INDIANJOURNEY

Friday 12 October 2012

MANDU TOURIST PLACE

MANDU TOURIST PLACE
Mandu

Mandu or Mandavgad is a ruined city in the Dhar district in the Malwa region of western Madhya Pradesh state, central India. The distance between Dhar & Mandu is about 35 km. In the 11th century, Mandu was the sub division of the Tarangagadh or Taranga kingdom . This fortress town on a rocky outcrop about 100 km (62 mi) from Indore is celebrated for its fine architecture.

Places of interest

Mandu, due to its strategic position and natural defences, was an important place with a rich and varied history. It was an important military outpost and its military past can be gauged by the circuit of the battlemented wall, which is nearly 37 km (23 mi) and is punctuated by 12 gateways. The wasll encloses a large number of palaces, mosques, Jain temples of 14th century and other buildings. The oldest mosque dates from 1405; the finest is the Jama Masjid or great mosque, a notable example of Pashtun architecture. The marble domed tomb of this ruler is also magnificent

Some of the notable places are

The Darwazas/Gates

One of the many gateways punctuating the wall encompassing Mandu.

The wall encompassing Mandu has 12 major gates or darwazas. The present road, through which Mandu is reached passes through many of these. Also encountered are smaller gateways built to provide protection to the above-mentioned 12 gates.

Jahaz Mehal/Ship Palace Situated between two artificial lakes, this two storied architectural marvel is so named as it appears as a ship floating in water. Built by Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din-Khilji, it served as a harem for the sultan. It is a major tourist attraction and presents many scenic views and photographic opportunities.

Jahaz Mahal

View from Jahaz Mahal-a popular tourist attraction.

Hindola Mahal

Hindola Mahal - meaning Swing palace is so named due to its sloping side walls. The Hindola Mahal might have been constructed during the reign of Hushang Shah about 1425 C.E. but may date to the end of the 15th century during the reign of Ghiyas al-Din. [6] It is one of a set buildings making up the royal palace complex at Mandu, which consists of the Jahaz Mahal, the Hindola Mahal, the Tawili Mahal, and the Nahar Jharokha.[7] The Hindola Mahal may have been used as an audience chamber.[8] There are a number of other, undated structures surrounding the palace - an evidence of the rich and glorious past.

Hindola Mahal

The arches of Hindola Mahal

Hoshang Shah's Tomb

India's first marble structure, it is one of the most refined examples of Afghan architecture. Its unique features include the beautifully proportioned dome, intricate marble lattice work and porticoed courts and towers. It served as a template for the construction of Taj Mahal.

Jami Masjid Inspired by the great mosque of Damascus, this humongous structure is striking in both its simplicity and architectural style-with large courtyards and grand entrances.

Jami Masjid

The intricately carved dome of the Jami Masjid.

Rewa Kund

Rewa Kund - a reservoir that supplies water to Roopmati's Pavilion

A reservoir constructed by Baz Bahadur for the purpose of supplying water to Rani Roopmati's Pavilion. The reservoir is situated below the pavilion and hence is considered an architectural marvel.

Roopmati's Pavilion

A large sandstone structure originally built as an army observation post it is known today as Roopmati's Pavilion. Rani Roopmati - the love interest of Baaz Bahadur lived here and is said to have gazed at the Baz Bahadur's Palace - situated below and also at Narmada river, flowing through the Nimar plains far below, a river which the queen revered. The Pavilion is a major tourist attraction and offers many scenic views.

Roopmati's Pavilion.

A view of inside of Roopmati's Pavilion - a major tourist attraction.

Baz Bahadur's Palace

Built by Baz Bahadur this 16th century structure is famous for its large courtyards encompassed by large halls and high terraces. It is situated below Roopmati's Pavilion and can be seen from the pavilion.

A view from inside the Baz Bahadur Mahal

Baz Bahadur Mahal as viewed from Roopmati's Pavilion.

KHAJURAHO TOURIST PLACE

Khajuraho

Khajuraho is a small town located in the Bundelkhand region (Chhatarpur District) of Madhya Pradesh and is famous for groups of Hindu and Jain temples. These temples are a UNESCO World Heritage Site for their beautiful and erotic rock carvings.

Khajuraho has the Vindhya range of mountains as its beautiful backdrop. This makes Khajuraho a more fascinating destination to visit.

Understand

Khajuraho's art is a manifestation of the essence of the philosophy of Indian aesthetics. The erotic sculptures of Khajuraho depicting Kama Sutra are unique in the world. These sculptures representing the Indo-Aryan architecture, congeal in stone a lyrical paean to love and passion and reflect the Chandela dynasty's passion and immense appreciation for the forbidden art, paradoxically, in the land of Kama Sutra. They cannot be passed off as just erotic sculptures, the temples have some of the most revered Gods of Hinduism.

