Ajmer-Pushkar-Jaipur

On 18^th Aug’12 we set out for Ajmer and boarded the BDTS-AII express from Borivali. We arrived Ajmer on 19^th Aug at around 9.30 A.M. The station is relatively cleaner and has facilities like rest room, wash room and accommodation (which is never vacant), the toilets were stinking however could be managed. We kept our luggage in the cloak room which surprisingly is at the very entrance to the station on the first platform. The cloak room accepts luggage which are locked and post submission of Identity proof. (Photocopy could be taken from shops near the station which charge INR 10 per copy).

There are small shops, eateries, small hotels near the station along with ATM (SBI, PNB, and BOI). One could have in breakfast Kachori with Cholle , Samosa , Poha.

We proceeded towards Dargah-Sharif which was almost 15-20 walk from the station. One could ask the locals for the direction which is fairly simple route and is studded with shops on both sides selling various articles like perfumes, prasadams, chaddar to be offered at the mosque, etc. The bye-lanes are quite narrow and are hounded with sounds of bikers which keep on honking regularly and at times are quite irritating. At the entrance we were flanked with shop-keepers who allow you to keep your belonging along with shoes and give you option of selecting thali with chadder etc to be offered in the mosque. Total Damage: INR 350/- We were accompanied with a representative inside the mosque which is quite magnificent and were taken straight inside the main tomb, where were asked for offering donations to the shrine, Damage: INR 251/-. The shrine is quite crowded inside and were offered blessings by the fakirs, followed with a request for offering , Damage: INR 51/-. The top of the tomb is adorned with Gold and the entire structure is of marble. There are Qawwals from all over the world that come here to sing in praise of the lord. The entrance also has two magnificient cauldrons weighing 2240 and 4480 kg of rice and offerings which are then sold as loots.We were asked for donations at this loot. The bylanes are quite crowded near the mosque with small shops, hotels selling non-veg foods etc. We proceeded towards Dhai-Din Ka Jhonpra which is at a walk of roughly 10 mns from the mosque. This mosque is said to be erected for Mohammed Ghauri in 2 and half days and hence the name and the pillars in the mosque are not identical and the surroundings still resemble temple which was destroyed to build the mosque.

There is a Taragarh on a small hill; however one can approach by maruti vans which go to the top once the entire vehicle is filled up and usually charges INR 60/- for two for return fare. The entire vehicle could be booked for INR 400/-. We skipped this since we had to move to Pushkar and we took a hand-rickshaw to visit NASIYAN, a Digambar temple accompanied with Swarna Nagri Hall , entrance fee of INR 10 per person. This hall exhibits a glass mosaic and illustrates birth and life of Adinath, the first Jain Tirthakar.

Close-by is Hotel Rasna wherein we took lunch ( Rajasthani – Dal, Baati & Choorma), the hotel had good hygiene, clean and food was good. Total Damage: INR 240. One can walk towards the station which takes almost 10-15 minutes from this hotel and we proceeded towards Pushkar. Reaching Pushkar turned to bit uncomfortable journey since we had to rely upon state transport buses which could be caught exactly opposite the railway station. The buses are usually crowded and ply with a gap of 20-25 minutes. This place is separated by a hill at a distance of around 14 km and takes around 35-40 minutes to reach. The town is dusty and small and there is a single approach road to the Famous Brahma Temple. The distance is almost a walk of almost 25 -30 minutes and could be trying and hence we took a hand-cart rickshaw and asked him to take us to the entire spectrum of temple to be seen. Our first stoppage was Pushkar Lake, which is said to be created by falling of lotus petal from Lord Brahma. There are around 52 bathing ghats around its believed that taking a dip in the ghat washes away the sin. Since the Brahma Mandir opens at 4.00 P.M. we proceeded towards the temple and after reaching the temple we put our belongings to one of the shops which will take care of our stuff provided one take Pooja Thali , Damage: INR 50. There are numerous shops in front of the temple and the temple is studded with silver coins on the walls and floors. There is a Shiva temple inside the complex in a cave and also several other small temples.

We moved to other famous temples like Warah Temple, Rahgji, Mahadeo. There is a Savitiri temple on a mountain top which we skipped since that entailed covering numerous steps. All temples are in vicinity of 1-2 K.M. however one could take a dharma –shala to park luggage etc. Damage: INR 150.

