India Travel

Details of Eastern UP

Related Properties from Gurgaon

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

Moving on from Calcutta

By air For information about flights from Calcutta Airport; otherwise call the individual airlines listed on pp.954-955 to confirm departure and arrival. Remember that return flights must be confirmed at least 72 hours in advance. Besides a good network of domestic flights, Calcutta is served by several short- and long-haul international flights. Major domestic routes from Calcutta are summarized in the Travel Details on p.990. For details on getting to the Andaman islands from Calcutta, see opposite. By rail Information on train connections is available around the clock:. Making reservations to leave Calcutta by train is easy, with computerized booking offices throughout the

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

By train in Delhi

Delhi's main railhead. New Delhi Station at the eastern end of Paharganj. less than ikm north of Connaught Place, has regular departures to all corners of India, and a very efficient booking office (Mon-Sat 8am-5pm) for foreign tourists, on the first floor of the main departure building. They'll give you advice on the fastest trains, and you should have little difficulty finding a seat or berth: women travelling alone in second class may prefer to ask for a berth in the ladies' carriage. Foreigners must show passports, and pay in foreign currency or in rupees backed up by exchange certificates.

Kollam (Quilon) and around Practicalities In Kerala

The railway station is on the east of town, a three-kilo metre auto-rickshaw ride (Rs 15-20) from the jetty. Numerous daily trains each way run from Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram and beyond. On platform 4, the tiny District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) tourist information counter (Mon-Sat 9am-l 2.30pm & 1.30-5pm) will book hotels for travellers; you have to pay one night in advance, but the only extra charge is for the phone calls. They also have a tourist office (Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm; 0474/742558) at the boat jetty (for boat details, see below for boat details), but will only provide details on their

Travel details in Ladakh

The bus details here apply during the tourist season between July 1 and September 15 only, after which date the Manali-Leh highway is officially closed. Most other roads, including the highway from Leh to Srinagar Kargil, remain open till the end of October. Despite heavy snow falls, the road from Leh to the Nubra Valley over the open all year. Buses Leh to: Alchi (1 daily; 3hr); Chemrey (3 daily; 2hr); Dishit (Nubra) (1 weekly; 6hr); Hemis (1-2 daily; 1hr 45minl; Kargil (2-3 daily; 6hr 30min); Lamayuru (2-3 daily; 6hr 30min); Likkir (1 daily; 3hr); Manali (6-8 daily; 28hr); Matho (2 daily;

Elsewhere around the enclosure in Madhya Pradesh

Of the dozens of other numbered ruins around the 400-metre enclosure, only a handful is of more than passing interest. Smaller, plainer and graced with only one ceremonial gateway, the immaculately restored Stupa 3, immediately northeast of Stupa 1, is upstaged by its slightly older cousin in every way but one. In 1851, a pair of priceless reliquaries was discovered deep in the middle of the mound. Turned on a lathe from fine marble-like soapstone called steatite, the caskets were found to contain relics belonging to two of Buddha's closest disciples. In one, fragments of bone were encased with beads

Some history in Northern Gujarat

Remains from the third millennium BC in eastern Kutch suggest that migrating Indus Valley communities crossed the Ranns from Mohenjo Daro in modern Pakistan to Lothal in eastern Gujarat. Traditional history recounts that Kutch belonged to the Yadavas, when it was known for the rich grasses that flourished on the ash manure that tell from heaven at the request of a wandering sage. Despite being so cut off, Kutch felt the effect of the Buddhist Mauryan empire, and later came under the control of Greek Bactrians, the Western Satraps and the powerful Guptas.The Arab invasion of Sind in 720 AD

Accommodation price codes of Ladakh

All accommodation prices in this book have been categorized using the price codes below. Prices given are for a double room, and all taxes are included, for more details. OuptoRs100 Rs30CMOO Rs900-1500 R3100-200 Rs400-600 Rs1500-2500 Rs200-300 Rs600-900

Jharkhand

On the eastern extremities of the Vindhya hills, at the northern fringes of the Deccan, lie the forested hills and escarpments of the rugged Chotanagpur plateau.The area became a new state,JHARKHAND, in 2000, after years of agitation by its largely tribal population, though it seems unlikely that its extreme poverty and lawlessness can be dealt with by creating a slew of new government positions and changing some names. The state capital is Ranchi, although Jamshedpur in the southeast corner is one of eastern India's most important industrial towns, the headquarters of the steel conglomerate TISCO. The forests that surround Jamshedpur, at

