OUR REGION
Baad – Our Konkan Village
Baad (Bada) is a typical sea side Konkan village hidden from hustle-bustle of big city, town or even highway. It is surrounded by coconut, betel nut and mango trees. The Arabian Sea lies at western edge of the village. Most of the village community are fishermen and farmers, and live in harmony with nature. Their simplicity makes them very friendly but non-interfering people. There are few other simple sleepy villages dotted on this 7 km long beautiful beach. For centuries, the fisher-folk and local farmers of the area have lived in harmony with land and the sea. We at OmBodhi have been inspired by this harmonious way of life in variety of different ways and incorporated much in our planning and execution at OmBodhi Retreat – from local architecture to our ecofriendly practices.
Konkan Coast & Western Ghats
Konkan Coast is a rugged section of the western coastline of India. It is a 720 km (450 miles) long coastline and is bounded by the Western Ghats (also known as Sahyadri) in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west. It consists of the coastal districts of the western Indian states of Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka.
The towns of Karwar, Ankola, Kumta, Honavar and Bhatkal fall within the Konkan coast.
Western Ghats (also known as Sahyadri), is a mountain range that runs parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula (Konkan Coast). It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight “hottest hotspots” of biological diversity in the world. It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India.
It is an area of spectacular scenery, rugged terrain, deep valleys, impressive waterfalls, and dense forests teeming with variety of wildlife. The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain, called Konkan, along the Arabian Sea. The region’s many national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests were designated as World Heritage Sites. The range starts near the border of western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, south of the Tapti river, and
runs approximately 1,600 km (990 miles) through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and ending near Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, at the southern-most tip of India.
The average elevation of the hills is around 1,200 m (3,900 ft). These hills cover 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq miles) and form the catchment area for complex riverine drainage systems, giving birth to both, large and short rivers, that drain almost 40% of India. The Western Ghats block southwest monsoon winds from reaching the Deccan Plateau, resulting in heavy rainfall at the coastal region during the monsoon season. It has over 7,402 species of flowering plants, 1,814 species of non-flowering plants, 139 mammal species,
508 bird species, 179 amphibian species, 6,000 insects species and 290 freshwater fish species; it is likely that many undiscovered species live in the Western Ghats. At least 325 globally threatened species occur in the Western Ghats.
Both these regions, Konkan Coast & Western Ghats, are inhabited by various ethnic groups and tribal communities, each having its own identity and culture, making this region very diverse and unique.