Ganeshpuri & Wajareshwari:
about 'Shree Swami Nityananda':Official website alongwith the photo:http://www.bhagawannityananda.org/*************************************Shree Swami Nityananda's photo:http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yU_5q89tFWMKGzyb2OGAog***************************************************Shree Swami Nityananda's samadhi temple is in Ganeshpuri.ganeshpuri temple closes (for some time )in the afternoon at 1.30 pm.There are hot water kundaas (hot water springs)in Ganeshpuri.There are no good restaurants in Ganeshpuri.So,carry a heavy meal with you.How to go to Ganeshpuri? (from Mumbai)Train from Churchgate:CHURCHGATEMARINE LINES CHARNI ROADGRANT ROADMUMBAI CENTRALMAHALAKSHMILOWER PARELELPHINSTON ROADDADARMATUNGA ROADMAHIM JUNCTIONBANDRAKHAR ROADSANTACRUZVILE PARLEANDHERIJOGESHWARIGOREGAONMALADKANDIVALIBORIVALIDAHISARMIRA ROADBHAYENDERNAIGAONVASAI ROAD.FROM 'VASAI ROAD' RAILWAY STATION ,GO TO VASAI STATE TRANSPORT BUS DEPOT(5-6 MINUTES WALKING DISTANCE).CATCH A BUS WHICH WILL TAKE YOU TO GANESHPURI.THIS BUS ALSO GOES TO WAJARESHWARI.In Wawareshwari,there is a temple of Goddess Wajareshwari which was built in the year 1837.It is a fort converted into a temple-fort.The Portuguese had come to that place and were harassing the people of that village .Peshwas had prayed to Wajareshwari Devi to give them the strength to defeat the Portuguese.In turn ,the Peshwa had said to Wajareshwari Devi that if they would win the battle,then the Peshwas would build a big temple on the same fort.The Peshwas won the battle and built this big temple.Photo of Wajareshwari temple:http://www.mustseeindia.com/Vajreshwari Helpful tip:If u plan to go to Ganeshpuri & Wajareshwari,then u must start your journey at 7am (maximum 7.30 am) from Mumbai (say Bandra railway station).Then only you will be able to come back to Mumbai in the evening at around 5.30 pm or 6 pm.

STD code of Matheran is 952148SIGHT SEEING PLACES IN MATHERAN:>> Echo point.>>Malang point.>>Luiza point.>>Sharlot lake.(there are 12 sight-seeing points near this lake).>>One tree hill(there are 7 sight-seeing points nearby)(For ‘one tree hill’,start your journey from your hotel at around 8am or 9am.You will possibly return at around 12 noon).>>Sunset point.

Matheran:

[A} SLOW TRAIN:From Kurla (5.08AM) reaches Neral(6.47AM).SLOW TRAIN:From Kurla (5.48AM) reaches Neral(7.28AM).[C] FAST TRAIN :From Kurla (7.11AM) reaches Neral(8.35AM).>> All the three trains mentioned above start from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (C.S.T.)>> Fast train will become slow train after Kalyan.Railway stations from Kurla to Neral (as per sequence):Kurla.Vidyavihar.Ghatkopar.Vikhroli.Kanjurmarg.Bhandup.Mulund.Thane.Kalwa.Mumbra.Diva.Dombivali.Thakurli.Kalyan.Vitthalwadi.Ulhasnagar.Ambernath.Badlapur.Vangni.Selu.******Neral.NERAL TO MATHERAN:Neral to Matheran train ticket:Rs.23/-Neral to Matheran train ticket:Rs.39/-(if booked in advance,online booking from any railway station).Neral to Matheran train timing and train schedule:Time ------------>Train Number
7.30 AM ------------>601
8.50AM ------------>603
10.15AM ------------>605
12.15PM ------------>607(Only Sat. & Sunday)
5.05PM ------>609
***************************************
Matheran to Neral train timing and train schedule:
Time------------>Train Number
7.00 AM--------->602
9.45AM----------->604
2.10AM------------->606
2.45PM------------> 608(Only Sat. & Sunday)
4.25PM ------------>610
>> If you travel by a private vehicle from Neral,it will take you to Dastur Naka.Walking distance between Dastur Naka & Matheran is 2.5 kilometres.
>> To travel the distance from Dastur Naka to Matheran,the private vehicle charges for 1 person is around Rs.45/- to Rs.50/-
Hotels in Matheran:
Hotel Priti (Phone:952148-230202)
Hotel Diwadkar(Phone:952148-230789,952148-230193,952148-230273)
Hotel Alexander(Phone:952148-230069)
Hotel Kunal Plaza(Phone:952148-230550)
Hotel Mike(Phone:952148-230365)