History

The temples of Khajuraho were built between 950 to 1050 A.D. during the Chandela dynasty ofCentral India (These rulers claimed descent from the moon, hence the name Chand-ela). After the decline of the Chandela dynasty in 13th century, the temples were left under the cover of dense date palm trees for many years, which gave the city of Khajuraho its name, Khajur in Hindi means a date. In the ancient times it was known as Vatsa.

In 1838, a British army engineer, Captain T.S. Burt rediscovered them. By that time only 22 of the original 85 temples had survived.

Get in

Khajuraho Airport (IATA: HJR) Tel:+91 7686 740-415 is located 5 km from the city, and is served by Air India (fomerly Indian Airlines) offering flights from Delhi, Varanasi and Mumbai, Jet Airways offering flights from Delhi and Varanasi and Kingfisher offering flights from Varanasi. If one is not prepared for a 5-6 hours bumpy ride from Jhansi to Khajuraho, then the plane is the best mode.

A train station was finally opened in Khajuraho in 2008, linking it to Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh) (175km) on the Delhi-Chennai/Bangalore/ Trivandrum mainline. NOTE: You can not buy train tickets at the Khajuraho train station! You must go to the BUS station, about 1km walk out of town, to buy train tickets (much cheaper than buying tickets through your hotel). Train tickets can also be booked online at or with credit cards/ Debit cards or Indian bank account.

There are direct trains from New Delhi Station (Hazarat Nizamuddin Railway Station),Agra andVaranasi. Train departs from Delhi everyday except Wednesday at 20:15 and reaches 06:15next morning at Khajuraho Railway Station.

Khajuraho Nizamuddin Express (Train number 22447) runs from Delhi Hazarat Nizamuddin to Khajuraho 6 days a week except Wednesday. If you have to go back towards New Delhi from Khajuraho then try to book this train's tickets as its very convenient to go from khajuraho by train than by bus. It departs from khajuraho (train no 22447) at 18.20 and reaches Delhi at 05.30 in the morning. For coming to khajuraho the train(train no 22447)departs from H. Nizamuddin at 20.15 hrs and reaches Khajuraho next day morning at 06.35 hrs.

The other options to reach Khajuraho is through Jhansi. It takes around 6 hours to reach Jhansifrom Delhi by train, and another 3-4 hours (plus connecting time) to go to Khajuraho. Get the Dakshin Express from Delhi (22:50 hrs) and reach Jhansi by 05:00 hrs, connecting to the Jhansi-Khajuraho Link Passenger(Train No:51821) which now runs along with Jhansi-Allahabad Passenger(Train No:51821) starts from Jhansi at 7:10AM and reaches Khajuraho at 12:05PM. Another option is the Bhopal Shatabdi train from delhi (6.00) to Jhansi.Train from Khajuraho toJhansi departs from Khajuraho at 12:25PM and will reach Jansi by 5.30PM. Both the trains have stoppage at Orcha.

An alternative station is Satna (Madhya Pradesh) (117km) on the Allahabad-Mumbai main line. Another option is Mahoba station on the Varanasi- Jhansi Route.Alight at Mahoba and catch the 11:00AM Passenger(Train No:229A) to Khajuraho.

By taxi/bus

Satna and Jhansi both are connected to Khajuraho by regular bus service. It takes around 3 hours to reach Khajuraho from Satna or Jhansi by taxi, and 5-6 hours by bus. There are daily bus services with Satna, Jhansi, Harpalpur, Chhatarpur, Mahoba, Sagar,Jabalpur, Bhopal,Indore, Gwalior, Panna, Agra, Allahabad and Varanasi. From Jhansi railway station catch a rickshaw to Jhansi bus station which is 5Kms away. It is very difficult to get a bus to Khajuraho from Jhansi after 5PM. So try to reach Jhansi by afternoon if you want to catch a bus to Khajuraho from Jhansi. Khajuraho to Bandhavgarh (225km, 5hrs), Satna (117km, 4hrs), Harpalpur (94km), Jhansi (172km)and Mahoba (61km). Khajuraho is located 600km (11hrs journey) south-east of Delhi. There are bus services from Agra (12 hrs), Gwalior (9hrs) andJhansi.

