Mayem Lake - A Pristine Tourist Spot in North Goa

I have been visiting Goa with my family for many years - roughly once in two years to pay obstinances to our Kul Devata (family deity), Shree Navadurga temple at Madkai. During such visits, we would cover some other temples as well as some popular beaches etc. Knowing fully well that Goa tourism is not all about beaches and religious tourism but there are some lesser-known tourist spots in the interior Goa, we decided to explore a couple of such spots on our recent visit to Goa during the Ganesh Festival holidays in September 08-11, 2024. Apart from visiting temples, this time, we decided to cover Mayem Lake which I had heard about it long ago.

The first view of Mayem Lake as we entered the complex. In the background is the boating jetty.

While exploring the route to drive to Mayem Lake from Old Goa on the google map, I notice a place called Harvalem where there is a waterfall as well as Shree Rudreshwar temple and the Harvalem Caves in the vicinity. So, we decided to spend a day in all these places.

After breakfast, we commenced our driving journey from Old Goa. The shortest route is via MDR-20 (Major District Road). However, this route includes a ferry transfer. The other route is via Sanquelim (pronounced as 'Sankeli) which is a longer route by about 10 kms. We took the second route to avoid uncertainty of ferry timing of the first route. We covered 27 kms of distance in about 45 minutes. The road was excellent for driving. The last 4 kms of drive after Dicholi was through the dense forest. 

Google map showing the route we followed to visit Mayem Lake-Harvalem Waterfalls-Harvalem Caves and back to Old Goa by the same route.

We entered the lake area through the road leading to GTDC's Mayem Lake View Residency. Although, it is a private property, tourists are allowed to enter up to the Viewing Platform which is just opposite the reception office of Mayem Lake View. My first impression on watching the lake from the Viewing Platform was 'what a pristine place! The lake is surrounded by small hills with dense vegetation. Moreover, the shores of the lake have plants and shrubs which are conducive for migratory birds for nesting. Probably, we would have got to see migratory birds if we had visited the lake early morning.

Mayem Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Goa. After undergoing renovation for many months, the lake was re-opened for tourists sometime in 2019 providing some additional recreational facilities and a Bungee Jumping platform. However, during 2020-21 the lake was virtually closed for tourists due to Covid protocols. It remerged as a tourist spot from 2022 onwards. The Bungee Jumping and the pedal boating activities in the lake have attracted the tourists. 

East-West view of Mayem Lake from the bridge connecting Bicholim road with District Road No.22. In the background is Bungee jumping platform.

Mayem Lake with Taleshwar temple in the background. On the right is the bridge connecting Bicholim road.

GTDC's Mayem Lake View cottages in the background.

 

One of the cottages of GTDC's Lake View Hotel almost touching the water of Mayem Lake.

On the Lake View Hotel's Viewing Platform. In the background is pedal-boating jetty and other recreational places.

Pedal boating jetty, a Cafeteria and places for other recreational activities on the opposite shore of the Mayem Lake.

Harvalem Waterfalls and Rudreshwar Temple Complex

We had visited Mayem Lake in Monsoon which is an off-season for tourists in Goa. Moreover, we were in the midst of Ganesh Festivals. So, the boating and other recreational facilities were closed for 5-days during the festival period. Even Cafeteria - both at the lake shore as well as of GTDC's Mayam Lake View Residency were closed. Only the Bungee Jumping was opened. But we found no other tourists in around Mayem Lake except us. In a way, it was good for us as we spend a very peaceful one-hour quality time, exploring the lake from its three shores.

In our return journey, we took a detour from Sanquelim town (12 kms) to visit Shree Rudreshwar temple and Harvalem Waterfalls in the temple's vicinity. From Harvalem village (pronounced as 'Haravale') road end, it is about 200 steps down to reach Shree Rudreshwar temple complex and the waterfalls. In fact, one can see the waterfalls through the arch of the side entrance to the temple.