http://www.tourisminindia4u.blogspot.com/

about Munnar,Kodaikanal and Ooty:

There are no fans and air conditioners in Munnar,Kodaikanal and Ooty because it is always cool throughout the year.

People usually tell me : " If we don't book a package tour from a travel agent and plan our trip on our own,there may be a possibility that we may not get rooms for accomodation if the hotels are full".My reply to this question:U will never face the first problem frequently.It may happen once in a blue moon.And u will somehow get a room if u wait in a hotel lobby for maximum of 4-6 hours.I search many hotels and restaurants whenever i reach a particular city and then find out a hotel which is clean for accomodation . Similar is the case for restaurants.Morever the hotels and restaurants which i mention is like a pair (i mean ....the restaurant n the hotel are at a walking distance

Travelling tips:

Dear friends, If anybody is interested to visit the places i've described in my thread,just make a printout of the data i've uploaded and keep it with u while travelling.U need not go to a travel agency FOR BOOKING PACKAGE TRIPS.Plan ur trip on ur own .If you require any information about the sequence of places to be visited,just contact me in my scrapbook.If u need some more information about the place ,feel free to talk to me on my mobile .Personnally arranged tours are much cheaper than package tours booked from a travel agent .Example (which is a fact ) :A famous travelling company in Mumbai (i wont reveal the company name) arranges tours in all parts of India.They have package tours for around 8 days (Rajasthan tour) in wich they will take u to around 3 or maximum four places out of the total (all) places of interest in Rajasthan .All places of interst in Rajasthan include :Udaipur,Mt. Abu,Jodhpur,Jiasalmer,Bikaner,Ajmer,Pushkar,Bikaner,Jaipur .These are 9 places.Thay will take u to 3 or max. 4 selected places and cost u around Rs. 22,000 / person.TO AND FRO TRAVELLING CHARGES SEPARATE (TRAIN OR AIR)*******************************************************************I have visited all the 9 places in addition to that I also visited Uttar Pradesh (Agra ,Mathura & Vrindavan ) & Delhi (total 19 days tour) ALONGWITH THE TO AND FRO TRAVELLING CHARGES AT AN AMOUNT OF Rs. 16,000 / person .Which one is cheaper?Similar is the case with all other tours.what is the conclusion?Ans:Plan ur own tour and travel many places in less than the amount u pay to the package tour company !

Munnar (A hill-station in Kerala) :

Location:High ranges of western ghats.Altitude:1600mts. above sea level.Temperature:0 degrees to 30 degrees.Season:June to August > Rainy:Rest > Cool and pleasant .Acces:By road from Cochin.Munnar is famous for Tata tea plantations.You really need a video-camera to shoot the beautiful tea plantations.There is greenary all over.It is a very beautiful place ,in God's own country,Kerala.Good hotel:Hotel S.N. Sight-seeing :only by taxi.Sight-seeing in Munnar is costly.
munnar is the most beautiful i have ever visited (compared to Udaipur,Mount Abu,Mahabaleshwar,Matheran,Saputara in Gujarat).Ooty and Kodaikanal are also very very beautiful,but MUNNAR IS JUST THE BEST.

