Karwar is beautiful . If you have ever dreamt of being in tune with the waves, bobbing along with the flow and gazing at the blue green waters, then look no further. Located just 8 kms from Goa, along the same coastline , it is completely different from the party destination with idyllic beaches . On one side is the narrow coast embracing the sea, while on the other side, the Western Ghats stand tall. Straddling both mountain and sea, Karwar is a nondescript little town perched in between, oblivious to its own beauty.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

Our first view of Devbagh was in the dark. After several stops enroute to Karwar, we got stalled by a traffic jam near the port where iron ores to be exported gets dumped by lorries. The road at some stretches seemed red. We were staying at the Jungle Lodges property at Devbagh and we quickly called the manager at the resort to inform him of our delay.A boat was waiting for us in the dark as we made our way to the jetty,which looked like a dilapidated boat house . We sailed across the sea in the night and reached the island.

The moonlight was a muse to none other than Tagore who was inspired by Karwar to pen his Prakritir Pratishodh. A beach here still remains in his memory. It is said that the 22 year old Tagore stayed with his brother , Satyendranath Tagore, who was the district judge in Karwar. The confluence of the rivers and the moonlight night when he went rowing solo promoted him to write his ode to Karwar. The quote I read somewhere says – “The sea beach of Karwar is certainly a fit place in which to realise that beauty of nature is not a mirage of imagination, but reflects the joy of the infinite and thus draws us to lose ourselves into it.”

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

I was told that the name Karwar itself is a misnomer.It was originally “Kadwad” and one theory is the British mispronounced the “d” and replaced with a “r”. Kadwad is actually a village where the English had a factory which opened out to the sea .Besides monuments from the colonial era, this ancient beach town flaunts several attractions such as the Sadashivgad Hill Fort with a Durga temple, the one-of-its kind octagonal church and the 300 year old Venkataramana temple .

While the British made this their headquarters , Karwar has been claimed by several Europeans such as the Portuguese, French , Dutch. But the influence that remains here till today is that of the Arabians , who have had trade with the localities even before the European invasion. There is an ancient port where commodities were exported and the port is called “Baithkhol” which in Arabic means bay of safety.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

We strolled around Devbagh — the name literally means the garden of gods. Several tiny islands ring the Devbagh island — Kurumgad, Oyster-rock, Anjudeep, Sadashivgad and Sanyasi. A tale rings around all these islands. The Sanyasi island for instance owes its name to a sage who sought refuge here . The Devgad Island or the Oyster Rock has one of the oldest lighthouses atop .

The Anjudeep or Anjudiv island is the largest of the five islands and it is now home to the navy. The island has some remains of the bygone Portuguese era, some old houses and ruins of a church .

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

The Kurumgad island in the shape of the tortoise was ruled by several dynasties like the Vijayanagar and Sonda. The 18th century fort here that lies in ruins here speaks of the battle fought by Basalinga Nayak of Sonda dynasty against the British

The island is also renowned for its Narasimha temple atop the hill. According to a legend, Lord Narasimha made his way through a long creek leading to a cave near the temple. Geologists, however, certify that an earthquake formed this interesting rock formation over 300 million years ago .

A hazy blue covers my eye lids as the waves frolic around my feet. The foam merges with the sand . I leave my footprints on the sands of time and look straight into the blue and white waters, wondering about the timelessness of the moment…

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath