Beyond the Beaches, You See a Different Side of Konkan

The bus winds through Amba Ghat, and the forested slopes of the Sahyadris rise on either side. As we slowly make our way into Konkan, laterite homes with Mangalore tiles sit quietly amidst the hills. Speckles of burnished red against the darkest green you’ve ever seen. The Bav river winds through the valley and every now and then you pass paddy fields of a lighter, brighter green. Through the bus window, the scenes pass by quickly, the breeze is crisp, carrying the smell of mitti and rain. The monsoon and Konkan is a love story that comes alive through its landscape.

As you go further into the heart of Konkan, the dramatic Ghat scenery gives way to a more intimate, rural journey towards Chiplun. The roads wind through small villages, past paddy fields and mango orchards. About 34 kms from Chiplun, in the Sangameshwar Taluk, lies Tural. The roads get narrower and quieter, as we make our way to the homestay. Paddy fields and farms stretch between patches of forest.

The journey from Kolhapur to Ratnagiri winds through the Western Ghats. Photograph by Roopa Palanivel

This is just the start of the Unexplored Konkan journey. 

The homestay is 300 years old, built in the traditional Konkani style. Mud walls, clay tiles, Jackwood pillars and beams, and laterite pathways. But what stands out is the floor. To some it may look unfinished. Look closer and you see little bits of dried hay, and swirls of dried cow dung that has been smeared over the surface, by hand. It smells earthy and feels cool beneath your feet. The trees are as old as the home, and some of them tower over the roof. Their leaves rustle in the wind, and even after the rain stops, you are greeted with gentle showers as you walk by them. 

The lush green paddy fields of Konkan. Photograph by Prachi M

The homes may be beautiful. But it’s the people who fill them with warmth. They are shy, but you can feel their generosity through every interaction, even if you don’t speak Konkani. One evening, while walking through the village, it started raining heavily. The homestay was a little way away, when a kind kaaku offered us, complete strangers, shelter in the aangan of her home. It was a simple gesture, but one that we’ll remember for a long time.

Konkan’s waterfalls wait patiently for the monsoon

Monsoon isn’t just a celebration of Konkan’s vibrant greenery. Waterfalls, rivers and streams are transformed by the heavy showers. Ranpat Waterfall, beside the Konkan Railway line, is a dramatic sight to behold. It’s a short hike of about 20 minutes from Ranpat village. A peaceful, quiet walk through the forest without crowds, and only the sounds of the birds for company. As part of Unexplored India’s Green Trails philosophy, we picked up plastic and other rubbish along the forest path. Most of the land in Konkan is private, including the trail to Ranpat Waterfall. As travellers, it’s only right that we leave the place better than when we found it.

On getting closer to the waterfall, you begin to hear its roar. The first sight of it is breathtaking. Ranpat is unlike most waterfalls. The Konkan Railway runs right beside it, with the tracks crossing on a bridge in front of the waterfall. Tunnels cut through the hills on either side. Upon reaching the crossing, you can see the waterfall right in front of you, gushing down the rock face, surrounded by the deep green of the forest. If you’re lucky, you might even see a train emerge from one of the tunnels.

The Ranpat Waterall is right in front of the Konkan Railway line. Photograph by Roopa Palanivel

The Konkan Railway is one of India’s most ambitious railway projects. Speaking about the railway, Shreevallabh Sathe, a geologist, educator and Konkan expert, explained how the route cuts through boulders and layers of basaltic rock. More than 90 tunnels, stretching for over 84 km, had to be carved through the mountains.

Imagine how it must feel to view Ranpat Waterfall through a train window! But we felt even luckier to be so close to it. You can enjoy the beauty of the falls from above. Or walk carefully down a very short, slightly steep path, made mostly of gravel - to reach the base. Take a dip in the shallow waters or sit on one of the rocks and feel the water from the gushing falls drench you. 

Ranpat Waterfall gushes during the Konkan monsoon. Photograph by Roopa Palanivel

There’s a slightly lesser-known waterfall tucked away amidst thick, green forest canopy near Pawas village. It’s smaller and much more secluded. You’ll have to carefully make your way over the porous laterite rocks that define the Konkan landscape. During the rains, it gets covered in wet moss and can become incredibly slippery. Near the falls, the water collects in small, enclosed pools, surrounded by boulders and rocks. While Pawas Waterfall might not be as spectacular as Ranpat, the dense foliage gives it a completely different character. It can make you feel like you’re the only one there. 

Konkan’s waterfalls are for everyone. For those who find the flow of water meditative and prefer to observe it in silence. And for others it can bring out their child-like sense of wonder and adventure. That’s precisely what makes travelling through Konkan special - experiences as diverse as its landscape.

Maratha history shapes the coastline

A boy on a bicycle rides past us as we walk through Purnagad village. Fishing boats float silently on the Muchkundi river. Clothes dry outside small village homes. And just a short walk away, up the hill, is the Maratha-era Purnagad Fort. This is what you see time and again in Konkan - the present co-existing beautifully with the past.