Kodaikanal(A hill-station in Tamil Nadu)

Good hotel:Hotel Kodai Plaza.Address:St. Antoniyar Kovil Street,Behind the bus stand in the valley,Kodaikanal.Another hotel:Hotel Valley View.(Charges above RS. 1000/day)The restaurant of Hotel Valley View is good.

OOTY

Ooty(A hill-station in Tamil Nadu):Good hotel:Sapphire paradise(2 hotels:1 is near the Ooty lake)Local transportation:Taxi .Sight-seeing mostly by mini-bus or by taxi.No fans/air-conditioners in Ooty.The temperature is around 15 degrees during the day-time.Nite:Temperature around 5-6 degrees or even lower.Carry woolen clothes.

Kerala:

Entering Kerala from Kanyakumaari,which is in Tamil Naadu>***Thiruvananthapuram (on the coast.AMMA RESTAURANT IS GOOD)***Cochin(Visit the 3 small islands:Bolgatty Island,Cochin port and another island as well as u can see the Chinese fishing nets on the coast.In Cochin ,there are many mosquitoes and wall lizards)***Thekkady (Periyaar lake)***Munnar (The best hill-station in South India>TATA TEA PLANTATIONS>You need a video-camera)***Kottayam(Kerala back-waters.It is called back-waters because this water body is not connected to the sea).

Kerala:

Entering Kerala from Kanyakumaari,which is in Tamil Naadu>***Thiruvananthapuram (on the coast.AMMA RESTAURANT IS GOOD)***Cochin(Visit the 3 small islands:Bolgatty Island,Cochin port and another island as well as u can see the Chinese fishing nets on the coast.In Cochin ,there are many mosquitoes and wall lizards)***Thekkady (Periyaar lake)***Munnar (The best hill-station in South India>TATA TEA PLANTATIONS>You need a video-camera)***Kottayam(Kerala back-waters.It is called back-waters because this water body is not connected to the sea).

Gujarat

For Somnath (Jyotirlinga No. 1 out of the 12 Jyotirlingaas):Mumbai-Surat-Baroda-Rajkot-Junagadh-Veraval-Somnath.This is the shortest route to reach Somnath from Mumbai.U need not change the bus at each of the mentioned places.Choose the place of ur choice.******************************************************Ahmedabad:1> 235 years old Swaminarayan temple (This is the first temple built out of the 700+ temples builts all over the world)2> Aasaramji Bapu's ashram (on the banks of the river Sabarmati.3> Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati ashram (on the banks of the river Sabarmati).4>Hatising-ki-waadi (a Jain temple)

South India

Important tourist places in South India:-Bangalore (in South Karnataka)Mysore(in Karnataka)Ooty(hill station in Tamil Nadu)Kodaikanal(hill station in Tamil Nadu)Madurai(in Tamil Naadu)Kanyakumari(Southermost tip of India,in Tamil Naadu)Kottayam(in Kerala)Thiruvananthapuram(capital of Kerala)Cochin (also written as Kochi)(along the coast,in Kerala)Munnar (the best hill-station in South India,Kerala)Mangalore(along the coast,north Karnataka)Then back to Mumbai.*********************************************If u want to go to Tirupati ,Route from Mumbai:Mumbai-->Bangalore-->Tirupati(in Andhra Pradesh)--->Chennai(capital of Tamil Nadu)-->Pondicherry(east coast of Chennai;a clean and beautiful place)-->Rameshwaram(for Hindus;one of the 12 famous Jyotirlingaas )-->Madurai (then follow the route as mentioned above )*********************************************************

MAHARASHTRA UNLIMITED :

AurangabadPaithanKolhapur+Panhalgad (hill station)Lonavla+KhandalaPuneBhimashankar* Jyotirling (near Pune )MatheranMahabaleshwarAlibaug + Harihareshwar* (Shiv temple)Ganapatipule* + RatnagiriMalwan+Tarkarli+Kunkeshwar*Tryambakeshwar Shiva mandir (1 hour journey from Nasik bus depot) *Shirdi + Shani Singnapur* (2-2.5 hours journey from Shridi)Bhandardara* = for Hindus

