Beaches in India

http://www.fostersblog.in/top-6-beach-chill-spots/ lists six beaches in India. They are enlisted below

1. Varkala: This stunning beach is located about 1 hour north of Trivandrum in Kerala and provides a relatively peaceful environ to the now commercialized Kovalam. The beach is naturally beautiful and the long winding stretch of cliff and views of the Arabian sea.
2. Gokarna: Gokarna is a small and remote town in the northern part of Karnataka with four of India’s most pristine as well as secluded beaches. Both pious pilgrims as well as merrymakers frequent these regularly. This is the place to be if you want to feel experience the charm of the Goa beaches from a decade or two ago.
3. Palolem: This is a picturesque beach that is enclosed by a thick blanket of coconut trees and runs the shaped of a boomerang. This place is growing in popularity as people move away from the at times overcrowded north Goa beaches of Baga and Calungute.
4. Baga: Whether you want to party, eat, relax, enjoy water sports, you can do it all over here. Generally very crowded during peak season, there is a lot to do or not to keep anyone and everyone interested.
5. Marari: This little known beach is in Kerala and is perfect for people checking out the backwaters and craving a bit of beach. Another big draw is the environmentally friendly Marari Beach Resort.
6. Mahabalipuram: Want to enjoy the beach atmosphere but not on the west coast? Mahabalipuram is about 1 hour south of Chennai in Tamil Nadu and is probably the best beach on the east coast. There are beautiful rock sculptures, temples and a vibrant backpacker scene present here as well as a temple on the water’s edge.

  The aboe list is a decent one. But all but one of the beaches belong to the east coast. It's evident that beach tourism is more prevalent in the western coast, owing to the tourism specific states of Goa and Kerela. Even Karnataka has some decent places. Enlisted below are few other beaches that are not well known, but can be a good option, perhaps slightly cheaper as well. I start with eastern most to the western most.

Mandarmani: Mandarmani is a beach resort in south Bengal, near Digha. Unlike many beaches, this beach is motorable, and a length of 13 km makes the drive a pleasurable experience. Pack your bag with light cotton clothes to avoid the summer heat; Don’t miss out to carry sunscreen lotion, as it will help you to minimise the risks of excessive tanning; Before you set out for a drive on the motorable beach, gather information on high tides, because during high tides the water might reach up to the beach level, which can be dangerous.
With sun and surf, pristine sea beach and untrammeled silt coloured sand, this beach is slowly becoming popular among the tourists.
The nearest airport is at Kolkata, 180 kms away. Change your train at Kharagpur if you happen to travel by rail.
Reference: http://www.mandarmani.com/mandarmani.html

Konark: Konark is famous for its Sun Temple. However, the beach, some 3 kms away from it is not as famous. The beach offers a very nice view of sun rise. The Bayof Bengal is known for high waves, unlike its western counterpart, the Arabian Sea. Bathing in the sea can be a much better experience in such condition.

Reference: http://orissadiary.com/orissa_tourism/beach/konark.asp

Gopalpur: Gopalpur is another of the least frequented beaches. It is 16 kms from Berhampur, the nearest rail head. It is not exposed much to tourism and hence still unspoiled. A 45 km drive to Chilka Lake is another experience worth a try.

Reference: http://www.indianbeachesportal.com/orissa-beaches/gopalpur-on-sea.html

Vizag: Vizag or Viakhapatnam is one of the most beautiful cities in India. It has the unique combination of hills bordering the sea. The city is famous for Ramakrishna Beach, better known as the RK beach. It is a very nice place to feel the sea breeze against the backdrop of the city. ishikonda Beach, Visakhapatnam, is located within 13 Kilometers from the heart of the city. Counted amongst the virgin beaches of South India, Vizag's Rishikonda Beach is famous for its long stretch of golden sand. Rishikonda Beach attracts tourists and visitors of all ages. It is also a hot destination for water sports enthusiasts, sunbathers and wind surfers. The beach is bordered with lush green hills that make it a picture perfect place.

Reference: http://www.vizaginformation.com/Beachesandlakes.html

Machllipatnam: Machllipatnam is a not very well known. It has a beach, 11 kms from the city. The beachside fishing hamlet, located at a distance of 11 km from Machilipatnam, is well known for its scenic beauty and also as a historic port city. The beah is known as Manginapudi Beach. The beach is also known for its pligrimage offering at Dattasram.

Reference: http://www.indiacatalog.com/cityguide/machilipatnam.html

Chennai: Chennai is famous for the 17 km long Marina Beach. The Elliot's Beach (popularly known as Besant Nagar beach) is also popular among Chennaiites and visitors to Chennai. However, if one ventures further south, one can get to Thiruvanmiyur, which lies on the East Coast Road. The beach at Thiruvanmiyur (Hare Krishna Beach) is not crowded, unlike Marina and Elliot's. A couple of hours on this beach during the evening hours can surely freshen up your mood.

Reference: http://chennaivibes.com/thiruvanmiyur-beach/

The East Coast Road: The East Coast Road is a scenic beachway that connects Chennai and Pondicherry. It passes through the beach resorts at Kovalam and Mahabalipuram. However, the best part of this road is that most parts of it cruise along the sea. A driving session on this road is something that one can cherish for a long time.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Coast_Road

Pondicherry: Pondicherry is one of the very few places in India that has preserved uts old heritage. The French colony in the town is highly enchanting. The Aurobindo Ashram lies in the center of the French settlement. The beach is a rocky one. A stroll along the beach road can be highly rewarding. Auroville is at an hour's drive from Pondicherry. It has a very nice sand beach, where one can have a very refreshing bath.

