Mhapan
Mhapan is a village surrounded by hillocks in Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, India.[1] Mhapan has its own shoreline, and it is around 12.9 kilometres (8 mi) from the famous Vengurla beach and is just a stone's throw away from the serene beaches of Khavane and Nivti. Mhapan has a population of 5,000. Mhapan panchkroshi (adjoining villages) contains approximate 15000 population under villages Khavane, Nivti, Malaiee, Kochra, Medha, Shriramwadi and Paat.
Mhapan has banking facility from Sindhudurg District Central Co-Operative Bank (Now- Sindhudurg Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and ATM facility by Bank Of India and Sindhudurg Bank. Mhapan has administrative police station 'Saagari Police station - Nivati) which controls all the surrounding villages of Mhapan having population approx. 25000.
The Mhapan post office pin code is 416522.[2]It has Cellular network coverage of BSNL service.
Topography and Local Attractions
Mhapan is mainly divided in two parts - 'Warche Mhapan' - Bazar area and 'Khalche Mhapan' - another part towards eastern side. Mhapan comprises Bazarwadi, Narvekarwadi, Sutarwadi (Mestrywada), Madwalwadi, Chavanwadi, Namaswadi, Ambedkar Nagar and other areas. Mhapan titha (Bazar) is very famous for fresh fish market in entire district. Once it was hometown for Cricket tournaments. its also famous for its local Bhajji(fritters). One local attraction is the waghbil (den of the tiger) which locals believe is the abode for some living tigers. A small dam is used for recreational purposes only.
Connectivity
Mhapan has good connectivity with Panjim, Vengurle, Malvan and Kudal by MSRTC and Kadamba (Goa) buses. Its bazaar which the locals call titha is a junction which connects Kochra- Shriramwadi, Paat, Nivti. Major State Highway (MSH 4), known as coastal highway connects Mhapan to Malvan (25 km), Kudal (17 km) and Vengurla(23 km). Although Mhapan is under Vengurle tehsil, it has better connectivity with Kudal town.
Temples and festivals
Mhapan hosts Shri Devi Sateri Shantadurga Temple, which is a venue for many local events. Ganesh Chaturthi is the major festival which is celebrated with a lot of faith and enthusiasm. During Tipper (Tripurhari Pournima, i.e. full moon), villagers light up streets with oil lamps. Just a few yards away from Shri Devi Sateri Shantadurga temple stands the Mahadev Temple whose well is used for immersion of Ganpati idols.
In April there is an event in the form of Gudi Padwa, when dadra music, ingle and dashavtari are performed.
Tourism
Mhapan is 3 to 4 km away from seashore and it connects tourist beaches at Nivati (5 km) and fishing port Shriramwadi (7 km). Nivati is very famous for Dolphin site seeing and tourists can go to Nivati rock (under control of Navy). Nivati also boasts Shivaji Maharaj-era fort called 'Kille Nivati'. Mhapan's just 1 km away from Paat, which is famous for its temple and a huge lake. Mhapan is in the vicinity of many secret pristine beaches like Khavne (4 km), Kondura, and Bhogave beach.
Notable people
This is the hometown of Mr Shrikant Sarmalkar Ex. MLA from Bandra East Mumbai, as well as the famous poet, playwright and lyricist Guru Thakur. Other Well known personalities from Mhapan village - Mr. Eknath Thakur (Founder of Saraswat Co. Operative Bank and National School of Banking).