimmers. They have one place which has two beaches within the earshot which would be rare anywhere.

This one is at Vanakbara, the fishing village.

What I found very interesting among the places of Diu is this very unassuming but a place of historical importance.

At Vankabara one can see this small creek with Sarkhadi peninsula on the other side. At one time this small creek formed the boundary between the British and Portuguese empires. Currently, I am told, people cross to the Diu side for a peg or two and then return to the ‘prohibited’ Gujarat.

5th, 6th & 7th September 2016

Posted on 8th September 2016

suryakiran.naik@gmail.com

23. VERAVAL, SUTRAPADA, DHAMLEJ, MUL DWARKA

September 7, 2016July 19, 2020thebluedrive Leave a comment

We had entered Somnath-Dwarka twin towns through Veraval but had decided to stay at Prabhas-Patan, closest to Lord Somnath. In the process we did not have a look at the beauty of Veraval. On our way out of Somnath-Veraval-Prabhas Patan confusion we decide to go through the town.

Veraval is a large port and from what one can see must have been a busy one in its heyday. Now it is a fishing harbor with some boat-building activity. It is hurting to see towns and port towns which we studied in our geography lessons some years back, like this one, becoming ghost towns.

Veraval has a Horseshoe-shaped Lighthouse on the seashore located a bit far away from the port.

dscn4075

We move on in southerly direction with a view to make a night halt at Mul-Dwarka or Kodinar. On the way we come across a place which is shown on the Google map as Sutrapada Chowpaty. We drive in to face a cremation in progress. ‘Chowpaty’ here means cremation grounds. On the way back we see this Shani Temple. Now, let those people who claim that only Shani Temple in India is at Shani-Shinganapur in Maharashtra know that they have competition.

There is a coastal forest belt at Sutrapada. We waited for permission at the office till 10 am and nobody turned up. We decide to drive on instead of waiting for the Great Indian Bureaucracy to arrive. Dhamlej is the name of next place on the coast. This is an out and out a fishing village with a very small Lighthouse, the smallest we have seen so far. It is not functional.

It is Ganesh Chaturthi today and people are busy with the preparations for the festival.

On the fishermen’s jetty we see a mound of these seashells. We are told that they are not caught deliberately, they come with the fishes and are utterly useless.

It is a bit hot to-day. The sun has come up in full force. We have two more places to do before we rest for the day. We have Mul Dwarka coming up. Mul Dwarka is a huge confusion. There are at least three places in Gujarat coast that claim to be the ‘Mul’ the original Dwarka from where Lord Krishna moved to his current official residence. The one we are about to visit is one of those ‘Mul Dwarkas’.

The place is completely overshadowed by the huge cement plant owned by Ambuja Cement.

So much so, to reach the temple on the seashore one has to pass under the property owned by the successors to Joseph-Auguste Pavin de Lafarge, the French businessman. Lord Krishna would definitely have refused to pass under this material handling plant.

The temple(s) are not spectacular, ordinary temples that you find in villages all over India.

The people are keen to be photographed.

The really interesting thing about the place is a small wetland directly opposite the cement plant which is hosting several species of birds. We could count nearly a dozen late morning.

Here is a Pheasant Tailed Jacana.

Between Mul Dwarka and Kodinar we stop to photograph this beautiful shrine of Shia Muslims known as karbala.

We move on with the intention of putting up for the night at Kodinar. On arrival we see that this place has nothing to offer for visitors and is also a bit far off from the sea. And then Diu is only 40 Kms. away. Driving 40 Kms. away from the oppressive policies of Gujarat government is not a big deal after being thirsty for 24 days.

Travelled on 5th September 2015

Posted on 7th September 2015.

suryakiran.naik@gmail.com

thebluedrive

Along India's Coastline

Uncategorized

32.URBAT, BORSHI, DANDI (NAVSARI)

30.BABA GHOR.

BHARUCH

KHAMBAT, DHUVARAN, ZAROLA, JAMBUSAR, KAVI.

BHAVNAGAR, VELAVADAR,DHOLERA & LOTHAL.

GOPNATH,JANJMER, TALAJA,ALANG KUDA , GHOGA.

The village has an old Vav. This is a regular well, not a step-well.

26. PIPAVAV GAM, VICTOR BANDAR, CHANCH, MAHUVA, UNCH KOTADA, GOPNATH

25. GUPT PRAYAG, JAFARABAD, PIPAVAV, SHIYALBET .

24. DIU

23. VERAVAL, SUTRAPADA, DHAMLEJ, MUL DWARKA