India Travel
Details of Jalgaon in Maharashtra
Straddling an important junction in the Central and Western Railway networks, as well as the main trans-Deccan trunk road. NH-6. JALGAON is a busy market town for the region’s cotton and banana growers, and a key jump-ing-off point for travellers heading to or from the Ajanta caves, 58km south. Even though the town holds nothing of interest, you may find yourself obliged to hole up here to be well placed for a morning departure. It so, an early night with a good book should appeal considerably more than the dismal cafes and seedy permit-rooms (bars) outside the railway station.
Related Properties from Gurgaon
Ajanta practicalities in Maharashtra
The only way of getting to Ajanta, unless you have your own transport, is by bus. Five daily MSRTC buses make the 100-minute climb into the hills from the nearest railhead at Jalgaon, 58km north. An equal number make the three-and-a-half hour road trip from Aurangabad 166km to the southwest, with a pit stop at the market town of Shillod.The last buses leave Ajanta for both Jalgaon and Aurangabad at 5.35pm. If you miss these, don't worry, a bus or Rs5-10 shared taxi to nearby Fardapur will put you on the main Aurangabad-Jalgaon bus route with half-hourly services each way.
Moving on from Aurangabad in Maharashtra
Daily flights from Aurangabad to Mumbai (40min; $75) are operated by Jet Airways (8.45pm) and Indian Airlines (5.30pm). The Indian Airlines flight also carries on to Delhi ($175). Their office is on Jalna Road (3 0240/485421). Ail the state transport corporation (MSRTC) buses leave from the Central bus stand and the MTDC buses depart from the MTDC Holiday Resort. The MSRTC run good-value "luxury" daily night-buses to Mumbai. If you feel like a little more comfort, there are a couple of companies running more expensive a/c buses to most of the larger destinations; tickets can be booked through travel agents. Getting
Travel details in Maharashtra
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
Lonar Practicalities in Maharashtra
The easiest way to get to Lonar is by taxi from Aurangabad or jalgaon which from either costs around Rsl500 return for a day-trip or Rs2000 overnight. Otherwise, take the state bus either from Aurangabad to Jalna, then on to Sindkund Raja, and lastly change onto a bus for Lonar - though this takes five to eight hours. You can also go direct from Fardapur to Lonar on an early-morning bus. The only accommodation at Lonar itself is at the PWD Bungalow (O), where die MTDC rents out three rooms, though it may close down when their new resort opens -
Details of Northern Maharashtra
Beyond the seemingly endless concrete housing projects, petrochemical works id mosquito-infested swamplands of Greater Mumbai, a wall of bare bluish-brown hills dominates the horizon. The Western Ghats form a series of huge steps that march from the narrow, humid coastal strip to the edge of the Deccan plateau in a vast, dry tableland punctuated with ridges of weathered plateaux and plains dotted with scruffy villages and market towns. Northern Maharashtra's mam transport arteries, the NH-3 and Central Railway line, wind in tandem through this stark landscape, following an ancient trade route that once linked the western ports with the prosperous
Jalgaon Practicalities in Maharashtra
Jalgaon is well served by main-line trains between Delhi, Calcutta and Mumbai, and convenient for most cities to the north on the Central Railway. Express services also pass through en route to join the Southeastern Railway at" Nagpur. Buses to Indore (257km north) and Pune (336km south) leave from the busy MSRTC bus stand, a ten-minute rickshaw ride across town from the railway station. Uncle Travels, opposite the Amram Guest House on Station Road, also operates luxury overnight video buses to Indore (depart 9.30pm; 8hr), Pune (depart 9.30pm; 9hr) and Mumbai (depart 9pm; lOhr 30min). If you're heading to Ajanta. the
Travel details for Uttar Pradesh
Trains Note that most important trains to Varanasi stop at Moghul Sarai, requiring a change of trains or a connecting bus or taxi. Agra to: Ahmedabad (1 weekly; 27hr 30min); Alwar (1 dally; 4hr); Btiopal (16-19 daily; 5hr 30min-9hr): Bhubaneshwar (1 daily; 39hr); Chennai (1-2 daily; 34hr-42hr); Delhi (15 daily; 2hr-4hr 15min); Gwalior (15-19 daily; 1hr 15min-2hr); Indore (1 daily; 14hr 25min); Jaipur (3 daily; 7hr); Jalgaon (3-4 daily; 14hr 20min-19hr); Jhansi (15-19 daily; 2hr 25min-5hr); Jodhpur (3 daily; 13hr); Kanpur (4 daily; 7hr): Kolkota (Calcutta) (1 daily; 30hr); Lucknow (3 daily: 7hr-8hr 30min); Mathura (12 daily; 1hr 30min-2hr); Mumbai (2 daily;
