About Konkan

Geography :

Konkan (Marathi : कोकण) is a coastal strip occupies the entire west coast of Maharashtra. It is to the heart of this serene landscape.

The land of Konkan is bounded by the Sahyadri Mountain range (“Western Ghats”) on the East and the Arabian Sea on the West. The region consists of costal districts such as Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Thane.

Climate :

Generally the climate of Kokan region is hot and humid.

The region witness all climatic seasonal changes i.e. monsoon, winter and summer.

Monsoon, from June to September, generally Konkan received rainfall between 300 mm up to 900 mm. July and August are quite rainy and typically the wettest months of the year, but by September the rainfall has weakened.

During monsoon period the region looks attractive due to greenery around. Sometimes due to heavy rain, the region may observe flood.

Winter, October to February, the temperatures are a bit milder with less humid conditions. Day temperatures are moderate and cool nights (15°C); average temperatures between 20 to 25 degrees.

Summer, March to June, hot and humid climate. Hottest month is usually April. Average temperatures for the summer season are between 32 to 40 degrees.

Summer 2010 was recorded as the hottest in the history, the maximum temperature recorded was 46 degrees; may be due to sign of climate change.

People and Culture :

Residents of Konkan and their descendants are called Konkanis.

The Kokani People are a hearty, friendly and festive people by nature. Their love for celebration is deeply rooted in their culture and it finds its expression through the various festivals celebrated throughout the year.

The Konkani culture is essentially, a coastal culture. They depend mainly upon fishing and farming for their livelihood and nowadays some are making their living with the help of growing Tourism in the area. The areas of Devgad, Dapoli and Ratnagiri are famous for its Alphonso mangoes and also a lot of fish is exported from Ratnagiri port.

Konkanis are a very diverse group of people. The diversity is reflected in the religion, geographical spread, origins and dialects. Good sign in Kokan region is that people of all religious live together and celebrate all religions festivals peacefully. Communal tension is almost nil around region.

Languages :

Marathi and Kokani are main languages spoken here besides Hindi, Urdu and English.

Even though Konkani is widely spoken, each region has a different dialect, pronunciation style, vocabulary, tone and sometimes, significant differences in grammar.

Konkani Cusine and Recipes

Konkan being a coastal area, it has its own distinct way of cooking food. The Konkani cuisine uses Coconut liberally in various forms such as grated, dry grated, fried, coconut paste and coconut milk.

A lot of Masalas are used which have dry Red Chilies and other spices like coriander seeds, Peppercorns, Cumin, Cardamom, Ginger, Garlic … etc. Some dishes also use Kokum, dried Kokam (Amsul), Tamarind, and Raw Mango (Kairi).

Fish dishes mainly dominate the Konkani cuisine.

Konkanis today :

The Konkani community, however, rebounds from every setback. With the end of the British and Portuguese Empires in India, the community has made significant strides.

Konkanis are well educated and mostly financially well-off.

A large section of the community works in the banking sector, given their background in trade and commerce. However, the community has diversified into various professions and made a name for itself in the industrial, technical and medical fields. A high percentage of Konkanis are now engaged in tertiary occupations as compared to other communities.

A large number migrated to Mumbai and other large cities after Independence. Today, nearly half of the Konkanis can be found outside India, particularly the Arab states and Anglosphere, either as naturalized citizens or expatriates.

Natural Vegetation :

Because Kokan region receives heavy rainfall, natural vegetation is abundant and full of various useful trees and medicinal plants.

Kokan is well known for its natural beauty and that’s the reason the region is referred as naturally gifted. Konkan's greenery, coconut trees, beautiful virgin beaches, waterfalls, mountains and lush green valleys will definitely provide a rich and pleasant experience for the traveler.

Most of the district area is covered by dense rain forest, and are suitable for habitant of wild animals.

Agricultural :

The warm and humid climatic conditions are quite favorable for Horticulture, e.g. Mangoes, Kokam, Cashew Nuts, Coconuts, Strawberry … etc. Even Rubber Plantation is also successfully practiced in some areas.

There are two major cropping seasons the Kharif and Rabi. The Kharif crop is the autumn harvest (also known as the summer or monsoon crop); Kharif crops are usually sown with the beginning of the first rains in July, during the monsoon season. The Rabi crop is the spring harvest (also known as the winter crop).

Most of the cropping is directed towards rice and some additional pulse crops and low quality cereals.

Some of the crops here are conventionally grown in Kokan region. Cereals like Rice, Jowar, Maize, Ragi, Kodra , Vari … etc; Pulses like Gram, Mung, Tur, Udid, Kulthi, Wal, Chawali … etc; Condiments and Spices Betel Nuts ,Coriander, Chilies, … etc

Beaches :

There are a lot of beautiful beaches along the entire Konkan coast with a serene character. See Beaches section.

Kokan Railway :

About ten years ago (around early 90s), this region opened up with the advent of the 'Konkan railway' - the rail route that connects Mumbai (Bombay) with the entire western coast of India. 'Konkan railway' in itself is an unparalleled achievment of engineering excellence for India involving construction of several bridges and tunnels through its entire run across the state.

Currently on Kokan railway track, the rail route also connects to Pune via Panvel and project is also proposed to connect Kokan to Kolhapur via Chiplun.

National Highway 17 :

National Highway 17, commonly referred to as NH 17, is a busy

National Highway

in India that runs roughly north-south along the western coast of India, parallel to Western Ghats. It connects Mumbai to Kochi, passing through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Kerala. NH 17 is also known as

Mumbai-Goa Highway

in Maharashtra. It is the 7^th longest highway in India with 1,296 km.

It starts at Panvel, at junction of NH 4, and ends at Edappally, at junction of NH 47 near Kochi. The National Highway 17 connects following cities and towns of different states as follows Panvel, Mahad, Khed, Chiplun, Hatkhamba (Ratnagiri), Rajapur, Panaji, Margao, Karwar, Kumta, Honnavar, Bhatkal, Udupi, Surathkal, Mangalore, Kasaragod, Kannur, Thalassery, Vadakara, Kozhikkode, Ponnani, Kodungallur, North Paravur and Kochi.

The National Highway (NH) 17 passes through hills, forests, rivers, rivulets, and streams, generally flowing westwards towards Arabian sea. Most of region has typical scene like coconut trees dotted all along with paddy fields and arecanut gardens. The road is uneven, bumps, curves, steep rises and narrow paths in between hillocks are found all over this highway. As this region experiences heavy rainfall, potholes are present occasionally.

The building of National Highway 17 has led to rapid development of towns and cities along the highway.

Industrial Development :

Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) is a Government of Maharashtra State body that looks after development of industrial belt in Maharashtra.

The following are Industrial are developed by MIDC in Kokan region: