Moving ahead with our new post, today we will be featuring yet another great place to visit in and around Mumbai. And the place is Alibaug. Alibag or Alibaug is a coastal town and a municipal council in Raigad District in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. It is headquarters of the Raigad district. The town and its surrounding villages are the historic hinterland of Bene Israeli Jews. There is a Synagogue in the "Israel Ali" area of the town.Alibaug is a must visit place for nature lovers. Being located at the southern tip of Mumbai, Alibagh or Alibaug, is fringed with tall coconut trees and golden sandy beaches lapped by the ocean. Apart from the quaint village houses, it also has farm houses of Mumbai's affluent folk.
Nearly 300 years old, Alibaug was founded in the 17th century by Sarkhel Kanhoji Angre, a naval chief of Shivaji's kingdom. The Marathas made Alibagh a Taluka in 1852 and named it Shribag. Because Alibaug was not connected to the mainland by road at that time, the only way to get here was through the sea from Revas, Dharmtar or Mankule. However the construction of the Dharamtar Creek opened its doors to a wider public, connecting it to metros like Mumbai.
A weekend getaway and a popular business centre today, Alibaug is frequented by affluent Mumbaiites, mostly to enjoy the beauty of the sea. The town and its surrounding villages are the historic hinterland of the Bene Israeli Jews, who migrated to west Maharashtra in the 19th century from nearby Indian cities and parts of modern Pakistan.
The Kulaba Fort is the prime attraction of Alibaug. Encircled by the sea, it is best visited within an hour of the low tide and unless you leave before the high tide, you will be stranded there for the next 5-6 hours. The other places worth visiting here include Magnetic Observatory, Kanhoji Angre Samadhi, Vikram Vinakyak temple, various small churches and synagogues, and the tower of St. Barbara.
The sandy stretches of the nine beaches here are ideal for long walks and sunbathing. Some of the more popular beaches include Akshi, Revdanda, Kihim and Nandgaon. A little away from Alibaug is the Janjira Fort (about 4 km from Murud). Although in ruins now, it is interesting to know that there were people actually live in this fort till 1971.
Food is very local here with most of the restaurants serving 'thalis' with some lip smacking sea fish like pomphret and surmai.
The following are the main beaches in and around Alibag:
- Alibag beach - This is the main beach of the town.
- Varsoli Beach - Located about a mile from the main beach, home to a very large naval base.
- Akshi Beach - It is situated 5 km away from Alibag.
- Nagaon beach - It is situated about 7 km away from Alibag and is famous for coconuts and betel nuts.
- Kihim Beach - Kihim is a secluded place at a distance of 12 km from Alibag. The Kihim beach is famous for dense cover of Coconut trees. It is also famous for woods which are home to rare butterflies, birds and flowers.
- Awas - It is situated about 16 km away from Alibag.
- Saswane - It is situated about 18 km away from Alibag.
- Rewas - It is situated about 24 km away from Alibag.
- Chaul Revdanda - It is situated about 17 km away from Alibag.
- Mandawa - It is situated about 20 km north of Alibag. The catamaran/ferry services are available from Mumbai to the Mandawa jetty. Many Bollywood celebrities own bungalows here.
- Kashid Beach - It is situated about 30 km away from Alibag, on the Alibag-Murud highway, also this beach is possibly one of the cleanest and most beautiful beaches in the region with almost 'white' sand.
- Kolaba (or Kulaba) fort (Not to be confused with Colaba in Mumbai) - Is situated in the sea at a distance of 1-2 km from the Alibag shores. During low tide one can walk to the fort.
- Kanakeshwar temple - Is situated on a hill near Mapgaon village, about 12 km away from Alibag and falls on the way to Mandawa.
- Tower of St. Barbara
- Chaul - Is a historic town situated about 15 km away from Alibag. It is famous for its Portuguese ruins, an old church, a synagogue, Buddhist caves, the Hamam Khana and a temple.
- Vikram Vinayak Temple or Birla Temple, Salav - Is situated about 20 km away from Alibag, on the way to Janjira.
- Sagargarh
- Kanhoji Angre Samadhi
- Uma-Maheshwar temple
- Balaji temple
- Murud-Janjira - Janjira is the legendary fort situated not very far from Alibag.
- Datta Mandir - Situated at bhowale, 2 km away from chaul.
- Hingulja Mandir - Situated near datta mandir,historic temple built by pandwas.
- Magnetic Observatory - Established in 1904 by the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism.
http://www.holidayiq.com/destinations/Alibaug-Overview.html
