Alibag Town

Alibag has an identity crisis... Any sea face south of Mumbai is 'Alibag'. And those who actually land in the Alibag town are disappointed that the beach actually disappears at high tide and that there is nothing else in the town to see. Those who are only interested in ‘Beaching’ should be looking at other nearby locations like Kihim, Akshi or Kashid. But those who want a slice of history should certainly read this article. This article lists some interesting spots in the town along a 3km walk.

1. Angre Wada
2. Ali’s Grave and Well
3. Temples
4. Angre Vrundavan (Royal Cenotaphs)
5. Magen Aboth Synagogue
6. Fish Market
7. Koliwada with jetty and Fish drying yard
8. Bhaji Market
9. ZP building - Murals
10. Alibag Beach
11. Kulaba & Sarjekot Forts
12. Geomagnetic Observatory
13. Hirakot Fort & Lake

Other places of Interest but not shown in the map - Kanhoji Angre Smarak, Ramnath Mandir, Banjara Tanda etc.

Jalsar

Jalsar literally means Lake filled with water… even though you do not find any water body of any consequence in the village. This lacklustre village has a few barren hills around it making it look a bit too dry for its name. So why does this place make it in my list of interesting getaways? Well… on one of the hills is a unique temple dedicated to Raingods – Indra & Varun! This is the only temple of its kind in this region dedicated to Aryan gods. Locals call this Meghraj Mandir or “Temple of the King of Clouds”. Every May, they pray to these rain gods so that monsoons come on time.

The temple, though ancient, is unremarkable… made of black stone with a lime plastered roof. The idols are made of wood… Indra riding his Elephant (Airavat) and Varun saddled on his horse.

Location:
Latitude: 19o 32’
Longitude: 72o 48’
Altitude: 142 Mts above MSL

How to reach there:
Nearest Railway station is Saphale on Virar-Dahanu line. From there you can catch a ST bus to Tembhekhode and get down at Jalsar or Hire a local auto rickshaw. It takes about half an hour to climb up the hill. By car it’s a round about route via Manor and Palghar

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When to Visit?
Summers are a total no no! Monsoon are great but the path get slippery… so come here between September and December.

Nearby Places:
Gayatri Mandir: Temple of the Five headed goddess
Tandulwadi Fort: A small fort built by the Portuguese
Taru Khind: A mountain where the Divine boat is supposed to have landed.
Vaitarna Tansa Sangam: Confluence of the two of the largest rivers of Thane District.