India Travel

Southeast to Kandla in Northern Gujarat

Related Properties from Gurgaon

Bhuj in Northern Gujarat

Set in the heart of Kutch, the narrow streets and old bazaars of the walled town of BHUJ retained a medieval flavour unlike any other Gujarati city until they were reduced to rubble in the earthquake of january 2001. Very little remains of the old city and, consequently, the account below has been condensed in accordance with the latest available information. Bhuj was established as the capital of Kutch in the mid-sixteenth century by Rao Khengarji, a Jadeja Rajput. The one interruption before 1948 in his family's continuous rule of the city was a brief period of British domination early in

Mandvi in Northern Gujarat

The compact town of MANDVI, on the west bank of a wide tidal estuary 60km south of Bhuj, faces the Arabian Sea to the south and supports a dwindling dhow-building industry. In the late eighteenth century it was the docking point for a fleet of four hundred vessels exporting goods from a hinterland that encompassed Gujarat and the lands to the north as far as Jaisalmer. Merchants, seamen and later the British were all keen to settle in this flourish

The Town in Northern Gujarat

Bhuj is overlooked from the east by the old and crumbling fort on Bhujia Hill, while the vast Hamirsar Tank, with a small park on an island in its centre, stands on the western edge of town.

North Andaman

Shrouded in dense jungle, North Andaman is the least populated of the region's large islands, crossed by a single road linking its scattered Bengali settlements. Timber extraction is proceeding apace here, despite a promise by the Island Development Authority to phase out logging by the year 2000, but the total absence of motorable roads into northern and western areas has ensured blanket protection for a vast stretch of convoluted coastline, running from Austin Strait in the southeast to the northern tip. Cape Price. Even if it were physically possible to reach this region, you wouldn't be allowed to, but it's

Villages around Bhuj in Northern Gujarat

Bhuj is a useful base for visiting the outlying villages, whether by bus or taxi. If you go by bus, you will have to do some walking to reach some of the most interesting Kutchi settlements, which lie a few kilometres from the nearest roads. There are regular shared taxis for Mandvi, Mundra and Gandhidham, but for most other Kutchi destinations you will have to charter one. In November 2000 access to the villages of northern Kutch became unrestricted on a trial basis; prior to that, due to the sensitive Pakistani border, you needed a $30 permit. Many trips in this

Mahatma Gandhi - India’s great soul Eating in Gujarat

Although Porbandar is well known in Gujarat for its seafood, you'll have a job finding it. Outside the hotel restaurants, there's a fairly uninspiring choice of places to eat; many seem to serve only a limited number of the dishes listed on the menus.

Northern Gujarat

North of Gandhinagar, the district of Mehsana was the Solanki's seat of government between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries. Some remains of their old capital - including the extraordinary Rani-ki-Vav step-well - still stand at Anhilawada Patan. just outside the modern city of Patan, which is home to Gujarat's last remaining patch weavers. From the city of Mehsana. at the province's centre, it's easy to get to the ancient and well-preserved sun temple at Modhera. jain temples in the hills at Taranga and Idar can be reached from Mehsana, or directly from Ahmedabad.

Shilpgram of Udaipur in Rajasthan

The road running around the north of Fateh Sagar leads to the rural arts and crafts centre ot Shilpgram (daily 9.30am-6pm; Rs10), near the village of Havala, 5km out from town and best reached by bike. This exemplary crafts village - one of the best in the country - was set up to promote and preserve the traditional architecture, music and crafts of the tribal people of western India, and holds displays of the diverse traditional lifestyles and customs of India's rural population. Dwellings arranged in the compound include a solid two-storey wooden house from northern Gujarat, exquisitely carved throughout, circular

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

Bhuj Practicalities in Northern Gujarat

Transport connections to Bhuj made a swift recovery in the wake of the earthquake, with timetables resuming as normal. The airport, from where Indian Airlines and Jet Airways have one daily flight each to Mumbai, is 5km north of town and 15min by auto-rickshaw. Trains arrive at the railway station a little over 1 km north of town, from where rickshaws can take you anywhere in town. The conversion of the track from metre to broad gauge is expected to be complete in 2001, so that long-distance trains can reach Bhuj; currently there are only five daily passenger trains to

Modhera Northern Gujarat

If you visit only one town in northern Gujarat, it should be MODHERA, where the eleventh-century sun temple (daily 8am-6pm;$5 [Rs5]) is the best example of Solanki temple architecture in the state. Almost a thousand years old, the temple has survived Muslim iconoclasm and nineteenth-century earthquakes; apart from a missing shikhara and slightly worn carvings, it remains largely intact. The Solanki kings numbered Jains among their courtly advisers, and were probably influenced in their temple design by jain traditions; deities and their vehicles, animals, voluptuous maidens and complex friezes adorn the sandy brown walls and pillars. Within the trkimdapa, or

