Mumbai

Start Point for Deccan Odyssey. Leaves Mumbai CST every Wednesday Evening 16:40 hrs Welcome to the city that never sleeps! Pulsating, Alive, On the Move, Vibrant, Fun -- this is Mumbai or as it is still frequently referred to -- Bombay. The most modern city in India, it captures the spirit of the changing pace set by liberalization and modernisation. Once a cluster of seven islands, Mumbai was presented to King Charles II in 1661 as part of the dowry when he married Princess Catherine de Braganza of Portugal. Over the years, as colonialism gave way to independence, Mumbai has transformed itself into an entity with thriving markets, business houses and many different communities reflecting a cosmopolitan and trendy atmosphere rarely seen elsewhere. On the surface, it represents the ever-changing face of today's India -- the old coupled with the dynamic new, and yet at its very core, the heart of the city is steeped in Indian customs and values. It is the capital of Maharashtra state, and its official language is Marathi although English and Hindi are widely spoken and understood. The fast-paced life has given rise to hordes of "fast-food outlets" on almost every road, offering lip-smacking choices of Mumbai's very own pau bhaji, bhel puri and kababs. There is no dearth, though, of multi-culinary delicacies dished out in posh restaurants by expert chefs. Mumbai is a shopper's delight with bargain buys, exclusive boutiques, ethnic markets and mini bazaars. This busy city is also the hub of a thriving cultural life, with a constant stream of performances in music, dance and drama. The seat of the Hindi film industry, known locally as Bollywood, it produces the largest number of films in the world. Mumbai caters to the adventurous and the romantic through its sporting activities, nightclubs, pubs, theatres, beaches and restaurants. Old and new, rich and poor, classical and modern -- its all here for you to savour and enjoy!

Panchgani

Panchgani derives its name from the five hills around it. At an altitudes of 1334m. it is just 38m. below Mahabaleshwar. These 38m translate themselves into a breathtraking 18 km. approach, that swoops around bends with abandon, offering heart-stopping views of the River Krishna on one side and the coastal plains on the the other.

Panchagani is the quintessential residential hill-station, with the Raj stamped indelibly all over it. It can be seen in the architecture of the old British buildings, the Parsi houses and the boarding schools that have been around for a century or more.

For glimpses of a vanished era, special visit to some of the old British and Parsi houses is also important. Amble along the walkways, thoisckly canopied by lush trees and vegetation and deleight is the secrets you come upon.

The Krishna, snaking through tiny hamlets, farms and ravines, hundreds of meters below. (Visit Table Land, a flat mountain peak and feast your eyes on the coastal pplains, looking like miniature water colours.)

Select a horse from one of the numerous stable and canter along uncharted routes through hidden lovers' lanes, to the caves and Kamalgad Fort. Or while away time at the bazaar.

Panchagani is the one of those rare places that doesnot crowd anyone, yet in its own unhurried way deeply touches every visitor.

Taxis are easily available, though here too, bicycles (and horseback) are recommended for traveling long distances.

Temperatures vary from 16°C in winter to 35°C in summer, with an annual rainfall of 216 cms.

September to May is the best time to visit.

Getting There:

Pune 98 kms. away, is the nearest airport and the most convenient railhead. Oanchgani via Mahad is 266 kms. There is an alternative route via Pune.

Mahabaleshwar

Mahabaleshwar was the summer capital of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency. A popular town, with an air of unspoilt beauty, it meanders leisurely for 5 kms. at an altitude of 1372m.

While away the hours boating or fishing at the placid Venna Lake. Explore the walks or the thirty points that offer panoramic views of the valley and the sea. Bathe in the crystal waters of the numerous waterfalls.

Discover Pratapgad Fort 24 kms. away, where Shivaji dramatically bested General Afzal Khan. And the gorgeous ninehole golf course built on the edge of a cliff! Or simply idle through the tiny lanes of the bazaar, shopping for everything from shoes to luscious strawberries, blackberries, jams and jellies.

