rediff on the net travel_ a travel feature on bed and breakfast locales in maharashtra, india

8/12/2019 Rediff on the NeT Travel_ a Travel Feature on Bed and Breakfast Locales in Maharashtra, India

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2/26/2014 Redi ff On The NeT Travel : A travel feature on bed and breakfast locales in Maharashtra, India

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sparkling rivers and sleepy hamlets dot the surrounding countryside.

The best time to visit Panchgani is between the months of October to

February

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Pune 98 kms away.

By rail: The nearest railhead is Wathar 45 kms on the Miraj-Kolhapur section of South Central Railway.

By road:

Bombay-Panchgani via Pune 295 kms.

Bombay-Panchgani via Mahad 266 kms.

Chikaldara

Chikaldara lies in the district of Amravati, 763 kms away from

Bombay by road, in the Vidharba region. Situated in the Gavilgarh

Hills, a offshoot of the Satpura range, it is surrounded by lakes and

waterfalls. Chikaldara is the home of the Korkus tribe. It offers an

abundance of wildlife. Animal lovers will be delighted to spot

magpies, chitals,sambhars, and langurs. And the Dhakana-Kolkaz

National Park nearby is famous for its tigers. The Melghat Tiger

Project is located here too. Chikaldara's cool breezy climate makes

it an excellent place to get away to in summer. The MTDC-run

Semadoh Forest Lodge is a comfortable place to stay.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Akola, 150 kms away.

By rail: The nearest railhead is Badnera.

By road:

Bombay-Chikaldara 763 kms.

Nagpur-Chikaldara 230 kms.

Amravati-Chikaldara 100 kms.

State Transport buses ply from Amravati and Nagpur to Chikaldara.

The MTDC runs daily excursions to the game sanctuaries and

sightseeing spots.

Matheran

Matheran lies in the district of Raigad, 170 kms away from Bombay,

up in the Western ghats. Getting to Matheran is half the fun. A toy


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train meanders up the mountain,

treating you to a breathtaking view.

Matheran is rich in greenery and

there's plenty to see -- Lake

Charlotte, Honeymoon Hill,

Panther's Cave and lots more. You

can also go horse riding and shop for exciting cane and leather

articles. Equally entertaining are the monkeys that inhabit the place.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Bombay, 100 kms away.

By rail: Bombay-Neral-Matheran 108 kms.

By road:

Bombay-Neral 90 kms.

Neral-Matheran 21 kms.

Pune-Neral 120 kms.

State Transport buses ply from Bombay and Pune to Neral.

Panhala

Panhala lies in the district of Kolhapur. Situated at an altitude of

977.2 metres, Panhala is a charming hill resort steeped in history.

Panhala's historic fort was the site of Chhattrapati Shivaji's heroic

escape from the forces of Siddhi Johar. Situated here too is theSambhaji temple, Someshwar temple, Teen Darwaza, Raj Dindi and

several other places. Of special interest are the blue basalt temples

on the sacred Jyotiba hill nine kms away. And the 7th century AD

Mahalaxmi temple at Kolhapur 18 kms away. As well as the wildlife

sanctuary at Radhangari 52 kms away.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Belgaum 123 kms away.

By rail: The nearest railhead is Kolhapur, 18 kms away, on the South

Central Railway.

By road:

Bombay-Panhala 428 kms via Kolhapur.

Kolhapur-Panhala 18 kms.

Aurangabad


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Aurangabad was re-built by the Moghul

emperor, Aurangzeb, to commemorate

his Deccan conquests. But the city has a

history that spans the Maurya, Satvahana,

Chalukya and Rashtrakuta periods. The

Bibi-ka-Maqbara, the mausoleum of Begum Rabia Durani,

Aurangzeb's wife, which resembles the Taj Mahal, is one of the most

pretty landmarks of the city. Panchakki, a water mill, and SunheriMahal are equally beautiful. Not far from the city are the famous

Ajanta and Ellora caves.

Getting there

By air: Connected to Bombay by daily flights.

By rail: A main junction on the South Central Railway.

By road:

Bombay-Aurangabad 388 kms.

MTDC runs luxury bus services every day from Bombay to

Aurangabad, and from Aurangabad to Ajanta, Ellora and Paithan.

.

Murud Janjira

Murud Janjira lies in the district of Raigad. Murud Janjira is popular

for the its fort which is located in the middle of the sea. It is arguablythe only fort that remained unconquered for 300 years. The palace of

the Nawab and the Janjira caves are worth a visit. The palm fringed

beaches at Murud Janjira are refreshingly clean and happily quite

desolate. However, other than the fort and the beach there isn't much

else to do in Murud Janjira except to chill out.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Bombay, 165 kms away.

By rail: The nearest railhead is Panvel 122 kms away.

By road:

Bombay-Murud via Revdanda 165 kms.

Pune-Murud via Mahad 230 kms.

Alibag-Murud 52 kms.

State Transport buses ply from Bombay and Pune to Murud.


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Ganpatipule

Ganpatipule is in the district of Ratnagiri. The

place gets its name from the temples built in

honour of Ganpati. What is the reason for

journeying here? A great locale to mix business

(religious) with pleasure -- a religious pilgrimage

and a relaxing vacation. An important pilgrimagespot at Ganpatipule is the temple that houses

Swayambhu, an idol of Ganpati hewn out of rock by Mother Nature,

located a few yards from the glittering white beach. Another popular

landmark is the Ganesha Temple, which has been a place of

pilgrimage for over 300 years. Nearby is the Jaigad Fort and the

Thebaw Palace.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Ratnagiri, 50 kms away.

By rail: The nearest railhead is Kolhapur 144 kms on the South

Central Railway.

By road:

Bombay-Ganapatipule 375 kms via Mahad.

Pune- Ganpatipule 331 kms via Satara.

Kolhapur-Ganpatipule 144 kms.

Lonar

Situated in the Buldana district, Lonar is most

famous for the magnificent 'hyper-velocity

meteorite-impact crater'. Of interest are the ruins

of temples constructed in the Hemadpanti style,

where Lord Narasimha, Ganesh, Renukadevi and

Shiva were once worshipped. If visiting temples is

not appealing there's always a spot of bird

watching to be done. A fascinating sight is the

presence of hundreds of peafowl here, who live

inside the crater. Besides the birds -- there are migratory birds and

the local avians -- Lonar is the place to spot monitor lizards,

Hanuman langurs, chinkaras and gazelles, if you are lucky.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Aurangabad, 122 kms away.

By rail: The nearest railhead is Malkapur on the Bombay-Bhusaval

line.


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By road:

Bombay-Aurangabad-Jalana-Lonar 600 kms.

Lonar- Buldana 95 kms.

Lonar-Mehekar Taluka 23 kms

Lonar- Aurangabad 145 kms.

Mahabaleshwar

Mahabaleshwar is a place of verdant

greenery perched high on the Western Ghats.

Mahabaleshwar has enough 'lookout points',

as they are popularly called, to keep one's

camera clicking non-stop. And most tourists

would find it difficult to visit Mahabaleshwar and not do a bit of

horse riding and boating on the waters of Lake Venna or visit the

Lingmala Falls. Of late however, there has been a steady increase in

commercialism and ugly tourism and the place has lost some of its

charm. The historical forts of Pratapgad (24 kms away) and Raigad

(80 kms away) are well worth a visit.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Pune, 120 kms away.

By rail: The nearest railhead is Wathar, but Pune is a convenient

railhead.

Bhimashankar

Bhimashankar, located in the district of Pune has enormous religious

significance and houses one of the fivejyotirlingasof Maharashtra.

