India Travel

Buses to and from Andhra Pradesh

Related Properties from Gurgaon

Southern Andhra Pradesh

The further south you travel from the fertile lands watered by the great Krishna and Godavari rivers, the less hospitable the terrain becomes, especially in the rocky southwest of the state. For Hindus, the main attraction in southern Andhra Pradesh is the tenth-century Venkateshvara temple, outside Tirupati, the most popular Vishnu shrine in India, where several thousand pilgrims come each day to receive darshan. Puttaparthy, the home town of the spiritual leader Sai Baba, is the only other place in the region to attract significant numbers of visitors. Both Tirupati and Puttaparthy are closer to Bangalore in Karnataka and Chennai

Eastern Andhra Pradesh

Perhaps India's least visited area, eastern Andhra Pradesh is sandwiched between the Bay of Bengal in the east and the red soil and high peaks of the Eastern Ghats in the north. Its one architectural attraction is the ancient Buddhist site of Amaravati, near the city of Vijayawada, whose sprinkling of historic temples is far overshadowed by impersonal, modern buildings. Some 350 km north, the major port of Vishakhapatnam is not as grim as it first seems, but it's not a place to linger long. For anyone with a strong desire to explore, however, pockets of natural beauty along the

Andhra Pradesh

Although ANDHRA PRADESH occupies a great swathe of eastern India, stretching for more than 1200 km along the coast from Orissa to Tamil Nadu and reaching far inland from the fertile deltas of the Godavari and Krishna rivers to the semi-arid Deccan Plateau, it's not a place that receives many tourists. Most foreign travelers pass through en route to its more attractive neighbors, which is understandable as places of interest are few and far between. However, the sights that Andhra Pradesh does have to offer are absorbing and well enough connected to warrant at least a few stops on a

History of Andhra Pradesh

Earliest accounts of the region, dating back to the time of Ashoka (third century BC), refer to a people known as the Andhras. The Satavahana dynasty (second century BC-second century AD), also known as the Andhras, came to control much of central and southern India from their second capital at Amaravati on the Krishna. They enjoyed extensive international trade with both eastern Asia and Europe, and were great patrons of Buddhism. Subsequently, the Pallavas from Tamil Nadu, the Chalukyas from Karnataksj and the Cholas all held sway. By the thirteenth century, the Kakatiyas of Warangal were under constant threat from

Crafts in Hyderabad

Crafts Leepakshi The AP state government emporium at Gun foundry on MG Road, stocks a wide range of handicrafts, including Bidri metalwork, jewellery and silks. Utkalika (Government of Orissa handicrafts), House no. 60-1 -67, between the Ravindra Bharati building and Hotel Ashoka, has a modest selection of silver filigree jewellery, hand-loom cloth, ikhattie-dye, Jagannath papier-mache. Figures and buffalo bore carvings. Cheneta Bhavan is a modem shopping complex a little south of the railway station, stuffed with hand-loom cloth shops from various states, including Tamil Nadu. Uttar Pradesh. Rajasthan. Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. For silks and saris, try Meena Bazaar. Pocfiampally

Dakshina Chitra in Tamil Nadu

Occupying a patch of sand dunes midway between Chennai and Mamallapuram, Dakshina Chitra (daily except Tues 10am-6pm; Rs5), literally "Vision of the South", is one of India's best-conceived folk museums, devoted to the rich architectural and artistic heritage of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The museum, set up by the Chennai Craft Foundation, exposes visitors to many disappearing traditions of the region which you might otherwise not be aware of, from tribal fertility cults and Ayyannar field deities to pottery and leather shadow puppets. A selection of traditional buildings from across peninsular India has been painstakingly reconstructed using original

Berhampur in Southern Orissa

BERHAMPUR is the last major Orissan town before Andhra Pradesh. There is little of tourist interest except perhaps the weavers' quarter around thetemple where the town's famous silk sans are still produced using traditional hand looms. Moving on is most people's priority. The mam bus routes from Berhampur are north to Bhubaneswar (4hr; the OTDC luxury bus leaves at 2.30pm); west past Taptapani (every 15min: Rsl5) towards Rayagada and Koraput; and east to Gopalpur-on-Sea. Private buses leave from the new bus stand, some way across town, while the state transport company works out of the more central bus stand in the