We caught the bus and proceeded towards Ajmer once again to catch a bus towards our other destination: Jaipur. Damage: INR 20 for 2 people. We arrived at the bus stand which is outside the main city and one can get buses for Delhi, Jaipur, and other important parts of rajasthan. The bus stand has toilet facility too and is reasonably ok. We caught the VOLVO which came at 7.40 P.M., delayed by 45 mns and one could also take local bus which leaves for jaipur every 20 minutes. The distance for Jaipur is 136 k.m. and cost INR 190 per person. The roads are quite good for Jaipur and in 2 hours we reached Jaipur bus stand (sindhi stand) which is in heart of the city and is close to railway station. Since our hotel was already booked in advance, we reached our Hotel Shiv Shakti by travelling for almost 25 minutes, which is towards Jal Mahal. The hotel was quite decent with larger rooms, balcony and good shower arrangement. Damage: INR 1250 per night. Since it was already 11.00 P.M. we had dinner inside the hotel and went to sleep.

Our visit was planned and we left the hotel at 10.00 A.M. and our first destination was Jantar Mantar which is in the city itself it’s a UNESCO site and has an entrance fee of INR 20 /- per person, since we had a guide for our entire trip it was quite comforting in understanding the place. The visit was worth the buck and we enjoyed watching ancient marvels. Our next destination was City Palace which was at 2 minutes walk and had an entry fee of INR 75/ -per person with a separate charge for using cameras. The mahal is still the residing place for the prince and one could see various articles displayed for common people. This place should be visited since its quite unique in terms of experience one gets. One could also visit the actual place where the prince resides by paying an entry fee of INR 1000/- per person.

Our next stoppage was Jaigarh fort which was outside the city and was roughly at a distance of 15 k.m. from the main city on a hill. The journey to this place is quite interesting since there is lush greenery on the way and the place is bit cooler. The best part is one could take its vehicle to the top of the fort and there is an entrance fee towards this. The attraction is Jai- Ban cannon, which is world’s biggest cannon and photography could be taken post paying a fee. The jal mahal could be seen from this fort and the views are really great from this place.

We proceeded towards Nahargarh fort and could take its car to the top of the fort after paying an entrance fee of INR 10- per person. One could see the entire jaipur city from this fort and is worth a visit. There is also a small place which showcases cannon, archers, guns etc.

We proceeded for lunch and near jal mahal , we took a rajathani food at ‘’Dhaba’’ and was really good to taste local stuff. Damage: INR 130/- per thali.

We proceeded towards AMER Fort the main attraction, the approach is bit shabby however the vehicle goes to the top of the fort. The fort is quite majestic and the star attraction according to me is the connectivity at the basement which is fantastic and is believed there is one route which connects to Jaigarh.

Our final desination was Jal Mahal where one could take photraghs of this place and enjoy camel ride for INR 150- per person.

Since we covered the entire place in one day, we decided to see the night life and hence took an auto and reached market place like Nehru bazzar, Bapu bazaar and Indira market ( auto charges INR 100- one way). One could visit GUDDU for fabulous ice-cream, kulfi etc at reasonable rate at Nehru market and could take dinner at Mahaveer dhaba which is a small outlet but provides fantastic food.

In Jaipur one need to visit Rawat sweets , which is near the station to have a great taste of Kachauri, sweets, mirchi-vada etc. lunch & dinner could be taken at thali which is near rawat , near the station and one could keep the luggage at cloak room and visit by paying INR 30 for the hand-cart rickshaw.

Shopping for dresses could be done at MI Road, Karni is one shop which is worth and is economical at Ganpati Plaza. Our journey came to end on 21^st and we caught the train for Mumbai at 8.40 P.M.

Tripoli bazaar and others are shopping places but one needs to be cautious since there are numerous fake articles and one need to bargain hard.

Key Take away- Jaipur could be covered in one day; local places are covered by rickshaw where one needs to bargain. As tourist spots are outside the city, trying staying close to Jal  Mahal , however one can also stay in the heart of city and travel by booking a vehicle.

Bhubaneswar- Puri

On 4th Oct 2009, I, daksh.dad and mom set for Puri by Bhubneshwar express from Kurla Terminus at 8.35 P.M. Next day morning at 5.00 A.M. we arrived at Bhuneshwar railway station. On arriving at the station we came to know that there was a bus strike across the state and hence we were left with only option i.e., puri via train. We took the 6.35 Howrah puri express and by 9.15 A.M. arrived at Puri. The station was quite crowded and we were surrounded by auto-drivers offering to take to good cheap hotel. We decided to give a short and asked the driver to take to a place which should be close to the temple. After searching for almost 35 minutes and various hotels we finally selected hotel VISHAL. Total Damage: INR 2000 for 2 days /2 rooms. Driver Damage: INR 40.00. The hotel was almost 10 minutes walking away from the beach and roughly 1.5 kms from the temple. Check out of the hotels in Orissa is at 7.00 A.M. Our hotel check out was at 8.00 A.M. The rooms were non A/c with TV and attached toilet. After resting for roughly an hour we visited the Jagganth temple. Auto charges INR 40.00 and hand cart driven was for INR 30.00. The temple is in the middle of the city and there is a congested road in front of the temple. Outside the temple on the right side was the shoes counter where we deposited our shoes and mobile phones /cameras since it’s not allowed. At the entrance on the left side is a place to wash ones feet/face. There was this main entrance and on entering the gate there were smaller temples within the boundary. The entrance to the temple was from the left side and there is a prasadam counter with offerings from INR 51.00- 5000.00. There were pujaris surrounding us for offering prayers/-abhisekh, however we didn’t paid any heed. Now we got the glimpse of the temple and were simply amazing. I have visited lot of historical temples, but this was looking so ancient and there was so much of positive vibes. Inside the temple there were already devotees in large numbers and wishing to touch the Lord. There were basically 3 statues of Lord Jagannath, Balram and Rukmani. One needs to just keep on moving since the prayer hall in vertically quite long and there are 2 entrances to be cleared to get close to the Lord. There was separate arrangement for getting close and was basically taking a ticket of INR 40.00/person. However if one doesn’t wants to stand in a queue for the tickets, the pujaris will manage the tickets and will charge INR 50.00/person. We took the darshan and touched the feet of the Jagannatha. Kids below 5 years were not allowed near the Lord since it was too crowded and was basically for protection. Inside the temple wall were various other temples of gods and worth a visit. One can find monkeys who have adopted the temples as their homes and freely roam around and feed on the prasadams offered by the visitors. There was a place inside the temple compound with shops selling prasadams post offering to the Lord. We finished our darshan and nearby took lunch at JOSHI BHOJNALAY. Total Damage: INR 30.00/Person. Thali containing Dal, Rice, Vegetables (2 types) unlimited.
In the evening we went to the beach which was as usual surrounded by many visitors, and there was camel, horse rides for kids. One can find locals selling pearl, necklaces made of pearls. We asked our hotel manager to arrange for visit to CHILKA and SUN TEMPLE. Total Damage: INR 1100.00. In the evening we took lunch at RADHEGOVIND which was roughly 10 minutes walking from our hotel. It was a thali system- DAL, RICE, CHAPPATI, VEGETABLES-2, and KADHI- UNLIMITED. TOTAL DAMAGE: INR 40/- PLATE.
Next day morning at 7.15 a.m. we left for CHILKA LAKE-65 K.M. from Puri. The journey on the way was pleasant with lot of greenery, trees, and small ponds. Finally around 9.15 a.m. we arrived at CHILKA LAKE. There were small shops selling refreshments, coconut vendors etc. There were various packages available i.e., dolphin viewing, crazy crabs and lake water joining the sea –INR 800.00. Keeping the all constant however bird viewing – INR 1200.00. We took the first one and opted for the mechanical boat, however one can also take speed boat by paying INR 100.00 more. The boat was exclusively for our family was had roof cover to protect from sun. The experience was simply marvelous with water all over and green patched of mass in between. This reminded me backwater at Kerala and this was equally beautiful. Finally after boating for an hour we arrived at the spot where after few minutes and patience we saw INDIA DOLPHINS jumping in a group. The trip was worth post watching dolphins and we all were thrilled and excited. Meanwhile there were other boats also which joined the show. Next he took us to a beach in the middle where the lake was meeting the sea and there were few small shanties selling coconut water- INR 10.00, crabs, fishes etc. There were locals selling pearls straight out from the sea and breaking the shell in front of us for INR 20.00 per pearl. There was calm and serenity on the beach with very few peoples visible. Next we proceeded towards SUN temple which was 36.00 k.m. from Puri, and by 3.00 P.M. we arrived at SUN TEMPLE. The car dropped us almost a kilometer away since tourist cars are not allowed. We took an auto and within 10.00 minutes arrived at the entrance of the temple. Total Damage: INR 30.00. There was an entrance fee of INR 5.00/ person and guides were available for INR 110.00. The sun temple is a marvel and perhaps only a few can match its fine art work and the beauty. There were 2 elephants – stones welcoming at the entrance and the temple was behind this structure. There were in total 24 wheels and 7 horses and the statue of Lord Sun on 3 sides. The government has build up beautiful garden around the temple and the carvings on the walls were fantastic. Overall it was magnificent and worth a visit. Just outside the temple are small shops selling articles made of stones, pictures of sun temple etc. we took lunch at a MADWADI BHOJNALAY and proceeded towards PURI. We took the darshan once more and also visited the GUNDICHA TEMPLE which was roughly 10 minutes from the Main temple. At Gundicha, deities are brought for a week during the RATH YATRA.
Next day morning at 7.30 A.M. we set for Bhubaneswar via car TOTAL DAMAGE: INR 900.00. We arrived at DHAULGIRI- 8 K.M. from Bhubaneswar. It was basically a stupa and is a magnificent structure. We then finally arrived at LINGRAJ TEMPLE- in the city. The temple was quite old and within the walls there was more then 100 small temples dedicated to LORD SHIVA. The temple is a must visit and should not be avoided at any cost. Post darshan we visited the MUKTESHWAR and SIDDHESHWAR temples which were roughly 10 minutes away from LINGRAJ TEMPLE.
Finally our driver dropped us at the station and thus our journey came to an end but will remain permanently in our memory. On 8th Oct 2009 we caught the Konark express and reached Dadar on 10th Oct 2009.