Shree Rudreshwar temple has been built on an old temple site with a superb location. It is nestled in the midst of dense forest with a waterfall on the River Harvalem (also called River Kudne) which flows by the side of the temple. Rudreshwar is one of the forms of Lord Shiva and, the deity of Shree Rudreshwar is in the human form in the temple. This temple represents a good amalgam of a serene landscape with spiritual atmosphere. 

 

Shree Rudreshwar temple, Harvalem.

Deity of Shree Rudreshwar in the temple.

Harvalem Waterfalls seen through the side entrance arch of Shree Rudreshwar Temple.

Harvalem Waterfalls can be reached through the side entrance of Shree Rudreshwar temple. There are two ways to watch the waterfalls. First, after climbing a few steps from the temple side, one can step down to reach the base of the waterfall where it merges with the flow of the Haravlem river. Due to vigorous monsoon rains in the last few days, the waterfall is very large and forceful which is risky to be at the base of the fall. The second way is to climb further steps to reach a viewing platform very close to the waterfall. We preferred the second way to the waterfall. The force of the waterfall was such that the sprinkles from the waterfall fell as far as about 50 feet away. We got fully drenched with the sprinkles before we could reach the viewing platform though it was a sunny weather. 

Harvalem Waterfalls.

The author on the viewing platform with the background of Harvalem Waterfalls

After the waterfall, a barrage has been constructed to regulate the flow of water in Harvalem River.

Well spread-out trunks of a banyan tree at the shore of Harvalem River at Shree Rudreshwar temple complex. Photo by Sandeep Kamath.

On our return journey to Old Goa from Rudreshwar temple, Harvalem Caves was at a distance of less than 500 metres. I had never heard of these caves until this visit to Goa. It is said that the history of these caves dates back to 6th Century BCE. A single laterite rock has been cut into 5 caves of which three caves have Shivlings. Interestingly, these Shivlings are not 'standalone' but are enshrined in pithas. On one of the Shivlings, there are inscriptions in Brahmi script which was in vogue during the reigns of Samrat Ashok and Chandragupta Maurya.

Harvalem Caves.

Shivling with Brahmi inscriptions in one of the Harvalem Caves.

At the end of the journey, we felt great that we visited some lesser-known places in Goa. Despite monsoon season, weather was by and large kind to us. The interior Goa has many less-explored places which I propose to visit in my next trip to Goa.

Chaukori - A Secluded Hill Station

When I made my first visit to Kumaon in October 1985 for Pindari Glacier trek, I was familiar with only a few places of Kumaon region such as Nainital, Almora, Ranikhet, Kausani as these were popular hill stations. In August 1993, while returning from Chhota Kailash trek, our bus passed through Chaukori when I got the first glimpse of the place which looked like a small hamlet. The place impressed me a lot. In July 2009, while proceeding from Kathgodam to Dharchula for Darma Valley trek, I once again passed through Chaukori. This time, despite the start of the monsoon season, I was fortunate to witness the almost 180-degree view of the Himalayan peaks - from Trishul to Panchachuli. The place had still retained a sleepy village atmosphere.  At that time, I had decided that sometime, I would like to spend a couple of days in Chaukori in a peaceful environment away from the hustle and bustle of popular hill stations of Uttarakhand.

In January this year, my son told me to plan a visit to some places in Uttarakhand during the first week of April 2024 to take advantage of the start of a long weekend. So, while planning the itinerary, I included Chaukori as one of the places to be covered which was my long pending dream. In our trip, I also included Karnaprayag and Rudraprayag which my son wished to visit to relive his visits to these places during our Kedarnath and Badrinath yatra in June 1993. 

The broad itinerary was as under:

Mumbai-Dehradun-Karnaprayag (1 night)

Karnaprayag-Chaukori (3 nights)

Chaukori-Rudraprayag-Kartik Swami Temple-Rudraprayag-(2 nights)

Rudraprayag-Dehradun-Mumbai.

After landing at Jolly Grant airport in the morning, we immediately took a taxi from pre-paid counter for Karnaprayag (185 kms). We reached Karnaprayag in the afternoon and stayed in GMVN. After some rest, we took a walk to Karnaprayag Sangam of Pindar River with Alaknanda River and thereafter took a round of the Karnaprayag market. 