Travel details from Madhya Pradesh
Trains Bhopal to: Agra (16-20 daily; 5hr 30min-10hr); Chennai (3-5 daily; 23-32hr); Delhi (18-22 daily: 7hr 45min-15hr): Goa (1 daily; 30hr): Gwalior (17-22 daily: 4hr 15min-7hr); Indore (4-6 daily;5hr-8hr 15 min): Jabalpur (3-4 daily; 6-7hr); Jalgaon (2-3 daily; 7-9hr); Jhansi (22-26 daily: 3hr-5hr 40min); Manmad (lor Aurangabad; 7-10 daily; 9br-11hr30min); Mumbai (4 daily 14hr 55min-18hr); Nagpur (12-15 daily; 5hr 30min-9hr 30min); Pune (2-3 daily; 16-17hr|: Sanchi (2 daily; 45-55min): Ujjain (4-6 daily; 3hr-5hr|; Vidisha (3-4 daily; 40-50min). Gwalior to: Agra (23-26 daily; 1 hr 10min-2hr 20mm); Bhopal (19-24 daily; 3hr 40min-7hr); Calcutta (4 weekly; 22hr 30min-24hr 30min); Chennai (2-1 daily; 28-40hr]; Delhi
Travel details in North Bengal
Trains Calcutta to: Agra (1 daily; 30hr); Ahmedabad (1 daily; 44hr); Bhubaneshwar (10 daily; 8-12 fir); Chennai (5 daily; 27-35hr); Delhi (7 daily; 18-34hr); Guwahati (3 daily; 20-25hr); Gwalior (2 weekly; 26hr); Haridwar (1 daily; 30hr); Jabalpur (1 daily; 21 hr); Jaipur (1 daily; 30hr); Jalgaon (3 daily; 28-34hr); Lucknow (3 daily; 18hr); Mumbai (3 daily; 33-42hr): Nagpur (4 daily; 19-25hr]; Patna (5 daily; 7-10hr); Puri (2 nightly; 11-12hr); Ranchi (1 daily; 10hr); Shantiniketan (6-7 daily; 2hr 30min-4hr); Siliguri NJP (6-7 daily; 12-14hr); Thiruvananthapuram (1 weekly; 49hr); Ujjain (2 weekly; 33hr 40min|; Varanasi (5-8 daily; 8hr 30min-20hr], Shantiniketan (Bolpur) to: Calcutta (6-7
Southern Maharashtra
Most tourists heading south from Mumbai skip southern Maharashtra, but if you have a little time you can break up the journey and ease the burden of covering vast distances. Pune retains its Maratha character, in the old quarter at least, and also boasts a unique museum; some may also be attracted by its much-dended Osho Commune. Hill stations such as Matheran provide coolness, wooded walks and fine views, while the Konkan coast has little-visited beaches and forts that make a pleasant journey down to Goa. From Lonavala, you can get to see the earliest Buddhist rock-cut art in the
Panchalesvara cave in Southern Maharashtra
The Panchalesvara cave, to the west of town, just across the River Mula, lies in a rather surprising urban setting at the northern end of busy Jungli Maharaj Road (buses #4, #16 or #98). Hewn from rock in the same manner as the more elaborate examples elsewhere in Maharashtra, the cave dates from the Rashtrakuta period (eighth-ninth centuries). Steps lead from the pavement to a path which ends in a square courtyard and a circular roofed Nandi enclosure. Beyond it, the roughly excavated cave, with broad, square, plain pillars, is unfinished, bearing numerous chisel marks, and yet appears to have
Western Madhya Pradesh
The geography of western Madhya Pradesh is dominated by the River IVnmada. which drains westwards through a wide alluvial valley, bounded in the south by the Satpura hills and the Maharashtran border, and in the north by the rugged Vindhya Range. Forming the major trade corridor between the Ganges plains and the west coast, the region - known as Malwa - was for nearly a thousand years an independent princely state ruled from the sprawling hilltop fort complex at Mandu. The former capital, now deserted, is the area's outstanding tourist attraction, with its ruined mosques, tanks and palaces, and its
Shaniwarwada Palace in Southern Maharashtra
In the centre of the oldest part of town, only the imposing high walls of the Shaniwarwada Palace (daily 8am—noon & 2—6pm; Rs2) survived three fires 111 the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.The palace, founded by the Peshwa ruler Bajrao I in 1730 and the chief residence of the Peshwas until the British arrived in 1817, has little to excite interest today. Entrance is through the Delhi gate on the northside, one of five set into the perimeter wall, whose huge teak doors come complete with nasty elephant-proof spikes. Just inside, faded murals show Ganapati, Vishnu and scenes from the Ramayana.
Nagpur Eating in Maharashtra
While Nagpur's swish hotels, such as the Hardeo and jagson's Regency, boast the majority of its top gourmet restaurants, a number of smaller, less pretentious places to eat around Central Avenue and Sitabuldi offer excellent food at a fraction of the cost.
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
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;
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
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