Taxis and rickshaws are easily available though a bicycle, which you can hire by the hour or for the day, is the best way to get around.

Temperature vary from 13oC in winter to 29 oC in summer with a yearly rainfall of 663 cms.

The best time to visit is October to June.

Getting there: Pune is the nearest airport, 120 kms. away.

Pune is also the most convenient railhead, though Wathar at 62 kms. is the nearest.

Mumbai is 290 kms. away by road via Pune and 247 kms. via Mahad.

Maharashtra Hill Resorts

Spread of the over commercialization that is befallen their counterparts in north and south India, these towns offer a clean, calm amd thoroughly refreshing alternative. And are probably, the only places in India, where you can observe the fall of the land all the way to the shimmering sea.

The foot-hills, sometimes approaching the seashore and sometimes withdrawing 40 or 50 kms. away, seem to be playing an eternal game with the Arabian sea. Nestling shyly in these mountains, some at an altitude of 2000 meters, are the hill stations of Maharastra. The geography of Maharastra, the great state, shows evidence of being wrought by a divine hand. Running north to south, throughout its length are the steeply rising Western Ghats.

Mumbai, India's commercial capital and easily the most accessible city in India, is the perfect getaway to Maharashtra's hioll country. With convenient and comfortable links by road, rail and air. Read on and discover the secrets of the heart of Maharashtra.

Maharashtra Beaches

Maharastra's 720 kames. Long affair with the Arabian Sea extends from Dahanu and Bordi in the north up to Goa procssding Southwards. If you've got a penchant for send, sea and surf, this State has a great many interesting option in store. You could arrange fun day - trips or get away on a weekend. Indulge in adventurous water sports or daydream on secluded, golden sands. If you happen to have a special interest in forts and their history.

Maharastra is the perfect place to start on an enlightening tour. No other coasting India offers you such a vast choice of majestic forts like khanderi, Undheri, Malvani, Goa, Murud, Sindhudurg and Suvarnadurg. Discover the real Maharastra while you soak up the soft sands. Or explore intriguing sights. There's so much you can do. Study temple and churches. Stroll through whispering coconut groves. Hill and valleys. Look for tiny, picturesque villages. Acquaint yourself with different people … and their lifestyle. Sample authentic Konken cuisine …. Solkadhi, bangda, pomfret, curry, modak, rice, chapattis, dishes with jackfruit, kokam sherbet and, of course, the world famous Devgad alphonso.

Any place you choose is conveniently linked to Mumbai- a good starting point. And all these places are well-connected buses. The coastal climate of Maharastra makes traveling pleasant all round the year. Sea are rough only during the monsoon which strikes between June and September - Depending on the kind of holiday you plan you can be positive that is no ordinary holiday. Because Maharastra is no ordinary place!

Bassein
Bassein used to be a place for ship-building in the beginning of the seventeenth century . it was here that the Marathas besieged the Portuguese in 1739.


Dahanu Bordi
Dahanu, a quite seaside town with a sprawling, uncluttered beach, is situated in Thane district.


Ganpatipule
Visit the vast strech of unpolluted silver sands on the western cost of Maharastra, Bathed in the golden sunshine and silver moonlight, Lapped by gentle foam-flecked waves from the expanse of the arabian sea, Laced with the unforgettable aroma of fruits, flowers and mangroves, Carrying the timid wispers of saying coconut trees.


Mandwa - Kihim
Twelve miles north of Alibag on the north coast and easily accessible from Mumbai, Mandwa is a beautiful, untrodden beach.


Marve, Manori, Gorai
North of Mumbai, and away from its busting crowds and pollution, are these three gems that have become popular havens for Mumbai's beleaguered fun lovers.


Murud - Janjira
Formerly the capital town of the Siddis of Janjira, Murud is today popular for its alluring beach, whispering casuarinas, coconut and betel palms, and an ancient fort.


Shriwardhan - Harihareshwar
Gentle winds, soft sands and inviting waters make Shriwardhan Bay irresistible to beach lovers.