Purnagad Fort was built in 1724 by Kanhoji Angre, the admiral of the Maratha navy. It was designed to be a maritime watchpost and custom checkpoint. As you look up from the base of the fort, large blocks of weathered laterite align perfectly with the bright blue sky. There’s a Hanuman temple just outside the main entrance. Protected by two bastions, the approach curves before you reach the gate. “The curvature is a strategic choice. During enemy attacks, it would prevent elephants from easily ramming straight into the wooden door”, says Sathe sir. Once you pass through the main gate and the recessed guard rooms, there's a Marine Gate on the exact opposite side of the fort.

Purnagad fort overlooking the sea. Photograph by Nitesh Kumar

Maratha naval soldiers would receive supplies from boats and monitor trade through the Muchkundi creek. They would watch the waters of the Arabian Sea for approaching ships. Maybe they hid behind the fort’s walls during invasions, ready to fire guns and cannons through the jangya (slits in the wall) and windows.

But for today, we simply sit along the laterite walls, feeling the sea breeze and watching the sun set. Purnagad may not be the grandest, oldest or biggest of the Maratha forts. But it’s a window into another time. 

Konkan’s rock canvas tells a 10,000 year old story

The journey towards Konkan’s petroglyph sites passes by vast expanses of greenery, stretching endlessly. Peeking out from under the bright green grass, fresh from the rain, is the dark red of the laterite. You can’t help but imagine what life must have been like 10,000 years ago. Well before agriculture, writing, or cities even existed, hunter-gatherers probably roamed the landscape, trying to survive. How did they communicate? 

The petroglyphs give some clues. Maybe they used the wet and porous laterite to carve out what they saw, heard or experienced. These prehistoric carvings take you back in time, depicting animals, human figures, abstract patterns. Petroglyphs have been compared to the Nazca Lines of Peru, Atacama Giant in Chile and Bhimbetka  in Madhya Pradesh. Unlike Bhimbetka's painted cave walls, these carvings sit out in the open and are carved directly into rock.

The petroglyphs in Ratnagiri. Photograph by Nitesh Kumar

What is fascinating about the petroglyphs is the many ways they can be interpreted. It feels like a celebration of human intellect. A way of understanding the world and expressing it through art, long before we knew how to write.

There’s pride in Sathe sir’s voice as he talks about the Petroglyphs and the fact that it’s on India's UNESCO Tentative List. “Petroglyphs were discovered on private land, and people here understand its importance. The landowners and villagers built the boundary walls around the sites themselves, to protect and preserve them”, he adds. The Konkani people care quietly, and throughout our journey we’ve seen it reflect in their actions.

The ferry that connects life between two villages

Santhosh kaka smiles as he sees us arriving. Since he was 15 years old, he’s been taking people from Karjuve village across the Kapshi river to Bhatgaon, in a small ferry. Karjuve is a charming village, in the Sangameshwar taluk. And just like the rural life it supports, the river flows quietly and calmly. Santhosh kaka took us out on his boat towards the sangam or the meeting point of three creeks or khadis - Kapshi, Gad and Shastri. These waterways form part of a tidal estuary, where the rivers meet the sea. At the sangam, the boat came to a stop, and the hum of the engine faded away. All you hear is the water lapping gently against the side of the boat. The edges of the waterways are lined with mangroves, and on a cloudy day, the dark hills stand tall in the distance. 

Boating in Sangameshwar, on the Kapshi river. Photograph by Roopa Palanivel

From there, we continued across the river to Santhosh kaka’s home in Bhatgaon. It’s a family home, where he lives with his wife, two brothers and their wives. As we walk in, they’re sitting on the floor in the aangan sorting through some leafy greens. They tell us that five generations of their family have lived on this land in Bhatgaon. Ferrying villagers is their only source of income and the brothers do this tirelessly from morning until the evening. They charge just 25 rupees to take people across the river, and even if there’s only one person waiting, they make the crossing. For the people of Bhatgaon and Karjuve, this little ferry is a connection between homes, families, livelihoods and everything else on the other side. 

Visiting a traditional Konkani home in Karjuve. Photograph by Roopa Palanivel.

After saying goodbye to Santhosh kaka’s family we crossed the river back to karjuve where we were invited into another Konkan home for tea. Sameer kaka and Supriya kaku’s house is humble just like them. To reach it, you have to walk down a little pathway, and from the top you see the Mangalore tiles peeking through the trees. In front of the main door, there’s smoke wafting from a dhoop made with dried cow dung. We sit on mats laid out on the floor, and they serve us tea and bhajis. There’s also homemade amba (mango) and phanas (jackfruit) poli. Spending time with families in the village, you come to understand that hospitality is simply a part of life here. You can feel this deeply throughout Konkan, no matter where you go.

Meeting a family in Bhatgaon village. Photograph by Roopa Palanivel

This is the Konkan no one tells you about

The Unexplored Konkan program was 4-days long and we spent just one hour on the beach. But we never once felt like we were missing out. Because the rest of the journey took us to parts of the region we’d never seen. Ones that go unnoticed, on the usual tourist itinerary. 

At the end of four days, we felt connected to the real Konkan. We got wet in the rain, experienced Konkani warmth through the people, tasted food cooked with love, and heard stories no guidebook would share. Sathe sir put it beautifully through a popular marathi saying for guests “Parat ya, Konkan aaplach aahe.” It means “Come again, Konkan is yours too.” And that’s exactly how we felt while leaving.