Maharashtra
India’s western gateway is Mumbai, with
a major international airport and harbour. The
city’s rise from the dowry of a Portuguese
queen to the country’s foremost sea port,
commercial centre and producer of films has
been nothing short of meteoric.Mumbai’s
Gothic architecture is embodied in the Gateway
of India, Bombay High Court, Old Secretariat,
University Buildings and Victoria Terminus.
Open spaces in this crowded city include Chowpatty
Beach, Juhu Beach and Sanjay Gandhi National
Park, the latter a fine wildlife park at Borivili.
Bombay is the country’s premier cultural
centre. Jehangir Art Gallery attracts regular
art exhibitions; Prithvi Theatre is well known
for its theatrical performances, and the National
Centre for Performing Arts periodically hosts
Indian and international concerts of music and
dance. The city’s shopping embraces informal
fashion and accessories at Colaba Causeway,
antiques – and clever reproductions of
antiques – at Chor Bazar, gold and diamond
jewellery at Jhaveri Bazar, high fashion at
Kemps Corner, Bhulabhai Desai Road and the airconditioned
shopping plaza at The Oberoi.
Mumbai (Bombay)
Gateway to India & capital of Maharashtra,
Mumbai was once a cluster of seven islands
called Heptanasia by Plotemy in AD 150. The
word Mumbai (locally called) however, is derived
from Mumba Devi or Maha Amba Aai, the patron
goddess of the kolis or fisherfolk, who have
been its original inhabitants.
Altitude: Sea level.
Temperature (°C):
Summer- Max 33.3, Min 22.7
Winter- Max 29.5, Min 19.4
Rainfall: 212 cms (June to September)
Season: Throughout the year.
How to get there
Air : Bombay's International Airport is at
Sahar (30 kms) and Domestic Airport at Santacruz,
26 km. Most of the International Airlines,
Indian Airlines Vayudoot & many other
private airlines touch Bombay and connect
it with the major cities of India and the
world.
Rail: Bombay is the headquarters for both
western & Central Railways. Regular train
services connect Bombay with all major towns
and cities in India.
Road: Mumbai is connected by good motorable
road to Pune 163 km, Nasik 185 km, Mahabaleshwar
239 km, Shirdi 307 km, Aurangabad 392 km,
Vadodara 432 km, Ahmedabad 545 kms, Panaji
597 kms, Hyderabad 711 kms, Bangalore 998
kms.
Local Transport: Metered black & yellow
top taxies, Auto rickshaws, B.E.S.T. city
buses, Electric trains are available.
Tourist Taxis & Coaches: AC & Non-AC
Coaches, Mini-Coaches, Luxury & Ordinary
Cars can be hired from bus operators &
Car operators. For Approved List contact Government
Tourist Offices.
Places of interest
Afghan Church (4.5 kms)
Chowpatty Beach (4 kms)
Gateway Of India (2.4 kms)
Haji Ali Tomb (2.4 kms)
Headquarters of Western Railway
High Court, Hutatma Chowk or Flora Fountain,
(1 km)
Kamala Nehru Park (5.6kms)
Crawford Market (2 kms)
Malabar Hill (5.6 kms)
Mahalakshimi (7.2 kms)
Municipal Corporation Building (12 kms)
Marine Drive, Hanging Garden (6 kms)
Race Course (7 kms)
Rajabai Towers & Bombay University (1
km)
Raudat Tehra Mosque & Mausoleum (3 kms)
Town Hall (2 kms)
Victoria Terminus (1 km)
Weaver's Service Centre (2.4 kms)
Nehru Planetarium
Taraporewala Acquarium (3.2 kms)
Mani Bhavan (Gandhi Memorial) 3.6 kms
It houses a pictirial gallery and a library
of books by and on Mahatma Gandhi.
Nehru Science Centre 8 kms
The museum has permanent gallery called light
and sight and a children's science park. There
are also antique exhibits like railway engine,
tramcar, supersonic aerolpane & steam
lorry.
Prince Of Wales Museum, 2 kms.
It is famous for its collection of miniature
paintings.
Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum. 5.6 kms.
Excursions
Aarey Milk Colony (35 kms)
Ambarnath (74 kms)
Bassein Fort (77 kms)
Elephanta Caves (9 kms)
Gorai Beach (59 kms)
Juhu Beach (21 kms)
Kanheri Caves (42 kms)
Ghodbunder (43.2 kms)
Karla Caves (100 km)
Karnala Bird Sanctuary (61 kms)
Madh, Marve & Manori Beaches (45, 38.4
& 40 kms respectively)
Powai Lake (26.6 kms)
Vihar Lake (28.6 kms)
Tansa Lake (10.3 kms)
Tulsi Lake (32 kms)
Uran Sea Side Resort (74 kms)
Vaitarna Dam (122 kms)
Vajreshwari (88 kms)
Versova Beach (29 kms)
National Park & Lion Safari Park (35 kms)
Pune (Poona)
Located in Sahyadri hills near the west coast
of India, Pune is a fascinating city with
a healthy climate all year around. Known until
not so long ago as Poona, the city was the
capital of the powerful Maratha empire and
is closely associated with the great warrior
king Shivaji. Today, Pune is distinctly divided
into the spacious cantonment and the crowded
old city, where locali-ties have been named
after days in the week.
Altitude: 598 mtrs.
Temperature (°C):
Summer: Max 40, Min 26
Winter: Max 29, Min 19
Rainfall: 70 cms(June to September)
Season: Throughout the year
How to get there
Air: Vayudoot Services, East-West Airlines
and Continental Aviation connect Pune with
Bombay.
