India Travel

From eastern and central USA

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

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

Details of Eastern UP

Flowing beyond Allahabad across the plains of EASTERN UP, the Ganges turns sharply north at Chunar and traces a great arc through ancient Varanasi. Even before the Hindus declared this to be the most sacred spot on earth, it stood at the centre of die Buddhist universe, linked by trading routes from Rajgir in Bihar to Mathura near Delhi. It was on the outskirts of Varanasi, at the deer park at Sarnath, that the Buddha delivered his first sermon. North ofVaranasi, the much-travelled road to Nepal passes through the large administrative town of Gorakhpur, not far from Kushinagar, where the

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

Visiting Madhya Pradesh

In addition to its historic sites, Madhya Pradesh boasts a number of wildlife reserves, of which two are amongst the finest on the subcontinent. In the sparsely populated east, remote savannah grasslands are an ideal habitat for deer and bison, while the shady sal forests and tarai swamplands that surround the maidans provide perfect cover for larger predators such as the tiger. Of the national parks hidden away in this area, Kanha is deservedly popular, though tiger sightings here are on the decline. For the big cats, trek out to Bandhavgarh national park to the north. Getting around Madhya Pradesh without

Accommodation and eating in Ranchi

Most of Ranchi's hotels are along, or just off, the long Main Road. If you'd rather not eat in your hotel, Friends Restaurant, Station Road, is a cheap and basic cafe serving south Indian snacks, while Suttor, on Club Road, is a good multi-cuisine restaurant. One of the best places is Kaveri, Church Complex, Main Road, a very reasonably priced vegetarian restaurant despite its upmarket ambience, while Krishna, downstairs, is a bit cheaper.The Maharaja Chinese restaurant also serves good food. Embassy, Station Road. One of the better budget hotels along this stretch; reasonably clean with attached baths. Highland Inn, Old Hazaribagh

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

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

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,

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

Central Madhya Pradesh Bhopal

With well over a million inhabitants, BHOPAL, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, has a skyline of minarets jutting from tightly packed streets and sprawling from the eastern shores of a huge artificial lake. Yet to the west there are verdant hills hiding nouveau-riche suburbs and the more expensive hotels. Below them on Upper Lake, little fishing boats bob along the shore, while middle-class families get down to some serious pedalo action. In addition to the nineteenth-century mosques that bear witness to Bhopals enduring Muslim legacy, the packed bazaars of the walled old city are well worth a visit. Elsewhere, excellent archeological

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

The rest of the city of Varanasi in the Eastern

Varanasi holds a few other sites of interest, especially in the area south of Godaulia, just beyond Asi Ghat. The Durga Temple here, and the Bharat Kala Bhavan museum of Benares Hindu University (BHU) are easily accessible, while just across the river, Ramnagar and its impressive fort continue to play an important role in the life of the city.

East Calcutta

The Eastern Bypass, a ring road that eventually connects to the VIP road leading to the airport, has helped open up the eastern limits of Calcutta, allowing the city to spread. Sprawling suburbs like Salt Lake have become desirable and, close by, the Netaji Subhash Bose Stadium (also known as the Salt Lake Stadium) hosts occasional football tournaments and national events. A kilometre north of the stadium is Nicco Park (daily 10am-8pm; Rs25), extremely popular especially at the weekends, where the fee allows entry to ten rides including the water-coaster; most of the rides, however, are tame. Just to the

Accommodation and eating in Eastern Madhya Pradesh

Most of Bandhavgarh s new and established hotels, all of which are in Tala, cater for travellers on a higher budget, and offer "jungle-plan" prices - all-inclusive 24hr deals including meals and two Jeep safaris per person. However, there are also a few budget lodges and mid-priced hotels. The only option for eating outside your hotel is at one of the friendly, cheap dhabas on the main road.

Simlipal National Park in Orissa

West of Baripada, the landscape suddenly changes from open fields to th thickly wooded slopes and ridges of the Eastern Ghats. At more than 1000m Khairbhuru, the peak visible from the outskirts of town, is the highest in th region and one of the last true wildernesses in eastern india. The mixed deciduous forests, perennial streams and glades of savannah grasslands draped aroun its flanks have allowed for an uncommonly rich diversity of flora and fauna. In 1979 the whole area (2750 square kilometres) around the mountain we declared a wildlife sanctuary - primarily in an attempt to revive its dwindling

Central New Delhi

The modern area of CENTRAL NEW DELHI, with its wide tree-lined avenues and solid colonial architecture, has been the seat of central government since 1931. At its hub. the royal mall. Rajpath. runs from palatial Rashtrapati Bhavan, in the west, to the India Gate war memorial in the east. At the north edge of the new capital lies the thriving business centre, Connaught Place. where neon advertisements for Wimpy, American Express, hotels and countless airline offices adorn the flat roofs and colonnaded verandas of high white buildings that curve around a central park to form an almost perfect circle. Central New

Bharat Mata northwest of Godaulia in the Eastern UP

About 3km northwest of Godaulia, outside the old city, the modern temple of Bharat Mata (Mother India), inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi, is unusual id that it has a huge relief map in marble of the whole of the Indian subcontinent and the Tibetan plateau, with mountains, rivers and the holy tirthas all clearly visible. Pilgrims circumambulate the map before viewing it in its entirety from the second floor. The temple can be reached by rickshaw from Godaulia for around Rs7.

Scindhia Ghat in the Varanasi at Eastern UP

Bordering Manikarnika to the north is the picturesque Scindia Ghat, with m tilted Shiva temple lying partially submerged in the river, having fallen in as, result of the sheer weight of the ghat's construction around 150 years ago Above the ghat, several ofVaranasi's most influential shrines are hidden within the tight maze of alleyways of the area known as Siddha Kshetra (the "Field of Fulfilment"). Vireshvara, the Lord of all Heroes, is especially propitiated in prayer for a son; the Lord of Fire, Agni, was supposed to have been born here.