After completing sight-seeing in Jaipur ,

Option 1: Back to Mumbai.OROption 2: Visit Agra (Taj Mahal n many more places)-Mathura (Lord Krishna's birth place)--Vrundawan-Delhi.Vrundawan:Famous BAANKE-BIHARI KRISHNA TEMPLE.Delhi-Mumbai:If u wish to travel by bus,then u MUST go back to Udaipur,n then Udaipur-Mumbai by Eagle Volvo bus (3.45 pm bus ,wich will reach Mumbai on the next day between 5.30 am to 6 am ).

JAIPUR:

JAIPUR,the pink city:
Places of interest:HAWA MAHAL(palace of winds is said to be built in 1799 by Maharaja Pratap Singh ji),Jantar mantar(is a famous open-air structure built by Maharaja jai Singh 2),Jaipur museum,Birla mandir,City gate,city palace(peacock gate inside city palace),Mubarak mahal,Ram bagh palace,Jal mahal,sisodiya garden(also known as rani ki bagh),Amber fort

AJMER :

Day 1:Famous 'GARIB NAWAZ DARGAAH (mosque) ". People belonging to all religions visit this mosque.women are supposed to cover their heads with a scarf/dupatta.Men can cover their heads with a big handkerchief (handkerchieves are sold in d nearby area) .Another tourist attraction of Ajmer is the MINI GURUDWARA.(golden Gurudwara)Day 2:Ajmer to Pushkar(long journey by government bus).Famous BRAHMA shrine.Its d only BRAHMA shrine in India.(U may hav seen this temple on TV in March 2007 when Aishwarya Rai had visited this place)There is a beautiful lake.The Brahma temple is near this lake (10 mins . walking distance)Local transportation in Pushkar:Rikshaws pulled by men.

BIKANER

Main tourist attraction:Karni maata mandir.U'll find thousands of black rats in the temple premises.It is a belief dat if u see a white rat among those black ones ,something gud will happen to u .I was lucky to see a white rat.The idol of d Godess is very small.There are some more places of interest in Bikaner.Now ,i don't remember d names of all those places.If anyone of u know more abt. Bikaner,plz. post d information.

Jaisalmer:Jisalmer is famous for the desert (beautiful sand dunes).Also famous for fortsThe design on the marbles (of d palaces) is marvellous.

Jisalmer is famous for the desert (beautiful sand dunes).Also famous for fortsThe design on the marbles (of d palaces) is marvellous.Sight-seeing in Jaisalmer by 4 wheelers like Ambassador,Indica.Tourist attraction:Camel ride or camel-cart ride in the desert.it is better if u manage to reach the desert sumwhere around 4 pm.India-Pakistan border:A few kms. away from the Jaisalmer desert.Tourists are not allowed to go near the India-Pakistan border.

INCREDIBLE INDIA

MOUNT ABU (hill-station)Places of interest:Famous DILWARA TEMPLE (Jain temple),Nakki jheel (lake),palace.Local transportation:Jeep.Jodhpur:Best restaurant:SANKALP (SANKALP is a chain of restaurants in Jodhpur,Jaisalmer,Jaipur & some places in Gujarat).SANKALP is a pure veg. restaurant.They serve South Indian specialities (idli,dosa ,uttapa,spl. dosas).It is a clean restaurant.Places of interest:Sheesh Mahal (made out of glass),palaces,forts.

