डोंगरमाथा....एक निसर्ग मंदिर !!

It was Makar Sankranti on 15th January when during our School Re-union I met my school mate Mangesh Govekar after a gap of almost 22 years.Among other things which we all discussed and shared ,I was highly impressed when Mangesh told us all about his venture Dongarmatha(http://dongarmatha.com/) ,his ideas and views about environment conservation,how he plans to implement them etc.etc.
Like many of us, I'm fascinated by the sheer beauty of Konkan and during my annual pilgrimage  trips to Harihareshwar (Our Kuldaiwat),Shriwardhan and Dive Agar,I always dreamt of having a beach house with Mango, Cashew and Coconut trees behind a typical Konkan Home.My typical Middle Class mentality ensured that the Dream remained just that....An Unfulfilled Dream. So I was really happy to know that one of my schoolmate has gone ahead and built an ecocare guest house on a hilltop near Parshuram Chiplun.
I was very very eager to visit  Dongarmatha(http://dongarmatha.com/)at the earliest but the 'clichéd' office work meant I had to wait till May end.
In the meantime we also tried  a failed trip to Dongarmatha with our school friends.

So finally on a short notice,very early in the morning I alongwith my son and wife left for Chiplun.I was very confidant and hopeful of covering the distance of 250 kms in 4-5 hrs. How wrong I was...Thane-Belapur road till Panvel was crowded as usual at that hour also and Mumbai Goa Highway till Nagothane was no better,this being summer vacation.Absence of a divider on the  road meant Overtaking was difficult and required Mastery in Snake (S) driving. I thoroughly enjoyed the drive though it was definitely more tiring than driving on Expressway where you don't need to change gears at all.Its inherently risky nature makes it even more enjoyable to drive on Mumbai-Goa Highway.
Fed up of bumper to bumper traffic near Vadkhal Naka, we stopped for a Maharashtrian Breakfast at Kshudha Shanti.

The traffic continued till Nagothane after which I was able to speed up.With some good breakfast down, my son was fresh and enjoying the winding roads and scenery outside. Seeing some small hillocks along the road he wanted to Trek on one of  them . By that time we were near Mahad so we made an impromptu stop near the Old Budhdha Leni before Mahad and had a nice trek towards the Leni.It was fun and the small climb made me realise how unfit I have become in last six months.

From here on till Khed it was a smooth n fast drive . 20km after I passed Khed,I was suppose to turn left on way to famous Parshuram Mandir before Chiplun.From the base of Dongarmatha till top was test of any driver as the climb is very steep with sharp turns and you cannot afford to lose momentum.Thankfully my old car was up to the challenge and we reached the top around Noon.
It was breathtaking sight, the moment we got down from car.The full view of the River Vashishthi on one hand and Chiplun on the other side,strong cool  breeze at noon made sure that we forget all the effort of reaching the place.It was instant rejuvenation .
 We were warmly Wel-comed by Mangesh and led to our Suite with a Balcony overlooking the Hill and Plantation.It was spacious and airy.Ample use of Bamboo and minimum usage of Steel n Cement made it cooler.Also the cow-dung splashed floor gave it a natural feel.Within moments we were relaxed and fresh.

A welcome drink of Raw Mangoes (Kairi Panhe) was waiting for us and we savoured it ...Our true Konkan Experience had started on a very good note.

Mangesh took us on a short sight-seeing  tour of the area and we were amazed by the Vistas offered by common leaving room.One of the locals had climbed on a tall jack fruit tree to take down the fruit for us.It was a very ingenious and simple method of removing fruit w/o harming it.Mangesh was  ,very enthusiastically, explaining to us the different environmentally friendly plants he had sowed,how much effort had gone into building what we have today,the road, the tents etc etc.It was fascinating. We could see how proud,and satisfied he felt about the whole thing.His single minded  passion  and lots of money has resulted into a beautiful eco-friendly Guest House.

By the time we came back from a exploratory tour of the place we were hungry and a simple , nutritious, hot lunch was waiting for us.The vegetables were farm fresh specially selected by Mangesh and you could tell the difference in taste.Konkans favorite Sol Kadhi was amazingly tasty and I lost count of how many bowls I had gulped down.
After a sumptuous Lunch, it was Siesta time,but I could hardly sleep.The nice cool breeze,good views all around  was ideal for reading and I did just that.

Mangesh and Abhi  had planned a boat ride in Vashishthi river in the late afternoon to see crocodiles.Meanwhile we were joined by a group of 8 trekkers who were Abhi's friends.

The Boat Ride for crocodile Safari was amazing. We could see few crocodiles resting on the river bank.There were plenty of birds flocking together, enjoying late evening sun. We seemed to have disturbed their rest as they flew with the sound of boat engine, giving us the beautiful sight of Birds in Flight.Its a photographer's delight to click .My son Arush thoroughly enjoyed the ride and so did all of us.

By the time we were back on Dongarmatha, it was Sunset time and all the photographers took their places for the clicks.Hot masala chai with cakes quenched our thirst.But for the two telecom towers which were in the middle ,the view was splendid.
There was hardly any time for us to be bored but Mangesh had some custom made interesting Games/Puzzles for children and elders alike.It was fun solving them and some were so tricky, we could not  figure out the way till end.

While the two groups were chitchatting sharing experiences , we were served with Fanas Gare (jack Fruit) .
Dinner was again a typical Konkani affair with Bharali Wangi, Zunaka and Rice Bhakari along with hot Thecha and to top it all Sewai Kheer.It was a fulfilling experience . By this time both the groups were fairly acquainted and we had dinner together in open Aangan  sitting in a circle on floor.

After such a heavy Dinner, nobody wanted to sleep immediately , so Abhi engaged us in some very innovative group activity.We thoroughly enjoyed it.He had also planned for a camp fire and the other group joined him.Myself and Mangesh were trying our hand at the Telescope which he has bought ,for some star gazing.

After a while I took their leave and retired for the night but I could hear the happy voises for quite a long time.

Next day early  morning few of us had decided to go for Birding. So at six, we embarked on a small walk on the backyard of Dongarmatha.We could hear the chirping of birds but were not very lucky to spot many.

Nevertheless it was invigorating morning walk. We also discovered a good place to view Sunset w/o obstruction of those Telecom Towers.

I wanted to take Arush to Derwan to show him ShivSrushti, so after the breakfast we had a small tour of around 40kms.
It was already Lunch time when we were back and all of us were thinking about the impending traffic while returning back home. Though nobody wanted to leave that calm and serene place,it was time to head home and resume our boring lives once again.
After having lunch, exchanging contact numbers and lots of group photos, with heavy heart and a vow to come back again for longer duration we left Dongarmatha.

By the time we reached home, the traffic,pollution and noise had us crash landing from Dongarmatha to the ground realities of life in Mumbai.

It was amazing one and half days that I spent in the lap of nature and I'm sure to visit the place again whenever time permits and in all seasons.

Thank You Mangesh for your hospitality and personal attention.It was as if we were living in our own relative's home.
All the best and Keep up the good Work!!!
https://picasaweb.google.com/109499071087821063906/soniyK?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKeBg-zC1OORWA&feat=directlink