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A tourist delight crying for attention
Miles away from the hustle and bustle of city life, Yarada Beach, nestled between the hills is an ideal spot for a day out. The spot may not be as famous as the other beaches in the city like Rushikonda or the Ramakrishna Beach but it certainly could be a tourist's delight.
"One main reason why it did not get the prominence compared to its potential is because of its location: the beach placed in a bowl, hidden behind the hills on three sides and the vast expanse of the Bay of Bengal on the fourt side. And it is physically separated by the channel from the city," says Pydiraju, the owner of a small tiffin parlour in Yarada Village.
Exciting drive
Going by the motorable route the beach is located 15 km. away from the city. There are basically two approaches to the spot. The old and the natural route is by crossing the port channel and then trekking up the 4 km. Dolphin's Nose hill. The beach is located exactly behind the hill. A ride in the ferry and then trekking through the narrow pathway up the hill is worth a try, especially in the months from November, December and January.
"In earlier days before the construction of the harbour and the digging of the channel people used to wade through the perennial stream to the hills," reminisces Pydiraju.
The other way is the motorable route that starts from behind the Hindustan Shipyard Colony and winds through the 8 km. long steep ghat road. The drive, be it on a four-wheeler or a two-wheeler, could be equally interesting, as one has to negotiate over nine hair-pin bends and couple of steep gradients. The motorable way is fit for one-way traffic and that makes the drive even more adventurous. One has to get almost to the edge of the road to let the other pass.
Apart from the adventurous drive one can enjoy a number of breathtaking views en route. To start with, every bend or curve is a viewpoint by itself. If from one spot the city looks like a symmetric formation of small white concrete blocks, from the other one could catch a glimpse of the bending coastline and the overall industrial development of the city.
Moreover, Nature is at its best during this time of the year. All along the route one would be greeted by the yellow mustard flowers in full bloom that spread for miles like a golden carpet across the valley.
After reaching the top of the headland called Dolhin's Nose, a look down would reveal the virgin sun-kissed beaches of Yarada under the cover of thousands of coconut trees. The unspoilt beaches in combination with green, gold and blue in their purest form would be a refreshing change for the eyes and mind as one rolls down the slopes.
Adjoining the beach is a tiny village adding to the tranquillity. Its neatly lined tiled houses and innocent residents add freshness to the entire trip.
Village history
The original history of Yarada village is obscure but it is believed to be over 300-years-old and still largely inhabited by descendants of the original tribesmen who migrated to this place during the rule of the Golconda Nawabs. Apart from growing a few grains, plantains and coconuts, the villagers work in some factory or offices in the city.
"We constituted the major casual workforce during the construction of the harbour in the British time. And so most of us found employment after its completion. Till date most of us trek back to the village after the day's work from the Port Area. The seclusion of our village from the city has restricted the development. Till date there is no valid 'patta' issued to any of us and there is only one school with no hospital nearby. There was some talk for putting this place on the tourism map but so far no activity. If that happens then we could expect some development. We come under the Gajuwaka Municipality, and a leak in the water pipe takes a minimum of 15 days to be fixed," says former chairman of the Government school, Pilla Sanyasi.
Tourist spots
Apart from the beach, coconut groves, blue waters and the viewpoints, there are other spots to look at. En route there is a radar station of the Cyclone Warning Centre and a lighthouse (entry with prior permission), Kanakadurga Temple, an old dargah with an interesting tale and remnants of an old gun battery of the British days.
Facility
Though the spot is an ideal tourist spot, there isn't much of an infrastructure to boast of. Apart from a couple of small hotels in the village there is one property that is being developed by a private party, Agrigold, which has taken some portion of the beach on lease from the Government and done some landscaping while setting up a multi-cuisine restaurant.
"The potential is immense. We liked this spot next to the Araku Valley but there should be some more infrastructure development like guest houses, restaurants and more number of RTC buses. This is for the first time that I have come here but I would include this spot in all my future tour schedules," says Anjan Mitra, a tour operator from Kolkatta.
All said and done, the Government should think of making this place a major tourist attraction and not just putting it in the package tour programme.
SUMIT BHATTACHARJEE
Photo: K.R. Deepak
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
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