Guest Writer – YOTRIPP TRAVEL https://yotripp.com Travel and Travel Marketing Mon, 19 May 2025 18:15:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 A GUHAGAR ROAD TRIP EXPERIENCE https://yotripp.com/a-guhagar-road-trip-experience/ https://yotripp.com/a-guhagar-road-trip-experience/#respond Sun, 23 Jul 2023 12:57:27 +0000 https://yotripp.com/?p=1971

A GUHAGAR ROAD TRIP EXPERIENCE: INDIAN ROADTRIPS

This Holi, my group of road trippers (which makes four of us in total), drove down to Guhagar, Ratnagiri. This blog is about our experience of our Guhagar road trip and our eco-friendly resort find in Guhagar, namely Baug Guhagar.

Picture Courtesy:Virral Thakkaar

So let me start this blog with a story. The story of why the festival of Holi is celebrated, since it was our Holi trip to Konkan.

The Story of the Asura King, Hiranyakashipu

There was once a king called Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu was an evil Asura king who meditated only to get a boon from Brahma so that he could become invincible and could not be punished by any gods for his ruthless acts.

He had passed an order which said that the citizens of his kingdom could not worship any deity except for him. He was to be worshipped as god and he would execute anyone who did not follow this command. The twist in this tale is that his own son, Prahalad denied accepting him as god and kept being a loyal bhakta to Lord Vishnu.

The ego of Hiranyakashipu was hurt to an extent where he made numerous attempts to kill his own son but failed miserably.

‘Jaako rakhe Saiya, maar sakhe na koi’. 

This means that no one or nothing can harm you when god is the one who is taking care of you.

Story of Holi (Holika) Dahan

The conniving king, now in utter misery, remembered that his sister, Holika had a boon that she could not be burnt alive and so he asked Holika to sit in a firepit with Prahalad. The idea was that his sister would be unharmed whereas the son would be burnt to ashes but to his surprise, the opposite happened. Prahalad was unharmed and Holika was burnt alive!

The furious king meditated and called on the gods to get answers. The gods told him that the boon that Holika could not be burnt alive was only if she was alone but this time around, she was with Prahalad.

‘So why wasn’t Prahalad burnt with her?’ screamed the king. To this the gods replied that Prahalad was in deep meditation with Lord Vishnu himself and was hence protected by the almighty.

King understood that he had been outplayed by the gods and went on to devise more evil ways to kill his son.

This day when Lord Vishnu saved Prahalad and killed Holika is celebrated as Holi. The burning of the pyre is a symbolism of the evil being burnt and the good being saved by the gods.

Back to our Guhagar Indian Roadtrip

01.

Getting Back to The Travel Plan

That was the mythology, now about our travel plan. Holi came as a long weekend this year and no traveler would lose a long weekend to doing nothing, right?

Holi was on the 29th of March 2021 this year, which was a Monday. I was looking at a long weekend and I was certainly not going to sit at home and get bored. While browsing Instagram I came across a sponsored post of ‘Baug Guhagar’ and this place did look quite interesting.

Since I am located in Mumbai, I had to check it out on Google Maps. It was quite a realization to know that Baug Guhagar was a good 8-hour drive! It would thus be insane if I had to return on Monday and then resume work on Tuesday since the drive would be so exhausting.

I put this topic up for discussion with my travel buddies and we decided that we would all take a holiday on Friday and leave early in the morning. We would then return on Sunday and that would allow us to have our Monday as a rest day. Everything seemed to fall into its place thereafter. We made our booking and started a countdown to the D day, 26th of March 2021.

Picture Courtesy:Virral Thakkaar

02.

The Road Trip Begins

It was 5AM on Friday, the 26th of March 2021. All of us met on the highway near Mumbai’s domestic airport. I was meeting Christy Joseph for the first time, but I was happy to see another bald guy in the gang. I have been travelling with Mamta and Pooja since a while now, but this was my first trip with Christy.

We adjusted the luggage which was a challenge because my car does not have a boot. I drive a 2012 Maruti Suzuki Wagon R Green. Green is a model with factory fit CNG system which means the there is no usable space left in the car. My CNG system made it possible to drive to and from Guhagar at a fuel cost of less than INR2000. This cost was further divided into 4 parts and we only had to pay INR500 each towards fuel. I am sure that a train journey by Konkan Railway would have cost us more than that.

