Sunday 12 December 2021

December 12, 2021 0

Yashwantgad Fort, Redi



Yashwantgad Fort is located in the quiet little fishing village of Redi formerly known as Reddipatnam or Revati. It’s one of those small villages located along the majestic coast of the Arabian Sea and comes under the jurisdiction of Vengurla Taluka of Konkan Region, South of Maharashtra.

A Brief History

Yashwantgad/Redi Fort is located atop a small hill to the North of Jitapur bay, and to the South of Maharashtra, amidst lots of coconut and palm trees. It used to serve as an important sea port and trading centre during the reign of Chalukya Swamiraja.

Originally, Yashwantgad fort was built by the great rulers of the Maratha in the early sixteenth century and was later conquered by the Portuguese invaders in the year 1746. After the invasion and possession of the fort by the Portuguese, the Sawants, a clan of Maharshtra and the previous Citadel holders, grew desperate and wanted to regain their foothold on the fort. This is because Yashwantgad fort was then of a great prominence to Marathas due to its tactical and strategic positioning which also served as a major trading point.

As a result, the Sawant clan decided to recapture the port one way or the other. They poisoned the fish in the Portuguese Garrison's fish supply. However, their attack remained unsuccessful as the Portuguese came to know of the Sawants’ intentions. Finally, as a part of peace treaty, the Fort was returned to the Sawants.

But the joy of regaining the fort was a short one. In the year 1765, the British conquered the fort and it remained in their control up until 1890, after which they decided to sell the land inside the fort walls to the locals. Though the land inside the fort was sold to the local villagers, the walls of the fort remained their control.


Some Interesting Facts

The entire fort was built in an area of 3 hectares or 7.41 acres of land

20mt deep into the ground and around the fort is the dry moat (a deep wide ditch surrounding the castle)

You need to pass not one or two, but a total of four gates to get into the fort. All of these gates are still intact and in fact as rigid as they might have been when built

The balekilla (meaning "small fort" or "citadel") inside the fort remembers us almost of a jigsaw puzzle

Though most of the fort is damaged, there are still many constructions which are standing tall, untouched and enchanting the greatness of ancient Indian architectural skills as well singing the praises of the great Maratha dynasty.

Last but not the least, this fort offers the best spots to take some finest shots of the pragmatic “Paradise Beach”


Other attractions nearby

Famous temples such as the Swayambhu Shiv Temple, the Ganesha Temple, the Mauli Temple, the Rampurush Temple and the Navadurga Temple, where Goddess Durga is worshipped are some of the religious places to visit. The Shiroda, Aravali and the Terekhol Fort are some of the historic constructions that you might want to visit. Paradise beach is located at a strolling distance from Yashwantgad Fort.


Food

Food at this place predominantly reflects the Konkan culture and often comprises rice and fish, though other varieties of seafood and chicken items are also available.


How to get there?

By Road:

Distance between Mumbai and Yashwantgad Fort is 553.9 km (10 hrs drive) Via NH 48; Pune and Yashwantgad Fort is 411.0 km (8 hrs drive) Via NH 48; Kolhapur and Yashwantgad Fort is 183.0 km (4 hrs drive) Via NH 48.

All of those who want to reach this place using public transport, can take a bus from any of these three spots and get down either at Sawantwadi (located at a distance of 33 km from Yaswantgad Fort) or at Vengurla (located at a distance of 26 km from Yaswantgad Fort) and take a taxi or auto rickshaw from there to the fort.


By Train

Alternatively, you can catch a Konkan railway train and get down at Sawantwadi or Kural and then hire a taxi to the fort. However, for tourists who love road trips, scooters are available for rent in Vengurla.

Source :
https://iratrips.com/redi/attraction/redi-fort

Sunday 28 December 2014

December 28, 2014

Welcome !!!



Welcome Friends !!! We are happy you found us 

Ain't all of you bored by visiting same crowded tourist destinations again and again. Don’t you feel that it's now high time to explore some new destinations? Your quest has brought you to the correct site. Welcome to our website.