Constructed by the eminent Nana Phadnavis, the Shiva temple has

gorgeous carvings. Its Mahashivratri fair is most popular and nearly

25,000 pilgrims converge here for this festival. The wilderness

surrounding Bhimashankar has a lot of wildlife. The MTDC already

has tents available on rent at this location.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Pune 95 kms away.

By rail: The nearest railhead is also Pune.

By road:

Bombay-Bhimashankar 265 kms via Pune.

Ramtek


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Situated in the district of Nagpur, legend has it that Ram resided here

with Sita and Lakshman during his exile and that is how Ramtek got

its name. It was here too that the prolific Sanskrit poet Kalidas wrote

his epicMeghdootam.Other than these places of religious

significance, one can visit the Ramgiri Hill, Ramsagar Lake and

Khindsey Lake.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Nagpur, 58 kms away.

By rail: Ramtek is a station on the South Central Railway and regular

trains ply between Nagpur and Ramtek.

By road:

Bombay-Ramtek via Nagpur 913 kms.

State Transport buses ply from Nagpur to Ramtek.

Tuljapur

Tuljapur is in the district of Osmanabad and Tulja Bhawani ,

popularly known as Durga, is worshipped here. If you have seen this

temple, you have covered the sights of Tujlapur and the only thing left

to do is to kick back and relax.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Aurangabad, 257 kms away.By rail: The nearest railhead is Solapur on South Central Railway.

By road:

Bombay-Tuljapur 452 kms via Solapur.

Aurangabad-Tuljapur 257 kms.

Solapur-Tuljapur 40 kms.

Osmanabad-Tuljapur 19 kms.

Nanded

Nanded lies on the Godavari river. This is the place where the Sikh

guru Gobind Singh was assassinated. A short distance from Nanded

is lies the important Sachkhand Gurudwara. Nanded is a major

railhead between Aurangabad and Secunderabad.

Fardapur

Buddhist cave temples and monasteries cut into the rock, dating from

200 BC to 650 AD are spread across this region. But Fardapur is


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mainly a forest area. The town lies about five kms

away from the Ajanta caves and much of the

tourist traffic is people traipsing through the town

on their way to the famed caves. Besides the

MTDC holiday resort there is also a forest rest

house. Quite an ideal place for those wanting to get

away from it all.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Aurangabad, 108 kms away.

By rail: Jalgaon, 58 kms away on the Central Railway is a convenient

railhead.

By road:

Bombay-Ajanta 491 kms via Jalgaon.

Bombay-Ajanta 487 kms via Manmad.

Bombay-Ajanta 499 kms via Pune.

State Transport and luxury buses run from Aurangabad and Jalgaon

to Ajanta.

Lonavala

Lonavala is a charming hill resort,

three hours from Bombay and one

hour from Pune. It is ideal for

mountain climbers. And it is a goodstopover if one is planning to visit

the Karla and Bhaja caves and the

Lohagad and Visapur Forts, which lie in its vicinity. There are several

small waterfalls and plunging valleys nearby ideal for picnics. Spots

like Lonavala Lake, Bhushi Dam, Tiger's Leap, Ryewood Park,

Tungarli Dam, Barometer Hill are rather scenic. Khandala, the twin

hill station nearby, is equally popular for its scenery and picnic

possibilities. Lonavala is famous too for its chikki, a candy made

from nuts.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Pune, 66 kms away.

By rail: Lonavala is on the Bombay-Pune line of the Central Railway.

Bombay-Lonavala 118 kms.

Pune-Lonavala 64 kms.

By road: Lonavala is on the Bombay-Pune road


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Bombay-Lonavala 104 kms.

Pune-Lonavala 66 kms.

Solapur

Solapur is the centre of the cotton growing industry. It is a highly

industrialised area. But Solapur is surrounded by prosperous farms

and is therefore a very scenic destination. Located on the mainrailway line between Madras and Bombay, it is a good stopover.

Kolhapur

This is one of the most important towns of Maharashtra. It is popular

for theghatsand pretty temples situated on the banks of the

Panchganga river that runs through the town. The Mahalaxmi temple

is the chief draw. Other sights include the Brahmapuri hill, Rani's

Garden and Rajwada.

