India Travel

Travel details to Bihar and Jharkhand

Related Properties from Gurgaon

Bihar and Jharkhand : Overview

BIHAR and JHARKHAND occupy the flat eastern Ganges basin, south of Nepal between Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Now desperately poor and troubled, the region's glory days came early, when this was the land of the Buddha - born in Lumbini in Nepal, he spent much of his life wandering through the kingdoms of the Ganges. In his quest for truth during the sixth century BC, Prince Gautama visited Vaishali and Rajgir. before moving on to Bodhgaya and gaining enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. Only during the nineteenth century was it demonstrated that the major events of the Buddha's life

Central Bihar

South of the Ganges and north of the hills of the Chotanagpur plateau. Central Bihar contains some of north India's most important Buddhist sites. The greatest shrine of all, a focus for Buddhists from around the world, is the Bodhi Tree at Bodhgaya where the Buddha gained enlightenment.

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

North Bihar

The one area of Bihar capable of growing reliable crops is the fertile agricultural belt along the Himalayan foothills north of the Ganges. Other than passing through en route to Nepal via the large town of Muzaffarpur. most visitors only pause to explore the remains of the abandoned Buddhist city of Vaishali. although the region also holds a handful of shrines and temple towns associated with the Ramayana.

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

Accommodation in Rajgir

Ajatshatru. near the hot springs. A basic place run by Bihar Tourism, where it costs Rs. 100 tostay in a dorm. Anand, a couple of hundred metres up trie road opposite the bus station, Nice terrace and cosmic blue paint, Centaur Hokke. 4km from the bus station and 2km from Kund market, at the end of a dusty road leading from the hot springs, An ugly concrete exterior plays host to an extraordinary Japanese restaurant and comfortable rooms (see box). Worth a visit just to try the seaweed sandwiches. Gautam Vihar, 300m from there bus station on the road to Nalanda.

Bodhgaya Practicalities

Buses connecting Bodhgaya and Gaya leave from outside Gaya train station and more frequently from the Kacheri bus and auto-rickshaw stand a couple of kilometres south of the station. Shared auto-rickshaws are quicker, even more frequent and cost just a little more. You'll need to travel back to Gaya to pick up most onward services from Bodhgaya, although two buses a day run directly to Patna departing from the Bihar Tourism Complex at 7am and 2pm, and a direct bus also leaves for Varanasi at 5am. All buses turn round on the main road north, by the Burmese Vihar and 600m

Bodhgaya Accommodation: hotels

Buddha International 3 0631/400506- In the south of town near the Indosan Japanese temple, With an impressive lobby and nice lawn it's pleas-art but pricey. Buddha Vihar, Bihar Tourist Complex t 0631/400445. Cheap three- four- and six-bed dorm accommodation Embassy, opposite the Nepalese temple S 0631/400711. Reasonable rooms and rooftop views, but a little expensive for what you get. ITDC Bodhgaya Ashok, near the museum -i~ 0631/400700. Comfortable bungalow-type accommodation with a pleasant lawn, an upmarket restaurant and several in-house facilities including a travel desk.

Moving on from Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh

Indian Airlines fly thrice weekly to Delhi (Mon, Wed, Fri 3pm). HRTC run numerous buses to destinations in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh. Most travellers prefer to book "deluxe" buses through operators in McLeod Ganj near the bus stand. Try Himachal Travels (01892/21428) or Potala Tours & Travels, Bhagsu Road, opposite Hotel Tibet (01892/21378). Buses to Pathankot, handy for train connections and road access to Dalhousie and Chamba leave every 30min from the rains bus stand in the lower town. As well as the services listed in the Travel Details on p.589, there are two or three buses a week

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

By air in Delhi

Indian Airlines, whose main office is in the Malhotra Building on F-Block, Connaught Place, near Wimpy, operate the largest network of internal flights, though private carriers serve more destinations; tickets can be bought through travel agents or the main offices. All flights leave from the domestic terminal, 15km southwest of town, easily reached by the convenient EATS bus service (Rs50 plus Rs5 for luggage; 30min) that departs from Pahka Bazaar, just opposite Wimpy. Rickshaws and taxis are more expensive, but slightly quicker. Passengers on domestic flights must check in two hours prior to departure. A simple food counter sells tea,

Reaching Patna

Patna has three stations but all main-line train services arrive at Patna Junction, in the west of the city. Fraser Road (now Mazharul-Raq Path), immediately north of the station, is the main drag, with as much glamour as the state can muster - though even here you'll see rag pickers living on the pavement. Patna's airport lies 5km to the west, linked to town by taxis and indian Airlines buses. A few hundred meters west of the station, the chaotic Harding Park bus stand runs services to and from Gaya, Varanasi, and the Nepal border at Raxaul (gate 6). North