We have categorized the destinations across the state in various categories like Unexplored Places,  Tourist Places, Historical Places, Nature, Museums, Safaris, Monuments, Gardens, Lakes etc. We are updating the information in various categories and very soon you will find a site full of information you have always been seeking.

Please feel free to visit the entire site and do not hesitate to drop in your feedback. It will provide us insight into our site visitors needs.

Please Note the site is still under construction so some pages may not open, please do bear with us.

Happy Browsing and keep exploring.

Team
Explore Maharashtra


New Sections Added !!!

Forts of Maharashtra  |  Saints of Maharashtra  |  Festivals of Maharashtra  |  Fairs of Maharashtra  |  Religious Places of Maharashtra





Friday 28 December 2012

December 28, 2012 0

Kaas Plateau


Kaas Pathar is a plateau made from volcanic rocks in the Satara district of Maharashtra, and comes under the biosphere of the Western Ghats. Hailed as Maharashtra's answer to the Valley of Flowers, Kaas is famous for its overwhelming carpets of flowers which come alive by the fag end of the monsoons. During this time, the plateau receives an average rainfall of 2000 mm, and much of the water seeps through the porous laterite rocks. The whole area is covered with flowers of varying colours, the dominant colour changing with the time of the year. More than 450 species of flowers, orchids and even carnivorous plants such as Drosera Indica are found in Kaas.

Spread over 1000 acres, Kaas is a protected bio diversity reserve and has been designated as World Heritage Nature Site by UNESCO. The ecosystem of the plateau is very fragile, the layer of soil over the volcanic rocks is at times just a few cm thick, and many of the plant species endemic to this area are already in the endangered list.

Source : Happy Trips


Monday 11 July 2011

Dussehra / Dasara



Vijaya Dashami also known as Dasara, Dashahara, Navaratri, Durgotdsav… is one of the very important & fascinating festivals of India, which is celebrated in the lunar month of Ashwin (usually in September or October) from the Shukla Paksha Pratipada (the next of the New moon day of Bhadrapada) to the Dashami or the tenth day of Ashwin.  

This festival is celebrated not only in India but in almost all eastern countries like Java, Sumatra, Japan etc... Dasara is Nepal’s national festival.   

Word Dasara is derived from Sanskrit words “Dasha” & “hara” meaning removing the ten. This is the most auspicious festival in the Dakshinaayana or in the Southern hemisphere motion of the Sun.  In Sanskrit, 'Vijaya' means Victory and 'Dashami' means 10th day. 'Thus Vijaya Dashami' means victory on the 10th day.

Dasara is also known as Navaratri, as in the first nine days the Divine Mother Goddess Durga is worshipped and invoked in different manifestations of her Shakti. The 10th day is in honor of Durga Devi.  The basic purpose behind this festival is to worship feminine principle of the Universe in the form of the divine mother to remind the teachings of the Taitareeya Upanishad, "Matru Devo Bhava."  Essence of the navaratri celebration at social level is to remind & respect all the women, who are the guardians of the family, culture, and national integrity, to take lead in times of crisis to guide the humanity towards the path of social justice, righteousness, equality, love, and divinity.    

Durga is worshipped as the main deity of Navaratri by all the segments of society including tribal communities.  Dasara coincide with the period of rest & leisure of the farmers after their strenuous hard work in their farms & fields, hence they invoke blessings of Durga in order to have a rich harvest in the next coming season. 

In India harvest season begins at this time and as mother earth is the source of all food the Mother Goddess is invoked to start afresh the new harvest season and to reactivate the vigor and fertility of the soil by doing religious performances and rituals which invoke cosmic forces for the rejuvenation of the soil. 

On the day of Dasara, statues of the Goddess Durga are submerged in the river waters.  These statues are made with the clay & the pooja is performed with turmeric and other pooja items, which are powerful disinfectants and are mixed in the river waters.  This makes water useful for the farmers & yields better crops.

Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Hindawi (Hindu) Swarajya used to always worship Lord Shiva & Goddess Durga in the form of goddess Bhawani before any military expedition.  Goddess Bhavani had blessed Shivaji Maharaj with her own sword called “Bhavani Talwar”.