We took a quick snack break as soon as we crossed Kalamboli, Panvel. We all carry food and water during trips as it keeps us safe not only from COVID, but also from other food borne troubles; and saves a lot of money as well.

So, Google said that the journey was going to be about 7 hours, but we soon realized that it lied to us. We reached Baug Guhagar well after 3:30 in the afternoon and this means that we drove for a good 10 hours! What happened was that a bridge on the route that Google suggested was under repairs and that made us to take a ferry. This short journey took us around 30 mins which would have been 3 minutes if the bridge had been fine. And then it took another 10 minutes to get back to the main road once we were out of the ferry.

The road on this route was twisty and curvy and goes through. This further increases travel time, not to mention that the roads were pretty awful too.

Picture Courtesy:Virral Thakkaar

03.

Baug Guhagar: The Eco-Friendly Hotel

I came across a sponsored post of this place on Instagram and it looked quite tempting. I did not waste a minute in forwarding it in my WhatsApp group. I received an almost instant reply from Pooja and Mamta followed close. Mamta also invited a friend, Christy Joseph to join us and he agreed as well.

Baug Guhagar is one of those rare places that actually practices the concept of women empowerment. The women here are from the local village and it was a task for an NGO worker to convince their families that it was okay for the women of their families to work.

To top this initiative, the resort is eco-friendly too!

There is no air conditioning and there are a few rules and regulations to be followed. The rate per night, per person is around 800INR and it does not include any meals, so the total expense comes to about 1300INR per person, per night, with them. I feel that it is overpriced, yet I would say that it is an experience of its own kind.

Guhagar beach is a 5-minute drive, and a back-water lake is around 5-minute walking from here.

Picture Courtesy:Virral Thakkaar

04.

Guhagar: The Town

Words cannoyt clearly explain the beauty of this town, so I’ll use photos.

Guhagar is all about temples and beaches and lakes. Most of the residents are engaged in farming and fishing and they are doing quite okay. The literacy rate is over 86% which is amazing. The total population is 3024 people. I know it sounds like too few, but this is true.

Government has established a Municipal Corporation, but the panchayat head is still considered as the local leader by the villagers. My knowledge is that the panchayat is quite respected and consists of good people, unlike what we see in the movies. Everyone knows everyone here and the crime is next to zero.

Picture Courtesy:Virral Thakkaar

05.

Guhagar’s Infrastructure Broke my Heart

We have always seen such schools in the movies. While modern movies have stopped showing such schools, but the harsh reality is, that these exist in the villages. While our children in the cities have good educational facilities, children of the country are walking miles and attending schools like this one.

I could not capture much as exams were going on and I did not want to distract the staff nor the students!

It is impressive to note that despite the dilapidated state of infrastructure at such schools, the town has a literacy rate of over 86 percent!

Picture Courtesy:Virral Thakkaar

06.

Holi Celebrations in Guhagar

Legend says that an Asura by the name of Panchjanya kidnapped the son of Sandipani, locked him in a conch (shankh) and buried it deep in the sea. Sandipani was the guru of Lord Krishna. When the lord himself offered to pay guru dakshina, his guru asked for his kidnapped son to be returned.

Lord Krishna fought and tamed the Asura and freed the son of his guru. This shankh was now a possession of the Lord who named it Panchjanya from the demon and the demon was now known as Shankhasur from the Shankh.

It is said that Lord Krishna blew the Panchjanya to initiate the war of Mahabharat and that Shankhasur fought together with Arjuna and Bheema as well.The villagers dress up as the Asura and dance to collect some donations. These donations are then used for the betterment of the village and not a single penny is used by any single person for private gain.

Shankhasur of Guhagar collected INR 35000, quite a feat when the town’s total population itself is just 3023!

Hope you enjoyed my attempt at writing a blog post. It does not come naturally to be since I am a vlogger. Kindly support my new travel writing gig and my vlogging my checking out the video below. Do like and share this video with your friends. But more importantly, do subscribe to my channel. I promise to keep you entertained with more such entertaining and informative travel videos.

