As you all know I love traveling. After touring Madhya Pradesh in Dec, 2008, I did not travel for next two years due to severe backache. In Dec 2010, I planned a family vacation to Maharashtra after 2 years of no travel. It served the dual purpose of testing my back as well as family outing. The entire journey was done by train in the night to maximize site seeing as well as to avoid travel by road.
We boarded the train at Bangalore in the afternoon and reached our first destination Pune on the next day morning. We traveled extensively across Pune for two days. One of the place we visited is Shinde Chatri, the Samadhi of Shrimant Mahadji Shinde. The architecture of this is marvelous and remains unaffected by the passage of years. On the two days we stayed here, we also visited the Sinhghad, the fort captured by brave warrior Tanaji. The mountain fort is a beautiful place where one can spot various fauna and birds.
On the second day at Pune we boarded the evening train to Shirdi. We reached the the place late in the night. Next day (3rd day) after offering prayers at Sai Mandir, we reached Aurangabad in the night. Next day (4th day) was exciting as we covered two more important places. In the morning session we conquered the powerful Daulatabad Fort. It was a adventurous as we had to climb around 600 steps to reach top most point in the fort.
In the afternoon we headed to Ellora caves. The World Heritage Site is the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. The 34 caves excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills. Again here we had to climb walk a lot to see these marvels in the rock. Below is the image of Ellora Caves.
On 5th day we headed to Ajanta which is 120 kms from Aurangabad. The World Heritage Site has 31 rock-cut cave monuments dating back to 2nd century BC. The caves include paintings and sculptures considered that are masterpieces. Below is the image of Ajanta Caves.
On the same night we boarded the train to Mumbai, our final destination. Next three days (day 6 - 8) we rested, toured, rested here as I had my relatives here. The rest was very much essential for my back by now. Here we mainly visited Kanehri an Elephanta caves apart from local site seeing. Below is "Gateway of India" with Taj Hotel in the background.
On the ninth day we headed back to Bangalore, very much content and happy.
We boarded the train at Bangalore in the afternoon and reached our first destination Pune on the next day morning. We traveled extensively across Pune for two days. One of the place we visited is Shinde Chatri, the Samadhi of Shrimant Mahadji Shinde. The architecture of this is marvelous and remains unaffected by the passage of years. On the two days we stayed here, we also visited the Sinhghad, the fort captured by brave warrior Tanaji. The mountain fort is a beautiful place where one can spot various fauna and birds.On the second day at Pune we boarded the evening train to Shirdi. We reached the the place late in the night. Next day (3rd day) after offering prayers at Sai Mandir, we reached Aurangabad in the night. Next day (4th day) was exciting as we covered two more important places. In the morning session we conquered the powerful Daulatabad Fort. It was a adventurous as we had to climb around 600 steps to reach top most point in the fort.In the afternoon we headed to Ellora caves. The World Heritage Site is the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. The 34 caves excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills. Again here we had to climb walk a lot to see these marvels in the rock. Below is the image of Ellora Caves.On 5th day we headed to Ajanta which is 120 kms from Aurangabad. The World Heritage Site has 31 rock-cut cave monuments dating back to 2nd century BC. The caves include paintings and sculptures considered that are masterpieces. Below is the image of Ajanta Caves.On the same night we boarded the train to Mumbai, our final destination. Next three days (day 6 - 8) we rested, toured, rested here as I had my relatives here. The rest was very much essential for my back by now. Here we mainly visited Kanehri an Elephanta caves apart from local site seeing. Below is "Gateway of India" with Taj Hotel in the background.On the ninth day we headed back to Bangalore, very much content and happy.
61 comments:
Another must visit place! Incredible how beautiful is your country!
exciting post!
Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
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It sounds as if you had a marvelous trip. Thanks for sharing these pictures with us. I hope we will be able to see more in the future.
That sounds like an incredible trip, I love the photos from it.
So many beautiful photos -- thank you for sharing them!
I am glad Rajesh you are back on the road. Hope your back is fit for more travel. Looking forward to the detailed photograps.
I love visiting Ajanta caves oneday!!
Love those monuments, or caves cut into the mountain, that must have been spectacular.
So glad you could travel again and I hope your back was able to handle it.;) I myself love to travel by trains.;)
xoxo
Superb..! While I visited Ellora,Ajantha I couldn't. Hope to visit it soon..
wish to see more from you about these places .
U went to Ajanta/Ellora.. - I envy you!!! :(
The most beautiful eco-tour - Parappalaru Falls
I wish i could walk there
it looks fantastic :-)
Kareltje =^.^= Betsie >^.^<
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(¸.•´ (¸.•´Anya
wow that must have been quite a hectic trip!
