Devgad beyond mangoes

That they wanted to put Devgad on the tourist map prodded the Mumbaibased Joil family to launch a zip lining adventure outfit in the taluka of Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra famed for its hapus mango The Konkan Kanya Express left late night from the city dropping us off at Kankavli early morning with Devgad barely an hourrsquos drive away To not let the overhead sun ruin our plans we dropped off our luggage at Vedaa Holiday Resort Rs 2500 per night where rooms offer a clear view of the expansive Devgad beach The zip lining station was barely 200 metres away a walk of five minutesThe start was tough as anxiety grips your insides but once we were in our safety gear and taking the plunge it was hands free flying From a height of 280 metres we were offered a birdrsquos eye view of the shoreline skirted by lush green The outfitrsquos cofounder Vaishnavi Joil suggested we do the Superman a pose also known as Flying Fox where both your hands and feet are hung to the cable and you go down head first Priceless we think So try itShrikant Joil and his sister VaishnaviHer brother Shrikant Joil landed on the idea when he saw an episode on National Geographic and then wife Rupali followed it up with months of research Theyrsquod make the trip to Devgad every weekend and four months later they had erected their first tower followed by a dud for two years ldquoDevgad didnrsquot have the technology or people with the right skills to host the set uprdquo recalls Srikant who at one point wanted to abandon the plan and stick to his city job with a direct to home entertainment operator However a series of events including the pandemic and losing his job saw the family pack their bags and make Devgad their new home ldquoI thought Irsquod do it after retirement but the pandemic brought us all hererdquo says Vaishnavi What they needed now was someone whorsquod help them set up the outpostA family friendrsquos civil engineer son had returned to India from the US during the pandemic and came to their rescue Srikant focussed on procuring equipment while Vaishnavi had to bring the right people on board including a zip lining trainer whorsquod work with the locals on technique and safety By December 2020 the outfit was ready to host its first adventure enthusiast but back to back Covid waves meant that the family had to wait till October of last year ldquoSince we launched 6000 participants have zip lined with usrdquo says a proud Vaishnavi who has another first in Devgad to her creditmdasha surfing school which she launched last weekThe writer zip lines at Devgad beach at a height of 280 metres above sea level PicsSatej ShindeldquoThe water current at Taramumbari beach is conducive to board surfing We are also planning to offer advanced training coursesrdquo adds Vaishnavi hoping to compete with neighbouring Malvan taluka and Ratnagiri ldquoThe weather is identical to those tourist destinations and the beaches here are in fact bettermdashthe water at Devgad Taramumbari and Mithmumbari is clear We have good seafood to offer and our alphonso mangoes are famous More footfall to Devgad means more employment opportunitiesrdquoBuy Amba poliSindhudurgrsquos laterite soil with minimum moisture makes it ideal for the growth of the GItagged hapus of Devgad alphonso Like with everything famous this one also has imposters The most definitive test to tell if the alphonso you have is a Devgad hapus is to place it in a room and shut the door If the air is redolent with its sweet aroma you know you have the original Products made from the mango are also popular We like the amba poli leathery sheets of mango pulp and sugarVisit Shri Vimaleshvar TempleDevgad is home to popular Shiva temples Kunkeshwar an ancient shoreside temple dedicated to the dancing God also known as Kashi of South Konkan is said have been built by the Yadav kings in 1100 AD It boasts of alluring architecture reminiscent of South India The Shri Vimaleshvar Temple is a fine model of ancient sculpture carved into a laterite rock and believed to date back to the time of the PandavasSign up for Mangrove safariThis has been recognised as a model for communityled conservation through ecotourism in Sindhudurgrsquos Vengurla district and the hope is to replicate it in neighbouring coastal regions In Devgad it is led by Laxman Tari and his colleagues from the selfhelp group Jal Kanya After receiving their training from the Bombay Natural History Society BNHS and Mangrove Foundation they now conduct an hourlong tour into the creek covering about eight kilometres helping visitors identify the flora and fauna that are part of this fragile ecosystemMarvel at PetroglyphsPetrogyphs are a form of rock art made using a stone chisel to create incisions carving and abrading Konkanrsquos petroglyphs mainly found in Ratnagiri and Rajapur are carved on the laterite plateau land It is estimated that these could date back to 10000 BCE or the Misolithic period In Devgad the art is being preserved by the locals led by indologist Ranajit Ramesh Hirlekar who is working to identify them At one site Hirlekar showed us a pattern that resembled the lower half of the human body and most likely of a woman Hirlekar and collaborators hope to attract the attention of archaeologists to the region so that the petroglyphs get due recognitionExplore The beachesDevgad beach is home to a lighthouse and the ruins of a fort Taramumbari Mithmumbari and Kunkeshwar beaches are clean and pretty Vaishnavi is collaborating with Janhavi Deodhar a PADI instructor to explore the possibility of scuba diving in the areaTourists often bring with them plastic pollution Vaishnavi is all set to hand a bag to visitors to collect garbage at sea in exchange for a free zip lining session A beach clean up on Sundays is also in the offingCall 9405566622Want to hear from youWe are looking to visit and write about interesting places of stay and travel near and far If you wish to host us for a fair engaging experience review write to us at smdmailmiddaycom