Andhra Pradesh : Arrival and information

The old city of Hyderabad straddles the River Musi. Most places of interest lie south of the river, while much of the accommodation is to the north. Further north, separated from Hyderabad by the Husain Sagar Lake, is the modern twin city of Secunderabad, where some long-distance trains terminate, and where all through trains deposit passengers. If you do have to get off at Secunderabad, your ticket is valid for any connecting train to Hyderabad; and if none is imminent, many buses including #5, #8 and #20 play between both stations. Hyderabad airport, 8 km north of the city at

Flights to and from Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad to: Ahmedabad (4 weekly: 1hr40min): Bangalore (2-3 daily; 1hr); Calcutta (1-2 daily; 2-3hr); Chennai (3-4 daily; 1hr-1hr 45min); Cochin (2 weekly; 2hr 40min); Delhi (3 daily; 2hr-2hr10min|; Mumbai (6-7 daily; 1 hr 15min-3hr); Tirupati (1-2 daily; 55min-1hr 20min); Vishakapatnam (2 daily; 1 hr-1 hr 30min). Puttaparthy to: Mumbai (2 weekly: 1 hr 20min). Vishakapatnam to: Bhubaneswar (4 weekly; 55min); Calcutta (4 weekly; 2hr 20min); Chennai (4 weekly; 1hr 5min); Delhi (4 weekly; 3hr 35min); Hyderabad (2 daily; 1 hr-1 hr 30min); Mumbai (1 daily; 2hr45min).

Vijayawada Practicalities

Vijayawada's railway station, on the main Chennai — Calcutta line, is in the centre of town. Buses arriving from Vishakapatnam, Guntur, Amaravati and as far afield as Hyderabad and Chennai pull into the bus stand further west Specific ticket offices cater for each service, and a tourist office has details on local hotels and sights. APTDC also has an office in the centre of town at Hotel Ilapuram Complex, Gandhi Nagar.You can change money at Zen Global Finance. 40-6-27 Krishna Nagar in Labbipet. Between the bus stand and railway station, Ryes Canal flows through the heart of town. Vijayawada is a major

Moving on from Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh

Indian Airlines fly thrice weekly to Delhi (Mon, Wed, Fri 3pm). HRTC run numerous buses to destinations in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh. Most travellers prefer to book "deluxe" buses through operators in McLeod Ganj near the bus stand. Try Himachal Travels (01892/21428) or Potala Tours & Travels, Bhagsu Road, opposite Hotel Tibet (01892/21378). Buses to Pathankot, handy for train connections and road access to Dalhousie and Chamba leave every 30min from the rains bus stand in the lower town. As well as the services listed in the Travel Details on p.589, there are two or three buses a week

Nagarjunakonda : Andhra Pradesh

NAGARJUNAKONDA, or "Nagarjuna's Hill", 166 km south of Hyderabad and 175 km west of Vijayawada, is all that now remains of the vast area, rich in archeological sites, submerged when the huge Nagarjuna Sagar Dam was built across the River Krishna in 1960. Ancient settlements in the valley were first discovered in 1926; extensive excavations carried out between 1954 and 1960 uncovered more than one hundred sites dating from the early Stone Age to late medieval times. Nagarjunakonda was once the summit of a hill, where a fort towered 200m above the valley floor; now it's just a small oblong

Andhra Pradesh Guided tours

India Touring operates a number of guided tours. All times quoted below are when the tours set off from the Secunderabad office; pick-up time in Hyderabad is 45 min later. The better of the two city tours (daily 8am-5.15pm; Rs130) includes Husain Sagar, the Birla temple and planetarium, Qutb Shahi tombs (not Fri), Salar Jung Museum (not Fri), Charminar and Golconda. There are also shorter morning and afternoon city tours and one to Golconda Fort's sound and light show (daily 4.15-9.15pm); Rs 100 including entrance fee), which also drives past Hi-Tech City. Ramoji Film City, 35km south, also has its own

