India Travel

Practicalities of Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh

Related Properties from Gurgaon

Kushinagar west of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh

Set against a pastoral landscape, the small hamlet of KUSHINAGAR, 53km west of Gorakhpur, is revered as the site of Buddha's Mahaparinirvana, his death and cremation that marked his final liberation from the cycles of death and rebirth. During the Buddha's lifetime, Kushinara, as it was then called, was a small kingdom of the Mallas, surrounded by forest. It remained forgotten until the late nineteenth century when archeologists rediscovered the site, and began excavations - based on the writings of the seventh-century Chinese pilgrims, including Xuan Zhang. Set in a leafy park in the heart of Kushinagar, the Nirvana Stupa, dated

Gorakhpur north of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh

GORAKHPUR. 230km north ofVaranasi, which rose to prominence as a way-station on a pilgrim route linking Kushinagar (the place of Buddha's enlightenment) and Lumbini (his birthplace, across the border in Nepal), is now known primarily as a gateway to Nepal. It was named after the Shaivite yogi Gorakhnath. and holds a large ashram and temple dedicated to him. Tourists and pilgrims tend to hurry through, their departure hastened by the towns infamous flies and mosquitoes; if you do get stranded, there's a bustling bazaar, adequate amenities and a few passable hotels.

Practicalities of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh

There are three bus stands - the main Railway bus stand, 1km north of the centre, for buses from the Nepalese border at Sonauli and Kushinagar; the Kacheri bus stand, lkm southwest of the station, for services from Allahabad, Lucknow and Varanasi; and the main bus stand for Varanasi (6hr) and Nepal-Varanasi buses, at Pedleyganj, 2km southeast of the station. Major daily trains servicing Gorakhpur include the fast Vaishali Express #2553 to Lucknow and Delhi (5.10pm) and the Gorakhpur-Dadar Express #1028 for Mumbai via Varanasi (5am); among trains to Varanasi (6hr) are the fast Kashi Express #1028 (5am) and the Chauri-Chaura

Practicalities to Ayodhya in the Uttar Pradesh

Though Ayodhya has a small railway station of its own, most visitors come for the day from busy Faizabad, on buses and auto-rickshaws from the station there. If you want to stay in Ayodhya, the tourist bungalow Hotel Saket, next to the station, has a dorm (Rs50) and a wide range of rooms, as well as a poorly managed restaurant. Alternatively, the Birla Dhararnsala, on the main road, has very decent and cheap accommodation in its "VIP" rooms. Ayodhya is a vegetarian town.

Practicalities of Vrindavan in the Uttar Pradesh

Buses, shared tempos, and taxis run out to Vrindavan from Mathura for about Rs70 per head one way. Three local trains also cover the same route, leaving from Mathura Junction (6.30am, 3.40pm & 7.40pm) for the station in the south of Vrindavan (they return at 7.30am, 4.35pm & 8.05pm). Besides the numerous dhammshalas, several ashrams offer good-value accommodation at fixed rates, as well as food. Some are, however, open only to Indian pilgrims. Away from the centre, the Krishna Sadhak Seva Ashram on Gurukul Road, set in extensive grounds, is quiet and has comfortable suites; more central is the large,

Practicalities to the Chitrakut in Uttar Pradesh

For, the few tourists in this region, Chitrakut serves as a centre for catching connecting buses and trains between Allahabad, Kalingar and Khajuraho. Long-distance transport connections are best made via Karbi. From the main Karbi Bus Stand numerous daily buses run to Allahabad (3-4hr), passing through Serai Akil, 15km from the Buddhist ruins of Kausambi, and also to historic Mahoba, a possible stopoff en route to Khajuraho. The railway station at Karbi has services to Allahabad and Mahoba, as well as Varanasi, 374km northeast (9hr). From the Satna Bus Stand in Chitrakut, buses head south into Madhya Pradesh; connecting buses

Practicalities to Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh

Sarnath is easily reached by road from Varanasi. Blue buses depart regularly from outside Varanasi Cantonment railway station and cost Rs4 but can get very crowded. Shared auto-rickshaws also run from the station for around Rs8 per person and are quicker and more comfortable. The main sites can be quite easily — and pleasantly - explored on foot; the so-called guides who linger outside the main gates and near the museum aren't really necessary. Close to the main gate, the UPTDC Tourist Bungalow has reasonable rooms and a dorm (Rs50). Some of the monasteries, such as the pleasant Burmese Vihara, north

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

Practicalities of the Mathura in the Uttar Pradesh

The city's principal railway station lies southwest of the centre, around 4km from Holi Gate and the old city. It's on the main Delhi—Agra line, 1hr 45min from Delhi Nizamuddin on the fast Taj Express #2180, and only 50min short of Agra; Mathura is also served by several Delhi-Mumbai trains such as the Punjab Mail #2138 via Agra and the fast Kerala Express #2626; the Fashchim Express #2926 stops at Sawai Madhopur (for the wildlife park of Ranthambore) and Kota. Mathura has two bus stands; the Old Bus Stand, near Holi Gate, has hourly connections to Agra and serves Govardhan, 25km

Around Mathura of the Braj in the Uttar Pradesh

At the very heart of Braj, Mathura is the obvious base for peregrinations into the pastoral landscape associated with the adolescent Krishna, where the sacred temple-crowned hills of Govardhan, Barsana and Nandagaon stand in striking contrast to the prevailing flatness. Very little survives of its idyllic legendary forests, and only serious pilgrims would choose to walk rather than catch one of the numerous local buses.

Chaukhandi Stupa in Sarnath at Uttar Pradesh

The dilapidated brick remains of the Chaukhandi Stupa, 1km south of the main site, date from the Gupta period (300-700 AD), and are said to mark the spot where the Buddha was reunited with the Panchavargiya Bikshus, his five ascetic companions who had previously deserted him. Standing on a terraced rectangular plinth, the stupa is capped by an incongruous octagonal Moghul tower, built by Akbar m 1589 AD to commemorate his father's visit to the site.

Kanpur and around in the Central UP

The teeming metropolis of KANPUR, 438km east of Delhi and 190km west of Allahabad, is among the most polluted cities in the world, and most visitors are there solely for business. Kanpur has been a textile-manufacturing centre since its cotton mills were established in 1869, and together with its twin city, Lucknow, 76km northeast, it dominates the industrial heartland of Uttar Pradesh. Unlike other points along the Ganges, the riverside is of little significance; its ghats are run down, and only those at Bithur, 20km upstream, are worth exploring.

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

Information of the Agra in the Uttar Pradesh

Agra has two tourist offices, one run by the Government of India, at 191 The Mall (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-1pm), and one run by UF Tourism, close to the darks Shimz, at 64 Taj Rd (same hours); there is also an information booth at Cantonment station. The Government of India office is better organized and provides information about other destinations, though both supply information on hotels and local sights, and details of tours that start and end at Agra Cantonment railway station.

Bodhgaya

BODHGAYA, 13km south of Gaya beside the River Phalgu, is sacred to Buddhists as the place where the Buddha gained enlightenment. A giant Buddhist resort of international monasteries and temples has grown up around the imposing Mahabodhi temple, which holds the world's most revered tree, an offshoot of the original Bodhi tree under which the Buddha supposedly sat. Bodhgaya is by far the most important and significant of the four holy sites of Buddhism - the other three being Buddha's birthplace, Lumbini in Nepal; Sarnath nearVaranasi, where he preached his first sermon ("The Turning of the Wheel of Dharma"); and Kushinagar

Bhimbetka Practicalities in Madhya Pradesh

The only way of getting to the caves at Bhimbetka is by private vehicle or taxi. From Bhopal, take NH-12, and 7km after the market town of Obaidullaganj, take a left when you see a sign in Hindi with "3.2" written on it. Cross the railway line and the caves are 3km further on along the road. There's nowhere to eat or drink for miles around Bhimbetka, so bring a day's supply of food and water with you.

Moving on from Lucknow in the Central UP

Indian Airlines flights from Lucknow include daily flights to Varanasi, Mumbai and Calcutta via Patna, and several to Delhi. Indian Airlines have offices at Hotel Clarks Avadh, 8 Mahatma Gandhi Marg, and at the airport at Amausi (information). Sahara India Airlines, Sahara India Tower, 7 Kapoorthala Complex also fly to Mumbai, Varanasi and Delhi. By rail, the excellent all a/c Shatabdi Express #2003 goes to Delhi (Daily 3.20pm; 7hr); cheaper alternatives include the Gomti Express #2419 (daily except Tues; 5.25am, 8hr), and the slower overnight Lucknow Mail #4229 (10pm; 9hr 45min). The best choice to Agra is the Avadh Express #5063

Govardhan west of Mathura in the Uttar Pradesh

GOVARDHAN, 25km west of Mathura, is significant as Krishna is said to have lifted the hill of the same name on the tip of one finger, to shelter the inhabitants of Braj from a deluge caused by the wrath of the god Indra. A popular Vaishnavite icon, the entire hill is circumambulated by thousands of pilgrims each year. The eponymous town is clustered close to a masonry tank known as Mansi Ganga, in a gap towards the hill's northern end. Two impressive cenotaphs immediately opposite the tank commemorate Randhir Singh and Baladeva Singh, two of the Bharatpur rajas, while the

Diwan-i-Am to the Fatehpur Sikri in the Uttar Pradesh

The logical place to begin a tour of the palace complex, whose layout is thought to have been inspired by the form of a Moghul camp, is the Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience), at the far northeast edge of the enclosure (follow the walkway from the ticket booth). Surrounded by colonnades, cloisters and exquisite pierced-stone jali screens, this was where important festivals were held, and where citizens could exercise their right to petition the king, whose throne would have occupied the raised pavilion at its west side. Note the position of the royal platform in relation to the enclosure's main

Practicalities of Allahabad in the Uttar Pradesh

Allahabad has four railway stations (including Prayag, City and Daraganj), but major trains on the broad-gauge Delhi-Kanpur-Calcutta line arrive at the main Allahabad Junction. Most of the city's hotels are nearby; be sure to use the exit appropriate to the area where you plan to stay. Leader Road bus stand, used by buses from western destinations such as Agra. Lucknow, Kanpur, Kausambi and Delhi, is just outside the station's south gates on the ciry side, while the smaller Zero Road bus stand, serving Mahoba and Satna and Chitrakut to the south - the railheads for Khajuraho - is 1km southeast. Buses