July 30, 2010, 10:44 am
 
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Maharastra India
TEMPLES AND CAVES OF MAHARASHTRA
Maharashtra India's third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after. The Arabian sea makes up the state's western coast. Mumbai India's largest city the capital of Maharashtra.

It is a prosperous state, The soil is rich and fertile to cultivate many type of crops.The antiquity of this region can be traced to approximately the 3rd century BC, which is when the Maharashri language, a Prakrit corruption of Sanskrit from which the term 'Maharashtra' is derived.

Reflection of the culture is through its, temples, caves and palaces known for its rich history. Its saints, music, handicrafts, festivals with all their colourful rituals and traditions mingle together to give a true reflection for the Culture.



Region :- Maharashtra
Season :- Sep to April
Duration :- 11 days
Difficult :- Easy


Rajasthan
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Maharastra
  Cultural Tours and Exploration
West Bengal

 



DAY 01: ARRIVE Mumbai (BOMBAY)
Reception in airport and transfer to Hotel. Afternoon City Sightseeing. On Mumbai city tour you will drive along the Marine drive, famous as the Queen's necklace, and chowpatty Beach and pass by 'Towers of Silence' of the Parsis, who settled in Mumbai in 1670. visit can be included to the Hanging Gardens (in Kamala Nehru Park on the slopes of Malabar Hills, offering a panoramic view of Marine Drive and Chowpatty Beach, a view especially enchanting at night), the Prince of Wales Museum, Dhobi Ghat and Mani Bhawan. We also drive through the Crawford Market. Evening free time at leisure. night in Mumbai

DAY 02: Mumbai (BOMBAY) to Matheran 1 hrs.
After breakfast.Check out and drive to Matheran.Arrive Matheran and check into your hotel.Matheran is situated on a hilltop at an altitude of 800 m. In shady trees, and unpolluted air the journey to this hilltop could be through an exciting two hour ascent in a toy train, with food and drink vendors and monkeys jumping on and off, or through a tough 11 km. road hike passing from dense forests. Matheran's cliffs with incredibly heights create stunning points.
The main bazaar offers a variety of articles such as cane and leather articles, hats, chappals and the sweet specialty - Chikki ! Vehicles of any kind are not permitted in the town, which makes it a quiet, and peaceful place. night in Mathern

DAY 03: Matheran to Karla- Bhaja caves:
After breakfast. visit the Karla and Bhaja Caves near Pune. 40 kms away from Pune, on the Pune-Mumbai highway are Karla and Bhaja Caves. Karla caves are 4 kms North towards from Malavli station. These caves are about 2000 years old. There is a Ekveera Devi temple on the hill. Ideal picnic spot for a one day return trip. Bhaja caves are 2 kms south from Malavali station. These are basically Buddhist caves with fine Sculpture. Chaityagriha can be seen in Karla. The goddess is known as Amba Mata. A certain amount is charged to enter the temple. There are total 16 caves in Bhaje. Evening drive back to Matheran. night in Matheran.

DAY 04: Matheran to Mahabaleshwar 3 hrs
After breakfast. Check out from Matheran.Drive to Mahabaleshwar. Arrive and Check into your hotel. 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. Evening free time at leisure. night in Mahabaleshwar

DAY 05: Mahabaleshwar
After breakfast. Morning discover Pratapgah Fort 24 kms. away, where Shivaji dramatically bested General Afzal Khan. And the gorgeous nine hole 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. Evening drive back to Mahabaleshwar, night in Mahabaleshwar

DAY 06: Mahabaleshwar to Nasik 6 hrs.
After breakfast.Check out and drive to Nasik.Arrive Nasik and check into your hotel. Nashik city, formerly spelt "Nasik" forms a part of the north-western Maharashtra State. It lies along the Godavari River 565m above sea level and about 185-km from Mumbai. Nashik is an important religious centre and attracts thousands of pilgrims annually because of the sanctity of the Godavari river and the legend that Rama, the hero of the Ramayana epic, lived here for a time with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana. The main part of the town lies on the right (south) bank of the river, while Panchavati, a quarter on the left bank has several temples. The town's riverbanks are lined with ghats (bathing places with steps ).Places which can be visited are Panchavati, Sita Gumpha, Naroshankar Temple, Sundarnarayan Temple, Modakeshwar Ganesh Temple, Guru Gangeshwar Ved Mandir, Yashwantrao Maharaj Memorial, Gondeshwar Temple, Ramkund, Muktidham Temple, Kalaram Temple. Evening free at leisure. night in Nasik.

