Places to Visit in Dahanu

Dahanu is a beautiful, serene Maharashtrian coastal town at the Maharashtra-Gujarat border popular for Chikoos. It is well connected by road and local trains and passenger trains halt here at Dahanu Road railway station. Dahanu railway station was built in 1898. From Mumbai, it is approximately at a distance of 130 KMs. The best time to visit is November, December, and January but other months have their own beauty. In monsoons and rains, the place has its own exotic charm. The entomology goes to the Hindi term Dhenu Gram which literally means “a village of cows”. With this, we can assume that a few ages ago cattle breeding was a major thing in Dahanu.

Dahanu contributes to a major proportion of Chikoo production in the state. It is a 12-month all-season fruit. It was first cultivated by the Zoroastrians who settled here centuries ago.

Dahanu beach is the prime attraction here. The first beach and Second beach near Parnaka and a few others towards the Bordi route are the beaches you can visit for recreation and fun. In the months of May, there are spectacular high tides in afternoons and evenings. In November and December months the sunsets make the horizons pink, red, orange, and purple color spectrums making the sea-shore landscape worth watching.

Dahanu has a mixed flavor of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The major festivals in Dahanu include Gudi Padva, Shivaji Jayanti, Ganeshotsav, Holi, Diwali, Mahavir Jayanti, Parsi New Year, Navratri, Hanuman Jayanti, Christmas, Easter, and Eid.

Here you will love Vada Pav, Chinese Samosa, Frankie, South Indian Cuisines, Chinese Cuisines, Chat, Pav Bhaji, and a few more food items at varying places. Chikoos, Coconut Water, Mangoes, and Bananas are organically grown here, and you can try them. Locally, there is a toxicant drink named Tadi of fruit palm created here. At Irani Road, there is a cool café Le Marcel which you should definitely visit. Here you will find a variety of Cakes and Pastries, Pizzas, Burgers, Frankies and Rolls, Pasta, Coffee, Shakes, and other yummy items.

There are many resorts on Dahanu Bordi beach, and I would recommend Seawoods Hotel near the second beach for a stay. In winter there are camping tours too which you need to check online.

Dahanu is a green zone, and you will find trees of Chikoos, Mangoes, Bananas, Gulmohar, Mangroves, Pipal, Banayan, and Coconut among others. Chikoo Wadis and Farmhouses are very common and popular here. Dahanu and Bordi have agro-tourism spots too for accommodation and recreational activities.

Agriculture and Fishing is one of the major livelihoods of Dahanu. In Dahanu you will find Warli Painting artists and Warli art too and Warli is considered to originate here ages ago. Adani Electricity has their power plant and township at one end which provides a significant portion of electricity to Mumbai. As a CSR activity, they take up tree plantation and local community basic amenity building tasks in the town.

In the evenings you can enjoy Camel rides and Horse rides at the beach. Also, beach motorbike rides. Dahanu to Bordi stretch is around 17 km.

Apart from beaches, there are many other places to visit in Dahanu. You can visit the Fort in Dahanu Gaon that currently is administratively used as Tehsildar Office and Jail. At the end of Dahanu near the creek, you can see Dhakti Dahanu on the other side which is a settlement of fishermen’s community. Dhakti Dahanu means sister of Dahanu. You can visit there by boat for a change in experience. You can also see the giant chimney of the Adani Electricity Power Plant in the east from here. There is a road bridge built over the creek connecting Dahanu and Dhakti Dahanu and you can use that too with your vehicle to explore. Many times, the local community at Dhakti Dahanu uses the walking pathway of the bridge to dry their fish and it might smell bad. In Dahanu Gaon you will also see a few centuries old Church from the Portuguese era, Laxmi Narayan Temple from Peshwa Era, and a century-old Jain Temple from the British Raj era. The beautiful Jain temple is a pilgrimage site for devotees.

Dahanu’s neighboring town in the north is Bordi which has Zoroastrian and local charm. From Dahanu you can visit the Kosbad which is surrounded by trees and wadis on both sides of the road and connects to Bordi town. Before Bordi town, you can visit a Jain temple in the Kosbad built on a hill. You can see the beautiful hilly ranges covered with Coconut, Chikoo, Mango, and Pipal trees from the temple location.

On the highway beyond Charoti there is a Mahalaxmi temple to visit. This temple was built by a Koli King Jayabha Mukne of Jawhar province in 1306 at the establishment of Jawhar. Devotees believe that the Goddess used to halt at this place during her visit from Kolhapur to Gujarat. People offer Lotus flowers and coconut-made sweets as devotional offers. During Navratri, devotional people from across the places walk to the temple in groups to visit the Deity and a fair is conducted.

Dahanu is a place to spend good times and create good memories.

About Devesh Purohit:

Devesh Purohit is a Mumbai-based 7-year experienced PR Practitioner. He likes traveling and sharing his navigation experiences.