Nathdwara of Udaipur in Rajasthan

The temple dedicated to Krishna - known also as Nath, the favourite avatar (incarnation) otVishnu - at NATHDWARA."Gateway to God", is said to be the second richest temple in India after Tirupati (in Andhra Pradesh). The site was known as Sihar until the moment in the seventeenth century when1 a chariot laden with an image of Krishna became stuck in the mud 26km north of Eklingji. The idol was being carried from Krishna's birthplace Mathura to Udaipur to spare it almost certain destruction by Aurangzeb; its bearers interpreted the event as a divine sign and established a new temple where

Eastern Madhya Pradesh

On the tourist trail, Eastern Madhya Pradesh is singularly and justifiably famous for its amazing abundance of wildlife. Amid the rolling terraced plains and craggy cliffs are hidden two of the country's finest national parks. Kanha and Bandhavgarh. In the few remaining fragments of a forest that until 150 years ago extended right across central India, the reserves are among the last strongholds for many endangered species of birds and mammals, including the tiger, gaur (bison) and barasingha (swamp deer). The whole eastern area is deep in adivasi country; the villages of the Gond and Barga tribes dot the scrubby

Practicalities to the Chitrakut in Uttar Pradesh

For, the few tourists in this region, Chitrakut serves as a centre for catching connecting buses and trains between Allahabad, Kalingar and Khajuraho. Long-distance transport connections are best made via Karbi. From the main Karbi Bus Stand numerous daily buses run to Allahabad (3-4hr), passing through Serai Akil, 15km from the Buddhist ruins of Kausambi, and also to historic Mahoba, a possible stopoff en route to Khajuraho. The railway station at Karbi has services to Allahabad and Mahoba, as well as Varanasi, 374km northeast (9hr). From the Satna Bus Stand in Chitrakut, buses head south into Madhya Pradesh; connecting buses

Practicalities at Datia in Madhya Pradesh

Datia, on the main Delhi-Murnbai train line, is most often visited as a day-trip from Jhansi, or as a break in the journey to Gwahor, 71km to the north west. Buses run from both cities every half hour and there are ten trains daily. If you're coming from Shivpuri, 97km west, you'll have to change buses at Karera. Tongas and cycle rickshaws ferry passengers into town from the small railway station, 2km southwest, while buses pull in at a lot on the south side of the centre. Bicycles can be hired at minimal cost from a shop on the corner

Arrival and information of Tiruchirapalli in Central Tamil Nadu

Madurai's small domestic airport, 12km south of the city, is served by flights to and from Chennai, MumVjai and Thiruvananthapuram. Theoretically you should be able to get information at the Government of Tamil Nadu Tourist Information Centre booth by the exit, but lr's not always open to meet flights. Very simple snack meals ("bread-omelette") are served at the restaurant (daily 9am-5pm).There's also a bookshop and a branch of Indian Bank, but they can't change money. Taxis into the city charge a fixed rate of around Rs200. City Bus #10A leaves frequently from near the exit and will drop you at

Arrival of Chennai in Tamil Nadu

Chennai airport in Trisulam, is comprehensively served by international and domestic flights; the two terminals are a minute's walk from each other, 16km southwest of the city centre on NH-45. Out in the main concourse, you'll find a 24hr post office, Thomas Cook and State Bank of India foreign-exchange counters, several STD telephones, and a couple of snack bars. It's by no means certain that anyone will be staffing the Government of Tamil Nadu Tourist Information Centre booth at the arrivals exit, but if you're lucky you may be able to fix up accommodation from here, or at the "Free

Rekong Peo’s Practicalities in Himachal Pradesh

Rekong Peo's buses are fairly frequent considering its relative isolation Buses stop at the bend in the main bazaar before proceeding up the hill on the Kalpa road for 2km to the main bus stand, Several daily services run to ShirnJa early morning departure runs direct to Mandi and direct buses to nearby San' I There are even direct buses to Chandigarh and Delhi. Buses to upper Kinmi and Spiti include two to Puh and a morning departure for Kaza. Alr.ern,itivt-k-you can flag down the Tapri-Kaza bus a.s it passes Poberi. the Rekong Pen run off on the main road.