Reference: http://tourism.pondicherry.gov.in/

Kanyakumari: Our trip along the east coast finally gets over at Kanyakumari. This is the place where the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea merge. It's also famous for the Vivekananda Rock.

Reference: http://www.kanyakumari.org.in/







Most of the beaches along the west coast are highly popular. I will not mention any beach in Kerela and Goa. They have traditionally been the mostl talked about places. However, there are two beaches on the west coast that are worth mentioning.

Udupi: Udupi is at a distance of 45 kms from Mangalore. Its beach at Malpe is one of the least frequented beaches along the wast coast. However, the presence of Manipal University in the vicinity makes the beach popular among the young students in Manipal Institute of Technology and Kasturba Medical College. The St Mary's Island can also be visited from Malpe Beach. St. Mary's Isles group of clubbed little to the north of the port of Malpe 7 kms form Udupi. Vasco-da-Gama landed in 1498 on one of these islands which he called `EI Padron de Santa Maria'. It is from this that these islands got their present name. They are just a few scattered projections of rock rising out of the western or Arabian Sea around maple.

Reference: http://www.familyvacationindia.com/family-beach-vacation/malpe-beach.html

Alibag: Alibag is located about 80 km south of Mumbai. It has a very pristine beach. The place is also known for the Alibag fort. There are several other beaches that dot the coast around Alibag. Karshid beach is one of them. It is one of the cleanest beaches in India.

The following are the main beaches in and around Alibag:

·     Alibag beach: This is the main beach of the town.

·     Alibag Fort: Alibag is the seat of District Administration of Raigad (formerly Kolaba) district since 1852. The name Kolaba is attributed to a Sea Fort Kolaba built by Shivaji the great, in 1680 to fight the mighty naval prowess of the Siddis' (Abyssenians) of Janjira and the British of Mumbai. Kolaba fort is famous for many battles, between Siddis and Kanhoji Angre, the British and the Portugese.

·     THAL beach: Isolated Beach 5 km from Alibag.

·     Varsoli Beach:Located about a mile from the main beach, home to a very large naval base.It is situated just on the outskirts of Alibag. It is relatively less visited site and as a result is a quiet beach with sparkling white sand and cleaner seawater. Varsoli is a small satellite village across Alibag, complete with thick vegetation of coconut and Casuarina.

·     Akshi Beach: It is situated 8 km away from Alibag.The famous Kashid beach is located 18 km from Murud. The specialty of this beach is the beautiful slivery white sand. literally dazzling silveri on this clean beach. It's a favorite spot for advertising, TV serial and film shoots. The beach is complete with small-food stalls. If you are travelling from Alibag to Murud, the last U-turn in the Ghat section of the road that descends on the Kashid beach is simply mesmerizin

·     Nagaon beach: It is situated about 10 km away from Alibag and is famous for coconuts and betel nuts.

·     Kihim-Navgaon 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[citation needed] 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.

·     Kaneshwar Mandir: It is situated about 17 km away from Alibag to karlekhind-chondi road.13 km from Alibag in Northeast direction is this very famous Shiv temple on a 900 ft. high hill. Its' a 5000 ft. long climb on well paved stairs, which takes around one hour landmarks along the route are tombs of MohanGiri and Balgiri, Nagoba Rest, Jambhali Plateau, God's stair, Gaymandi etc. The fatigue of the uphill climb vanishes the moment one enters the scenic temple premises . It comprises various small temples of Sri Paleshwar, Sri Hanuman, Sri Balram Krishna and Lord Shiv. The special attraction is an ancient sweet water tank enclosed in traditional structure of black stone. The ancient temple was built by Raja Ramdeorai yadav. The height of the Shiv temple is 54 ft. The front gate has Lion sculpture on both sides with traditional lamp-pillar(deepmaal) in front. The 4 ft. long 'Pindi' of Lord Shiv is Silver plated. The premises also include Nagaar-khana, Bheem Kunda, a garden for flowers to be offered to the Lord, Sri Ram Ganesh temple and Gomukha. Every year, Kartik Poornima in Hindu calender is the day of fair. On this hill, variety of herbs are found.

·     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 36 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.[citation needed]

·     Korlai Beach: A quiet serene beach with alternate white and black sands, along a serene stretch of the Arabian coastine, adjacent to a village of Korlai Creole Portuguese speaking Indians.Just as we cross the bridge, to the right there is Korlai fort within the sea and attached to the mainland by a narrow land strip through the Korlao fort through the Korlai Village. It is supposed to have been built by the Portuguese in 1521. The main gate has an inscription which means 'no entry without a fight'. The fort has seven gates, a sweet water well, a church in disuse, a Hindu timple and a Lighthouse

Mumbai: Mumbai is a great city. It has many beaches. Most popular among them  are at Juhu and Chowpatty. Apart from these beaches, Aksa Beach is one of the best places in Mumbai. This beach was one of the most silent and least visited beaches. It was very clean you could find a large variety of snails and shells.

Reference: http://www.bestbeachesindia.com/mumbai/aksa-beach.html

Daman: Daman is a beach resort between Mumbai and Surat. It is a decent place for tourism because of its relatively untouched beaches and freedom to drink liquor, which is prohibited in the neighboring state of Gujarat.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daman,_India

Diu: Diu District is an island lying off the south coast of Gujarat's Kathiawar peninsula, separated from the mainland by a tidal creek. The town of Diu lies at the eastern end of the island, and is known for its fortress and old Portuguese Cathedral.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diu







India has a long coast line. It is dotted with several beaches, that have never been mentioned and are scarcely known. A road trip along the coast line is something I plan to undertake, and I have made it one of my targets for the tourist within me!!! :)