India Travel
Chandragiri Fort
In the sixteenth century, Chandragiri, 11 km southwest of Tirupati, became the third capital of the Vijayanagars, whose power had declined following the fall of the city of Vijayanagar (Hampi) in Karnataka. It was here that the British negotiated the acquisition of the land to establish Fort St George, the earliest settlement at what is now Chennai. The original fort, thought to date from c. 1000 AD, was taken over by Haider Ali in 1782, followed by the British in 1792. A small museum of sculpture, weapons and memorabilia is housed in the main building, the Indo-Saracenic Kaja Mahal. Another building, the Rani Mahal, stands close by, while behind that is a hill with two freestanding boulders that was used as a place of public execution during Vijayanagar times. A little temple from the Krishna Deva Raya period and a freshwater tank stand at the top of the hill behind the Raja Mahal. In the evening there is a 45-minute sound and light show.
Related Properties from Gurgaon
Tirupati General Information
The best way of getting to Tirupati is by train from Chennai; the trip can be done in a day if you get the earliest of the three daily services (3hr 30 min). From Hyderabad it takes sixteen hours. An APTDC counter at the railway station (daily 7.30am-7pm) is accessible from the entrance hall and platform 1, where there's a 24hr left-luggage office and a self-service veg refreshment room. Stands sell English copies of TKT Viraraghava Charya's History of Tirupati, and there's a Vivekananda religious bookshop next door. Tirupati's APSRTC Central bus station - also with 24hr left-luggage - is
Fort William at Calcutta
A road leads west through the Maidan from the top of Park Street to the gates of Fort William. As the fort functions as the military headquarters of the Eastern Command, entry is restricted and the public is only allowed into certain sections on special occasions. Built on the site of the old village of Govindapur, and commissioned by the British after their defeat in 1756, the fort was completed in 1781 and named after King William III. A rough octagon, about 500m in diameter, whose massive but low bunker-like battlements are punctuated by six main gates, the fort was
Fort William at Calcutta
A road leads west through the Maidan from the top of Park Street to the gates of Fort William. As the fort functions as the military headquarters of the Eastern Command, entry is restricted and the public is only allowed into certain sections on special occasions. Built on the site of the old village of Govindapur, and commissioned by the British after their defeat in 1756, the fort was completed in 1781 and named after King William III. A rough octagon, about 500m in diameter, whose massive but low bunker-like battlements are punctuated by six main gates, the fort was
Amber Fort in Rajasthan
The mighty Amber Fort (Jaigarh), built in 1600, stands high on the hill behind Amber (daily 9am-4.30pm; Rs50, Rs25 extra for camera, Rs100 extra for video). As the Kuchwahas were on friendly terms with the Moghuls, the fort saw few battles, and its immense cannon - the largest in Asia, which needed one hundred kilos of gunpowder for one shot and could send a ball 35km - was never fired in anger. The small museum collection displaying artillery; old maps, medals, stamps and photographs, plus the odd fifteenth-century spitoon, is unspectacular, but has an interesting hand-drawn floor plan of the
Sinhagad in Southern Maharashtra
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
The Rock Fort of Tiruchirapalli in Central Tamil Nadu
Trichy's Rock Fort (daily 6am-8pm; Rs1; Rs10 extra with camera), looming incongruously above the bazaars in the north of town, is best reached by bus (#1) from outside the railway station, or from Dindigul Road: rickshaws will try to charge you Rs50 or more for the five-minute ride. The massive sand-coloured rock on which the fort rests towers to a height of more than 80m, its irregular sides smoothed by wind and rain. The Pallavas were the first to cut into it, but it was the Nayaks who grasped the site's potential as a fort, adding only a few walls and
Kochi (Cochin) Accommodation in Kerala
The romantic atmosphere of Fort Cochin is being exploited, and a growing number of budget guesthouses and upmarket hotels is drastically altering the face of this quaint town; property developers with little interest in restoration and conservation are creating eyesores such as the Park Avenue hotel. The biggest crisis however, is the clean water shortage that has hit the locals very hard, especially in the high season; if you do stay in Fort Cochin, try and keep your daily water consumption to a minimum. To help preserve the fort area, you could opt to stay in Ernakulam. which lacks the
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
Chennai (Madras) in Tamil Nadu
In the northeastern corner of Tamil Nadu on the Bay of Bengal, CHENNAI (still commonly referred to by its former British name, Madras) is India's fourth largest city, with a population nudging six million. Hot, fast, congested and noisy, it is the major transportation hub ot the south - the international airport makes a marginally less stressful entry point to the subcontinent than Mumbai or Delhi - and most travellers stay just long enough to book a ticket for somewhere else. The attractions of the city itself are sparse, though it does boast fine specimens of Raj architecture, pilgrimage sites
Chittaurgarh East of Udaipur in Rajasthan
Of all the former Rajput capitals, CHITTAURGARH (or Chittor), 115km northeast of Udaipur, was the strongest bastion of Hindu resistance against the Muslim invaders. No less than three mass suicides (johars) were committed over the centuries by the female inhabitants of its fort, whose husbands watched their wives, sisters and mothers burn alive before smearing ash from the sacred funeral pyres over their bodies and riding to their deaths on the battlefield below. An air of desolation still hangs over the honey-coloured ramparts, temples, towers and palaces of the old citadel, which sprawls over a rocky plateau high above the
Bikaner The City in Rajasthan
Its worth spending a day or two just wandering around Bikaner, watching dyers at work, visiting the ancient Jain temples, and exploring Junagarh Fort. Bikaner is also famous for its skilled lacquer work and handicrafts, sold in the bazaar for a fraction of Jaisalmer's inflated "tourist prices", and for its hand-woven woollen shawls and blankets. The best place to buy the latter is the Abhivyakti shop just inside the main gate of the fort.
