India Travel

Kolhapur and Panhala fort Practicalities in Southern Maharashtra

Related Properties from Gurgaon

Panhala fort in Southern Maharashtra

Regular buses (30min) run between Kolhapur and Panhala fort, 18km northwest. Although it has legendary connections with the god Parashurama (Rama with the axe), the fort was probably founded by King Raja Bhoja in the late twelfth century. It covers a vast area, with massive perimeter walls over 7km in length and a steep slope beneath. Nevertheless, Panhala could not reasonably be described as impregnable. Over the years it has fallen to the Devagin Yadavas, various Maratha chieftains, and, in 1489. the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur, who erected the ramparts that still stand. Shivaji took Panhala in 1659, only

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

Kolhapur and Panhala fort in Southern Maharashtra

KOLHAPUR, on the banks of the River Panchaganga 225km south of Pune, is thought to have been an important centre of the Tantric cult associated with Shakti worship since ancient times. The town probably grew up around the sacred site of the present-day Mahalakshmi temple, still important in the life of the city, although there are said to be up to 250 other temples in the area. With a population of more than 500,000, Kolhapur has become a major industrial centre, but the city has retained enough Maharashtran character to make it worthy of a stopover. Between the tenth and thirteenth

Practicalities for Daulatabad (Deogiri) in Maharashtra

If you're not on a guided tour, it's recommended that you hire a guide (Rs80) as the passages of the fort are pitch-black and hopelessly confusing otherwise. Although Daulatabad features on the MTDC guided tour of Ellora from Aurangabad (see p.796), you'll have more time to enjoy it by travelling there on one of the hourly shuttle buses between Aurangabad and the caves. From Daulatabad, it is easy to catch another bus onto Khuldabad and Ellora. The stop is directly opposite the main entrance to the fort, beside the string of chai and souvenir stalls and the good, small MTDC-run

Sinhagad in Southern Maharashtra

The windswept, ruined fort of SINHAGAD (formerly Kandana), 26km southwest of Pune at the top of an almost perpendicular cliffin the Bhuleshwar mountains, can easily be visited in a day-trip from Pune by catching a #49 bus (hourly 6.30am-9.30pm; Ihr) from the Swargate bus stand.This involves a stiff two-hour climb from the foot of die hill, but with your own transport you can drive a great deal closer. In 1647 Shivaji, the greatest chief of the Marathas, on hearing that his general Tanaji had died capturing the fort, lamented "I have won the fort, but lost the lion". To commemorate

Ganapatipuli in Southern Maharashtra

Two hundred and fifteen kilometres south of Marud-janjira brings you to the tiny village of GANAPATIPULI, which has a long, golden sandy beach and a very fine Ganapati temple. Although attracting thousands of Indian pilgrims each year, this sleepy place sees relatively few foreign visitors with most of the tourists being honeymooners from Mumbai. The temple is built around a Ganapati omnar, a naturally formed — though not strictly accurate — image of the god. Built in 1923, the temple has some very fine carvings including 47 sculptures of Ganapati variants around the outside. If you're interested, the friendly brahmin

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

Practicalities Khauldabad in Maharashtra

MSRTC buses pull in every half-hour or so at Rauza's small bus stand, a short walk west of the walls, en route between Aurangabad and the Ellora caves just down the hill. There is no accommodation in Khauldabad, so you should press on to Ellora or Aurangabad. If the prospect of eating in one of the sweet shops and chai stalls in Rauza's main bazaar doesn't appeal, you'll have to wait until you get to Ellora.

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.

Murud-Janjira in Southern Maharashtra

The Konkan coast, stretching south down the length of Maharashtra to Goa, remains unspoilt and has a distinct culture with its own dialect of Marathi and a fiery cuisine. The further you get from Mumbai the quieter and more tranquil it becomes - the towns closer to Mumbai are inundated with Mumbaiakas for much of the year, especially at weekends. The first really nice place is the unspoilt, unhurried little coastal town of MURUD-JANJIRA. 165km south of Mumbai, once part of a state belonging to the Siddis of Janjira. Modern development seems to have passed this quiet backwater by, and many

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

Murud-Janjira Practicalities in Southern Maharashtra

There is a ferry service from the Gateway of India in Mumbai to Rewas (hourly 6am-5.30pm; lhr), from where you have to get a local bus that trundles through the coastal villages from Alibag to Murud. Most direct buses from Mumbai Central take five hours; there are two faster ASIAD services (5.45am & 11am; 3hr 30min), which must be booked in advance. All stop on Murud's main street, Durbar Road, parallel to the coast, where you'll find the tiny post office, covered market, a handful of basic restaurants and the town's few hotels. The Aman Place on Durbar Road, near

