Asoli is a small village in Taluka

Vengurla Vengurla is a town in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, India just north of Goa. It is surrounded by a semicircular range of hills with lush green foliage mainly of cashew, mango, coconut, and different kinds of berry trees. The hills of Dabh ...

and district

Sindhudurg Sindhudurg Fort (Marathi pronunciation: in̪d̪ʱud̪uɾɡ is a historical fort that occupies an island in the Arabian Sea, just off the coast of Maharashtra in Western India. The fort was built by Shivaji Maharaj.The fortress lies on the sh ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

, India. The Gram daivath (Village God) is Shree Dev Narayan. Sindhudurg is an administrative

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

in the state of

in India, which was carved out of the erstwhile

Ratnagiri District Ratnagiri District (Marathi pronunciation: �ət̪n̪aːɡiɾiː is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. The administrative headquarter of the district is located in the town of Ratnagiri. The district is 11.33% urban. The district ...

. The district headquarters are located at

Oros The osmotic-controlled release oral delivery system (OROS) is an advanced controlled release oral drug delivery system in the form of a rigid tablet with a semi-permeable outer membrane and one or more small laser drilled holes in it. As the ta ...

. The district occupies an

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an obje ...

of 5207 km² and has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 868,825 of which 9.47% were urban (as of 2001).

Origin of name

Asoli near to Shiroda (Konkani-Shirodem, Marathi-Shiroda) is a small village in South Konkan (Maharashtra), just north of Goa, with a long stretch of clean sparkling mountains. It has a dense covering of palm trees. Shiroda and Aaravali are called Twin Cities (villages) and belong to Vengurla taluka in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, India. There are a lot of sightseeing places nearby Asoli Dev Narayan Temple, Dev Vetoba, Sateri Temple, Hanuman Temple, Navadurga and Mauli Temples at Redi, Mauli temple in Shiroda, Ganesh temple at Redi, Salt Pans. Shiroda Marketplace is famous. Location: Mumbai 508 km, Panji 57 km Nearest Airport: Dabohli (Goa) 92 km Railway Station: Sawantwadi (K.R.) The district is named after the fort of

(which means "fort in the sea"), which lies on a rocky island just off the coast of

Malvan Malvan (also written as Malwan) 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 ...

(मालवण).

Location

Sindhudurg is bordered on the north by

, on the south by the state of

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

, on the west by the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

, and to the east across the crest of the Western Ghats or Sayadhris is

Kolhapur District Kolhapur district (Marathi pronunciation: olʱaːpuɾ is a district in the Maharashtra state of India. The city of Kolhapur is its district headquarter. It is situated near Panchaganga river. It is bordered by the Sangli district to the Nor ...

. Sindhudurg is part of

Konkan The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterland ...

(coastal) region, a narrow

coastal plain A coastal plain is flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and a piedmont area. Some of the largest coastal plains are in Alaska and the southeastern United States. The Gulf Coa ...

in western Maharashtra which lies between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. literacy in this district is around 80%.

Climate

Asoli has a semi-tropical climate and remains warm and humid in most of the year. It has three clear seasons: Rainy (June - October), winter (November-mid February) and Summer (mid-February–May). Temperatures vary between Max. 32 °C and monsoon winds bring heavy rains (average rainfall 3240.10 mm). Major crops are = Rice, Mango, Cashewnut, Coconut, Vari, Nachani, Groundnut, Jackfruit, Beetlenut, and spices. Sawantwadi is famous for its Wooden Toys, Narendra Hill, Moti lake & Amboli hill station (Hiranyakeshi & Nagartas waterfall). In & around Asoli, there are a lot many places to see like its clean & beautiful Seashore, Sagareshwar (Shiva)Temple, which is built in the Sands, Shri Mauli Devi Temple at Shiroda & Redi, Shri

Navadurga Navadurga ( sa, नवदुर्गा, translit=Navadurgā), also spelled Navdurga and Navadurgas, are nine manifestations and forms of Durga in Hinduism, especially worshipped during Navaratri and Durga Puja. They are often considered collec ...

Temple at Redi, Shri Ganesh Temple (with only two hands), Shri RamPurush Temple & Swayambhoo Shiva Temple at Redi . Also, Shri Vetoba & Shri Sateri Devi Temple at Aaravali-Shiroda, the Shiroda Seashore, and Shri Vetaleshwar Temple at Ajgaon are worth visiting among the others. Rameshwar (Shiva) Temple is the Gramdaivat of Vengurla. Also, there is a beautiful temple of Sateri Devi in Vengurla. Shiroda has a historic importance that the Salt Satyagraha of 1930 took place here. Salt is still produced here in plenty. The soil in this Konkan region is very different, with rich greenery everywhere and a pleasant atmosphere. Sindhudurg is famous for its beautiful beaches and foods.