From eastern and central USA

Flying east, you'll stop over somewhere in Europe (most often London), the Gulf, or both. Figure on at least eighteen hours' total travel time from the East Coast. Air India and PIA discount their tickets heavily through a few specialist, understaffed New York consolidators. Marked-down tickets on European carriers - notably British Airways, Air France, KLM/Northwest and Lufthansa - are frequently sold by other discount agents. Other airlines flying between the eastern US and India include KLM/Northwest, Air France, Virgin Atlantic, Aeroflot, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways and Egypt Air. Or you can simply hop on any of the dozens of

Eastern torana in Madhya Pradesh

Panels on the inner face of the pillar below the salabhanjika depict scenes from the life of the Buddha, including his conception when the bodhisattva entered the body of his mother, Maya, in the form of a white elephant, shown astride a crescent moon. The front face of the middle architrave picks up the tale some years later, when the young Buddha, represented by a riderless horse, nukes his Great Departure from the palace where he grew up to begin the life of a wandering ascetic. The reverse side shows the fully enlightened Master, now symbolized by an empty throne,

Accommodation price codes All accommodation prices in this book have been categorized using the price codes below. Prices given are for a double room, and all taxes are included. For more details. up to Rs100 Rs300-400 Rs900-1500 Rs100-200 Rs4Q0-600 Rs1500-2500 RS200-300 RS600-900

Accommodation price codes to Goa

All accommodation prices in this book have been categorized using the price codes below. Prices given are for a double room, and all taxes are included. For more details. up to Rs100 Rs300-400 Rs900-1500 Rs100-200 Rs4Q0-600 Rs1500-2500 RS200-300 RS600-900

Accommodation price codes in Gujarat

All accommodation prices in this book have been categorized using the price codes below. Prices given are lor a double room, and all taxes are included. For more details, O up to Rs100 RS300-400 Rs900-1500 Rs100-200 Rs400-600 Rs1500-2500 Rs200-300 Rs600-900

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

Lothal in Ahmedabad

Remains of the Harappan (Indus Valley) civilization that once spread across what are now western India and eastern Pakistan have been discovered in over fifty places in Gujarat.The largest excavated site is at Lothal (daily dawn-dusk; free), close to the mouth of the River Sabarmati, roughly 100km south of Ahmedabad, and an easy journey by bus (change at Dholka) or train (3hr).The only decent accommodation is 7km away at Utelia in the shape of the impressive Palace Utelia, bookable through North West Safaris in Ahmedabad (079/630 2019, 630 0692). Foundations, platforms, crumbling walls and paved floors are all that remain of

The eastern group at Aurangabad in Maharashtra

If you only have time to visit one group, it should be the eastern. 1km further along the hillside. Cave 6 contains some finely carved bodhisattvas, together with traces of painting on the ceiling of its porch, but the sculpture in Cave 7 is the real highlight. Its veranda has columned shrines ro either side, with a lotus-holding Padmapani and Shakyamuni flanked by six goddesses: a chubby Panchika (guardian of the earth's treasures) and Hariti (goddess of prosperity) stand to the right. The panel on the left of the doorway shows the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (lord of compassion) encircled by the

Ramnagar in Eastern UP

The residence of the Maharaja of Varanasi, Ramnagar Fort looks down upon the Ganges not far south of the Asi Ghat. The best views of the fortifications -especially impressive in late afternoon - are to be had from the other side of the river, which is reached by a road heading south from the BHU area and over a rickety pontoon bridge. During the monsoon the bridge is dismantled and replaced by a ferry, still preferable to the long main road that crosses the main Malaviya bridge in the north before heading down the eastern bank of the river. It

Ramnagar in Varanasi at the Eastern UP

The residence of the Maharaja of Varanasi, Ramnagar Fort looks down upon the Ganges not far south of the Asi Ghat. The best views of the fortifications -especially impressive in late afternoon - are to be had from the other side of the river, which is reached by a road heading south from the BHU area and over a rickety pontoon bridge. During the monsoon the bridge is dismantled and replaced by a ferry, still preferable to the long main road that crosses the main Malaviya bridge in the north before heading down the eastern bank of the river. It