Arrival and information of Mount Abu in Rajasthan

Mount Abu is accessible only by road. Aim to spend as little time as possible in the grim bazaar town of Abu Road, the nearest railhead, where travellers pick up buses for the forty-five-minute ascent from the plains. Entering Mount Abu itself, you have to pay a Rs5 fee. Passengers arriving at the main bus stand in the southeast of Mount Abu are swamped by hotel touts and would-be luggage porters pushing pram-like trolleys. Turn right to get to the more expensive hotels, such as the Mount Regency; left for the large central polo ground, the main bazaar, budget hotels and

Bhavnagar in Gujarat

The coastal pore of BHAVNAGAR, founded in 1723 by the Gohil Rajput Bhavsinghji, whose ancestors came to Gujarat from Marwar (Rajasthan) in the twelfth century, is an important trading centre whose principal export is cotton. With few sights of its own, Bhavnagar does, however, boast a fascinating bazaar in the old city, and is an obvious place to stay for a night or two before heading southwest to the wonderful Jain temples of Palitana. Incidentally, it is one of the few places (Ahmedabad is another) where you'll see hand-carts being pulled by man and wife, or by women alone.

Mundra in Northern Gujarat

The small, lively fishing port of MUNDRA. 20km east of Mandvi, has tew sights of particular note of its own, but it's a pleasant place to catch the sea-breeze and buy local crafts. These include batik prints, heavy silver jewellery and unusual woollen namadas, as well as floor coverings, wall-hangings and camel saddles dyed in earthy maroons, blues, yellows and black. A bus ride and a short walk will get you to several small Rabari and Jat villages nearby and, to the east, the Jain temples at Bhadreswar. decorated with immaculate white sculpture, are a focus for pilgrims from all

Mehsana in Norhtern Gujarat

The crowded residential city of MEHSANA. less than 100km north of Ahmedabad, doesn't merit a visit in its own right - the one building of any interest is the old Rajmahal palace, now used as government offices. As the only place in the area to offer a choice of accommodation, it does, however, make an obvious base for visiting any of the towns in northern Gujarat. The centre of town is compact, with the train and bus stations only 500m apart. Avon Guest House (02762/51394) is the best of the four cheapies opposite the former, while the Hatel Apsara (02762/51027)

ORCHHA. literally "hidden place", certainly lives up to its name. Languishing amid a tangle of scrubby dhak forest, 18km southeast of jhansi, the former capital of the Bundela dynasty has become an essential halt for the tourist traffic bound for Khajuraho on the nearby highway. The deserted medieval town is an architectural gem where guano-splashed temple shikhams, derelict palaces, haydis and weed-choked sandstone cenotaphs lie neglected by the banks of the tranquil River Betwa - home to troupes of black-faced langurs, vultures and wheeling flocks of bright green parakeets. Clustered around the foot of the exotic ruins, the sleepy village of

Practicalities of Kumbakonam in Central Tamil Nadu

Kumbakonam's small railway station, in the southeast, 2km from the main bazaar, is well served by trains both north and south, and has a left-luggage office (24hr) and decent retiring rooms (Rs100). The hectic Moffussil (local) and Aringannar (long-distance) bus stands are opposite each other in the southeast of town, between the railway station and the Mahamakham tank. All the timetables are in Tamil, but there's a 24-hour enquiry office. Buses leave for Gangaikondacholapuram, Pondicherry, and Thanjavur every five to ten minutes, many via Darasuram. Frequent services run to Chennai, Trichy and several daily to Bangalore.

Details of Gujarat

The western state of GUJARAT was tragically catapulted to international attention in January 2001 by a cataclysmic earthquake, its epicentre in the western region of Kutch, that left at least 30,000 dead and 250,000 homeless (see box p.693).This sudden disaster added to the woes of a state already beleaguered by severe water shortages following three consecutive failed monsoons. Measures adopted to combat that problem — the import of water by tram and longer-term solutions like the construction of bore-wells, desalination plants and the world's largest canal system - had already taxed state coffers before the earthquake struck. Gujarat's established reputation

Moving on from Bhavnagar in Gujarat

Supper-time Gujarati thalis at low prices. Open 8.30-10.30pm. Vrindavan, Hotel Vrindavan, Darbargadh. Good Gujarati thalis and south Indian snacks in an a/c hall. Open 11am-3pm & 7-11pm. Woodlands, in the Jubilee Hotel, opposite Pil Gardens. Decent pure veg place for Indian, Chinese and Western food on a pleasant terrace. Meals 11 am-3pm & 7-11 pm, sandwiches round the clock. The usual way to get anywhere from Bhavnagar is by bus. Services run from the ST bus stand to Ahmedabad (hourly; 5hr), Mumbai, Bhuj, Rajkot, Junagadh and Veraval, plus Vadodara (8 daily; 6hr) and Surat (3 daily; 9hr). There's no direct service

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