Nalagarh Fort Shimla in Himachal Pradesh
If you can afford it, the eighteenth-century fort of Nalagarh converted into probably the finest hotel in Himachal Pradesh, is an excellent place to break the journey between Delhi and Kullu. Overlooking the Punjab plains, the fort lies 60km from Chandigarh and 12km off the main Chandigarh-Mandi road. Towering above the town with the Himachal foothills rising steeply behind, the fort played a key role in the Gurkha wars of the early nineteenth century, and is today filled with memorabilia evoking its military past. An Ayurvedic clinic offering massage and a shop selling various health potions add to the luxury.
Fort Cochin in Kerala
Moving northwest from Mattancherry Palace along Bazar Road, you pass wholesale emporia where owners, sitting behind scales surrounded by sacks of spices, may well be prepared to talk about their wares. Keep walking in a northerly direction, over the canal and then westwards into Fort Cochin. The architecture of the quiet streets in this enclave is very definitely European, with fine houses built by wealthy British traders, and Dutch cottages with split farmhouse doors. At the water's edge there's a bus stand, boat jetty and food and drinks stalls. This area and nearby Princess Street (which has a few budget
Arrival and information of the Agra in the Uttar Pradesh
Agra has no less than six railway stations. The busiest is Agra Cantonment (Cantt), in the southwest, which serves Delhi, Gwalior. Jhansi and points south, has a tourist information counter, and is near most hotels. Trains from Rajasthan pull in close to the Jami Masjid at Agra Fort Station, further from the main hub of hotels. Don't be persuaded to get off at Agra City Station, an expensive rickshaw ride away from town. To get to a hotel, use the prepaid auto-rickshaw/taxi booth at Agra Cantonment Station (Rs40/90) or flag down one of the cycle rickshaws (Rs25) that wait in the
Practicalities East of Udaipur in Rajasthan
Chittaurgarh's railway station is in the western corner of the city. From here ' it's about 2km north to the Roadways (aka "Kothwali") bus stand on the west bank of the Ghambiri, and a further 2km east to the base of the fort. RTDC's forlorn tourist office, where you can obtain free maps of the town (but little' else), stands just north of the railway station on Station Road (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm). The Head Post Office (Mon-Sat 10am-6pm) is on Shri Gurukul Road near the Pratap Palace Hotel. Tours of the fort are most easily made by rickshaw (Rs75-100), complete with jangly pop
Jaswant Thanda of Jodhpur in Rajasthan
North of the fort, and connected to it by road, Jaswant Thanda is a pillared marble memorial lo the popular ruler Jaswant Singh II (1878-95), who purged Jodhpur of dacoits, initiated irrigation systems and boosted the economy. The cenotaphs of members of the royal family who have died since Jaswant are close by his memorial; those who preceded him are remembered by chhatris at Mandor. This south-facing spot is also the best place from which to photograph the fort, looming above the sheer rocky Meherangarh plateau.
Agra Fort at the Western UP
The high red-sandstone ramparts of Agra Fort (dawn to dusk; Rs505 [Rs20]) dominate a bend in the River Yamuna, 2km northwest of the Taj Mahal. Akbar laid the foundations of this majestic citadel, built between 1565 and 1573 in the form of a half moon, on the remains of earlier Rajput fortifications. Agra Fort developed as the seat and stronghold of the Moghul empire for successive generations: Akbar constructed the walls and gates, his grandson, Shah Jahan, had most of the principal buildings erected, and Aurangzeb, the last great emperor, was responsible for the ramparts. The curved bastions of the sandstone
Practicalities for Daulatabad (Deogiri) in Maharashtra
If you're not on a guided tour, it's recommended that you hire a guide (Rs80) as the passages of the fort are pitch-black and hopelessly confusing otherwise. Although Daulatabad features on the MTDC guided tour of Ellora from Aurangabad (see p.796), you'll have more time to enjoy it by travelling there on one of the hourly shuttle buses between Aurangabad and the caves. From Daulatabad, it is easy to catch another bus onto Khuldabad and Ellora. The stop is directly opposite the main entrance to the fort, beside the string of chai and souvenir stalls and the good, small MTDC-run
Panhala fort in Southern Maharashtra
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
The Town East of Jaipur in Rajasthan
Bharatpur itselt was founded by the Jat king Surajmal, who built the virtually impregnable Lohagarh Fort at its heart in 1732; known as the eastern gateway to Rajasthan, it soon developed into a busy market centre. Although the original moat, 45m wide and up to 15m deep, still encircles the town, little remains of the thick eleven-kilometre walls thar protected it - the British spent four months in 1805 trying in vain to penetrate them, before suffering their heaviest defeat in Rajasthan. As you enter the fort from the north, through Assaldati Gate, you'll see a jumble of old