India Travel

Trains

Aurangabad to: Ahmedabad (4 daily: 18hr); Delhi (5 weekly; 24hr 50min); Mumbai (20 daily; 5hr 15min).

Jalgaon to: Agra (3-4 daily; 14hr 20min-17hr 20min); Bangalore (1-2 daily; 24-26hr 30min): Bhopal (2 daily; 7-8hr 25min); Calcutta (4 daily; 28-34hr); Chennai (1 daily; 24hr); Delhi (3 daily; 18-22hr); Gwalior (3-5 daily; 13-15hr); Jhansi (3-5 daily; 11 hr 15min-13hr 20min); Mumbai (9-11 daily; 7hr 40min-9hr 35min); Nagpur (5-7 daily; 7hr 45min-9hr 35min); Pune (16 daily; change at Bhusavel; 10hr); Varanasi (2-4 daily; 19hr 40min-23hr); Wardha (6-7 daily; 6-7hr 30min).

Nagpur to: Bhopal (13 daily; 5hr 30min-8hr 30min); Calcutta (4-6 daily; 18hr 40min-24hr); Chennai (2-5 daily; 15-24hr); Delhi (10-12 daily 13hr 45min-22hr 30min); Hyderabad (2-4 daily; Shr 30min-14hr 45min); Indore (1 daily; 14hr 5min); Jabalpur (8 weekly; 9hr 15min-9hr 55mm); Jalgaon (5-7 daily; 7hr 45min-9hr 35min); Mumbai (5-6 daily; 17hr 25min-15hr); Nasik (4 daily: 11-13hr); Pune (1-2 daily; 17-19hr); Varanasi (6 weekly; 19hr 15min—19hr 55mm); Wardha (hourly; 2hr).

Nasik to: Agra (3-4 daily; 17hr 30min-21hr); Bhopal (4-5 daily; 10hr-12hr 20min); Calcutta (3 daily; 31 hr 20min-37hr 30min); Delhi (3 daily; 21 hr 10min-25hr 50min); Jabalpur (5-6 daily; 12hr 30min-14hr 45min); Mumbai (13-15 daily; 4-6hr); Nagpur (4 daily; 11-13hr).

Pune to: Bangalore (2-3 daily; 19hM5min-22hr 15min); Chennai (3 daily; 20-25hr 45min); Delhi (3 daily: 26hr 30min-29hr]; Jalgaon (16 daily; 10hr): Hyderabad (3-4 daily; 11 hr 20min-13hr 15min); Kolhapur (4 daily; 7hr 30min-7hr 50min); Mumbai(20-23 daily; 3hr 25min-5hr 10min); Nagpur (1-2 daily; 17-19hr).

Buses

Aurangabad to: Ahmedabad (1 nightly; 14hr);Ajanta (hourly; 3hr); Bijapur (1 daily; 12hr); Ellora(every 30min; 40min); Indore (2 daily; 12hr); Jalgaon (hourly; 4hr); Mumbai (6 nightly; 10-12hr);Nagpur (4 daily; 12hr); Nasik (8 daily; 5hr); Pune (7daily; 5hr).

Jalgaon to: Ajanta (4 daily direct; 1 hr 40min);Aurangabad (every 30min; 4hr); Fardapur (lor Ajanta; every 30min; 1hr 25min); Mumbai (1 daily; 10hr 30min); Nagpur (2 daily; 9hr); Pune (5 daily;9hr).

Nagpur to: Aurangabad (4 daily; 12hr); Bhopal (1daily; 7hr); Indore (4 daily; 11hr); Jabalpur (9 daily;7hr); Jalgaon (2 daily; 9hr); Pune (5 daily; 16hr);Ramtek (hourly; 1hr 30min).

Nasik to: Aurangabad (8 daily; 5hr); Mumbai (6daily; 4hr); Pune (every 30min; 3hr); Trimbak(hourly; 45min).

Pune to: Aurangabad (7 daily; 5hr); Bijapur (1daily; 8hr): Goa (4 daily; 15hr); Kolhapur (4 daily;12hr]; Mahabaleshwar (9 daily; 3hr); Mumbai (hourly; 4hr 30min): Nasik (every 30min; 3hr).

