Malvan


Malvan is a town and taluka in Sindhudurg District, the southernmost district of Maharashtra State, India, well known for the historically important Sindhudurg Fort. Malvan taluka consists of villages such as Angane Wadi Masure, Achra, Khalchi Devli, Jamdul, Juva, Pankhol, Talasheel and Sarjekot. The main occupation here is fishing and agriculture. The staple diet of the local people is fish curry and rice. The town produces Alphonso mangoes and is also known for sweets such as Malvani Khaja made from gram-besan flour and coated jaggery as well as Malvani Ladoos. Other sweets that attract tourists are Konkani meva, Aambawadi, Fanaspoli, Dryfriuts, Kajuwadi, Naralachya Wadya, Malvani Masale. Malvan.
Dashavtar, a drama-play based on mythological stories, is an important cultural element of the area. Several apocryphal and some more credible stories related to the name Malvan exist. Salt producers use term 'Mahalavan' to describe a region rich in salt, a compound word from "maha" meaning great, and "lavan" meaning plantation. Another possibility is a phonetic derivative of the compound of "Mad" and "Ban", Malvani for coconut trees and garden respectively, relating to the large number of coconut trees in the region. Malvani, a dialect of Marathi is the local language.

Geography and climate

Malvan is a compact town situated on the coast of Western India. The area's beaches, Sindhudurg fort, Tarkarli beach, Mobar point, Chivla beach, Tondavali beach, are all attract tourists. Malvan town is bound by three small creeks: Karli, Kolamb and Kalavali.
The climate of Malvan can be generally classified as warm and moderately humid. Average temperatures range between 16 and 33 °C while relative humidity ranges from 69 to 98%. The annual average rainfall of Malvan is 2275 mm.

Transport links

Malvan is easily accessible by road, being from Mumbai and from Ratnagiri. National Highway NH-66 from Mumbai and Goa runs as far as Kasaal, after which Malvan is a State Transport bus or rickshaw ride of approximately away.
The nearest railway station is at Kudal and Kankawali and the nearest airport is at Dabolim in Goa. Overnight trains depart daily from Mumbai for Kudal.
There are M.S.R.T.C bus services to Malvan, Kadamba Transport Corporation bus services from Goa. There are buses from Kasaal.
Also there are plenty of buses heading towards Goa which go via Kasal. Malvan can be reached from Kolhapur by any MSRTC or KSRTC bus. Kolhapur is the centre point for the buses heading towards Konkan, Goa. Buses coming from Pune as well as Sangli, Solapur and Bijapur have to go via Kolhapur to enter Konkan.

People / Demography

Malvan is a Municipal Council city in district of Sindhudurg, Maharashtra. The Malvan city is divided into 17 wards for which elections are held every 5 years. India census, the Malvan Municipal Council has population of 18,648 of which 9,663 are males while 8,985 are females as per report released by Census India 2011.
Population of Children with age of 0-6 is 1364 which is 7.31% of total population of Malvan. In Malvan Municipal Council, Female Sex Ratio is of 930 against state average of 929. Moreover, Child Sex Ratio in Malvan is around 876 compared to Maharashtra state average of 894. Literacy rate of Malvan city is 93.00%, higher than state average of 82.34%. In Malvan, Male literacy is around 94.76% while female literacy rate is 91.11%.
Malvan Municipal Council has total administration over 4,620 houses to which it supplies basic amenities like water and sewerage. It is also authorized to build roads within Municipal Council limits and impose taxes on properties coming under its jurisdiction.
This area of the Konkan is predominantly Hindu and the majority of these Hindus are Kshatriya Marathas, Bhandaris, Gabits and Kudaldeshkar Gaud Brahmins, Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins. Anganewadi Jatra and 'Bramhan Dev Jatra' are the major fairs in the region. A number of Malvani emigres return to their native place every year during the months of August–September to attend Ganeshotsav, Ram Navmi, and various other local festivals.
Much of Population specially Bhandaris, Gabits, Konkani people are found on the Konkan coast. Especially In Karwar, Ankola, Kumta, Honavar & Goa, these people have migrated from Malvan Way back in the 17th century they have their ancestral Kuldevata's at Malvan etc.

Culture

The Malvan Wildlife Sanctuary was declared on 13 April 1987, with a core zone of 3.182 km² and buffer zone of 25.94 km². The core zone includes the Sindhudurg fort, Padamged island and other submerged rocky structures. The north eastern border of the buffer zone is 50 m from the sea near Malvan port, while on the east it is a semi-circular sandy beach 500 m parallel to the shore of Malvan, in the south it is near Mandel rock, and in the west touches the Malvan rock.

Scuba diving and snorkeling

In India there are a very few places where scuba diving can be done and Malvan is one of them. Due to its relatively clear sea waters, Malvan serves as a perfect spot for scuba diving and snorkeling. Near the outer walls of Sindhudurg fort one can see lots of live corals and colorful marine life under the sea.

Water sports

There are various water sports options available throughout Malvan near sea coast at an affordable rates.
Tsunami Island is a small island on the delta of Tarkarli river. This beach island also is the place to enjoy boat ride in the backwaters of Tarkarli River. This island is not formed due to tsunami waves, but due to this imaginary name it is a popular tourist destination for water sports where one can enjoy rides like Jet-Ski, Banana boat ride, Bumper boat, Kayaks etc. Best time to visit tsunami island for water sports is during high tide when the small island is partially submerged under the water.

Tourist attractions

Malvan has emerged as one of the major tourist attraction places in Maharashtra in recent years. Its clean beaches, historical monuments, tasty food/sea food options, various affordable water sports are attracting tourists like magnet.
There are many guest house options available in Malvan for stay. Oct to May is the best time to visit. Tourists are advised to book the stay in advance in case planning to visit in months of Apr to May and Nov to Dec; there is large influx of tourists during these months.


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