How to reach Kalbadevi
Located at about 7miles from Ratnagiri, theres a scenic beautiful coastal town named Kalbadevi. Starting from Ratnagiri and ahead of Mirya port we can take the Sakhartar road that leads us into this town. Earlier this town used to be called Pusale but the name changed to Kalbadevi because of the Kalika devi temple present here. Kaaleshwari and Rameshwar are the two pilgrim places here which are worshipped by many devotees. On the way from Ratnagiri to Arevare, while crossing the Sakhartar bridge over Tambdi creek, on the left hand side, you can see the tiled roof of Shri Rameshwar and the milky white temple pinnacle of Shri Kalbadevi.
Once we reach Kalbadevi by the beach road, we can turn left at the bus stop and reach the temple directly. Upon entering the temple premises, we can see the Kalbadevi temple with its highrise white temple peak on our right. Just next to the entrance of Kaleshwari Devi temple,we see an ancient diety of Sri Kalikadevi in a mini temple on the right hand side. The temple basically consists of a small hall and an alter with a diety of Kalika Mata.The diety is made from black stone and the villagers go by the popular belief that the Goddess must have come here from Goa. The front of the main temple of Goddess Kaleshwari is lined with a string of stone lamps and theres also a Tulsi Vrindavan. The main festival of this temple is the Sharad(Autumn)Navratri and other popular religious festivals are celebrated here with lots of devotion throughout the year.
Right accross Kalikadevi temple theres a small entrance to the Rameshwar temple premises. The quaint tiled roof of the Rameshwar temple and the magnificent ancient antique architecture attracts our gaze. The temple of Rameshwar with its paving stone, Tulsi Vrindavan and two magnificent string of lamps is built right next to the creek shore.
The main temple has a grand hall and an alter with a swayambhu means self-manifested pindi of Shri Dev Rameshwar. Right at the entrance of the temple, theres a diety of Shri Ganesh and a Nandi. (Nandi is the sacred bull calf, gatekeeper, vehicle and the greatest devotee of Lord Shiva). We will find many devotees visiting this temple throughout the year.
One of the great features of this temple is the grand bell, weighing almost five hundred kilograms. This bell is of Portuguese period with the year 1737 engraved on it.
It is said that during the Peshwa period, this bell was sent here by Sardar Patwardhan of Sangli on a camel back through Visajipant Lele. Another great feature is the Sagargoti(which is called Bonduc nut or Fever nut in English) weighing almost 330pounds sitting in the temple premises. The first Monday of the month of Shravan begins with Rameshwar Saptah ( means one full week of discourses and devotional practises for Lord Rameshwar).There is constant chanting and bhajans for Lord Rameshwar.This Rameshwar Saptah ends with the Shri Dev Rameshwar Palkhi ceremony (palanquin procession) on the second Monday. All the villagers come together and celebrate the festivals of Tripuri Pournima, Mahashivratri and other festivals with utmost devotion.
If you look at Ratnadurg fort from the temple premises, you can see a small dome of Hasanpir Dargah on the banks of the creek.
Its believed by the locals that Hindus are given the preference to worship at the Hasanpir Dargah.
The beach at Kalbadevi, which is blessed with nature, is extremely beautiful. The occasional waves dancing on the shore simply blows your mind. Migratory birds like Seagulls can be seen during their season. Here you can see the beautiful rural look of authentic Konkan like quaint cottages with their tiled roofs, coconut, betel nut and mango orchards. with this I end this todays tour and I will be back with the next scenic destination for all our lovely viewers.
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