Picture Courtesy:Virral Thakkaar

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  • Mumbai-Guhagar Road Trip Experience

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INDIAN SPIRITUAL DESTINATIONS

Being caught up in daily responsibilities, work, chores or kids and continuing without a break is a great risk to your physical and mental health. Everyone needs a break to refresh themselves and spend some quiet time alone or with loved ones.

In a huge country like India where there are a multitude of religions, Gods, Goddesses and spiritual Gurus, there is no dearth of religious places and destinations that provide spiritual healing.

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If visiting a sacred place or living at a pilgrimage site will give you some much-needed peace of mind, check out these 6 spiritual destinations in India where you can take a vacation and come back rejuvenated.

01.

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi, a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, dates back to 11th century B.C. and gets its name from the two tributaries of the Ganges, ‘Varuna’ and ‘Asi’ that flow along its northern and southern borders.


This city of Lord Shiva, also called ‘Benaras’ or ‘Kashi’, is considered as the spiritual capital of India; one of the holiest Hindu cities and attracts pilgrims from all over the country as well as from abroad. It is a beautiful and colourful place with hundreds of temples across town.


The Ganga Aarti, that is performed every evening at the Dashashwamedh Ghat is a grand and mesmerizing event that must be witnessed by one and all.

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02.

Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa

A 400-year-old church and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Basilica of Bom Jesus is located in old Goa and houses the mortal remains of patron saint St.Francis Xavier. Public viewing of the body is held every ten years. Christian and non-Christian followers from across the world come to visit this church annually.


The Basilica is a brilliant example of Baroque and Portuguese colonial architecture and is one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World.


St. Francis Xavier was known to have healing powers, and a visit to this beautiful basilica will surely heal your soul.

Picture Courtesy:Wikimedia Commons: Amarender Jannu

03.

Ajmer Sharif Dargah, Rajasthan

This Sufi shrine of revered Saint Moinuddin Chisti, located in Ajmer is a major pilgrimage centre for Muslims in India. It is considered one of the holiest places after Mecca. Millions of pilgrims of all faiths, visit this shrine which also has Chisti’s grave.


The shrine is beautiful and almost magical, making every visitor feel peaceful and one with the Almighty. The Urs festival is the highlight of the year at the Dargah and is a great time to visit the shrine, to be a part of some wonderful music and devotional events.

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04.

Golden Temple, Amritsar

‘Majestic’ is the word that comes to mind when you lay eyes on the Harmandir Sahib Temple- the most important pilgrimage site for Sikhs throughout the world. The golden gilded temple and the ambrosial lake- ‘Amrit Sarovar’ that surrounds it, is a reflection of the peace and tranquillity that abounds this place.


The temple lit up at night, is the most magical yet soothing sight that will make you feel at peace and almost in conversation with your God. Volunteering at the ‘langar’ (temple kitchen) that provides free food to pilgrims, is a selfless act that you can perform as a duty towards the Lord and humanity. The peace and satisfaction you will gain are truly indescribable.

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05.

Mahabodhi Temple, Bihar

Bodh Gaya in Bihar is famous for the Mahabodhi Temple and monastery; a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an important Buddhist pilgrimage centre.


It is believed that Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment at this site under the ‘Bodhi Tree’. Being in the same place where he once meditated provides visitors with a feeling of immense peace and solitude.


The town boasts of numerous monasteries and temples. Many courses on meditation and Buddhism are also conducted in the city for interested pilgrims.

If you wish to visit the Mahabodhi Temple in Bihar, check out this detailed Bodh Gaya temple travel guide first.

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06.

Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu

The Ramanathaswamy temple located in the state of Tamil Nadu is an important pilgrimage site and a part of the ‘Char Dham’ pilgrimage. Situated on the Pamban Island, the temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is connected to mainland India via the Pamban bridge- a cantilever bridge that opens to allow ships to pass through.


Apart from the temple, you can also visit the Dhanushkodi beach which lies on the tip of the Pamban island. Hindu mythology states that this was the site from where Lord Ram created a sea-bridge to Sri Lanka.

Peace lies within you but if you have to travel a little to seek it, these beautiful destinations are where you should be heading!

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