Mandangad

Mandangad
—  village  —
Coordinates
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District(s)	Ratnagiri
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Codes • Vehicle • MH-

Mandangad (or Mandangadh or Mandangarh) is the northmost taluka in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, India.

Description

Mandangad is the taluka (tehsil) headquarters in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra state in India. The heart of Mandangad is valota.

The village is situated at the extreme north of Ratnagiri District. In terms of geographical features, its area is about 43,100 Hectares, altitude is 882 feet (268 metres), latitude 17.9833 and longitude 73.2500. Time zone is UTC+5.30. Average rainfall in the taluka is 3996 mm. Mandangad is a hilly coastal zone. Mandangad is 175 km from Ratnagiri, 170 km from Pune and 192 km from Mumbai. It is connected by road. The nearest major town is Mangaon in Raigad District on Mumbai-Goa National Highway No. 17. The Arabian Sea is about 35 km from Mandangad.

Overlooking the small town of Mandangad is a two peaked hill fort also known by the same name i.e Mandangad. Mandangad fort is has quite an obscure existence and doesn’t find much of a mention in history books. In fact, it is one of the very old forts in the region with data suggesting that Mandangad was built in 12th century during the reins of the Shilahar dynasty.

Climate

As Mandangad is located on higher level than sea, the weather is not that humid. The winters are really very cold.

Transportaion

Mandangad is a junction where all the ST buses coming from Mumbai/ Thane/ Pune etc. and going to Dapoli/Bankot/Kelshi etc. halt.

Facilities

There is one Marathi and English medium highschool and S P College (Savitribai Phule COllege) in the village which is affiliated to Mumbai university.

There is one government hospital on the outskirts of the village. There are also few private hospitals. Dr Bam 's hospital is the only hospital in the village offering sonography, X-ray & maternity services. There are a number of medical stores as well. Thus the villagers can affordably get all basic medical treatments in the village itself. On May 29, 2009 a new hospital named Shraddha Multispeciality Hospital started at Shivajinagar Mandangad. It is a private nursing home where surgery is carried out.

Tourist sites

The places worth visiting in & around Mandangad town are (a) Mandangad fort (b) Velas (c) Bankot or Himmatgad Fort (d) Kelshi Beach (Dapoli taluka) (e) Panderi (f) Ambavade and (g) Palgadh (Dapoli taluka).

a) Velas– The coastal place Velas is at the distance of about 36 km from Mandangad. The unique Marine Turtle Conservation Festival is celebrated here. The festival is aimed at conservation of marine turtles.^[1] Velas is also the birth place of Nana Phadanvis alias Balaji Janardan Bhanu, who was the influential personality in the history of Maratha Empire. Nana Phadanvis House and Mahalaxmi Temple are the main attractions in Velas. Gokulashtami Festival is the important event for Velas people.

b) Bankot– Bankot or Himmatgad Fort is also called Victoria Fort. The River Savitri approaches the sea at Bankot. Bankot’s importance is also associated with the holy place Harihareshwar in neighboring Raigad District. From Bankot (Hanuman Tekdi), ferry boats or jetties are available up to Bagmandla in Raigad district; from where tourists can reach Harihareshwar temple by auto rickshaws / S.T.Buses.

d) Kelshi Beach (Dapoli taluka)– Kelshi is a small village in neighbouring Dapoli Taluka. Along the Mahalakshmi temple, Kelshi has got a scenic and unfamiliar beach, which is a very calm and quiet place. Another place worth visiting here is Uttambar.

e) Panderi– Panderi is the important irrigation project on the Savitri River in Mandangad taluka. Apart from the agricultural importance of the dam, of late, Panderi has become a picnic spot. Also found here Pandava Cave.

f) Ambavade– this is a native place of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the Chief Architect of the Indian Constitution, which is about 20 km from Mandangad. There is a monument in this village in commemoration of Dr. Ambedkar.

g) Palgadh (Dapoli taluka)– This is the place where the Marathi author, freedom fighter and social activist Pandurang Sadashiv Sane, known as Sane Guruji, was born. His works in Marathi literature includes Shyamchi Aai (Shyam's Mother) & Dhadapadanari Mule (Struggling Children).

References

1. ^ "Details of Marine Turtle Conservation Festival" Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra’s website

Coordinates: 17°59′N 73°15′E / 17.983°N 73.25°E / 17.983; 73.25