Sindhudurg district

Sindhudurg (सिंधुदूर्ग in Marathi) is an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in India, which was carved out of the erstwhile Ratnagiri District. The district headquarters are located at Oros (ओरोस). The district occupies an area of 5207 km² and has a population of 868,825 of which 9.47% were urban (as of 2001). [http://www.censusindiamaps.net/page/India_WhizMap/IndiaMap.htm]

Origin of name

The district is named after the fort of Sindhudurg (which means "fort in the sea"), which lies on a rocky island just off the coast of Malvan (मालवण).

Location

Sindhudurg is bordered on the north by Ratnagiri District, on the south by the state of Goa, on the west by the Arabian Sea, and to the east across the crest of the Western Ghats or Sayadhris is Kolhapur District. Sindhudurg is part of Konkan (coastal) region, a narrow coastal plain in western Maharashtra which lies between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.literacy in this district is around 80%

Climate

Sindhudurg has a semi-tropical climate and remains warm and humid in most of the year. It has three clear seasons : Rainy (June - October), winter (November-mid February) and Summer ( mid February-May). Temperatures vary between Max. 32°C and monsoon winds bring heavy rains (average rainfall 3240.10 mm).

Major crops are = Rice, Mango, Cashewnut, Coconut, Vari, Nachani, Groundnut, Jackfruit, Beetlenut and spices.Sindhudurg has lot many tourist attraction spots / temples as well as historical places .Among them are ---the famous Sindhudurg Sea-fort at Malwan built by the Great Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj & other forts like Padamgad , Sarjekot , Rajkot . Nivti , Bharatgad and Bhagwantgad . At a distance of 7 km from Malwan is "Tarkarli " beach .Dhamapur lake , near from Malwan has become an attraction now. Malwan is also famous for its Sea-shore, Cashew nuts and the Jatra (Annual Festival) of BharadiDevi at Aangnewadi- Masure. In Devgad region, major attraction spots are– the Seashore, Vijaydurg Sea fort , & Kunkeshwar temple ( Shiva , about 15 km from Devgad ) . Sawantwadi is famous for its Wooden Toys , Narendra Hill , Moti lake & Amboli hill station (Hiranyakeshi & Nagartas waterfall). Great Saints like Shri Satam Maharaj of Danoli, Shri Raul Maharaj of Pinguli, Shri Tembeswami of Mangaon, Shri Bhalchandra Maharaj of Kankavli belong to this Sindhudurg district. In & around Vengurla , there are lot many places to see like its clean & beautiful Sea-shore , Sagareshwar (Shiva)Temple , which is built in the Sands , Shri Mauli Devi Temple at Shiroda & Redi , Shri Navadurga Temple at Redi, Shri Ganesh Temple (with only two hands) , Shri RamPurush Temple & Swayambhoo Shiva Temple at Redi . Also Shri Vetoba & Shri Sateri Devi Temple at Aaravali-Shiroda , the Shiroda Sea-shore, and Shri Vetaleshwar Temple at Ajgaon are worth visiting among the others. Rameshwar (Shiva) Temple is the Gramdaivat of Vengurla. Also there is a beautiful temple of Sateri Devi in Vengurla. Shiroda has a historic importance that the Salt Satyagraha of 1930 took place here. Salt is still produced here in plenty. Soil in this Konkan region is very different, with rich greenery everywhere and a pleasant atmosphere.sindhudurg is femous for its beautiful beaches and foods.

People

The people of Sindhudurg District mostly speak a distinct Konkani dialect Malvani, though Marathi and English are also spoken. Cities in the district include Sawantvadi, Kudal, Oros, Kankavli, Devgad, Vengurla and Malvan. Smaller towns include Nerur, Katta, Haddi, Kalse, Banda and the hill resort of Amboli.

Cuisine

The cuisine of the district is popularly known as Malvani cuisine. Cocoanut, Rice and fish assume prime significance in the Malavani cuisine. Sea-food containing fish, especially Bangada (Soloman) Paplet (Pomfret), Prawns, Bombil (Bombay Duck) and Tisrya ( Crab) is very popular. "Kombdi Vade", a chicken savoury, is the most popular dish here. Others include Ukadya Tandulachi Pej (उकड्या तांदुळाची पेज - a semi-fluid boiled preparation made of brown-red rice variety) and Sol Kadhi (सोल कढी - A preparation made of Aamsul (kokum) आमसुल and coconut milk). Dry fish is also a local delicasy.

Mango is a major factor to the life of Sindhudurg. Varieties of Alphonso Mango (हापुस आंबा ) from Devgad are particularly popular. Other varieties of mango: Mankur(मानकुर), Pāyari (पायरी) and Karel (करेल - used for preparing Mango Pickle) are also popular for their distinct taste.

The Malvani cuisine also has many vegetarian dishes, including garyache sandan, pickle of karmal, bimble, amba halad, karadichi bhakri, kanyacha sanja, appe, ghavan, dalimichi usal, and kaju usal.

Places of attraction

*Tilari Dam (Dodamarg)
*Ganapati Temple at Redi,Vengurla tehsil
* Navdurga Redi
* Amboli, a waterfall
* Sindhudurg, a fort
* Vijaydurg, a fort

Beaches

* Redi
* Shiroda
* Tarkarli
* Malvan

Divisions

The 8 talukas of this district are Devgad, Kankavli, Malvan, Kudal, Savantwadi, Vengurla and Dodamarg and Vaibhavwadi.

There are 4 Vidhan Sabha constituencies in this district. These are Sawantwadi, Vengurla, Malvan and Devgad. All of these are part of the Rajapur Lok Sabha constituency [ [http://ceo.maharashtra.gov.in/Voters_1_8_06.htm Election Commission, Maharashtra - No. of Voters 1.8.2006] ] .

Notes

* [http://sindhudurg.gov.in Sindhudurg district official website]
* [http://www.geocities.com/ggavaska/vengurla.htm Sindhudurg Site Seeing]
* [http://www.konkanonline.com/ Tourist information on Sindhudurg] [http://www.malvancity.com Tourists Information about malvan]

The most popular is aditya shirodkar he is the magician. He completed 1st Degree from Sindhudurg