Best places to visit in Vasai
“Vasai” also known as Bassein has historical significance which dates back to 1509.The Portuguese discovered the coast of Vasai in 1509 according to historian Manuel de Faria e Sousa.
It also happens to be my native place wherein I spent most of my school & college vacations.I still remember my friends used to often ponder and some would burst out laughing and say how lucky I was to have a native place about 54 kms from Mumbai wherein they had to travel about 400 to 500 kms to reach theirs and would take minimum 1 day to reach whereas I would only take at the max 1 hour to reach by train.
Coming back to the historical part of it, my grandfather used to stay alone over there enjoying the fresh weather, till today whenever I go over there away from the hustle and bustle of the Mumbai city whenever I breathe I almost feel the purely oxygenated air going into my nostrils and sense my lungs almost thanking me for giving them break from polluted air. Often I along with my elder sister used to nudge my grandfather in the night to narrate us the stories, he was a thorough legendary and a prolific writer and had a knack to keep listeners exhilarated.
On the day of Diwali, during Laxmi Puja we used to always watch our mother removing sword for worshiping which till now I couldn’t pick it up, the sword has become rustic and lost its shine but is really very heavy. I was always curious about how it came in our possession. Being from a Kshatriya family I always wondered whether it had some sort of a close connection.
It was a bright sunny day in the month of May, after an exhausting day my grandfather was about to sleep, I shaked my grandfather told him to reveal the secret behind the heavy and mighty sword.I persuaded him for another 10 minutes he began to babble at first and then he gradually slowed down. This was even more exciting than watching a Hollywood movie full of suspense “Shutter Island” or an Abbas Mustan Hindi suspense movie “Race” or even better to recollect “Gupt” movie from the nineties.
So my grandfather began narrating with a twinkle in his eye, Vasai was ruled by the Portuguese for quite a longer period of time. The famous attraction for many fondly called as “Vasai Fort” wherein numerous movie shootings have happened, I recollect going to there to watch Shahrukh Khans movie “Josh”shooting my joy knew no bounds even when I was watching him from a distance of atleast half a km.
My grandfather with a stern look in his eyes looked at me, seeing me lost in my thoughts like “Alice in Wonderland”. I immediately became attentive and started listening as he proceeded further. To the Portuguese Vasai was an important trading centre located on the Arabian Sea. They very well knew the significance of it as it would definitely give them access to global sea routes and goods such as salt, fish, timber and mineral resources.
It was ruled by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat back then who then had to unfortunately surrender and sign a “Treaty of Bassein”seeing massive army of 4000 men and 150 ships who had sailed to the north of Vasai. Bassein Fort was built in the year “1548”. My grandfather remarked that Vasai prospered under Portuguese rule they built colleges, convent schools and also built numerous churches.
Then came into picture Chimaji Appa son of Balaji Vishwanath Bhat who was the younger brother of Bajirao Peshwa of Maratha Empire. Chimaji Appa fought the most stringent battle with the powerful Portuguese army and conquered the Bassein Fort in the year 1739.He said that our ancestors were a witness to all this and as a symbol of remembrance to pass onto the next generations they picked up sword and here it was seen by many generations.I was awestruck by the great history behind my native place.
The next day I obliged my father to take me to this amazing “Vasai Fort”. Having seen it many a times I wanted to explore it again hearing about the heroic efforts made by the great “Chimaji Appa”.So we began our expedition to “Vasai Fort”.
So the best place to visit in Vasai is the “Vasai Fort” which has got historical significance. It is surrounded by the sea from the three sides also it has a harbor from which anyone can access small boats and take a tour of the surrounding area. Standing close to the harbor I still remember the time I visited this place I could almost feel cool breeze softly brushing against my face and the peace that I felt from within was similar to when I visit any sea face and watch sunset.
The fort has got two gates and huge stonewalls having gigantic heights which left me flabbergasted. Seeing the amazing architecture I felt it was toughest to conquer.I went inside and explored it even further and came across well — equipped with water-tanks, store-houses, armory, etc., the fort also had fields for growing grains and vegetables.
I went ahead and came across the Chimaji Appa statue which was built in his memory by the locals. The statue is majestic and almost feels life-like. This has also became a tourist attraction in itself.
As I returned home my interest to explore Vasai increased further. I made a plan to go to Suruchi baug the very next day since it was the next attractive place to visit in Vasai. This place is very much in the interiors and very close to Vasai village. Suruchi Baug has a charm of its own with its beautiful groves of Suru. One can always find clump of suru trees near the beach. The reason why they are planted is to prevent the soil erosion. One has to walk a lot to reach the beach. Once you see suru trees that’s a mark that you have reached your destination. Also the wind blowing swiftly once you reach the beach and hitting you gives a very serene effect.
To attract more visitors they have kept beach horse riding,a garden for the kids to play around and most surprisingly I even saw a camel and they had recently started even beach camel riding which is rather unusual but exciting for visitors as now they don’t have to go all the way to Rajasthan to experience it.
Vasai is considered like a mini Goa and has a lot of churches, beaches like Arnala beach, Pachubandar, Bhuigaon beach, Rangaon beach and probably Christmas is the best time to travel here and experience the rich culture of this place.
When I had few more days for vacation and was about to think what next my dad immediately suggested me Tungareshwar temple to explore in the weekend which also has a wildlife sanctuary nearby which is dedicated to the Hindu God “Shiva”.
This temple is situated in a very beautiful garden. There were 3 to 4 hot springs adjoining the temple which was new to me and I had seen it for the very first time. All of them had concreted cemented walls and steps around them. The water was indeed very hot and I could see bubbles forming on the surface.
So I consider “Vasai” to be one of the best places for sight-seeing as it’s very close from Mumbai only at a distance of 54 kms which means less travel time. It has got the best climate so if one wants to stay away from the city it will give the best feel of a village life which is surrounded by natural beauty. It has got it all from the fort to the beaches, churches and temple. You can visit this place without having to shell out high sum from your pocket. And finally one more reason to travel as they say “Once a year go to a place you have never been before” since travel opens your heart, broadens your mind and turns you into a story teller.