Flights

Aurangabad to: Delhi (1 daily; 3hr 25min);Mumbai (1 daily; 40min).

Nagpur to: Calcutta (2 weekly; 1hr 30min); Delhi(1 daily; 2hr 25min): Hyderabad (2 weekly; 1hr);Mumbai (2 daily; 1hr15min).

Pune to: Ahmedabad (3 weekly; 1hr); Bangalore (1daily; 1 hr 25min): Chennai (3 weekly; 2hr 50min);Delhi (1 daily; 2hr); Mumbai (3 daily; 35-45min).

Regular buses (30min) run between Kolhapur and Panhala fort, 18km northwest. Although it has legendary connections with the god Parashurama (Rama with the axe), the fort was probably founded by King Raja Bhoja in the late twelfth century. It covers a vast area, with massive perimeter walls over 7km in length and a steep slope beneath. Nevertheless, Panhala could not reasonably be described as impregnable. Over the years it has fallen to the Devagin Yadavas, various Maratha chieftains, and, in 1489. the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur, who erected the ramparts that still stand. Shivaji took Panhala in 1659, only just managing to escape with his life a year later when it was retaken by the Bijapur army. According to tradition, he was saved because one of his lieutenants posed as the leader and was killed, allowing Shivaji to make a quick exit, and regain it later. After this, the fort fell to the Moghul Aurangzeb (1700), became Maratha state capital underTarabai until 1782, and went to the British in 1827.

The Teen Darwaza ("three door") gate meant successive doors could only be approached at an awkward angle, trapping troops in the inner courtyard and making it impossible to charge. A well in the corner was used to send word to allies; lemons with incised messages were dropped into the water, and would float to a lake outside.

A number of modern buildings have been erected within the fort, some of them palatial homes belonging, it is said, to wealthy personages such as “sugar barons” and the famous Hindi film-song artist, Lata Mangeshkar. There’s a newly privatized MTDC resort (02328/35333) if you fancy staying, or alternately enjoy the vista from the Hotel Hilltop (02328/35054, 0231/660061).

Two direct express trains leave Mumbai CST for Kolhapur via Pune (9hr) each evening: the Mahalaxmi Express #1011 (8.25pm; 12hr 15min) and the Sahyadn Express #7303 (5.45pm; 11 hr 20min). Heading in the other direction, the Mahalaxmi Express, bound for Pune and Mumbai leaves Kolhapur at 7.15pm. The railway station is 500m from the bus stand on Station Road, near the centre of town. A five-minute walk from here (turn right) brings you to the MTDC tourist office, in the Kedar Complex on Station Road (Mon-S.it; 8.30am—6.30pm; 0231/692935), where you can sign up for a whistle-stop guided tour of Kolhapur and Panhala (Mon-Sat 10am-5.3Opm; Rs50). The only place in Kolhapur to change travellers’ cheques is at the State Bank of India (Mon-Fri 10am-2pm, Sat 10am—noon) at Dasara Chowk Bridge, near Shahamahar railway station.

There’s no shortage of decent reasonably-priced accommodation in Kolhapur, most within easy reach of the bus stand along Station Road. Hotel Maharaja, 514 Station Rd (0331/650829) is a basic lodge, directly opposite the bus stand, with dozens of good-value, simple, clean rooms, and a veg restaurant. If it’s full, try the Hotel Parth (0231/664841) next door. Near the railway station. Hotel Tourist, 204 E New Shahupuri, Station Rd (0231/650421, 653346),is also a good bet. One of the best options, though, is in a peaceful suburb a five-minute rickshaw drive away: Hotel Woodlands, 204E,Tarabai Park (0231/650941; 633378), with a range of a/c and non-a/c rooms with TV, 24-hour coffee shop, multi-cuisine restaurant, garden and bar.

Outside the hotels, the best food is to be had in Subraya at the top of Station Square, a comfortable, modern a/c restaurant, with a varied menu including good Maharashtran thalis, breakfast and cheaper south Indian-style snacks such as tasty dosas, wada poo and filling pant pun’s.