Taxis are recommended because the condition of buses and roads are not good, and the ride is gruelling. Om Shanti Tours Khajuraho The Cheapest Way for Taxi Mobile no. - 09993274701

Get around

A good way to get around and see the temples as well the village life in Kharujaho is by bicycle, which you can easily rent in the bike shops near the main temple complex, or bicycle rickshaw. They charge Rs.20 per day.

Beware of the fake school teachers, principals and students who are too much interested in your dollars as donation, which hardly goes to the school itself.

There are many car rental companies available.

See

In every temple, there is the depiction of royalty, armies, wrestling, kinship, war, courtship, marriage, lovemaking, music and dancing, spiritual teachings, union, meditation, bliss, gods, goddesses, plants, animals and an abundance of all human forms.

Western Group of Temples

There is a entry fee of Rs. 10/- (for Indians) and USD $ 5 (for foreigners) to enter the Western Group of temples. (If you have a ticket from Taj Mahal, you can use it here again.) All the temples are open from sunrise to sunset. These are the richest and largest of all temple groups

LakhmanaTemple

The oldest and finest of the western group of temples, named after the ruler that built the temple. The A horizontal beam over the entrance of this beautiful Vaishnavite temple shows the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva with Lakshmi, Vishnus consort.

KandariyaMahadeoTemple

This temple is decorated with a profusion of sculptures that are among the greatest masterpieces of Indian art.

DeviJagdambaTemple

Dedicated to the Goddess(devi), this is smaller and much more delicately proportioned temple and is home to some of the finest sculptures of Khajuraho.The garbha griha has a huge image of the Devi of the Universe (Jagdambi), though it appears to have started as a Vishnu temple. It has the usual three bands of sculptures, but the third and most uppermost of these houses some of the most erotic sculptures.

Chaunsat Yogini

The only granite temple in the Khajuraho group

ChitraguptaTemple - is dedicated to the Sun God (Surya), it faces eastward to the rising sun

MatanageswaraTemple - A temple dedicated to Shiva, a huge 8ft Lingam adorns the temple.

Eastern Group of Temples

ParsvanathTemple - Largest among the group, with exquisite carvings in detail. The sculptures on the northern outer wall are the highlights of this temple. The image was installed in 1860.

GhantaiTemple - This Jain temple has a frieze which depicts the 16 dreams of Mahavira's mother, and a jain goddess on a winged Garuda.

AdinathTemple - Dedicated to Jain Tirthankar(God), adinath, the temple is lavishly embellished with sculpted figures, including yakshis.

HanumanTemple

BrahmaTemple - considered to be one of the oldest temples of Khajuraho made entirely in granite and sandstone, is dedicated to Vishnu.

VamanaTemple - is the dwarf form of Lord Vishnu, located in a secluded place and is known for its simple architecture.

JavariTemple

Southern Group of Temples

DulhadevTemple - The last temple of Khajuraho, lies to the south of Ghantai temple. The temple enshrines a Shivalingam. The apsara and ornamented figures are the temple's most striking features.

Beejamandal Temple - It is a ruined temple, and is near the ChattarbhujTemple

ChattarbhujTemple Or The JatkariTemple - Built in 1100 A.D., is well-known for its architecture, and is also the only temple to be devoid of any erotic sculpture. 3 km away from the Eastern Group. Facing West, have to take 10 steps to reach the sanctum. The massive 9 feet intricately carved Vishnu idol in Chaturbhuja (four-armed).

Light and Sound Show at Western group of temples - After visiting the temple complex is over, the sound and light show, narrated by the Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachhan, is held every evening. Entry ticket Rs. 90/- for Indians and Rs. 300/- for foreigners.

Khajuraho Dance Festival

kanha tourist place

KANHA TOURIST PLACE

Kanha is amongst the most famous wildlife Sanctuary of the India. This park is situated in the Mandla district of Central India in Madhya Pradesh, India. The Kanha Tiger reserve consists the total core and surrounding buffer area of 1945 sq km. The park received the status of the national park in the year 1955, and was formed as the Kanha Tiger Reserve in the year 1974 under Project Tiger. The main wildlife attractions in the park are tiger, leopard, bison, gaur, sambhar, chital, barasingha, barking deer, black deer, black buck, chousingha, nilgai, mouse deer, sloth bear, jackal fox, porcupine, hyena, jungle cat, python, pea fowl, hare, monkey, andmongoose.KanhaNational Park is the place that has been portrayed by Rudyard Kipling in his great novel "The Jungle Book".