Buses, trucks and huge machines in factories are all decorated and worshipped as Dasara is also treated as Vishwakarma Divas - the National Labor Day of India. 

Veda Vyasa is considered as the foremost Guru and Vijayadasami is also celebrated as Vyasa Puja. Dasara is the festival of Victory of Good over Bad, God over Devil. 

One of the 3 ½ Muhurtas (Most Auspicious Days)
1st Muhurta is Gudhi Padva (Chaitra shukla pratipada),
2nd Muhurta is Akshaya Trutiya (Vaishakh shukla trutiya)
3rd Muhurta is Dasara/Vijaya Dashami (Ashwin shukla dashami)
4th Muhurta Padva in Diwali (Kartik shukla pratipada) is considered as half Muhurta.
 As per Hindu Religion, Dasara is considered as one of the 3 ½ auspicious days (Shubha Muhurta).  It is proven over years and years that any new venture started on this day is bound to be successful.  Hence in most parts of India Dasara is selected for starting a new businesses, construction activities (house, building, hospital), taking possession of new house, buying new vehicle, buying gold, booking the first order for the business etc…

Many parents start the learning activity for their child on Dasara.

On Dasara farmers start their new crop season & the work in the field, manufacturers worship their machines, traders worship their books of account, intellectuals worship their Pen, Calculators, Computers and children worship their school books, notebooks, drawing material etc...


Deeper meaning & significance of Navaratri
As per Indian Vedic Astrology nine planets are (1) Ravi (Sun), (2) Chandra (Moon), (3) Mangal/Bhaum (Mars), (4) Budha (Mercury), (5) Guru/Bruhaspati (Jupiter), (6) Shukra (Venus), (7) Shani (Saturn), (8) Rahu (North Node) & (9) Ketu (South Node).

Human body has nine openings (1) 2 for seeing - Chakshu (Eyes), (2) 2 for hearing - Karna (Ears), (3) 2 for breathing - Nasika (Nostrils), (4) 1 for speech & eating – Mouth, (5) 1 for Malotsarjan - Anus & (6) 1 for Mutrotsarjan – urinary opening.

If the planets favor & all the openings of the human body are kept under proper control, the human life is bound to be a great success.

Navaratri means "nine nights", which we must use to seek blessings from the nine planets and control our openings.  In the worship of the goddesses during Navaratri, one of the planets should be worshipped & one of the openings should be cleaned each day, not externally but with heart, mind and soul focused. Bodily actions are ephemeral. The body derives its value from the spirit within. Hence it should be regarded as a sacred temple.

Navaratri festival is observed ten days, out of which nine for cleansing one's self of all impurities, in order to experience the divinity within & the last day is dedicated to "worship of weapons (Aayudha Pooja). The weapons to be worshipped are the divine powers & virtues within. When the divine is worshipped in this way, one is bound to progress spiritually.


Saturday 9 July 2011

Ranga Panchami



Ranga Panchami also known as Dhulivandan, is an important festival in Maharashtra and it coincides with the Holi festival. It is celebrated on the day after Holika Dahan in Phalguna month. The festival is of great importance to farmers and agriculturalists. The ashes of Holika burned on the previous night and soil are worshipped by the farmers for a good harvest.

Dhuli Vandan is observed in Maharashtra when the rest of the country plays Rang Holi. Nowadays, Dhulivandan in its strict traditional sense is limited to rural areas. In cities most people play Holi with colors on the day.

There is a popular belief that Lord Shiva opened his third eye burned down Kama Deva to ashes on the day.

Gokul Ashtami


The birth of Lord Krishna is celebrated on Gokul Ashtami or Janmashtami. Most devotees fast till midnight till the birth of Lord Krishna is announced. Gopal Kala-a preparation made of flattened rice and curds is prepared on this day. Another fun-filled ritual performed on this day is dahi-handi - clay pots filled with curd, puffed rice and milk are strung high up above the streets and groups of enthusiastic young men (and even women) form human pyramids to reach these and break them open, the way Lord Krishna and his friends would, after sneaking into the houses of gopis (milkmaids) to steal and eat butter.

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