Key Take away: Take A/C room since the place is close to sea it’s quite humid, bargain hard for hotel tariffs, don’t pay heed to pujaris.

For Pictures please visit the following link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30002962@N05/

Lonavla- Rajmachi

On 26th Sept 2009 I, Amit Bhalerao and Rahul (Amits Friend) set out for Rajmachi. Amit picked me up from Gokuldhan Gate at around 7.05 A.M. and we took the JVLR route to pick up Rohit and roughly at around 7.45 A.M. we left for Rajmachi. We took the Nerul route and moved towards Panvel and moved towards Lonavla after taking the old Pune highway. We moved towards Kondivane and started moving towards Prakruti resort. The road towards this resort was a single lane and was in better shape. We could see majestic mountains on both the sides and could feel the clean breeze. After passing Prakruti farms we proceeded straight and finally reached a dead end and a few houses. Amit parked his car at one of the locals place. Total Damage: INR 50.00. The place was surrounded by mountains but we couldn’t make out which was one was Rajmachi. We took the route which was formed on account of walking and proceeded towards our destination. We started fumbling since the path was not clear and used the help of few locals whom we met on the way. The vegetation was quite thick in the start itself and was thus making our journey tiring right from the start itself. Finally after walking for roughly 20 minutes we arrived at series of small water falls on the way and arrived at Leni- Buddhist cave like structure however of smaller size. There was a big waterfall beside the caves and is favorite hangover for lot of nature lovers. We proceeded towards our ultimate goal and since our start at 10.00 A.M. we were already exhausted and had finished almost 3-4 litres of water. The atmosphere was quite hot and the heat was draining our energy. The climb was becoming difficult and we were quite frequently getting confused over the path. We kept on going based on trial and error and it was almost 12.30 P.M. but there was no sign of the fort. Finally at around 1.00 P.M. we could see the walls of the fort and it looked a good 1.30-2.00 hours of more climb. By this time Amit and Rohit were totally exhausted and I too found it much more difficult then Bheemashankar. We all decided to leave the journey over there since it was almost 3 hours climb and we still were now-where near the summit. We had exhausted our water stock and we had to return the same day too. We started our journey down and while coming down we were pretty fast. However we lost our path and didn’t knew what to do?? We simply started following whatever path came and were ending up nowhere. The idea came of walking up the stream since we had left Leni much above and somehow wanted to reach there. Even that became difficult since the path was too difficult to climb and everyone was too exhausted. Finally we agreed to move along with the stream straight down. Finally we managed to arrive at a small hut which we had noticed while climbing and thus our journey came to an end.

Key Take Away: Start early morning, take local guide, plenty of water, food, cap.