Moving on from Kochi/ErakuEam in Kerala

For an overview of travel services to and from Kochi/Ernakulam, see Travel Details on p.1378. By air The new international airport (0484/610050, 610115. or 610116) at Nedumbassery near Alwaye (aka Alua), 26km to the north of Ernakulam, has been designed to attract international flights especially from the Gulf. Jet Airways has two flights a day to Mumbai, and Indian Airlines operates daily flights to Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, and Thiruvananthapuram. Indian Airlines flies six days a week to Chennai, and twice weekly to Goa, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Calicut. If you want to fly to the Lakshadweep Islands, contact Casino Hotel, Willingdon Island f-

Moving on from Aurangabad in Maharashtra

Daily flights from Aurangabad to Mumbai (40min; $75) are operated by Jet Airways (8.45pm) and Indian Airlines (5.30pm). The Indian Airlines flight also carries on to Delhi ($175). Their office is on Jalna Road (3 0240/485421). Ail the state transport corporation (MSRTC) buses leave from the Central bus stand and the MTDC buses depart from the MTDC Holiday Resort. The MSRTC run good-value "luxury" daily night-buses to Mumbai. If you feel like a little more comfort, there are a couple of companies running more expensive a/c buses to most of the larger destinations; tickets can be booked through travel agents. Getting

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 in Ladakh

The bus details here apply during the tourist season between July 1 and September 15 only, after which date the Manali-Leh highway is officially closed. Most other roads, including the highway from Leh to Srinagar Kargil, remain open till the end of October. Despite heavy snow falls, the road from Leh to the Nubra Valley over the open all year. Buses Leh to: Alchi (1 daily; 3hr); Chemrey (3 daily; 2hr); Dishit (Nubra) (1 weekly; 6hr); Hemis (1-2 daily; 1hr 45minl; Kargil (2-3 daily; 6hr 30min); Lamayuru (2-3 daily; 6hr 30min); Likkir (1 daily; 3hr); Manali (6-8 daily; 28hr); Matho (2 daily;

Leaving Patna

Patna Junction is the most important railway station in the region, connected to Gaya. Delhi, Varanasi. Darjeeling (NJP), Calcutta, Mumbai and Chennai. There is a foreigners' reservation counter on the first floor of the booking office. The best train to Calcutta (Howrah) is the fast Rajdhani Express #2306 (Tues S Sat); other principal trains to Calcutta are the Poorva Express #2304 (Mon, Thurs, Fri & Sun) and the Howrah-Amritsar Express #3050. Patna-Delhi-Shramjeevi Express #2401 also stops at Varanasi and most major trains stop at Mughal Sarai, not far from Varanasi. Among others, the Rajdhani Express #2305 and the Poorva Express

Hospital in Goa

Panjim's largest hospital, the Goa Medical College (aka the GMC), in the west of town at the far end of Avda Dom Joao Castro, is grim and overstretched; if you're able to travel, ™ head for the more modern and better-equipped -Salgaonkar Hospital. Ambulances are likely to get you there a lot less quickly than a standard taxi. Music and dance Regular recitals of classical rri Indian music

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;

Travel details for Travel details in Kerala

For details of ferry services on the backwaters - primarily between Alappuzha and Kollam. Trains Kochi/Ernakulam to: Alappuzha (3-5 daily; 1hr 20min): Bangalore (1 daily; 14hr); Chennai (3-5 daily; 12hr45min-14hr40min); Coimbatore (3-4 daily; 4hr 45min-5hr 30min); Delhi (2 daily; 40hr 30min-49tir), Kanniyakumari (2-3 daily; 8hr); Kollam (8-9 daily; 3-4tir|; Kottayam (8-9 daily; 1hr 5min); Kozhikode (6-7.daily; 3hr 20min-6hr 20min); Mumbai (2-3 daily; 28hr 20min 10hr 25min); Palakkad (5-6 daily; 3hr 20mm); Tliiriivananthapuram (9-11 daily; 4hr 20min-5hr): Thrissur (12-14 daily; 1 hr 30min-2hr). Kozhikode to: Kochi (6-7 daily; 4hr 30min-5hr 10min); Mangalore (3-4 daily; 5hr 40min-6hr); Mumbai (2-3 daily; 16hr 20min-23hr); Thiruvananthapuram (4-6