Alibag
Alibag or Alibaug (Marathi: अलिबाग) is a coastal town and a municipal council in Raigad District in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. It is also the 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.
History
Alibag was developed in 17th Century by Sarkhel Kanhoji Aangre the naval chief of King Shivaji's Kingdom. Alibag is a costal town and municipal council in Raigad district in Kokan region of Maharashtra, India. It is the headquarter of the Raigad district. Raigad's first name was "Kulaba". Today's Ramnath was the main village at that time. Bene Israelite Ali was a rich man in the city based on Ali's gardens was named as "Alibagh". Ali owned many plantations of mangoes, coconuts in his gardens. So the local people called the place Alichi bagh(Gardens of Ali)
Just 3 kilometers away from Alibag on Alibag-Mumbai highway you will find one small village Khandale having population of around 5000 people,which is also heading Gram Panchayats. Khandale is surrounded by wonderful Shiva temples such as Sidheshwar , Kankeshwar. During Shrawan month the beauty on these hillocks is breathtaking and on each Shrawani Somwars thousands of Alibagkars visit this place for worship and enjoying nature beauty. Also on the same highway goddess Patrudevi Mandir is located in small Ghat calles Karle Khind. Khandale is also very famous for white onions, which are sold all over Maharashtra as "Khandale Kande". This unique breed of onions are having very rich contributions in Ayurvedik medicines and very useful during summer heat which is having unique sweeter taste. Rewdanda, Chaul, Nagon, Aakshi, Varsoli,Thal, Kihim and Aawas villages were known as "Ashtagare" at that time. During those times there were some naval battles out of which one was fought at Varsoli between Kanhoji Aangre and Siddi of Janjira in the year 1706. In 1722 English and Portuguese jointly attacked on Kulaba fort and they lost this war. At Chaul there was a battle between the English and Sakhoji in 1730. Sakhoji won this war and brought down the losing party along with their captain at Kulaba. Kanhoji even issued his own currency in the form of a silver coin called the Alibagi rupaiya.
Accommodation in Alibag
Geography
Alibag is located about 30 km south of Mumbai, at . The average elevation is 0 metres (0 feet).
Education
After the British took over old Colaba and this region, they established four Anglo - Vernacular medium school and 30 government schools in the year 1865-66. In the year 1861 the first school for girls was started in Alibag. The Mission Church started the first English school in Alibag in 1879. Nowadays many computer institutes like Aptech, SSi and local computer institutes have come up in Alibag along with many cyber cafes. J.S.M. College Alibag,formerly known as Topiwala Industrial High school was renamed General Arunkumar Vaidya High School after General Arunkumar Vaidya who studied there. Other notable schools include Saint Mary's Convent School, Chandrakant Hari Keluskar Homeopathic Medical College and J. R. H. Kanyashala Alibag.
Economy
Tourism is the mainstay of the town's economy. Since the late 1990s the town and municipality have seen development of industrial sites. Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) was the first industrial unit set up near Alibag. Other companies include Ispat industries Ltd (Mittal Group), Welspun Maxsteel Ltd (Welspun Group), Gas Authority Of India Limited (GAIL), HP LPG and Reliance Petrochemicals (RPCL) are also located near the town.
Politics
MLA-Minakshi Patil from 2009 - Shetkari Kamgar Paksha(SHEKAP)(PEASANTS AND WORKERS PARTY OF INDIA) ZP - Sena- SKP Municipal - MRS. PARVATI MENGAL, Shetkari Kamgar Paksha(SHEKAP)(PEASANTS AND WORKERS PARTY OF INDIA)
Transport
- Road: One can reach Alibag via Pen (30 km away), which is on the Mumbai (78 km away) - Goa road. From Mumbai, one can reach Alibag by traveling on the Mumbai-Goa highway (NH-17)till Wadkhal (or Vadkhal) and taking the right fork from Wadkhal - the left fork being the road to Goa. The distance is approximately 108 km from Mumbai
- Catamaran/Ferry: The nearest jetty is Mandwa From where catamaran/ferry services are available to Gateway of India, Mumbai. Another port in the vicinity is Rewas, from where a ferry service is available to Ferry Wharf(Bhau cha Dhakka). There is also a jetty at Custom Bandar from where fishermen in Alibag set sail.
One can reach Alibag by catamaran(sea) through "Gateway of India" to Mandwa or from "Bhaucha Dhakka" to Rewas and from Mandwa/Rewas to Alibag by bus.[1] Ticket includes journey from Gateway to Mandwa and bus journey from Mandwa to Alibag bus stop. From Rewas to Alibag one needs to take State Transport bus or a Rickshaw. Take the ferry from Gateway to Mandwa. Services available from 6:00am till 6:00pm. Ferry Journey time: 40 to 55 minutes depending on the type of boats. From Mandwa operator carries passengers to Alibag in their own chartered buses. Bus Journey time: 45 minutes. Alibag beach is walking distance from the bus-stop.
Another option is to take a ferry from "Bhaucha Dhkka" to Rewas. Timings are same but schedule may change depending on the tide. From Rewas take State Transport Bus or Rickshaw to Alibag. Bus Journey time: 1 hour to reach Alibag. You can go to Alibag by S.T. bus from Mumbai. From Mumbai to Alibag having daily 35-40 S.T. buses, also Borivali, Thane, Kalyan, Pune, Kolhapur, Miraj, Nashik having buses to alibag for journey.