Velneshwar
North of the Shastri river lies the idyllic village of Velneshwar.


Vengurla - Malvan
Further south lies Vengurla with its long stretch of white sands, and hills covered with cashew, coconut, jackfruit and mango groves.


Vijaydurg- Sindhudurg
Vijaydurg or Fort Victor was strengthened around the seventeenth century by Shivaji, to whom it owes its finest features - the triple line of walls, the numerous towers and the massive interior buildings.

Aurangabad Caves

Aurangabad Caves are artificial caves, dug out of the rather soft rock during the 6th and 7th century. This caves are found on two separate locations, called Western Group Caves (caves 1-5) and Eastern Group Caves (caves 6-10), about 1km from each other. Each group has five caves. The architecture and iconography is influenced by Tantric Hinduism.

Cave four of the Western Group Caves is the oldest cave. It is a Hinayana Chaitya with a ridged roof like the Karla Cave near Lonavala. Hinayana (Sanskrit: Lesser Vehicle) is the more orthodox, conservative schools of Buddhism. Chaitya (Sanskrit) is the word for a funeral monument. There is a stupa in front of it, now partially collapsed.

The other four Western caves are viharas, which are an early type of Buddhist monastery consisting of an open court surrounded by open cells accessible through an entrance porch. The viharas in India were originally constructed to shelter the monks. Cave 3, the most fascinating cave of the Western Group, is supported by 12 finely carved columns. They show sculptures portraying scenes from the Jataka tales.

Cave 6 belongs to the Eastern Group Caves, and shows very well preserved sculptures of women, which are notable for their exotic hairstyles and ornamentation. There is also a large Buddha figure and an idol of Ganesh located in this cave.

Cave 7 is the most interesting of the Aurangabad caves. Most impressive are the sculptures, figures of women which are scantily clad and ornately bejewelled. They show the rise of Tantric Buddhism during this period. To the left of Cave 7 is a huge Bodhisattva praying for deliverance from the 8 dangers: fire, the sword of the enemy, chains, shipwreck, lions, snakes, mad elephant and demon (representing death).

Elephanta Caves

Elephanta Caves

Elephanta Island was known in ancient times as "Gharapuri" or The Place of Caves. The Portuguese took possession of the island and named it Elephanta after the great statue which they found on the seashore.

There are seven caves of which the most important is the Mahesha-Murti Cave. The main body of the cave, excluding the porticoes on the three open sides and the back aisle, is 27 m square and is supported by rows of six columns. The gigantic figures of Dvarapalas, or doorkeepers are very impressive.

The cave temple, which is the pride of Elephanta, sprawled over an area of approximately 5000 square metres, is reached by climbing a flight of more than 100 steps, to the top of a hill. Inside the temple, is a large pillared hall with rows of columns, that appear to hold up the roof of the cave.

Cross beams complete the illusion of a ceiling. One's attention is immediately drawn to the series of marvellous sculptured panels, nine in all, which are set like tableaux on the walls. Little is known about the architects and sculptors, who worked on this gem of ancient architecture. What is almost tangible is their intense faith, which seems to create an energy field in the cave premises. Each of the panel captures the volatility of Shiva's essentially paradoxic nature, and the magical interplay of light and shade, only intensifies the overall effect.


Elephanta Caves

The northern coastline of Bombay. reminds you of the changing industrial and technological scene. Attendant gulls hover motionless overhead, an occasional fish leaps out of the wake furrowing behind it is a pleasant hour and 15 minutes to Elephanta.

Once known as Puri - later Gharapuri - this island was the proud capital of a powerful coastal kingdom and the great cave shrine in praise of Shiva, excavated in the sixth century, added to the ruling dynasty. Several centuries later the Portugese took possession of the island. They found monolithic stone elephant at the place where they landed and also named this a ilha do elephanta, island of the elephant. There was a stone horse too, a little further, which has a vanished without a trace.