Alibag

Alibag is one of the only unspoilt beaches in close vicinity of

Bombay. Some stretches of the beach are today rather crowded but

mostly ir is quite clean and privately owned.. There are boats and

hovercrafts leaving from the Gateway of India on a daily basis.

Alibag is a great place to relax.

Grishneshwar

Grishneshwar gets its name from the

gigantic Grishneshwara temple. Another

the home of another importantjyotirlinga

of Maharashtra located 30 kms away from Aurangabad in Parbhani

district. Virtually a suburb of Ellora, the influx of tourists to

Grishneshwar is due to the fact that it is a convenient stopover for

tourists on their way to the caves. The mood of this quiet town takes

a major upswing during Mahashivratri when Grishneshwar celebratesEllora Yatra, an annual fair.

Parli-Vaijnath

Parli-Vaijanth is situated in the district of Beed. Anotherjyotirlinga

hot spot, the town draws pilgrims from near and far. Thejyotirlinga

is housed in the town's the famous Shiva temple complex. Parli-

Vaijanth is a must stop for an ambitious and persevering Shiv

devotees.


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Malvan

Malvan is a temple town, a few centuries old, located in southern

Maharashtra. Malvan is slowly evolving into a beach resort. The two

most famous temples in these parts are the Sri Devi Sateri and the

Rameshwar temple. As significant is the Padmagad Fort nearby. The

town is famous for its jackfruit, mangoes, cashew nuts and coconut

groves.

Amboli

Amboli is a small hill station, in the Sindhudurg district, situated on

the Western Ghats, nestling in the Sahyadri mountains at an altitude

of 690 m. Surrounded by thick forests and verdant hills and valleys,

Amboli is ideal for long walks. Hiranya Keshi offers hours of fun for

anglers. Nagarta Falls and Narayangad are perfect for picnics.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Belgaum, 64 kms away.

By rail: Belgaum, 64 kms away on the Central Railway is a

convenient railhead.

By road:

Bombay-Amboli 549 kms.

Pune-Amboli 390 kms.

Ratnagiri-Amboli 215 kms.

State transport and luxury buses run from Vengurla, Belgaum,

Sawantwadi and Ratnagiri to Amboli.

Nagpur

Nagpur was once the capital of the Central Provinces. It lies on the

Nag River, and is most famous for the Sitabaldi fort surrounded by a

moat and located on a bluff overlooking the city. Other places of

interest are the Anglican Cathedral, Bhonsle Palace and the GondRaja's palace. In the month of April the city is popular for its

celebration of the festival of Ram Navmi, the birth of Lord Ram.

Paithan

Paithan, Maharashtra's ancient educational centre, lies on the banks

of the Godavari river. It is one of the oldest cities of the Deccan.

Paithan's chief claim to fame is its shrine of the much revered Saint

Eknath. It is also known for its annual ten day fair -- the Paithan


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Yatra Fair -- held in March or April. Gyaneshwar Udyan, the city's

popular park is worth seeing.

Velneshwar

This coconut palm fringed village on the

banks of the Shastri river . It is a great place

to relax and has a few small beaches whichare safe for swimming. It is also famous for

the Shiva temple known as Velneshwar

Temple which is a high point for those on a

Ganesh pilgrimage. Karad is the nearest

railway station.

Sevagram

Sevagram lies eight kms away from Wardha. Of great historical

importance, Sevagram like the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad,

was ashram set up by followers of Gandhiji during the freedom

struggle and it is a Utopian community, representative of his

philosophy. Sevagram is a must see for those interested in India's

struggle for Independence. A visit to Gandhiji's Ashram, Gandhi

Gyan Mandir, Maganwadi and Bajajwadi is recommended.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Nagpur, 67 kms away.By rail: Wardha is a junction on the Central Railway 759 kms from

Bombay

. By road:

Bombay-Wardha 822 kms via Amravati.