The nature lovers and wildlife enthusiast from all over the world can enjoy the parks captivating scenic beauty, prosperous and diverse flora and fauna by staying in several resorts at Kanha. The Kanha resorts can provide as the ideal base with luxury and comfort to explore this wildlife sanctuary. There are quite a lot of hotels, wildlife resorts, forest lodges and guest houses within the national park, where the visitors can enjoy a relaxed and lavish retreat amid the dense jungles. The hotels and resorts in the sanctuary will definitely mesmerize you with the warm services they offer. You can spot wild animals in their natural habitat with an undisturbed and relaxed environment, while staying at the resorts here. One can feel ensconced in the fantastic magic of nature and enjoy all modern facilities at the same time, while staying at these resorts in Kanha.

It is recommended making advance reservations as per your requirements for staying at the resorts in Kanha.

Facts & Figures

Kanha Tiger Reserve resides in the Districts of Mandla & Balaghat in Central India. It encompasses an area of 1945 sq.km and is notified as tiger reserve under the Project Tiger Program. More than hundred tigers survive in Kanha besides a large number of prey animals. The Leopard survives in impressive numbers but is a rare sight. Swamp Deer, the only sub species of genus Cervus Duavceli in India its number range from 300 to 400 plus. Indian Bison or Gaur coarse grazer weighs up to one ton and is the most awesome creatures on Earth. Sambar Deer are the largest in Asia. A pack of wolf or indolent sloth bear is no less an exciting sight. Kanha offers much more come and experience.

How to reach?

Reaching Kanha by Road :

Nearest cities from KanhaNational Park are Jabalpur, Raipur, Nagpur. Jabalpur &Nagpur is on National Highway-7 which connects Varanasi from Kanyakumari. Anyone can reach Kanha from these cities by surface transfers. Among them Jabalpur is the closest to Kanha Tiger Reserve i.e, about 165kms. and road condition is also favourable. Routes are as follows:

Jabalpur - Mandla - Kanha (Khatia gate).

Jabalpur - Mandla - Chiraidongri - Paraswada - Baihar - KanhaPark (Mukki gate).

Raipur - Simga - Kawardha - Chilphi-Gadhi-KanhaPark (Mukki gate).

Nagpur - Seoni - Balaghat - Baihar - KanhaPark(Mukki gate).

Bandhavgarh - Umaria - Shahpura - Mandla - KanhaPark (Kisli Gate).

Pench - Seoni - Balaghat - Baihar - KanhaPark (Mukki gate).

Reaching KanhaNational Park by Railways :

Jabalpur to Kanha

Jabalpur city is very well connected through trains with major cities of India like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Banglore, Pune, Lucknow, Jaipur, Agra, Ahmedabad etc. From Jabalpur,KanhaNational Park (Khatia entrance gate) is at a distance of 165kms. Jabalpur city local sight-seeing will be an added advantage for those who are planning to reach Kanha throughJabalpur.

Raipur to Kanha

Raipur is capital city of the Chattisgarh state. KanhaNational Park (Mukki entrance gate) is at a distance of 250kms. from Raipur city. Raipur is well connected with Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai,a Agra and many more important cities of India through trains. Nagpur: Nagpur city lies in MaharastraState of India. It is about 260 kms. away from KanhaNational Park (Kisli entrance gate). Nagpur is well connected with some important cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai,Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chennai etc.

The tiger reserve is easily accessible from JabalpurCity by road. It is 156 km & is connected by air with Mumbai and New Delhi. Kanha can also be assed from Raipur on the other site 220 km – Mukki. Kanha is well connected to PenchNational Park about a distance of 200 km. The highway leads to Nagpur which is connected by Air with Mumbai, New Delhi and other major towns.

· Distances from important cities / towns

· Overland

· Jabalpur : 230 km 5 hours

· Nagpur : 300 km 6 hours

· Raipur : 230 km 5 hours

· Bandhavgarh : 325 km 7 hours

Reaching Kanha By Air :

One can reach KanhaNational Park by a private charter plane also. There is a small air strip available near kanha in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh State which is about 100kms. away from KanhaNational Park - Mukki entrance gate and about 140kms from Kanha Kisli/Khatia gate.

In addition to this, one can also reach Kanha through flights reaching Jabalpur (175kms),Nagpur (300kms), Raipur(270kms). All these airports are directly connected with flight from Delhi & Mumbai airports. JabalpurAirport is best suitable for reaching Kanha & Bandhavgarh national parks. Similarly Nagpur and Raipur cities have direct connectivity with Mumbai also. Among all of them, NagpurAirport is larger one and have more frequent connectivity with many other important cities and tourist destinations of India.

By Air

Jabalpur : 230 km 5 hours

Raipur : 230 km 5 hours