Paunar Practicalities in Maharashtra

Paunar can be reached by bus from either Nagpur (67km) or Wardha by jumping off at the old stone bridge near the ashram. Alternatively, you can walk the 3km from Sevagram. The path, a cart track that runs over the hill opposite the hospital crossroads, comes out in the roadside village lkm west of the Paunar ashram. As with Sevagram, it is possible to stay at Paunar in one of the visitors' rooms or dorms (donation). These are frequently booked up during conferences or seminars, so check when you arrive. Women are given preference if space is short. Meals, made from

Practicalities East of Udaipur in Rajasthan

Chittaurgarh's railway station is in the western corner of the city. From here ' it's about 2km north to the Roadways (aka "Kothwali") bus stand on the west bank of the Ghambiri, and a further 2km east to the base of the fort. RTDC's forlorn tourist office, where you can obtain free maps of the town (but little' else), stands just north of the railway station on Station Road (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm). The Head Post Office (Mon-Sat 10am-6pm) is on Shri Gurukul Road near the Pratap Palace Hotel. Tours of the fort are most easily made by rickshaw (Rs75-100), complete with jangly pop

Travel details in Mumbai

Trains Direct services to: Agra (4 daily: 23hr 15min-27hr): Ahmedabad (4 daily; 7hr 10min-12hr); Aurangabad {2 daily: 7hr 20mim: Bangalore (3 daily: 24hr 30min); Bhopal (4 daily: 14hr); Calcutta (4 daily; 33-40hr); Chennai (3 daily; 24-29hr); Coimbatore (1 daily; 10hr); Delhi (11 daily; 17-33hr); Hyderabad (2 daily; 15-17hr); Indore (1 daily: 14hr 35min); Jaipur (2 daily: 18-23hr|; Jodhpur (1 daily; 22hr; change at Ahmedabad); Kolhapur (3 daily; 11 -12hr): Nagpur (4 daily; 14-15hr): Nasik (15 daily: 4hr); Pune (25 daily: 3hr 15min-5hr): Thiruvananthapuram (2 daily; 42tir); Udaipur (1 daily; 25hr: change at Ahmedabad); Ujjain (1 daily; 12hr 25 min): Varanasi (2 daily;

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 -

Tribal Museum in Southern Maharashtra

The Tribal Research and Training Institute, which runs the Tribal Museum. Koregan Road (daily 10am—5pm; free) 2km east of the railway station, is dedicated to the protection and documentation of Maharashtra's numerous tribal groups, such as the Wagdheo. Bahiram. Danteshwan and Marai, who number more than five million. The museum's faded photos, costumes and artefacts serve as an excellent introduction to this little-known world, but the highlights are the wonderful collections of dance masks and Worli wedding paintings.Talk to the director of the museum if you're interested in guided (but culturally sensitive) tours to tribal areas.

Details of Maharashtra

Vast and rugged, the modern state of MAHARASHTRA, the third largest in India, was created in I960, from the Marathi-speaking regions of what was previously Bombay State. As soon as you leave its seething port capital, Mumbai (formerly Bombay), developed by Europeans, and now the epitome of modern, cosmopolitan, polyglot India, you enter a different world with a different history. Undoubtedly, Maharashtra's greatest treasures are its extraordinary cave temples and monasteries. The finest of all are found near Aurangabad, renamed after the Moghul emperor Aurangzeb and still home to a sizeable Muslim population (as well as the poor man's

Bedsa in southern Maharashtra

It's quite possible that you won't encounter anyone else when visiting the caves at BEDSA, which is one of its great attractions. Once you reach the village, 12km beyond Bhaja on NH-4, or a three-kilo metre bus ride from Kamshet. the nearest railway station, you'll have to ask the way to the unsigned path.The village kids hanging around might scramble up the steep hillside with you, fora fee, Bedsa's chaitya hall, excavated later than that at Karle, is far less sophisticated. The entrance is extremely narrow, leading from a porch which appears to be supported, though of course it is not.

Practicalities of Gingee in Tamil Nadu

Gingee is easily accessible by bus from Tiruvannamalai, 37km west, and Pondicherry, 68km southeast. You can either alight at the site itself, 2km west of Gingee town, or, if you intend to spend the night there, dump your bags at the hotel and continue to the ruins by auto-rickshaw. The only accommodation to speak of (and the only dependable place to leave luggage while you visit the fort), is the Shivasand hotel, on MG Road, opposite the main bus stand, whose Vasantham south Indian restaurant is Gingee's classiest place to eat. From the town centre, auto-rickshaws charge Rs80-90 for the