Diveagar, Shrivardhan & Harihareshwar:
Diveagar (Dive Agar) is a locale in Shrivardhan Taluka, Raigad district in Maharashtra, approximately 170 KM south of Mumbai. The area includes a fishing settlement, a beach, a temple, local businesses engaged in coconut and beetle nut tree farming, and some resort businesses such as restaurants, cottage rentals and hotels, and home stays. The beach is approximately 4 – 5 KM long and unpolluted, clean and calm. The beach contains a number of Suru trees (Casuarinas), which are common to coastal Maharashtra. The access to the beach has a dense cover of Belu trees, which are otherwise uncommon in the area.
Diveagar is a popular beach destination from the nearby towns of Shrivardhan and Harihareshwar. Sand-bubble crabs can be found on the beach and at nearby Harihareshwar one can find dolphins. And last but not the least Lord Suvarna Ganesha is one of the main attractions of tourists visiting here.
Shrivardhan is one of the oldest towns in Maharashtra, which boasts of a 200 year old history. It is a town of Peshwas. The Bhats of Shrivardhan – later popularly known as Peshwas – witnessed the rise and fall of Marathas after Shivaji’s period. Shri Laxminarayan Temple – is the main temple of Peshwas & the idol in the temple is quite old. There stands house of the Peshwas narrating the story of their royal existence, which was built by Third Peshwa (Balaji Bajirao) in 1750. It is also famous for a fort and golden beach.
Shrivardhan is about 6 KM from Diveagar.
Harihareshwar is considered one of the holiest places in India. It is called the Kashi of South India because of a Shivling. The town is surrounded by four hills named after Lords Harihareshwar, Harshinachal, Bramhadri and Pushpadri. Harihareshwar is also a popular beach destination with two unspoiled and pristine beaches, one to the north and the other to the south of the temple.
The distance between Shrivardhan and Harihareshwar is 18 km only.
Diveagar, along with Shrivardhan and Harihareshwar forms a popular weekend beach destination from Pune (190 km) and Mumbai (210 km).
Travelogue
After a beautiful experience with Guhagar, we decided to cover other beach location in the Konkan stretch of Maharashtra. This time we finalized the belt of Diveagar, Shrivardhan, & Harihareshwar within a range of 21 KM.
We headed towards Diveagar via Mumbai – Goa highway (NH17), & once again in no time we were surrounded by natural environment. We took the right turn from Mangaon from where Diveagar was 51 KM away. We were following the directions and were heading towards our destination but after driving on ghats we realized that somewhere we had taken a wrong turn. We confirmed with passerby and were relieved to know that this route will also lead us to our destination. Our worries have gone by & we were enjoying the roller coaster ride of the ghat amidst a thick forest. It was a “Blessing in disguise” for us, as what we have witnessed on that route was unbelievable. The drive through the terrain with sea on one side, green landscape on other side, and those untouched beautiful beaches were picturesque.
We reached Diveagar after a drive of four hours, and went to our home stay which was set up within a neat and clean village. The freshness of the place and the natural environment was soothing in itself.
We enjoyed the homemade food served to us and took a rest. After a while, we started our walk towards the beach through the lanes of Diveagar.
The entry to the beach was quite different, through a thick cover of belu trees.
The beach lived up to our expectations and it was beautiful. A long neat and clean beach where you can venture into the sea as well.
We enjoyed the adventure sports (Parasailing, bumpy boat ride, banana boat ride, & jet skiing) on offer there and spent rest of the evening amidst the tranquil environment at the beach. The sunset seems to be the most pleasing scene. At twilight, the sun starts to move near the sea and at one moment it just gets dissolved in the sea turning the water saffron.
There was no fear of dark and the sky is now full of stars, making the sea shine. The waves came to the shore and got mingled with the sands. The walk down in the lanes of Diveagar at night with twinkling stars staring at us was a scene that we can only imagine in an urban city. Next day we covered the other beaches at Shrivardhan as well as Harihareshwar and were on our way back to home. On our way back, we halted at the hills to adore the nature and did a small trekking to the small hilltop. The view from the hill top was exquisite.
Diveagar is a refreshing gateway from the hustle and bustle of city life. The beach here is awesome and the best thing about it is the impregnable silence. And if one relishes sea-food, there is no scarcity of delicacies on offer here. We enjoyed the peace and unhurried pace of village life set amid a tranquil coastal ambience. The twinkling stars at the night amongst the raw nature were quite an amazing experience.
Fact File about Diveagar
Climate: Temperature varies from 18 degree Celsius to 35 degree Celsius. Monsoon arrives in June and lasts till end of September.
Best time to visit: November to February
Accommodation: Diveagar have both resorts and home stays available. Homemade foods are made available in home stays. The place is not much commercialized. MTDC accommodation is available at Harihareshwar.
How to reach:
By Air: Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai, which is nearly 170 km from Diveagar & Pune Airport – 156 KM.
By Road: Mangaon is the nearest major city and is directly on NH17. Both ST and Private buses are available to cities like Mumbai/Pune from Diveagar.
By Train: Nearest railhead is Mangaon railway station in the Konkan railway region. It is connected to Mumbai and Goa. From the railway station to Diveagar is about 65 km.
2 Responses
Harsh
That was one awesome trip indeed! 😀
shikha
guess i owe myself a trip to this place…big tym beach lover….on my way!!!!