Getting There (At Alibag) By Air : Nearest airport is Mumbai, 140 km. By Railway : Nearest railway station is Panvel, By Road : Mumbai - Panvel - Pen -Wadkhal- Alibag. 130 km, Mumbai - Panvel - Pen -Wadkhal- Karle Khind. 125 km, Pune - Alibag. 150 km
Demographics
As of 2001[update] India census,[2] Alibag had a population of 19,491. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Alibag has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 54% of the males and 46% of females literate. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Beaches
http://alibagbeach.com The following are the main beaches in and around Alibag:
- Alibag beach: This is the main beach of the town.
- Alibag Fort: Alibag is the seat of District Administration of Raigad (formerly Kolaba) district since 1852. The name Kolaba is attributed to a Sea Fort Kolaba built by Shivaji the great, in 1680 to fight the mighty naval prowess of the Siddis' (Abyssenians) of Janjira and the British of Mumbai. Kolaba fort is famous for many battles, between Siddis and Kanhoji Angre, the British and the Portugese.
- THAL beach: Isolated Beach 5 km from Alibag.
- Varsoli Beach:Located about a mile from the main beach, home to a very large naval base.It is situated just on the outskirts of Alibag. It is relatively less visited site and as a result is a quiet beach with sparkling white sand and cleaner seawater. Varsoli is a small satellite village across Alibag, complete with thick vegetation of coconut and Casuarina.
- Akshi Beach: It is situated 8 km away from Alibag.The famous Kashid beach is located 18 km from Murud. The specialty of this beach is the beautiful slivery white sand. literally dazzling silvery on this clean beach. It is a favourite spot for advertising, TV serial and film shoots. The beach is complete with small-food stalls. This beach is well suited for the children and ladies as the sea is flat for a long distance. One can walk through to a considerable distance towards the sea.
- Nagaon beach: It is situated about 10 km away from Alibag and is famous for coconuts and betel nuts.
- Kihim-Navgaon 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.
- Kaneshwar Mandir: It is situated about 17 km away from Alibag to Karlekhind - Chondi road.13 km from Alibag in Northeast direction is this very famous Shiv temple on a 900 ft. high hill. It is a 5000 ft. long climb on well paved stairs, which takes around one hour. Landmarks along the route are tombs of MohanGiri and Balgiri, Nagoba Rest, Jambhali Plateau, God's stair, Gaymandi etc. The fatigue of the uphill climb vanishes the moment one enters the scenic temple premises . It comprises various small temples of Sri Paleshwar, Sri Hanuman, Sri Balram Krishna and Lord Shiv. The special attraction is an ancient sweet water tank enclosed in traditional structure of black stone. The ancient temple was built by Raja Ramdeorai yadav. The height of the Shiv temple is 54 ft. The front gate has Lion sculpture on both sides with traditional lamp-pillar(deepmaal) in front. The 4 ft. long 'Pindi' of Lord Shiv is silver plated. The premises also include Nagaar-khana, Bheem Kunda, a garden for flowers to be offered to the Lord, Sri Ram Ganesh temple and Gomukha. Every year, there is a fair on Kartik Poornima in Hindu calender. On this hill, a variety of herbs are found.
- 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 36 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. There are many cottages and resorts available ranging from around RS:1500 to RS:20,000. Prakruti resort is the luxury and the costliest of all. This village does not have any wine shops. One has to go around 6 km towards Murud to buy alcohol. Kashid is the perfect place to calm down and relax for the urban people. One can find water sports facility and number of small shops for snacks. BEWARE: Take care of your self in the water (particularly at the high tides) as there were many incidents which cost the life. There is a danger board warning the people.
- Korlai Beach: A quiet serene beach with alternate white and black sands, along a serene stretch of the Arabian coastine, adjacent to a village of Korlai Creole Portuguese speaking Indians.Just across the bridge, to the right there is Korlai fort within the sea and attached to the mainland by a narrow land strip through the Korlao fort through the Korlai Village. It is supposed to have been built by the Portuguese in 1521. The main gate has an inscription which means 'no entry without a fight'. The fort has seven gates, a sweet water well, a church in disuse, a Hindu timple and a Lighthouse.
Some Photos
http://Alibagbeach.com Accommodation in Alibag
Celebrities in Alibag
In the last 2 decades many celebrities have bought weekend homes in Alibag, skyrocketing the property rates in the area. Vijay Mallya, Shahrukh Khan, Godrej Family, Aftab Shivdasani, Yana Gupta, Juhi Chawla, Tata, Birla, Azim Premji, Ravi Shastri,Alisha Chinoy,Gautam Singhania etc. have sea facing houses there.
Other attractions
- 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. This was built by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and is assumed to be the last one that he built before his death. The fort used to have a sweet water well.
- 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 iIs 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, take the right fork to reach the Vikram Ispat industry. Going a bit ahead will lead one to the temple.
- Sagargarh
- Kanhoji Angre Samadhi
- Uma-Maheshwar temple
- Balaji temple
- Murud-Janjira: Janjira is a fort situated not very far from Alibag. It was built by Siddi traders. Shivaji Maharaj failed to capture the fort from the Siddis. One can find fresh water pounds inside the fort even today.
- 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.
- Korlai Fort and Korlai Creole Portuguese of Korlai village: Situated between Chaul and Kashid, a village of Indians born of Indo-Portuguese ancestors, speaking a unique creole of Portuguese and a fort lost in the sands of history.
References
External links
Alibag Pictures [1]