Nagpur-Wardha 77 kms.

Yeotmal-Wardha 58 kms.

Nawegaon

Nawegaon, Vidarbha's most popular forest destination, is the

ultimate adventure spot. It is said to have been built by Kolu Patel

Kolhi in the beginning of the 18th century. There's a picturesque lake

set in the midst of the hills. And Nawegaon is something of a 'wildlife

resort' with the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary also situated nearby. The

sanctuary has a wide variety of colourful bird species. Almost 60%

of the bird species found in Maharashtra have been recorded in

Nawegaon. Every winter, huge flocks of migratory ducks visit the

lake. There are boating and water sports facilities at the lake and


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jungle safaris organised by the locals. Nearby are watch-towers that

enable you to view wildlife.

Getting there

By air: The nearest airport is at Nagpur 145 kms away.

By rail: The nearest railhead is Devalgaon, 1 km away, on the South

Eastern Railway.By road:

Bombay-Nawegaon 995 kms. The route is actually Bombay-

Dhule-Akola-Nagpur-Bhandara-Nawegaon.

Nagpur-Nawegaon 132 kms. The route is actually Nagpur-

Bhandara-Sakoli-Nawegaon.

Devalgaon-Nawegaon 1 km.

State Transport buses ply from Bhandara, Nagpur and Devalgaon to

Nawegaon.

Sindhudurg

Sindhudurg, the headquarters of Sindhudurg district, is located on a

low island in the sea. Sindhudurg was once upon a time Shivaji's

coastal capital, a city of magnificent buildings. Today it is a ghost

town famous only for the haunting Sindhudurg Fort, one of the 350

forts that Shivaji built for the defence of his kingdom. The fort houses

a black stone statue of Shivaji. But Sindhudurg has some fine

beaches -- sparkling, white and deserted.

Pali

Pali too is situated in Beed district and is also a place of religious

interest. However, the various temples located in neighbourhood of

Pali are Ganesh temples. Situated in Pali is one of the eight

ashtavinayakas, shrines of Ganpati that are of great religious

significance. Pilgrims doing the Ganesh Temple circuit , are

guaranteed everlasting bliss if they manage to stop in at a

ashtavinayakas spot.

Norsobachi Wadi

Norsobachi Wadi is situated close to Kolhapur. Quite undiscovered

by tourists, this place has great has great archaeological significance.

Sangli


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Sangli is a religious spot on the border of Karnataka in south-eastern

Maharashtra. There are several shrines dedicated to Lord Shiv in the

vicinity of Sangli.

Vijaydurg

What's Vijaydurg's claim to fame? A bit of

history and a great beach. Located inSindhudurg district the town's main sight is

the fort of Vijaydurg,. Also of interest are

the Hanuman temple, the Bhavani Devi

temple and the Shiva temple. The temple

dedicated to Lord Shiv is one of its kind in the country.

Kelve

Kelve is located in the district of Palghar, in northern Maharashtra.

The main attraction is the beach -- splendidly beautiful and empty.

Great hide away for those who want to get away from the grind and

be lonesome-ownsome.

Jaysingpur

Jaysingpur is a small but flourishing town in western Maharashtra.

However, other than influx of people to the engineering colleges that

are located here, the town is more often than not, just a place for

travellers to stop overnight.

Anjarle

Anjarle is situated close to Nasik and is most popular for the Anjarle

Fort which is situated here.

Kunkeshwar

Kunkeshwar is situated close to charming border town ofSawantwadi, in southern Maharashtra. Kunkeshwar has a rather

pretty Shiv temple located smack on the beach. The town is gaining

fame these days to as a new undiscovered beach resort.

Akalkot

Akalkot is a small town situated near Solapur . It is mainly a place of

religious interest because of the ashrams dedicated to the Swami

Akalkot, who was a disciple of Datta, who was considered to be an


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