KOLHAPUR, on the banks of the River Panchaganga 225km south of Pune, is thought to have been an important centre of the Tantric cult associated with Shakti worship since ancient times. The town probably grew up around the sacred site of the present-day Mahalakshmi temple, still important in the life of the city, although there are said to be up to 250 other temples in the area. With a population of more than 500,000, Kolhapur has become a major industrial centre, but the city has retained enough Maharashtran character to make it worthy of a stopover.

Between the tenth and thirteenth centuries the city was ruled by theYadavas; later it came under the Moghuls, and in 1675 it was conquered by the Maratha chief Shivaji. His descendants, the Chhatrapatis, ruled until Independence, having shifted their provincial capital here from Panhala (18km northwest) in 1708. In the late nineteenth century, Kolhapur played an important role in the development of the so-called Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. The architect Major Charles Mant, under the auspices of the maharaja, blended Western styles with Islamic, Jain and Hindu ones, resulting in buildings that profoundly affected the evolution of colonial architecture. Mant’s work, which can be seen all over the city, includes the High School and Town Hall; the General Library; the Albert Edward Hospital; and the New Palace, now a museum. Despite this prolific output, Mant lived in constant (unfounded) terror that his buildings would collapse; he commited suicide at the age of 42 in 1881.

The Mahalakshmi temple, whose cream-painted sanctuary towers soar above the town, is thought to have been founded in the seventh century by the Chalukyan king Karnadeva, following damage inflicted by the Moghuls.

However, what you see today probably dates from the early eighteenth century. It is built from bluish-black basalt on the plan of a cross, with the image of the goddess Mahalakshmi beneath the eastern and largest of five domed towers. The mandapa hallways leading to the main shrine hold figures of Garuda.Vishnu’s bird vahara (celestial vehicle), and Ganapati, which devotees circumambulate prior to approaching the goddess, flanked by the goddesses Mahakali and Saraswati. Four-armed Mahalakshmi. in black stone, holds a mace and shield, fruit and a cup. Her head is crowned with a cobra whose hood stands over a shivalingam.

Presiding over the square just up the road from the Mahalakshmi temple, the Rajwada, or Old Palace, is still occupied by members of the Chhatrapati family. Visitors can see the entrance hall (daily 10am-6pm) by passing under a pillared porch which extends out into the town square.

Kolhapur is famous as a centre for traditional wrestling, or kusti. On leaving the palace gates, turn right and head through the low doorway in front of you, from where a path picks its way past a couple of derelict buildings to the sunken tmtibaug, or wrestling ground. Come here between 5.30am and 5.30pm. and you can watch the wrestlers training, mainly dressed in tiny thongs and caked in red dirt. The main season is between June and September, the coolest time of year, but you may see them active at other times. Hindus and Muslims train together, and it’s fine to take photographs.

The maharaja’s New Palace (Tues-Sun 9.30am—1pm & 2.30-6pm; Rs10), 2km north of the centre, was built in 1884, following a fire at the Rajwada. Designed by Major Mant, its style fuses Jain and Hindu influences from Gujarat and Rajasthan, and local touches from the Rajwada, while remaining indomitably Victorian, with a prominent clock tower. The present maharaja lives on the first floor, while the ground floor holds an absorbing collection of costumes, weapons, games, jewellery, embroidery and paraphernalia such as silver elephant saddles.

The central State bus stand at the north end of the bazaar serves Pune (9 daily; 3hr), the most convenient railhead, as well as Kolhaput (5 daily; 7hr) and Satara (every two hours daily; Ihr), which is 17km from Satara Road railway station, connected to Mumbai via Pune and Miraj (for Goa). To get here from Mumbai, much the best option is to catch the MSRTC semi-luxury bus which departs from the Mumbai Central bus stand each morning at 7am (7hr); return buses leave at 1pm, 2.45pm and 9pm, and should be booked in advance from the reservations hatch at the far end of the concourse - there are three ordinary services during the morning each way.

As in many hill stations, despite an abundance of hotels, prices in Mahabaleshwar are well above average. The cheapest places to stay are on the road parallel “with the main bazaar, Murray Peth, where, with a little haggling, you can pick up rooms for under Rs200. Accommodation is scarce during the monsoon (mid-June to mid-Sept), when most hotels close, and during peak season (Nov-May), when tariffs double.