The Portugese built a fort here with a watchtower, hoisting up to flag to ward off Aattacks by pirates boats. Did they use the caves for target practice? Or did they deliberately desecrate the sculptures? Antonio Bocarro, Portugese chronicler of the 17th century described Elephanta vividity and made special mention of the cistern of water in the western cave: "There is also a large and deep tank of water without which the heathens of the East never build their pagodas; because among their other abominations they believe that water purifies and cleanses them".

Ellora Caves

Ellora Caves

The cave temples and monasteries at Ellora, excavated out of the vertical face of an escarpment, are 26 kms. north of Aurangabad. Extending in a linear arrangement, the 34 caves contain Buddhist Chaityas, or halls of worship, and Viharas, or monasteries, Hindu and Jian temples.

Spanning a period of about 600 years between the 5th and 11th century AD, the earliest excavation here is of the Dhumar Lena (cave 29). The most imposing excavation is, without doubt, that of the magnificent Kailasa Temple (Cave 16) which is the largest single monolithic structure in the world. Interestingly, Ellora, unlike the site of Ajanta, was never 'rediscovered'. Known as Verul in ancient times, it has continuously attracted pilgrims through the centuries to the present day.

Ellora has been designated as a World Heritage Site, to be preserved as an artistic legacy that will continue to inspire and enrich the lives of generations to come.

Cave 1: This is the first monastery at the southern end of Ellora. It has four residential cells cut into the side walls. The cave is devoid of any carvings or sculptures.

Cave 2: This has a verandah, with a recess at the right, housing images of Panchika, the god od wealth, and Hariti, the goddess of prosperity. The entrance is flanked by guardians, next to whom are figures of the Buddha and other divinities. Each of the lateral walls in the hall has sculptures of five seated Buddhas flanked by celestial figures and by Bodhisattvas, or saintly beings who are destined to become Buddhas. A similar but larger figure of the Buddha can be seen in the sanctuary. The porch to the right of the sanctuary depicts the Miracle of Shravasti when the Buddha manifested himself in a thousand forms.

Cave 3: This cave has an unfinished image of the seated Buddha in a shrine. Pot and foliage motifs adorm the columns of the hall.

Cave 4: A two-storeyed excavation, this cave is now mostly in ruins. At the lower level is a plain hall, with a columned asile leading to a shrine where a figure of the seated Buddha is accompanied by attendants. A similar but smaller shrine is located on the upper story.

Cave 5: Excavated at a higher level, this large cave consists of a spacious hall divided into three aisles. Porches in the middle of the side walls have small cells on either side. Columns are decorated with medallions and other motifs surrounded by intricate foliage. Several benches are carved out of the floor. The entrcane to the central shrine is carved with Bodhisattvas bedecked with intricate headgear and jewellery. In the shrine is a figure of the seated Buddha.

Cave 6: The rectangular hall in this cave has columns with pot and foliage capitals. The walls of an antechamber in the rear of the hall, which leads into a small shrine, are covered with figures of the Boddhisattva and the goddesses Tara and Mahamayuri. The doorway of the shrine is carved with elaborate sculptures on other side. On the left is Analokiteshwara holding a lotus and a rosary in his hands, with a deer-skin draped on his left shoulder. On theright is the sculpture of Mahamayuri, the Buddhist goddess of learning, within the shrine is the figure of the seated Buddha, flanked by multiple smaller Buddhist figures, attendants and devotees on the side walls.

Cave 7: This is a simple hall with four plain pillars.

Cave 8: This is the only monastery at Ellora, where the sanctum is isolated from the rear wall, with a circular passage around it. The passageway has three cells on the left, an incomplete columned gallery at the rear and two columns in the front. Sculptures of the Buddha adorn the hall.

Cave 9: This consists of an open terrace with a balcony and a shrine housing figures of Buddhist divinities. The embellished façade has, among other motifs, an unusual scene of the goddess Tara rescuing devotees from the perils of a snake, a sword, an elephant (left). Fire and a shipwreck (right).