Confluence of Alaknanda River (left) and Pindar River (right) with Karnaprayag town in the background.

The next day, we engaged a taxi to drop us at KMVN, Chaukori (156 kms). After some slow traffic up to Simili which was about 5 kms from Karnaprayag, the rest of the journey to Chaukori was smooth. On the way, we had a good view of Mt. Trishul and Mt. Mrigthuni about 4 kms before reaching Gwaldam.

Mt. Trishul and Mt.  Mrigthuni clicked from Karnaprayag- Gwaldam road about 4 kms before Gwaldam.

We reached Chaukori in the afternoon. The famed Himalayan view from the place was missing as weather had turned hazy. After finishing our lunch at KMVN's restaurant, we walked towards a place called Hanging Rock which is about 1 kms from KMVN. The walk is mostly through rhododendron forest. On the way, there were couple of bungalows under construction, probably homestays in the making. After reaching a meadow, we saw a flat rock on the right side which protruded in a deep valley. So, at the outset, it does not look like a hanging rock. But in all probability, it may look like a hanging rock for the people watching from the valley. It is said that from the Hanging Rock, one gets a better view of the western side of the Himalayan peaks which are not visible from KMVN due to tall trees. However, due to haze, we could not see any peaks. It appears that a further walk on the trail can lead to villages in the valley.

Our room in one of the cottages of KMVN, Chaukori.

Standing on the Hanging Rock. On clear days, Himalayan peaks are visible from this place.

We got up early in the morning to watch the sunrise on the Himalayan peaks. The sunrise scheduled for the day was 5:58 hours. However, the aroma of the sun rays started falling on the peaks much earlier, but the peaks were still covered by the thin layer of white cloud. It was only when the sun came out from behind the hills, the peaks' visibility became somewhat clearer. By 06:15 hours, the most of the western side peaks were covered with sunrays while eastern side peaks, mainly Panchachuli were still in the dark. It was only when sun fully rose, the eastern side peaks became visible.

Close-up views of left to right: Nandadevi, Sunandadevi, Nandakhat in front of them and Nandakot.

Wide angle view of the Himalayan peaks from KMVN, Chaukori.

Mt. Panchachuli group of peaks on the right, viewed from KMVN, Chaukori.

Himalayan peak view from the Viewing Tower of KMVN, Chaukori.

Close up shots of (left to right) Panwalidwar, Nandadevi, Sunandadevi, Nandakhat in from of them and Nandakot from KMVN, Chaukori.

I would say that while it was not the best view of the Himalayan peaks due to prevalence of haze in the atmosphere, nonetheless, it was worth a watch within the limitation, given the fact that for the next two days, the hazy and cloudy sky did not allow us to watch Himalayan peaks when we were in Chaukori. Probably, a short spell of rains in the evening would have cleared the haze in the next morning. 

Our day's programme was to visit Dharamghar Tea Gardens, Musk Deer Breeding Centre on the way, Berinag and Gangolihat for which we had hired a taxi. We dropped the idea of visiting Patal Bhuvaneshwari Cave temple as we were told that senior citizens should avoid entering the cave temple due to risk involved in negotiating the narrow and slippery cave with a couple of places having almost 75 degrees of gradient. 

After breakfast at KMVN restaurant, we first proceeded to Tea Garden at Dharamghar which is actually called as Simgarhi Tea Estate, about 12 kms from Chaukori on the Bageshwar side. It is a small tea garden on the roadside giving a splendid Himalayan peak view. We spent about 30 minutes inside the tea garden. 

Himalayan view from Chak Pipariya on the way to Dharamghar. Peaks from right to left are Maiktoli, Devtoli, Mrigthuni, Trishul and Nandaghunti (faintly seen) on left.

Dharamghar Tea Estate with Himalayan peak view in the background. Mt. Maiktoli on the right.

