Mumbai to Bengaluru road trip - Ganpatipule and Karwar (Episode -1)

In the recent past we made two long road trips - from Jorhat to Delhi and then Delhi to Mumbai. In these two trips we covered long stretches of Eastern, Northern and Western part of India. We were thinking of making a long road trip in Southern part of India, but it happened before we anticipated. A family function required us to be in Bengaluru in February and we decided to travel by car from Mumbai taking the coastal route making few stops on the way. Since it was a long trip I will cover it in episodes. This episode is about our first night halt in Ganpatipule and an afternoon break in Karwar the next day.

We started from our Chembur residence in Mumbai at around 7 am on 8th February along with the rising Sun. Crossing through Navi Mumbai and Panvel, we went on till 8:30 am when tummies started rumbling. Stopping at a restaurant on SH 92 at a place called Devnhave, we tucked in a hearty breakfast of Kanda Poha and Misal Pav.

Going on we left SH 92 and drove on NH 548A for sometime and then NH 17, Mumbai Goa Highway as guided by Google map. Near the township of Mahad we saw some caves with stairways by the roadside. These are Gandharpale caves which are a cluster of thirty caves. Buddhist monks used to live there till 7th -8th century.

Crossing Savitri river after Mahad we reached NH 66 which goes up to Kanyakumari. Weather was clear with bright sunshine and a sugarcane juice stall looked very inviting. The gentleman dressed in white manning the stall was very hospitable and the fresh, cool juice tasted sweeter due to the affection with which it was served. A pretty house nearby reminded me of my home state Assam.

Moving further on with rivers and hills keeping us company we stopped for lunch in a hotel which looked very pretty in a place named Agave. However, food choice was quite limited and we opted for some fried rice.

At around 4 pm we reached Ganpatipulle and went to the MTDC resort where we already booked a room. The resort is very pretty with many categories of rooms and cottages in a huge premise located right on the beach. From our room itself we could see the sea and the balcony offered a very close view of the beach.

After checking in we headed straight to the beach. The coastline of the Ganpatipule Beach has a picturesque landscape of hills, dense coconut trees and mangroves. Fortunately, the Ganpatipule Beach has not yet been affected much by commercialization and is pristine with clean white sand and blue water.

It felt so peaceful and serene as we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset over the sea and flight of seagulls.

Out of two restaurants in the MTDC resort, one was operational and was quite far off from our room. Since there are lots of eateries nearby, we decided to try one of these. Primarily catering to tourists, most of these were empty on a mid of the week night. We had a nice Surmai fish thali for dinner at a no frill restaurant.

Next day we went to beach while it was still dark and moon was shining. Walking on the long beach looking at the moonlit waves we got a mesmerising night view of famous Ganapati temple with its reflection in the sea water trapped in the beach.

As the dawn gave way to the morning we went back to hotel and after freshening up went to Ganapati temple. The 400-year-old Ganesha Temple houses an orange idol which is said to have been self-created (Swayambhu) and was discovered over 1600 years ago. Ganapatipule derived its name from "Ganapati" or the Lord of "Ganas" (army) and 'Pule' which means sand dune. I was excited to see people whispering wishes into the ears the mouse (Vahana of Ganesha) seated inside the temple and did the same.

Checking out of the resort we had breakfast in one of the many roadside stalls opening early in the morning offering breakfast items. Resuming our journey on NH 66 we stopped for lunch in a hotel in a place called Kudal where we had Kokani thali.

In the afternoon we passed Panjim. The sight of Mandovi river and glimpses of some beaches refreshed memories of Goa trips in the past.

At around 5 pm we reached Karwar located in the border of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Karwar, also known locally as "Kadwad", derived its name from the nearby village of "Kade-Wada". In Konkani language, Kade means "last" and Wada means "precinct". Kade-Wada ("the last neighbourhood") referred to the southernmost Konkani-speaking village. The Bengali poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore visited Karwar in 1882 and stayed with his second brother, Satyendranath Tagore, who was a district judge in Karwar. The natural beauty of stunning beaches had profound impact on the young poet and later he dedicated a chapter of his memoirs to this town. There is a beach in Karwar named after the poet. We visited the lovely Koodi Bagh beach with golden sand and witnessed a sunset in the tranquil beach.

Then we moved towards nearby Gokarna - our second night halt on the trip.

Some titbits from Google maps:

8th February, 2023 : Driving distance covered 359 kms in 7 hours and 26 minutes from Chembur to Ganapatipule . Total journey time including breaks were approximately 9 hours (3 breaks for breakfast, juice and lunch).

9th February, 2023 : Driving distance covered 409 kms in 8 hours and 6 minutes from Ganapatpule to Gokrana. Total journey time including breaks were approximately 9.5 hours (lunch break in Kudal and visit to Koodi Bagh beach).