India Travel

Flights 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

By air in Delhi

Indian Airlines, whose main office is in the Malhotra Building on F-Block, Connaught Place, near Wimpy, operate the largest network of internal flights, though private carriers serve more destinations; tickets can be bought through travel agents or the main offices. All flights leave from the domestic terminal, 15km southwest of town, easily reached by the convenient EATS bus service (Rs50 plus Rs5 for luggage; 30min) that departs from Pahka Bazaar, just opposite Wimpy. Rickshaws and taxis are more expensive, but slightly quicker. Passengers on domestic flights must check in two hours prior to departure. A simple food counter sells tea,

Moving on from Hyderabad

Daily train services from Hyderabad railway station {Nampally) include: the Charminar Express #2760 to Chennai (7pm; 14hr); the Hyderabad-Cochin Express #7030 (noon; 27hr); Andhra Pradesh Express #2723 to Delhi (6.40am; 26hr); Hyderabad-Mumbai Express #7032 (8.40pm; 17hr); East Coast Express #7046 to Calcutta (7am; 33hr) via Vijayawada (6hr), Vishakapatnam (13hr 30min) and Bhubaneswar (23hr); Rayasaleema Express #7429 to Tirupati (5.30pm; 15hr 30min). All northeast-bound services call at Warangal and most at Vijayawada. From Secunderabad, there are some originating services and many through trains in all directions. Useful services include the Konarak Express #1020 to Mumbai (10.50am; 17hr 30min), Secunderabad-Bangalore Express #7085

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

Flights from regional airports and Ireland

No direct flights to India are available from regional British airports. From Manchester your best bet is to fly with Emirates or Gulf Air to Delhi or Mumbai via Dubai for £420-550, depending on season. You can also pick up KLM flights to India by flying first to Amsterdam; either fly KLM from Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff or Manchester (for the same price as from London), or KLM UK from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Humberside, Leeds/Bradford, Norwich, or Newcastle. Similarly, Air France flies to Paris from Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow; in general, both KLM and Air France beat BA by

Getting there from Britain and Ireland

British Airways and Air India fly nonstop from Britain to Delhi and Mumbai (Bombay), and fly direct to Chennai (Madras), Calcutta and Ahmedabad; feeder flights from Air India and the extensive domestic airline network can link you to any number of Indian cities. Discounted return fares on these vary from just under £450 in low season {roughly Jan-June, except Easter, & Nov) to upwards of £600 in high season (July, Aug & Dec). A cheaper option is to take an indirect flight which involves a change of plane and inevitably takes a few hours longer, though the airline may also allow

Buses to and from Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad to; Amaravati (2 daily; 7hr]; Bangalore (hourly; 13hr); Bidar (19 daily; 4hr); Chennai (1 daily; 16hr); Mumbai (8 daily; 17hr); Puttaparthy (3 daily; l0hr); Tirupati (7 daily; 12hr); Vijayapuri (10 daily; 4hr]; Vijayawada (every 15min; 6hr); Warangal (every 15-30min; 3hr). Tirupati to: Chennai (every 30min; 3hr30min-4hn: Kanchipuram (hourly; 3hr30min); Hyderabad (7 daily; 12hr); Mahabalipuram (3 daily; 5hr 30min; Puttaparthy (1 daily; 10hr). Vijayawada to: Amaravati (hourly; 2hr); Guntur (every 15min; 1hr-1hr30min): Hyderabad (every 15min; 6hri).

From Calcutta to Bangladesh

Calcutta is the main gateway to Bangladesh from India; you can reach Bangladesh by air, train or road. The Bangladesh Consulate is at 9 Circus Ave; visas must be obtained in advance. There are at least two flights daily from Calcutta to Dhaka and a return ticket costs around $100. Biman flies daily to Calcutta and twice weekly to Chittagong. Indian Airlines have five flights a week to Dhaka and two to Chittagong. Although there is no direct line from Calcutta into Bangladesh, trains from Sealdah take you as far as Bongaon. From here you can take an auto-rickshaw to Haridaspur, 5km

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

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

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

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

Practicalities of Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh

Regular buses link Kushinagar with Gorakhpur (2hr) and Varanasi (8hr). Shared taxis and Jeeps also travel to and from Gorakhpur, but are a lot less comfortable. The airport is closed to commercial flights. UP Tourism maintains a low-key office and information desk at the tourist bungalow, Pathik Niwas. Both the Government of India and UP Tourism run comprehensive tours of the whole "Buddhist Circuit" ofUttar Pradesh, which can be booked either at che tourist office in Kushinagar or in Delhi. Accommodation is available in rooms for visiting pilgrims at some of the temples such as the Myanmar Buddhist emple (as

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

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Practicalities in North Bengal

Bagdogra airport, 12km west of Siliguri and served by flights from Delhi, Calcutta and Guwahati, is connected not only with Siliguri itself, but also directly to Darjeeling as well as to Gangtok in Sikkim by helicopter.