Ashoka Inn, 289 Murray Peth 02168/60622, One of a string of dependable, clean and essentially characterless places on this street. Restaurant, STD phone, but no views.

Dreamland, directly below the State bus stand 102168/60228. Large, established resort hotel in extensive gardens. Rooms range from simple chalets ("cottages") to new a/c poolside apartments with stupendous views. The congenial garden cafe serves decent espresso and the restaurant fine Indian, Continental, Mexican and Chinese cooking.

Fountain, opposite Koyna Valley 02168/60227, 60137; also bookable in Mumbai through Fountain’s Fast Food Restaurant 022/367 7182. Close to the centre with posh doubles (some a/c with TV) and pure veg restaurant serving Indian. Western and Chinese dishes.

Grand, Woodlawn Road 02168/60322. Tucked away in a leafy and secluded spot, five minutes by taxi from the centre. Simpler than its name would suggest, but decent rooms with verandas and very pleasant garden.

MTOC Holiday Camp, 2km from the centre S02168/60318, B60300 or Mumbai 3:022/202 6713. Wide range of good-value no-frills accommodation, including cottages to sleep four, doubles and a dorm (Rs100). Simple restaurant and beer bar.

Shri Paradise, Main Road, near State bus stand 02163/60523. Run-of-the-mill budget lodge.

MAHABALESHWAR. 250km southeast of Mumbai and the most visited hill resort in Maharashtra, is most easily reached from Pune (120km northeast).The highest point in the Western Ghats (1372m), it is subject to extraordinarily extreme weather conditions. The start of June brings heavy mists and a dramatic drop in temperature, followed by a deluge of biblical proportions: up to

seven metres of rain can fall in the hundred days up to the end of September. As a result, tourists only come here between November and May; during April and May, at the height of summer, the place is packed. The main attraction is the network of marked hiking trails through the woods, leading to waterfalls and assorted vantage points, with views over the peaks and down to the plains. You can also take boats out on the central Yenna Lake, and shop for strawberries, raspberries, locally made jams and honey in the lively market.

For most foreign visitors, Mahabaleshwar’s prime appeal is its location midway between Mumbai and Goa. However, to complete the short but rewarding walk to Wilson’s Point, the highest spot on the ridge, you’ll have to arrive well before dusk. To pick up the (driveable) trail, head south through the bazaar (away from the bus stand) and straight over the crossroads at the end past the Mayfair hotel; ten minutes further up the hill, you reach a red-and-white sign pointing left off the road. Wilson’s Point lies another stiff ten minutes’ up, crowned by a gigantic radio transmitter that is visible for miles. The sunset panoramas from here can be breathtaking.

The windswept, ruined fort of SINHAGAD (formerly Kandana), 26km southwest of Pune at the top of an almost perpendicular cliffin the Bhuleshwar mountains, can easily be visited in a day-trip from Pune by catching a #49 bus (hourly 6.30am-9.30pm; Ihr) from the Swargate bus stand.This involves a stiff two-hour climb from the foot of die hill, but with your own transport you can drive a great deal closer. In 1647 Shivaji, the greatest chief of the Marathas, on hearing that his general Tanaji had died capturing the fort, lamented “I have won the fort, but lost the lion". To commemorate Tanaji’s achievement, it was renamed Sinhagad, “lion fort". Tanaji had attacked on a moonless night, on the western side; the sheer size of the cliff was seen as such a deterrent that the fort was left undefended by the forces of Udai Bhan, who were celebrating a wedding. However, according to legend, Tanaji had in his service the old campaigner Yashwanti, an iguana, which with a rope ladder tied to its tail was thrown onto the cliff face and, after three attempts, stuck securely. So strong was the iguana’s grip that, before the night was out, three hundred of Tanaji’s men had climbed into the fort.

Surprisingly, a few families live in simple houses within its twelve-metre-high walls. Some can serve you a cup of tea; other villagers from the plain climb up every day in the hope of selling pots of yoghurt to day-trippers.