Cave 10 (Vishvakarma): Named after Vishvakarma, the architect of the gods, this cave marks the culmination of Chaitya architecture in India. The hall has porticos on three sides, raised on a basement carved with animals. A long frieze depicting a hunting scene appears above the brackets in the hall. A Stupa in the middle of the rear wall has a seated Buddha figure. A flight of steps in the verandah leads to the upper gallery. The façade behind this gallery consists of a doorway flanked by Chaitya window motifs, flying celestials, and Bodhisattvas with female attendants. On either side of the doorway, to the inner gallery, are recesses housing the figures of female deitied and the Bodhisattva. A large figure of the Buddha , in the teaching position, is carved on to the front of the central Stupa accompanied by flying attendants and Bodhisattvas.

Cave 11 (Do Tal): A three-storeyed excavation dating back to the 8th century. Do Tal, or two storeys, was the name erroneously given to this cave when its ground floor was buried under debris. The lowest level has two cells and a central sanctuary withg figures of the Buddha in the teaching position. The intermediate level consists of five excavations, the first being incomplete and the last being a cell with a rock -cut bed. The remaining three have images of the Buddha attended by Bodhisattvas the uppermost level has a long columned hall with a shrine in the cenntre. On the rear wall are images of the goddess Durga and Lord Ganesha , indicating that this cave was later converted for worship by Hindus.

Ajanta Caves

Ajanta Caves

About 107 kms. from the city of Aurangabad, the rock-cut caves of Ajanta nestle in a panoramic gorge, in the form of a gigantic horseshoe.

Among the finest examples of some of the earliest Buddhist architecture, caves-paintings and sculptures, these caves comprise Chaitya Halls, or shrines, dedicated to Lord Buddha and Viharas, or monasteries, used by Buddhist monks for meditation and the study of Buddhist teachings.

The paintings that adorn the walls and ceilings of the caves depict incidents from the life of the Buddha and various Buddhist divinities. Among the more interesting paintings are the Jataka tales, illustrating diverse stories relating to the previous incarnations of the Buddha as Bodhisattva, a saintly being who is destined to become the Buddha.

Occupied for almost 700 years, the caves of Ajanta seem to have been abandoned rather abruptly. They remained shrouded in obscurity for over a millennium, till John Smith, a British army officer, accidentally stumbled upon them while on a hunting expedition in 1819. The 'View Point' from where John Smith first glimpsed the caves, provides a magnificent sight of the U-shaped gorge and its scenic surroundings. Cascading down the cliff is a spectacular waterfall, which at the bottom feeds a natural pool called the Saptakunda.


Ajanta has been designated as a World Heritage Site, to be preserved as an artistic legacy that will continue to inspire and enrich the lives of generations to come.

The caves of Ajanta can be classified into two distinct phases: the earlier Hinayana phase (1), in which the Buddha was worshipped only in the form of certain symbols. And the later Mahayana phase (II), in which the Buddha was worshipped in the physical form.

Caves

Dating back to the 2nd BC and artistically built over a few centuries, the Caves of Maharashtra have an extraordinary appeal and aura. Nestled in the formidable Sahayadri Mountain Range, these caves have been home to monks of different religions.

Be it the paintings in the Ajanta caves or the sculpture of the Ellora caves, or the divine presence in the Elephanta caves, the visitors have always and will always continue to be spellbound. These caves offer a visit that is truly unforgettable. A visit that will induce a sense of discovery, a discovery of the self, and of the divine.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is one of the most wonderful states in India. Natural as well as cultural diversities have helped in the development of a unique Marathi culture. Monuments such as Ajanta and Ellora, Gateway of India and Elephanta caves and architectural structureslike Viharas and Chaityas have attracted people from all over to the state. Besides the wonderful monuments, wildlife and cultural aspects such as ifestyle, languages and cuisine make Maharashtra a great travel destination. Maharashtratourism.net is an attempt to showcase the best of tourism in the state of Maharashtra.