Alibaug - Places to Visit

Alibag Beach

Alibag Beach is the main beach of the town. The beach has the blackest sand of the region. The beach is very lively with bathers in the morning and many food stalls in the evening.
Alibag Beach is tardily but certainly growing into a tourist attractor. Ali Shah Bawa’s mazhar is right in the center of the town and the beach is also named after him. The government have built a good platform for the tourist to enjoy the sea and to take bath with safety.
The Alibag Beach is the main beach of the town and the Kolaba fort can be seen from here.

Akshi Beach

The Akshi Beach is a beautiful white sand beach. Plenty of suru trees can be seen along the coast. The water is very clean and it renders safety for swimming. The beach is also a favorite among the birdwatchers and nature lovers.
The hamlet of Akshi is just 5 km away from Alibag. The village is full of fishermen and it is not crowded at all. The beach at Akshi is a favourite tourist spot. One could slug around the clear beaches and step inside the warm and unruffled Arabian Sea. Just a perfect getaway for a weekend.

Khanderi Fort

The Khanderi Fort is 3-4 km into the sea from Thai beach. The fort was built in the year 1678. The Fort stands on a small island. A lighthouse was constructed later on. The fort was under the British control for a long time.
The various attempts made by the British to capture the island fort of Khanderi were not fruitful till the year 1750. The Fort was finally handed over to the British as part of the Peshwa territory.
Today the Khanderi Fort is under Bombay Port trust administration. The fort can be visited in local boats with the permission of the Bombay port trust.

Kolaba Fort

The Kolaba Fort was constructed by Shivaji Maharaj. It is located 2 km inside the sea. Visitors can visit the fort only during low tide.
The fort consists of sweet water well in the middle. There are many temples and fortifications along guns which face the sea. The fort is 300 years old.
Carvings of tigers, peacocks, and elephants on the entrance arch can be seen. Near the gate there are shrines of Mahishasura and Padmavathi and other gods along with fort deity. A Ganesha temple was built in front of the sweet water tank in 1759.
A token entry fee for the visitors is charged by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Undheri Fort

At a distance of 300 meters from Khanderi is the fort of Undheri which is an island fort. It was built by Siddi Qasam in 1680. The fort changed hands from the Siddis, Peshwas, Angres and the British. The visitors can hire local thal fishing boats to visit the fort.

Kanakeshwar Devasthan Temple

The Kanakeshwar Devasthan Temple is 13 km from Alibag. This is a very famous Shiva temple. The temple is on a 900 feet high hill. To get to the temple one has to climb a flight of 5000 well paved stairs. One forgets the tiredness as soon as one enters the temple premises.
This temple premises comprises of various small temples. The Shiva temple is the main temple. The height of the Lord is 54 ft. Behind the temple is the Pushkarna Kund. No one is allowed to access the Kund because of some mishaps in the past.

Brahma Kund

The Brahma Kund is a great work. It is on the hill top. There are two kunds the shiv pool and the Brahma’s pond. Brahma Kund is a rectangular tank which is encircled by steps on all the 4 sides. It is a very beautiful site. The site is excellent for photography.
There is a small Maruti Mandir in its vicinity. As one nears the temple one can see a small statue with an encoding ‘Mirchi Baba’. This encoding was done in the year 1612.
This pool was created by the water which was collected after Lord Brahma bathed lord Krishna.