For pictures visit the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30002962@N05/

Bhavnagar- Palithana

On 18th Sep 09, I Parul and Daksh left for Palithana- near Bhavnagar. We took the Bhavnagar Express from Borivali which left at 10.10 P.M. Next day at 12.00 P.M. we arrived at SONGADH was a small station unlike big stations. On the platform while moving towards Mumbai front, there were autos- Vikram made waiting for the pilgrims arriving. The autos were taking in passenger loads of around 10-12, with both of us seated in the front along with the driver. Palithana was at a distance of 24.00 K.M. from the station. Total Damage: INR 30/ person. There was a straight road outside the station and there were hardly any shops near the station and the market was at roughly 500-600 meters away from the station. The auto immediately took right and then left and moved straight towards Palithana. The surrounding was pictures and there were small mountains surrounding giving a magnificent look. Finally at around 12.30 P.M. we arrived at Palithana—typical small Indian town with shops surrounded on both the sides and the air smelled much like rural India—fantastic. The bus stand was located while entering the town itself and was roughly at a distance of around 3.00 K.M. from Taleti- (base of the mountain). The pilgrims visiting Palithana are Jains- and belong to some samaj and hence stay in the dharmshalas of the sect samaj. Since we were Hindus- we asked the auto-driver to take us to the place which was open to everyone—since as usual I don’t believe in pre-booking. Before arriving at Palithana the tall majestic Shatrunjaya mountain range stands in its grandiose form and gives the entire place the spiritual look and feel. We arrived at Oswal Dharmshala and after checking we managed to get a room: Total Damage: INR 500.00 (for A/c rooms and INR 200 for Non A/c). We checked into the room and were surprised to find the place so clean and spacious that it was better than a hotel room. The room contained the front room, a kitchen and separate toilet and bathroom. There was no TV inside the room and was having 24 hours hot water facility. Inside the campus was a garden in the centre with trees of various species and a temple of Lord Mahavir. There were also rooms available on first floor and in total there would have been at least 200-250 rooms. The place was surprisingly clean and calm despite having so many tourists. There was an eating place in the dharmshala and was strictly in accordance to Jain culture- no onion, garlic etc and with strict timings (evening was open only till 7.00 P.M.). Since it was almost 1.20 P.M. we decided to take lunch and some sleep since it was not feasible to go out as it was very hot. The lunch at the place was another experience all together- Personally I never had such simple, good food ever wherever I have travelled so far. Total Damage: INR 40/ per person. In the evening we visited the local market which was at a distance of 1.5 k.m. from our hotel. There were autos and horse cart to take us to the market. Total Damage- Auto: INR 20.00. The market was in the form of shops on both the sides selling ladies dresses, kids dresses with local touch in the form of designs etc. the place has hardly few good restaurants i.e., Red Rose Restaurant. However the place had road side eateries selling dosa, Chinese, pav bhaji etc. we decided to eat at Bhojnalay – as advised by the locals and best for those looking for simple, non spicy food. The place had plate facility with dal, 2 vegetable, roti and rice. Total Damage: INR 40.00 / person. The market is open till 10.300-11.00 P.M. and there is also SBI ATM in the market.
Next day morning we started our journey to palithana temples- which was on the top of the mountain, however was not visible from the base. The start of the climb at the foothills was roughly at a walk of around 10-15 minutes from our dharmshala. At the foothills there is a magnificent temple of Lord Mahavir and the whole place was having a religious touch and feel. There are potters who will surround once you reach the base for taking you to the top along with also option for taking your kids. We started at 6.17 A.M. and were already accompanied by hundreds of pilgrims to reach the religious spot. There were proper steps which were built and the place was not having any stalls and hence it was clean. the initial climb was pleasant, however as we kept on climbing started taking toll on Parul- was exhausted since she was on fast previous day and had not eaten anything. The climb was not a straight climb, however was zig-zag and then flat to be covered across 2 range of mountains. After climbing for roughly 500-600 steps we got the magnificent view of the entire Palithana city. On the left side was Shatruganya river and the mountain we were climbing was lush green and the morning atmosphere was amazing. Finally at around 8.29 A.M. and after climbing roughly 3500 steps we arrived at the summit. The experience at the summit could not be described in words and was really like reaching heaven on earth. There were roughly around 900-1000 temples (of varying sizes). After spending roughly 40 minutes and trying to visit maximum temples we started climbing down at 9.18 A.M. and at around 10.40 A.M. we reached the base. The total experience was simply amazing and one really needs to visit the place to experience the feel. We set towards Bhavnagar and after reaching the bus stand at Palithana, caught the bus at 1.00 P.M. and left for Bhavnagar- 55 K.M. Total Damage: INR 62.00. We arrived at Bhavnagar at around 2.15 P.M. and took an auto for local sight-seeing. Total Damage: INR 200.00. We first visited the New Port and were roughly at 4-5 k.m. from the city and while approaching the place we saw mountains of salt and the few migratory birds. The security person denied us to go inside since the place was a restricted area for civilians. Our next destination was the old port area in the city and the approach road was in worst condition and finally we arrived at a private marine ship maker and we saw a new private marine which was built. Our next spot was Ganga Deri- a marble structure of Ganga Devi. The place is in the middle of the city and was in pretty bad situation- it’s used by locals to rest over there from the afternoon heat and there was nothing much to see. Our next spot was clock tower—and then finally we arrived at Thakteshwar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The place was in pretty bad situation since it was used by as usual locals for resting from afternoon heat. We arrived at Bhavnagar station- only station in India to have female coolies. As such there was nothing interesting in Bhavnagar to see.
Thus our amazing journey came to an end.

