Alibag is a city located in the west coast of the Maharashtra state in india. Alibag inherits a rich legacy of art and culture. It is a coastal town and a municipal council in Raigad District of Maharashtra, India. It is the headquarters of the Raigad district and is south of the city of Mumbai. Alibag is part of Mumbai Metropolitan Region and is situated at a distance of about 96km from Mumbai and 143km from Pune.
Tourism
The following are the main tourist attractions in and around Alibag:
Alibag beach: This is the main beach. A very flat stretch makes for a long walk. It is reasonably clean and has thin crowds during the week. The sand has a hard texture and is a shade of black.
Siddheshwar Mandir near Khandale: This is a Shiva temple near hills near village Khandale just 4 km from Alibag-Pen state highway. During Shrawan month, hundreds of people throng to worship here during Shrawani Somwars.
Kulaba fort / Alibag Fort: It is an old military fortification in India. It is situated in the sea at a distance of 12 km from the shores of Alibag. It is also famous for lord Ganesh temple and Dargha. During low tide, it has walkable access.
Khanderi and Underi Islands : one can visit Khanderi and Underi islands, They are heavily fortified and built by Shivaji as sea observation posts in 1660 CE. Most of the fort is intact. The most prominent structure is a lighthouse built in 1837 which is still in service and used for sea navigation.
Magen Avot Synagogue: There was once a large Jewish community in Alibag; most of them were oil pressers and sellers. Bet El Synagogue is the only one in Alibag. Viceroy Lord Curzon (1899-1905) visited this synagogue. This place had been place of worship for the Jewish community; it was where community centre, Konkan development programmes and village meetings were held. The synagogue is a heritage property and is a well-known Indian Jewish and Konkan tourist point.
Varsoli Beach: About a mile from the main beach. It is on the outskirts of Alibag. It is a quiet beach with sparkling white sand and cleaner sea water. Varsoli is a small satellite village across Alibag, complete with thick vegetation of coconut and casuarina.
Akshi Beach:This place located 6 km from Alibag, the beach is a common spot for advertising, TV serial and film shoots.[citation needed] This beach is flat for a long distance. One can walk through to a considerable distance toward the sea.[citation needed]
Nagaon Beach: This black-sand beach is about 10 km from Alibag and is known for coconuts and betel nuts. One can walk on the beach from Nagaon beach to Akshi beach in ten minutes. Watersport is available here.
Kihim-Navgaon Beach: Kihim is a secluded place at a distance of approximately 10 km from Alibag. The Kihim beach is famous for dense cover of coconut trees. Another occupation of their people is agriculture for woods that are home to rare butterflies, birds and flowers.[citation needed]
Awas: It is situated about 16 km from Alibag. Nageshwar Mandir is loacated in this village.
Saswane: It is about 18 km from Alibag.Famous 'Karmarkar Museum' is located here.
Rewas: It is about 25 km from Alibag. From Rewas, there is a ferry boat service to Mumbai (bhaucha Dhakka) and to Uran (Karanja).
Chaul Revdanda: It is situated about 17 km from Alibag. It is famous weekend tourist spot.
Kanakeshwar Mandir:It is about 17 km from Alibag to Karlekhind Chondi road, 13 km from Alibag to the northeast. This Shiv temple on a 900 ft. high hill. It is a 5000-foot 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 temple premises comprises 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-foot '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 calendar. On this hill, a variety of herbs are found.
Mandawa Beach as seen from Mandawa Port.
Mandawa: It is situated about 17 km north of Alibag. The catamaran/ferry services are available from Mumbai to the Mandawa jetty. Speed boats are also available from mandva to reach Mumbai by only 10-15 minutes
Kashid Beach: It is 49 km from Alibag, on the Alibag-Murud highway, with almost 'white' sand. There are many cottages and resorts available ranging from around INR 1500 to INR 20,000.
Korlai Beach: A beach with alternate white and black sands, along a serene stretch of the Arabian coastline, 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 Korlai 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 temple and a lighthouse which is still used for navigation.[citation needed]
Alibag Short Film Festival takes forward legacy of film culture in the city, with a festival that especially attracts the youth. We are spreading this spirit of cinema throughout Maharashtra and India.