People

The people of Asoli speak a distinct Konkani dialect

Malvani Malvani may refer to: *Malvani people, people from the Malvan region of Maharashtra, on the Konkan coast of western India *Malvani language, Indic language spoken by these people, closely related to Konkani and Marathi *Malvani cuisine, cuisine of t ...

, though

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

are also spoken.

Cuisine

The cuisine of the district is popularly known as

Malvani cuisine Malvani cuisine is the standard cuisine of the South Konkan region of the Indian states of Maharashtra and Goa. Although Malvani cuisine is predominantly non-vegetarian, there are many vegetarian dishes. Although it is an independent cuisine, it ...

. Coconut, rice, and fish assume prime significance in the Malavani cuisine. Seafood containing fish, especially Bangada (

mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...

) Paplet (

Pomfret Pomfrets are perciform fishes belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for humans, especially ''Brama brama'' in South Asia. The earlier form of t ...

Prawns Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten. The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature ...

, Bombil ( Bombay Duck) and Tisrya (

bivalve Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, bival ...

) is very popular. "Kombdi Vade", a chicken savory, is the most popular dish here. Others include Ukadya Tandulachi Pej (a semi-fluid boiled preparation made of brown-red rice variety) and Sol Kadhi (A preparation made of Sol (

kokum ''Garcinia indica'', a plant in the mangosteen family (Clusiaceae), commonly known as ''kokum'', is a fruit-bearing tree that has culinary, pharmaceutical, and industrial uses. It primarily grows in the Western Ghats, especially the Goa and Konka ...

) and coconut milk). Dry fish is also a local delicacy like "Golmo"(dried prawns).

Mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

is a major factor in the life. Varieties of Alphonso Mango are particularly popular. Other varieties of mango: Mankur, Pāyari and Karel (used for preparing Mango Pickle) are also popular for their distinct taste. The Malvani cuisine also has many

vegetarian dish Vegetarian cuisine is based on food that meets vegetarian standards by not including meat and animal tissue products (such as gelatin or animal-derived rennet). Lacto-ovo vegetarianism (the most common type of vegetarianism in the Western world) ...

es, including garyache sandan, pickle of karmal, bimble, amba halad, karadichi bhakri, kanyacha sanja, appe, ghavan, dalimichi usual, and kaju usual.

Places of attraction

* Shree Dev Narayan Temple Asoli * Vetoba Temple at Aravali * Tilari Dam (

Dodamarg Dodamarg taluka is a taluka in Sindhudurg district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Dodamarg Taluka is situated between latitudes 15° 37' N and 15° 60' north and longitudes 73° 19' E and 73° 40' east. It is bordered by the Goa state to ...

) * Ganapati Temple at Redi,

Navadurga Temple at Redi
* Navdurga Redi * Tank beach * Amboli, a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

, a fort *

Vijaydurg Vijaydurg (sometimes written as Viziadurg), the oldest fort on the Sindhudurg coast, was constructed during the regime of Raja Bhoja II of the Shilahar dynasty (construction period 1193-1205) and restructured by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. ...

, a fort

Beaches

* Redi * Shiroda * Asoli *

Tarkarli Tarkarli is a village in Malvan taluka in Sindhudurg district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is a beach destination and remote place in southern Maharashtra. Few years ago, Tarkarli beach is declared as a Queen Beach of Konkan region. ...

Divisions

The 8 talukas of this district are

Devgad Devgad is a taluka in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra India consisting of 98 villages. It is located on the Arabian Sea in the coastal Konkan region of Maharashtra, south of Mumbai. Devgad is known globally for its exports of locally grown ...

Kankavli Kankavli is a city in Sindhudurg district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is an important city due to its central location in the Sindhudurg district. All talukas are at an equal distance from Kankavli city. There is a temple of Shri B ...

Kudal Kudal is a census town in Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, India. It is situated on River Karli in southwest Maharashtara. Kudal is the fourth largest town in Sindhudurg after Sawantwadi, Malvan and Kankavli. As of 2011, the population is 16,0 ...

Savantwadi Sawantwadi is a taluka (a unit of administration) in the Sindhudurg district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The taluka headquarters is Sawantwadi which has a municipal council, which is a local civic body. Sawantwadi was formerly the capita ...

and

and Vaibhavwadi. There are 3

Vidhan Sabha The State Legislative Assembly, or Vidhan Sabha, or also Saasana Sabha, is a legislative body in the states and union territories of India. In the 28 states and 3 union territories with a unicameral state legislature, it is the sole legislati ...

constituencies in this district. These are Sawantwadi, Kudal and Kankavli. All of these are part of the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...

constituency.

Notes

{{reflist
Sindhudurg district official website

Website of Vengurla

Tourist information on Sindhudurg

Tourists Information about malvan
Villages in Sindhudurg district