Rail : Pune is linked by rail with Bangalore,
Bombay, Delhi, Jammu-Tawi, Kanya Kumari, Madras,
Nagpur, Secunderabad (Hyderabad), Trivandrum,
Vasco-da-Gama (Goa) etc.
Road : Pune is connected by bus services
to Bombay (170 kms), Shirdi (195 kms) Nasik
(202 kms), Aurangabad (226 kms), Sholapur,
Nagpur, Bangalore etc.
Taxi services : Taxis ply between Bombay
and Pune regularly on seat basis from Dadar
Places of interest
Shaniwar Wada
Saras Baug
Parvati Hill
Raja Kelkar Museum
Shinde's Chhatri
Bund Garden
Kasturba Smarak (Inside Agha Khan Palace)
Excursions
Alandi-22 kms
Dehu-29 kms
Karla-55 kms
Purandhar-40 kms
Sinhagad-25 kms
Panchgani-98 kms
Mahabaleshwar-120 kms
Shivneri Fort-94 kms
Bhima Shankar- 95 kms
Ashtavinayak Temples at Theur-20 kms
Ranjangaon-50 km
Morgaon-65 km
Madh-75 kms
Ojhar-75 kms
Pali-80 kms
Lenyadri-90 kms & Siddhatek-95 kms
Lonavala-64 kms
Bhatghar Dam-52 kms
Aurangabad - Ajanta & Ellora
Aurangabad, 400 km from Bombay, is linked
by Indian Airlines flights. Spectacular rock
cut caves and cave paintings exist at two
nearby places, Ajanta and Ellora. The most
notable feature of these cave temples is that
entire hillsides were cut away with the artisan’s
chisel to produce some of the world’s
most exquisite sculpture. Ellora’s 34
caves are over 10 centuries old and represent
elaborate sculptures of Hindu, Buddhist and
Jain faiths. The caves at Ajanta date back
to the 5th century and contain paintings and
sculptures of major events in the life of
the Buddha.
Aurangabad is a convinent base for organising
visits to the famous rock-cut temples of Ajanta
& Ellora. The town is named after Aurangzeb,
the last of the six great Mughal Emperors,
who built a mausoleum here for his wife.
Altitude: 513 metres.
Temperature (deg C):
Summer: Max 39, Min 21.5
Winter: Max 31.3, Min 10
Rainfall: 557 mms.
Best Season: Throughout the year
STD Code: 02432 (0240x)
How to get there
Air : Aurangabad is connected by Indian Airlines
flights with Bombay, Delhi, Jaipur and Udiapur.
Rail: Aurangabad is directly connected by
rail with Bombay, Manmad, Nasik Road, Kalyan,
Secunderabad (Hyderabad) and with other cities
via Manmad.
Road: Aurangabad is well connected by good
motorable road with Ajanta 106 kms, Bombay
392 kms, Ellora 30 kms, Nanded 272 kms, Nasik
221 kms, Pune 229 kms Shirdi 136 kms and other
important cities.
Places of interest
Aurangabad Caves
State Archaeological Museum
Nehru Udyan
History Museum of Marathwada University
Bibi ka Maqbara
Panchakki
Siddharth Udyan
Excursions
Daulatabad Fort (13 kms)
Khuldabad (26 kms)
Grishneshwar Temple (30 kms)
Paithan (56 kms)
Shirdi (136 kms)
Pithalkhora Caves (78 kms)
Aundha Nagnath (203 kms)
Ajanta (106 kms)
Ellora (30 kms)
Ajanta
The thirty rock-hewn caves at ajanta which
are cut into the scrap of a cliff are Chaityas
(Chapels) & Viharas (Monastries). Most
of these are carved so that a flood of natural
light pours into them at any given time of
the day. Both the facade & the inside
of the chambers faithfully reproduce the structural
patterns known to those ancient builders.
On the walls are paintings, many still glowing
with their original colours. The outer walls
are covered with brilliantly executed sculpture.
The caves are not numbered in chronological
order. Cave nos. 9,10, 12, 13 are the earliest
belonging to Hinayana sect of Buddhism. Cave
no 1 to 8, 11 and 14 to 30 are of Mahayana
sect among these Mahayana Caves nos. 19, 26
& 30 are the Chaityas and rest of them
are Viharas. The most notable of all these
caves are 1,2,9,10,16,17,19 and 26, here ancient
Indian art attained the zenith of its development
and revealed a dynamic rhythm of life.
How to get there
Air: The nearest airport Aurangabad is 106
kms from Ajanata.
Rail: The nearest railhead Jalgaon is 60
kms from Ajanta, however Aurangabad (106 kms)
is the most convenient railhead.
Road: Ajanta is connected to all major centres
of the region by good roads.
Ellora
There are 24 caves at Ellora, carved between
7th & 11th century AD. These cave temples
represent 3 religious faiths. Carved in sickle
shaped hill, spread north to south in a area
of 3 kms, they were dug into the slope of
a hill. Of these 12 are Buddhists, 17 are
Hindus and 5 are Jains. The most remarkable
of the carved shrines at Ellora is the Kailasa
Temple. It is 50 metres in length, 33 metres
wide & 30 metres high. The fantastic edifice
has been chiselled out by hand from single
rock with Gateway,Pavillion,Courtyard,Assembly
Hall,Vestibule,Sanctum and Tower-hall those
out of the same enormous rock.
How to get there
Air : Nearest airport Aurangabad is 30 kms
from Ellora.
Rail: Nearest railhead Aurangabad is 30 kms
from Ellora.
Road: Bus services are available from Aurangabad.
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