In addition to the hotel restaurants, there are numerous reasonably priced cafes and fast-food outlets around Connaught and Moledina roads, always busy in the evening. A sociable place to round off the day is on Dr Ambedkhar Road, running cast from the GPO, where, from dusk until around 10pm, a string of pavement cafes serve up spicy snacks, cold drinks and fresh juices to young punters.

Cafetarium, Sunder Plaza, MG Road. Smart coffee shop in the atrium behind Thomas Cook, serving mid-morning until iipm.The place for a cappuccino, light lunch or cosmopolitan meal.

Coffee House, 2 Moledina Rd, Camp. A relaxing, upmarket south Indian snack joint that serves the test coffee, dosas and breakfasts in Pune. It’s also a/c, and a good spot to beat the heat.

German Bakery, 291 Koregan Park. One of the infamous chain of cafes providing safe Western meals, pastry snacks and home-made breads for homesick travellers and Oshoites. Kabir’s, 6 Moledina Rd. Good selection of north Indian dishes for around Rs50-90, including lots of tasty tandoori options- Try to get a table outside in the garden. Serves beer.

Sagar, Sassoon Road, opposite the railway station. Large and busy, serving tasty, Indian and Chinese food in clean, no-smoking surroundings. The place to head for if you are staying at the National or have a long wait for a train.

Sahare, 5 Connajght Rd. Outstanding Gujarati/ Rajastani unlimited thalis served in spotless airy surroundings opposite the GPO. Costs a little more than the average thali, but well worth it.

Touche the Sizzler, 7 Moledina Rd, Camp. Great fast food: chicken and lamb “sizzlers” and burgers, and plenty of Punjabi-style veg dishes. Popular with Pune’s bright young things, and a little pricey.

The Tribal Research and Training Institute, which runs the Tribal Museum. Koregan Road (daily 10am—5pm; free) 2km east of the railway station, is dedicated to the protection and documentation of Maharashtra’s numerous tribal groups, such as the Wagdheo. Bahiram. Danteshwan and Marai, who number more than five million. The museum’s faded photos, costumes and artefacts serve as an excellent introduction to this little-known world, but the highlights are the wonderful collections of dance masks and Worli wedding paintings.Talk to the director of the museum if you’re interested in guided (but culturally sensitive) tours to tribal areas.

Pune is the headquarters of the Bhagwan Rajneesh’s avowedly nonreligious Osho Commune International. 17 Koregaon Park (02l2/628562, 624181) 2km east of the railway station. Calling itself a “tasteful and classy resort", the commune celebrates the sniping of critics, proudly displaying the Wall Street Journal’s description of it as a “spiritual Disneyland for disaffected First World yuppies".

With a considerable daily income during peak season (Dec-March) and years of dedicated help trom volunteers, the commune has transtormed its twenty acres into a dreamy playground of cafes, swimming pool, sauna and clinics, with a shop selling Osho’s enormous list of books, videos and cassettes. The faithful have erected space-age, air-conditioned buildings, landscaped the gardens, bored tube wells for water, planted trees to improve air quality and grow organic vegetables. Courses at its Multiversity are offered in a variety of. New-Age and traditional techniques, mostly one-day (Rsl600) to three-day (Rs5400). Forty-five-minute lunchtime demos and one-day inductions (Rs500) are also available if you want to try before you buy. Osho’s own brand of jargon is extensive; tennis, for example, is here played as Zennis, which helps you “get out of your body’s way, bring the outer and the inner together” in “a unique synthesis of tennis and meditation". There are a host of other courses ranging from primal screaming to meditation techniques and more offbeat therapies.

This ecofriendly bubble follows a strict door policy: visitors who wish to spend longer than the daily hour-long guided tours (held throughout the day, ask at reception; Rs10) must produce two passport photos and an HlV-nega-tive certificate no less than 30 days old. If you don’t have one and still want to stay there, you’ll have to take an HIV test at the ashram clinic (Rsl25 next-day results, Rs275 results in 3hr). Day-passes cost Rsl30 and you’ll also need two robes (maroon for daywear, white for evenings) which cost Rs300 inside the ashram, or Rsl50 from stalls outside.