Key Take Away: Start the climb in early morning, spend some quality time at the top, beware of the horse cart drivers trying to sell your horses metallic strip.

For pictures visit the following link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30002962@N05/

Lonavla- Lohghadh

On 29th Aug 2009 I, arunabha, ashish negi and his friend Sameer set for Lohgadh. After taking the pune expressway we arrived near Lonavla, and took the left turn and after passing through Lonavla market proceeded straight and joined the expressway again. After crossing the toll, we went straight and took right turn and proceeded towards Malavali. There is a crossing near the Malavli railway station and finally reached the Malavali village. The village was quite small with hardly 20-30 families and few small shops selling tea/biscuits/water bottles etc. We parked our car in the market and proceeded towards Lohgadh. There is a clear path towards which takes one to the fort and immediately near the village was Bhaje Caves. We however decided to first reach lohgadh. The walk was proving to be tiring since it was a steep climb and as we were descending up we could see the entire place- lush with greenery. The road was in pretty bad condition and hence one cannot take his vehicle. After walking for almost 45 minutes we arrived at a place where we could see 2 mountains –one on the right side and the other on the left side. The right one was Lohgadh and the one on the left was Visapur. We proceeded towards Lohgadh and arrived at the base of the fort- Lohgadwadi village. We had tea, biscuits before we started the climb. The village is pretty small- hardly 25-30 habitats, with small refreshment huts selling biscuits, tea, cold-drinks, wafers, mineral waters etc. there was a proper steps which took to the top of the mountain and we found monkeys greeting us in the start. We took roughly 20-25 minutes to reach the top, locals can be found selling tea, lemon-water. The scene at the top was amazingly beautiful with utter silence and peace. Immediately on reaching the top, there is a mosque like structure on the left side and small cannon. We walked straight towards the left side and came across a small temple and a tank with water. There was so much of fog that the place turned out to be surprisingly beautiful. We walked straight and came across a lake which contained water and was pretty clear. We kept on walking straight and came to a place called Vinchukata (resembles scorpions fangs). We climbed down and were a bit difficult and came to a place where we actually could go down, but we could see the end of the fort. We walked down and on the way once come across water-fall. We started our climb to Bhaje caves and roughly in 10-15 minutes we arrived at Bhaje caves- there is an entry fee of INR 5.00/ person. The caves are of small sizes and the total number of caves is around 22. However of importance is hardly 3-4 caves, and rest all are of not so importance. The place seems to be more visited by young college couples then by cave lover. We moved towards Karla caves which was on the other side of the road and is 12 k.m. from lonavla. The climb was of 20-25 minutes and finally we arrived at the summit after paying for the entry fee of INR 5.00/person. The caves were of larger size and much better than Bhaje. The caves were cut into the hill and there were several chaityas and viharas. The chaitya over here is the biggest in India and is really beautiful. Just outside the chaitya is Ekvira Devi temple.outside the chaitya there are beautiful carvings of elephants and there is a tall pole like structure resembling ashoka pillar. During rainy reason there was a water fall falling and was looking magnificient. Near the top there were stalls selling tea, water, wafers, eatables etc. there is a small hotel at the base of the climb and a parking lot with a toilet facility. Thus our journey came to an end.

Key Take Away: Carry sufficient stock of water, cap.

For Picyures visit the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30002962@N05/