India Travel
Jasidih and Deogarh
JASIDIH, a small industrial town 220km southeast of Patna on the main line to Calcutta, has started to attract travellers due to the international popularity of the ascetic Swarni Satyananda and his Rikhya Yoga Ashram, 12km from the centre. Note, however, that the ashram is open to the public only a few select days every year; visitors are expected to donate clothing and medicine. Yoga courses are run b his disciple Niranjan within the walls of the old fort at Monghyr, 60km to the north (nearest train station, Jamalpur) and 180km east of Patna. For information, write to Bihar Yoga Bharati, Ganga Darsham Fort, Monghyr. Bihar 811201.
Baidyanath Dham, the Shiva temple at DEOGARH, 6km to the east on the Ganges, has been an important pilgrimage centre for centuries; legend has it that this is where the evil Ravana rested on his way to Lanka after abducting Sita. Deogarhs tranquillity is shattered during the annual tneta, held during the monsoon month of Shravan (July/Aug) when around 100,000 pilgrims visit the temple every day.
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Practicalities Jasidih and Deogarh
Almost midway between Patna and Calcutta (Howrah),jasidih is easily accessible by train, and several buses link Monghyr, Jamalpur and Jasidih. Jasidih's small selection of hotels includes the reasonable Yatrik, the vast Arog Bhavan with a very cheap dorm as well as a/c rooms, and the amazing Mitra Garden, offering a/c rooms, a restaurant and indoor and outdoor pools - the proprietor will have you picked up from the station and also organizes trips to nearby Santal villages. Options near the ashram include the Sita and Dreamland. In Deogarh, the Yatrik and the Baidyanath have very reasonably priced a/c
Practicalities to the Jhansi Southern UP
Trains on both of the Central Railway branches that converge on Jhansi pull in at the station on the west side of town, near the Civil Lines area. Both of the two state tourist information kiosks on platform one are useless but MP Tourism's does give out leaflets on the .most up-to-date methods of transport on to Khajuraho. In town, the Regional Tourist Office, Hotel Veerangana, provides literature and information on Bundelkhand and the route to Khajuraho (Mon-Sat 10aim-5pm. closed every 2nd Sat). Jhansi is the most convenient main railway station for Khajuratio, Orchha and Deogarh. From the railway station, the
Ranchi and around
RANCHI, at the heart of the Chotanagpur plateau, is ugly and poor and it's hard to believe that it was once the summer capital of Bihar, full of tea-gardens. The only reason to come here is to visit one of its ashrams such as the extensive Yogoda Math Ashram. Several major trains - connecting with, among other places, Calcutta. Delhi Patna, Daltonganj, Dhanbad.Jasidih and Jamshedpur - either call at Ranchi station, near the southern end of the Main Road, or terminate at Hatia, 7km away. Indian Airlines has daily flights between Ranchi and Delhi, while there are twice-weekly flights (Tues &
Travel details to Bihar and Jharkhand
Trains Gaya to: Allahabad (4 daily; 4hr 20min-6hr 30min); Calcutta (6 daily 6-9hr); Dehra Dun (1 daily; 26hr); Delhi (9 daily; 12-15hr); Haridwar (1 daily; 23hr|; Kalka (1 daily; 27hr); Lucknow (3 daily; 10-13hr); Mughal Sarai (13 daily; 3-5hr); Mumbai (1 daily: 31 hr); Patna (4 daily; 2hr 30min); Puri (3 weekly; 17-40hr); Ranchi (3 daily; 8hr 20min); Sasaram (10 daily; 1-3hr); Varanasi (3 daily; 4hr-5hr 30min). Patna to: Agra (1 daily; 17hr 35min); Allahabad (8 daily; 6-8hr); Calcutta (6 daily; 7hr 30min-12hr); Chennai (2 weekly; 44hr); Delhi (8 daily; 12-24hr); Gaya (4 daily; 2hr 30min); Guwahati (3 daily: 21-26hr); Lucknow (3