Maharashtra Tours
India Special Tours
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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, Mumbai 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. Mumbai 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
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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.
Pune (Poona)
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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.
Places of Interest
Shaniwar Wada, Saras Baug, Parvati Hill, Raja Kelkar Museum, Shinde's
Chhatri, Bund Garden, Kasturba Smarak (Inside Agha Khan Palace) etc.
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.
General Information
Altitude : 598 mtrs.
Temperature (deg C) : Summer- Max 40, Min 26; Winter- Max
29, Min 19.
Rainfall : 70 cms(June to September).
Season : Throughout the year.
Aurangabad - Ajanta & Ellora
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Aurangabad,
400 km from Mumbai, 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.
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)
General Information
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 (0240 ?).
Ajanta
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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.
Ellora
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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.
Special Permissions Required
Special Permission from Archaelogical Survey of India needed for use of
Tripod & Artificial lights to take photographs of Archaelogical
monuments.However video shooting from the exterior of the monuments is
permitted by paying a nominal fee.