DAY 07: Nasik toTrimbak - Nasik (SURFACE - 2 HRS)
After breakfast. Day excursion to Trimbakeshwar, Ashtavinayak means "eight Ganeshas". The term Ashtavinayak also refers to a pilgrimage to the eight temples in Maharashtra that house eight idols of Ganesh as. Ballaleshwar at Pali, Chintamani at Theur, Girijatmaj at Lenyadri Mahaganpati at Ranjangaon, Moreshwar at Morgaon, Siddhivinayak, at Siddhtek, Varad Vinayak at Mahad, Vighneshwar at Ozhar. According to ancient religious no life is complete without a pilgrimage to Astavinayak and first you have to visit Moreshwar of Moregaon. Then visit Siddhatek,Pali, Mahad, Theur, Lenyandri, Ozar, Ranjangaon and then again Moregaon will end you Ashtavinayak Yatra. By evening drive back to Nashik, night in Nashik.

DAY 08: Nasik to Aurangabad - 4 hrs
After breakfast check out and drive to Aurangabad. On arrival check into your hotel. This is a base for visit to the World Heritage Sites of Ajanta and Ellora is seeped in medieval history. Named for Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughal Emperors, Aurangabad acquired plenty of monuments and a rich culture as its heritage from the middle ages. The one single factor that determined Aurangabad's role in the history of medieval India is its location. So strategic is its location at the cross roads of north and south India, that Mohammed-bin-Tughlak and Aurangzeb, two powerful kings attempted to translocation their capital from Delhi to Aurangabad. Their vision was clear, from Aurangabad, they would be better able to control both northern and southern regions of their empires. The fact they failed should not be attributed to the inherent flaws in their scheme as it should on the less evident fact that their empires were crumbling. Afternoon sightseeing of Bibi ka Maqbara, Buddhist caves. Evening free time at leisure. night in Aurangabad.

DAY 09: Aurangabad to Ajanta - Aurangabad
After breakfast proceed for day excursion trip to Ajanta and Ellora
Day excursion to Ajanta. A party of British officers discovered this group of 30 caves hidden behind dense undergrowth and excavated out of a steep horseshoe shaped gorge. The caves were chiseled out by Buddhist monks between 200 BC and 650 AD as 'chaityas' (prayer halls) and 'viharas' (monasteries), and contain exquisite frescoes and fine sculptures. Each cave has its own story to tell. So go there and discover them for yourself and before leaving, do go to the 'viewpoint' on the flat-topped hill opposite the caves for an amazing view of the whole group and the gorge. Evening drive back to Aurangabad. night in Aurangabad.

DAY 10: Aurangabad to Ellora - Aurangabad (SURFACE) - Mumbai (TRAIN)
After breakfast. excursion to Ellora Caves, The architecture and the carvings of the 34 monolithic cave temples are truly awesome and breathtaking in their grand scale and design. The temples here are from a later period than those at Ajanta (350 AD to 1000 AD), and include Hindu and Jain monuments as well. (13 Buddhist, 16 Hindu and 5 Jain). The most incredible feature is that they were chiselled top downwards from a 2 km sheer rock escarpment. Pride of place here goes to the gigantic Kailasa Temple, the world's largest monolithic sculpture, which required hours of diligent chiselling, sculpting and carving and scooping out of an estimated 200,000 tons of basalt rock, with absolutely no margin for error! A short distance from Ellora is the Grishneshwar temple, one of the five 'Jyotirlingas' ('self born' lingams) in Maharashtra, and an important pilgrim centre for Hindus. Evening drive back to Aurangabad. Check out and transfer to Railway Station to board your overnight train to Mumbai. Train No. 7058 Dep : 2330 hrs/Arr : 0530 hrs. night in Train 3rd AC Sleeper Coach Train.

DAY 11: Arrive Mumbai
Early morning arrive at Mumbai CST at 0530 hrs.Transfer to your hotel. Rest day free time at leisure. Evening or as per International flight schedule transfer to International Airport to board your flight back home. End of service.

Cost per person: Departure from 2 person onward












Bhaja caves







Mahabaleshwar










Nasik






Ajanta Ellora








Ajanta Ellora







 
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