On returning from the Tea Estate and driving towards Chaukori, we stopped at the road end at Mahruri from where the 1.5 km of trails starts with a gradual ascend to visit Musk Deer Breeding Centre.  On the way, we did not com across anyone. The trail was well-marked. So, we reached the gate of the Musk Deer Farm in about 30 minutes which included the time spent for photography. The caretaker of the farm allowed us to enter the farm which is enclosed with iron mess all the sides as there is a danger of wild animals especially leopards for whom, musk deers are prey. The photography inside the farm is prohibited so is talking loudly. Since it was noon, musk deers were resting in their cages. One worker brought out a musk deer from the cage to the open which was in the size of a Himalayan goat. All the musk deers are kept separately, especially from the males as they tend to attack other deers with their two canines which are located outside their jaws. The male and female musk deers are brought together only during the mating season. Only the males have musk glands. 

Enroute Musk Deer Breeding Farm.

My impression about the visit to Musk Deer Farm is that authorities are reluctant to develop it as a tourist place. Visitors' movements outside the enclosures are restricted to only one side. They are not allowed to take a round of the enclosures. The reasons caretaker gave us were that Musk Deers are shy in nature and they get disturbed by the visitors. Also, the Park is located inside a dense forest where the frequent movements of wild animals have been observed. Our return from the park to the road end was faster as it was down all the way.

Our next destination was Berinag at a distance of 14 kms, bypassing Chaukori. When we passed through Berinag main market to visit Naag Devta temple, we found that the temple was closed in the noon for some renovation work. So, we drove ahead to our last destination of the day - Haat Kalika temple at Gangolihat which was at a distance of 24 kms from Berinag. The temple was established by Adi Shankaracharya and is regarded as one of the Shaktipeethas. The temple is located in the midst of dense Deodhar Forest and is dedicated to Goddess Kali. There was not much of a crowd, and we could get the darshan easily. The temple is well maintained by the Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army.

A view of Gangolihat from the Haat Kalika temple road.

Way to Haat Kalika Temple.

Haat Kalika temple.

A beautiful structure in Haat Kalika Temple complex where the Akhand Jyoti is kept.

We returned to KMVN in the afternoon and had lunch at their restaurant. Rest of the day was spent in strolling around Chaukori. 

On the third and the last day at Chaukori, we had planned a visit to Birthi Waterfall which is about 65 kms from Chaukori on Thal-Munsiyari road. Ideally, Birthi Waterfall is a pit stop for those who are on a visit to Munsiyari. However, since we did not have enough days to cover Munsiyari as well in the trip, as a small compensation, we thought of spending some time at Birthi Waterfall. 

We got up to a hazy morning without any Himalayan peak views. It was a disappointing day for those tourists who had come to Chaukori last evening with a hope of watching the Himalayan peak view in the morning sunrise. After an early breakfast, we left for Birthi Waterfall in a hired car. It took about 2:30 hours to reach Birthi village. After paying the entry fee @Rs.20/- we started our steady climb of about 1 km to reach the base of the waterfall. The trail was a paved one with steps and the support of railings. On the way, there were a couple of tea shops. It took us about 30 minutes including the time for photography to reach the base of the waterfall. We did not get down to the base of the waterfall as the 10 odd stone steps were loose and risky. There was hardly any tourist at the waterfall when we reached. After spending about 15 minutes at the waterfall, we started return trail during which we came across a few tourists heading towards the waterfall. 

Ram Ganga River seen from the Iron bridge at Thal on the way to Birthi Waterfall.

Climbing to reach the base of Birthi Waterfall.

Halfway to Birthi Waterfall.

Almost at the base of Birthi Waterfall.

Video of Birthi Waterfall.

After a tea break at Birthi, we commenced our return journey to Chaukori which took about 2:30 hours. Instead of taking lunch at KMVN, we went to a nearby Paharan Cafe to eat Paneer momos with Coffee. In the evening, we took a stroll to the Himalayan Inter college complex and visited Mahakali temple located in their complex. With this, our 3 days of sojourn to Chaukori was virtually over. The next day, after the breakfast, we bid goodbye to Chaukori and proceeded to Rudraprayag by a hired car.