Velas Located in the Mandangad taluka of Ratnagiri district,
Velas is protected by mountains on its three sides and a beautiful shoreline on
the fourth quadrant. The village holds historical significance as the
birthplace and hometown of Nana Phadnavis, an influential minister and
statesman of the Maratha Empire during the Peshwa administration in Pune.
Primarily a village of farmers, Velas’ economy thrives on the cultivation of
rice, coconuts, beetle nut, cashew nut and mangoes. Now of course the turtles have
added to the economy since the hatching season brings in its wake hundreds of
curious onlookers and wildlife enthusiasts.
Velas is a small village in Ratnagiri district which is
famous for the Olive Ridley turtle population that visits the Velas beach every
year and lays their eggs. At Velas, turtle conservation movement is undertaken
by the villagers. An NGO named Sahyadri Nisargmitra and the villagers committee
has taken the initiative to conserve olive ridley turtles by providing protection
to their eggs. Witnessing a baby turtle coming out of the egg and then finding
its way to the sea by those baby steps is an unforgettable moment.
Beautiful sunrise at
Velas beach
Velas is the quintessential Konkani village with low
thatched sloping roofs, spotless and clean dung-smeared courtyards, narrow
roads lined with jackfruit trees and backyards full of coconut, betel nut,
kokam and mango trees.
Velas beach, a village in Ratnagiri district is around 200
km south of Mumbai is leaving no stone unturned to save the turtles from
disaster. Ten years ago, before the conservation effort started, most of the
Olive Ridley turtle eggs were either consumed by humans, dogs and other wild animals.
But with awareness and large-scale participation of locals, 19000 hatchlings
have been released in the decade long effort. From the start of the nesting
season beginning November, locals maintain a vigil for the female Olive Ridley
turtles that come home to nest. Females lay up to three clutches per season,
one clutch containing between 90-150 eggs. The eggs, size of ping pong balls,
are collected and incubated in a hatchery constructed on the beach by the
locals. Each clutch is marked by its date and left to incubate naturally.
The time when you must visit Velas is when several Olive
Ridley turtle hatchlings emerge from the golden sand, wasting no time as they
follow the scent of moisture in the air and commence their seemingly
never-ending voyage to the Arabian Sea. This is after the mother turtles have
come ashore under the cover of darkness about 45-55 days ahead to lay their
clutches of eggs. The Olive Ridley has one of the most extraordinary nesting
habits in the world. Large groups of turtles gather offshore and then all at
once they come ashore to lay their eggs. At Velas, the turtles can come ashore
without fear of human intervention thanks to the efforts of a project started
by Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra (SNM) in 2001.
The SNM and Kasav Mitra Mandal (KMM), a local body, now
organise the Turtle Festival each year during the period of February – March.
Since the past so many years, the NGO has successfully implemented the project
in 36 villages across the coast of Maharashtra, protecting 681 nests and
releasing more than 30,465 hatchlings into the sea. A female turtle digs a pit
generally about two feet deep and then lays its eggs. It then covers the pit
with sand and returns to the sea. The volunteers of the NGOs then dig the nests
and carefully transfer the eggs to man-made pits called hatcheries. After the
incubation period, the hatchlings emerge at any time of the day from their
nests, but are released into the sea by volunteers at specific times i.e. at
0700 and 1615 hours because at these times the sand temperature is very
conducive for the hatchlings to undertake their slow dash to the sea.
Experience Velas Turtle Festival, small little heads of
Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings, with shiny eyes, pop out of the beach, take a
precautionary look around and breathe the fresh air of the nearby Arabian Sea.
Every year between February to March, thousands of newly
hatched endangered Olive Ridley turtles make their maiden walk into the sea.
Things you must know about Olive Ridley Turtles Of the five species of Marine
Turtles occurring on the Indian coast except Loggerhead Sea turtles, all the
other four are seen on the coast of Maharashtra.
After dawn, small little heads of Olive Ridley turtle
hatchlings, with shiny eyes, pop out of the beach, take a precautionary look
around and breathe the fresh air of the nearby Arabian Sea. And then, you
witness the best, at top speed, they start their journey towards the cool sea
waters, even as excited nature lovers and witness this spectacle.
It’s amazing to see how the hatchlings, with no knowledge of
the sea or even their mother, like robots, rush to the sea immediately after
taking birth. It is said that even though you place them in the opposite
direction, they will still go towards the direction of the sea. If you don’t
want to miss this, then Velas beach is the place to be in Ratnagiri district of
Maharashtra Konkan region.
The Velas Turtle Festival is part of the conservation
program aimed for protecting the Olive Ridley turtles. During this beautiful
festival, the activist, tourist, and local people release thousands of tiny and
newly born Olive Ridley Turtles into the sea safely.
At Velas Mohan upadhyay, Vaibhavi joshi, Virendra
Patil & Sameer Mahadik, who are local volunteers deeply involved in the
turtle development program, as a part of that they check progress of turtle
eggs twice every day, keep villagers aware of happenings and teach them
preservation, guide to tourists and so on.
Velas is the birth place of Nana Phadnis, one of the most
influential ministers of the Maratha Empire during the Peshwe administration.
There is a small ‘smarak’ or shrine dedicated to him at his birth-house. Apart
from this, there are 2 temples one can visit while in Velas - Shri
Bhairi-Rameshwar temple built by the Peshwas and the Mahalaxmi temple which
also plays host to a slide show and a film screening in the evening during the
turtle festival.
Sunset is beautiful and definitely not to
be missed!
How to reach
By Road
One can drive to Velas by taking NH 17, Mumbai-Goa
Highway. On reaching Goregaon, take a right turn to go to Velas. State
Transport service is also available.
Homestays:
Velas is beautiful tiny village and the locals provide
shelter and food for a nominal price . Home stays are also approved by MTDC.
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