Dear All,

We @ शिखर वेध has arranged a Tour to Velas Beach specially for the Turtle festival on 12-13th March 2011

Some information about the area: The places that will be visiting are:
1.Velas Beach – Turtle Festival visit
2. Bankot Fort
3. Harihareshwar Temple

Velas Beach :
Velas is the birth place of Nana Phadnis, one of the great prominent personalities in Maratha history. Due to the sea-shore Velas is an existing place and it is situated near Bankot Bay. There is an old temple of Shri Bhairi- Rameshwar and in this temple all twelve months water is made available taking the benefit of favorable geographical conditions. A statue of Nana Phadnis is present outside his house. In Velas Mahalakshmi temple and Nana Phadnis house are the places to visit. Gokulashtami Festival is one of the important festival in Velas. Velas is also one of the popular breeding sites of Olive Ridley, which is an endangered species of turtle. The hatchlings are heading towards the sea from the shore now-a-days. And we have at least 80% chances to see the emergence of these little new born turtles as I have a talk with organizers there.

Bankot Fort

Region: Mandangad
District: Ratnagiri
Height: Sea fort (Slightly above sea level)
Difficulty: Simple

Bankot is a square shaped fort. On the sides of Bankot fort, there is a dry moat (Revni) dug out in the Jambhya stone. Jambhya stone is peculiar type of stone adorning a purple shade and peculiarly it is incapable of storing water as the water invariable percolates through it owing to its much porous nature. The main entrance (Mahadarwaja) of the fort is north-facing with a well sculpted arch and carvings. Watch guards dug out (Devdya) align on both sides of the Mahadarwaja with some pits being dug out in the right Devdi. On the left, there are steps leading towards Nagarkhana while there is an underground storey and a tunnel on the right. A Maruti idol in the centre stands deserted now. On the west, there is a small entrance (Darwaja) leading to a Bastion on the exterior of the fortifications. A deep well (now dry and filled) occupied the centre of this bastion earlier and the adjacent water tanks too are dry and obsolete now. One can leave the Buruj via a small exit that leads to the surrounding moat and a beautiful “Revni” lying nearby.

The itinerary for the tour will be as follows:

Saturday, 12th March 2011
Rendezvous :
@ Swaminarayan Temple, Dadar (East) @ 06:00 Hrs sharp
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06:15 Hrs: Departure from Dadar
Breakfast on the way near Nagothane / Kolad
13:30 Hrs: @ Velas
Lunch at Velas (Veg. Only)
Rest time
Tea & Visit velas beach in the evening, Go for turtle watching.
Dinner ( Veg. Only)
Stay @ villagers home in Velas (Dormitory Type only) —
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Sunday, 13th March 2011
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Visit Velas Beach for Turtle watching.
08:00 Hrs: Breakfast – Tea
08:45 Hrs: @ Bankot fort
09:15 Hrs: Atop

Fort Exploration
10:30 Hrs: @ Harihareshwar by crossing Veshvi – Bagmandala creek by ferry
Harihareshwar Temple visit

Lunch @ Harihareshwar ( Veg/Non-Veg to be borne by participant as per choice) … Post-Lunch Visit 2 Harihareshwar Beach
16:00 Hrs: Departure 2 Mumbai
Evening Tea on the way

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We will be in mumbai around 21:00 hrs ( thats – subjective)
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The Estimated initial expenditure is about Rs.1300 / -

This includes Dadar 2 Dadar transportation fare for private vehicle (Non-A/c), Turtle festival charges, food expenses except Sunday Lunch, and accommodation charges.
Seats will be first come 1st basis … Deposit Rs 1000/- advance on following A/c …
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Name: JAGADISH GOVIND PATIL
ICICI Bank A/c No.: – 026801521464
Vartak Nagar Branch, Thane (W)
Last date for registration: – Thursday 10th March 2011, 5 pm

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Things To Carry:-
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A Torch with spare battery ( a must)
A Water Bottle (~2 Ltrs) (a must)

Camera, Cell Phone, Binoculars (Optional)
Pls avoid wearing Gold and other ornaments
Some ready to eat food. Plum cakes, Biscuits etc
Towel, a napkin, Extra Pair of clothes,
2-3 papers, Bedding (can be used if Required)
Good trekking shoes,
Personal basic medical kit (Containing an antiseptic, few bandages, personal medications if any, Antibiotics for stomach infection)
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A haversack to put all these things
For confirmation pls reply here or do contact on
Jagdish Patil (O): 09869369836
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