It looks like a wonderful trip, Rajesh! And what lovely skies you had! I always enjoy the journeys you share with us as well as your wonderful skies! Hope you have great weekend!
Sylvia
What a wonderful trip. Traveling by train can be a great way to go. Thanks for the tour and showing us some of the beautiful places you visited.
Hi Rajesh; A wonderful series of your holiday journey. Love all the ancient sites. I am also a train traveller enthusiast. It comes from the time when I was a student and had to travel from home to school by train. While waiting for my local train, there were always trains with signs, Vienna, Paris, Venice etc. where I picked up my train travel bug! I hope that I am able to make a journey to India. I wish you well and hope that your back won't bother you more. Gentle Pilates Exercise is the best and helps.
Brilliant! Maharashtra is very close to my heart!
You covered many places. Hope you are keeping well.
Wonderful photos!
Awesome!
Happy sky watching!
My entry.
That was a lot of climbing for you when you had a bad back! I trust you are all recovered by now -- at least I hope so.
As always your photos are excellent and the beauty of your country never ceases to amaze -- the intricate work done so long ago is awe-inspiring.
That looks like a great trip. I hope that your back is doing well.
Wow fantastic view of the building carved into the rock. Very beautiful. Have a nice weekend.
what a magnificent place. the first shot is so wonderfully composed.
Wonderful series, Rajesh! The caves really look interesting. Great photos.
Rajesh, this caves with structure on it who live in here? This is amazing because it is on the mountain. Great shots!
Sky Watch Friday
beautiful architecture photos, wonderful places
fantastic views...thanks for dropping by at my SW entry...great to be here!
These are amazing places, Rajesh. So attractive and beautiful! Great shots!
Thanks so much for the great phototour and narrative. This is my favorite type of blog post!
I had such a lovely visit just by reading your blog... Thanks for the sharing !
It`s amazing! Wonderful place and pictures!
Wish you a happy weekend:-)
Thank you so much for letting me join you on this grand tour. What interesting and informative facts you shared.
wow these are awesome structures...
Weekend Reflections here
Wow! What a place. Thanks for sharing these.
An Incredible tour and just awesome images there! Looks like you had a good time :)
What a beautiful place! Beautiful photos.
Have a great weekend.
Wonderful to tag along on your travel to Maharashtra. Beautiful places. And what an interesting angle your shot of the bird in the tree! Climbing 600 steps to the top of Daulatabad Fort must have been an extra challenge and test for you back - having back issues myself, I can relate.
WOW ...lots of work to get these images. Thansk for the effort and sharing the views!
What a wonderful adventure!
Ajanta and Ellora are the combination of manmade nature wonders! Very neat and brief describe about u r travel. Your captures are excellent rajesh! I like the last snap.
what a beautiful journey...
What a trip and amazing treasures...
Another great tour!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
Thanks for taking us on your journy!
Simply gorgeous!
Camera Critters, have a great weekend.
Visited them when younger...Mumbai ....my home...lovely snaps
It is so good to see all these treasures of India since I know these will never be a possibility for me. When you mentioned all those steps, I knew it was impossible. Over 25 years ago, I slipped on hydraulic fluid that leaked from an orthopedic table in the operating room where I worked as an RN. Three months later, I had extensive back surgery and a fusion with a piece of my hip. I've had continuous problems over the years and, at 66, I have both cervical and spinal stenosis and severe arthritis in both shoulders and knees. I now use a walker but, up until the loss of my job of 21 years, and retirement, I continued to travel all over th world. Travel is almost as essential to me as breathing!!
You've blog has helped keep my spirits up, Rajesh, and I thank you so muh
Beautiful photos!
oh how i had forgotten i once wanted to visit ellora... thanks for helping me with my places-to-visit list!
Nice Post Rajesh :)
~R
Great travel agenda and great pictures. Happy to hear that your back did not trouble you much!
Thank you all for appreciating my efforts. I did had some trouble with my back. But my back is far better than I had expected.
Sorry to hear your back has made it impossible for your to travel, but I'm glad you are able to again!
Because it's so interesting to read your post from India :)
Wonderful shots. Happy Valentine's Day!
My Blue Monday.
Gorgeous!
Blue Monday, happy valentine's day!
these are amazing sites! gosh, i would love to visit India someday!
Hope your back is doing okay on this trip! Magnificent views!
Did what now is India -have the same name 2nd century BC?
Thats a good journey covering many places. Wish you good health and many more travels.
Thank you all. We will explore these places in detail soon.
Nice photos.It must have been hectic to cover maharshtra in 9 days.
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