Alibag

History

Alibag was developed in the 17th century by Chhatrapati Shivaji's naval chief Kanhoji Angre.

Geography

Alibag is located at coord|18.64|N|72.88|E| [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/16/Alibag.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Alibag] ] . It has an average elevation of 0 metres (0 feet).

Economy

Being a tourist center, tourism is one of the main industries of the town. There are many hotels, resorts and lodges in the town. There has been development in Alibag since late 90's. Many industrial units are set up in and around Alibag. Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers is the first industrial unit set up closer to Alibag. It has created employment for thousands of villagers in Alibag. Then came companies like Ispat Industries (Mittal Group), Vikram Ispat (Birla Group), Gas Authority Of India Limited (GAIL) and HP LPG. Alibag now enjoys a better standard of living.

Transport

*Road: One can reach Alibag through Pen(30 km away) , which is well connected with [Mumbai] (78 km away)] and Goa road. From Mumbai, one can reach Alibag by going straight on Mumbai-Goa highway till Wadkhal (or Vadkhal) and from Wadkal just go straight, if we take left turn the roads goes to Goa. The distance is approximately 108 km from "Mumbai"
*Railways: The nearest rail railway station are Pen, India.
*Catamaran/Ferry: The nearest jetty is Mandwa From where catamaran/ferry services are available to Gateway of India, Mumbai.Anothe port in vicinity is Rewas, from where ferry service is availiable to Bhau ka Dhaka. There is also Custom Bandar, from where the fishermen in Alibag sail in the sea to catch fish.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census [GR|India] , Alibag had a population of 19,491. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Alibag has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 54% of the males and 46% of females literate. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Tourist places

Alibag is famed for its fresh air, clean waters and clean sands.

A ferry service from Gateway of India in South Mumbai to Alibag carries most of the tourist load. The trip takes just 45 minutes. The alternate is by road, which is a roundabout route and takes about 3 hours from the city.

Beaches

There are many beaches in and around Alibag:
*Alibag beach: It is the main beach of the town. One can see the Kolaba fort from here (not to be confused with Colaba of Mumbai).
*Varsoli Beach: It is another beach about a mile from the main beach, home to a very large naval base.
* Akshi Beach: It is situated 5 km away from Alibag.
* Nagaon beach: It is situated about 7 km away from Alibag and is famous for coconuts and betel nuts.
* Kihim Beach: Kihim is a secluded place at a distance of 12 km from Alibag. The Kihim beach is famous for dense cover of Coconut trees. It is also famous for woods which are home to rare butterflies, birds and flowers.
* Awas: It is situated about 16 km away from Alibag.
* Saswane: It is situated about 18 km away from Alibag.
* Rewas: It is situated about 24 km away from Alibag.
* Chaul Revdanda: It is situated about 17 km away from Alibag.
* Mandawa: It is situated about 20 km north of Alibag. The catamaran/ferry services are available from Mumbai to the Mandawa jetty. Many Bollywood celebrities own bungalows here.
* Kashid Beach: It is situated about 30 km away from Alibag, on the Alibag-Murud highway, also this beach is possibly one of the cleanest and most beautiful beaches in the region with almost 'white' sand.

There is one site started on alibag tourism name is [http://www.alibagtourism.com] . Site is helpful in booking good budget beachsite resorts.

Other attractions

* Kolaba (or Kulaba) fort (Not to be confused with Colaba in Mumbai): Is situated in the sea at a distance of 1-2 km from the Alibag shores. During low tide one can walk to the fort as the water recedes behind the fort. However, during high tide a boat is needed.
* Kanakeshwar temple: Is situated on a hill near Mapgaon village, about 12 km away from Alibag and falls on the way to Mandawa.
* Tower of St. Barbara.
* Chaul: Is a historic town situated about 15 km away from Alibag. It is famous for its Portuguese ruins, an old church, a synagogue, Buddhist caves, the "Hamam Khana" and a temple.
* Vikram Vinayak Temple or Birla Temple, Salav: Is situated about 20 km away from Alibag, on the way to Janjira.
*Sagargarh
* Kanhoji Angre Samadhi
* Uma-Maheshwar temple
* Balaji temple
* Murud-Janjira: Janjira is the legendary fort situated not very far from Alibag.
* Datta Mandir: situated at bhowale,2 km away from chaul.
* Hingulja Mandir: Situated near datta mandir,historic temple built by pandwas.

References