!NCRED!BLE !ND!A

<4> A trip to Rajasthan........Way:Mumbai-Udaipur-Mount Abu-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer-Bikaaner-Ajmer-Jaipur. Best season:winter (december-january).Carry ur woolen wear.Its very cold (december,january)Mumbai to Udaipur(by Eagle volvo).(Rs. 900/- in December 2004).Pick up point:Sion(at 1.30 pm).The bus will reach Udaipur @ 5am.Mimimum 4 days stay @ Udaipur.Udaipur:Local ttansportation>>Autorikshaws.Day 1>>Places of interest:A garden,Sahelion ki baari,Udaipur zoo,Dhoodhsagar(dry lake),Maharana Pratap memorial.Shankar(Shiv) temple,Bramhakumari's peace palace.Day 2:Go to CHITTODGADH by government bus (long journey) .Spend the entite day at Chittodhgadh (sight-seeing).Come back to Udaipur in the evening.Main tourist attraction:Vijay Stamb.Many more places to see.Sight-seeing by 'man-pulling rikshaw' or autorikshaws.Chittodhgadh is a village.No gud (clean,first grade) restaurants in Chittodgadh.Day 3:There is a beautiful lake (a few kilometres away from Udaipur).i don't remember the name of this lake .After u get down from the bus,catch an autorikshaw which will take u to a hill (ghat road of approx. 15 minutes).Nathdwara:Few kms. from UDAIPUR.fAMOUR lORD kRISHNA SHRINE.This Krishna is known as SHRINATHJI,hence the place is called as Nathdwara.The doors of the temple are closed after every 15 mins.(some ritual).The idol of Shrinathji is black in color.

<3> Chennai :

Places of interest:1. Marina beach .2. Golden beach.(far away from the main city,approximately 1 hour journey)

<2> Pondicherry(in Tamil Nadu)Languages spoken:Tamil,English.Location: east coast of India.The roads are verrrrry clean.Famous mall:Nilgiris.Hotel: Sri Krishna(A.C. rooms:Rs. 550/-) (24 hours check-out).Best restaurant:Hotel Surguru .Places of interest:1. Shri Aurobindo ashram .2. Shri Ganesh Mandir.3. Beach4. Museum ( 5th century idols )5. Botanical garden ( musical fountain only on Saturdays )6. Chunnambar river boat house.7. Auroville (world's largest man-made crystal ball)Autorikshaws available.No taxis.<3> Chennai :Places of interest:1. Marina beach .2. Golden beach.(far away from the main city,approximately 1 hour journey)

Incredible !ND!A

<1> A trip to Kolhapur...................mumbai - kolhapur: neeta volvo/train.best hotels:HOTEL RAYSONS.(1 kilometer from S.T. stand)HOTEL PEARL.(next to Hotel Raysons)Accomodation in both d above mentioned hotels is around 1500/- (includes food)Hotel Nataraj :Rs. 300/- to Rs. 400/- 1st grade restaurants: HOTEL RAYSON & HOTEL PEARL.In Hotel Raysons ,u can have an unlimited breakfast for Rs. 60 per person.The menu changes daily.But,the following food is mainly available:idliuttapasheera(sweet/spicy)yellow poheteacoffeefruit juice (pineapple)egg omlettebread toastcorn flakes.LUNCH:If u are a non vegeterian,u may have lunch/dinner at HOTEL PEARL(next to Hotel Raysons).both d above mentioned hotels are 1 kilometer away from the S.T. stand.Kolhapur:Autorikshaws are available.No taxis in Kolhapur.Load shedding:8am to 11 am .Places of interest:> Mahalakshmi shrine (3kms. from Kolhapur bus stand)> Shahu Maharaj Museum/palace (Timings:8 am to 12 noon,2 pm to 5 pm)> Lake RANKAAL (3 kms. from Kolhapur bus stand )> Jyotiba shrine (22 kms. from Kolhapur bus stand,approx. 45 mins. journey).Jyotiba was a famous saint.> Narsoba-chi-waadi(famous Dutta mandir. 55 kms. from Kolhapur bus stand )> Panhalgad/Panhala fort (12 kms. from Jyotiba shrine.It is a hill-station like Mahabaleshwar.Best hotel: Hotel HILL TOP.)********************************************************************Daajipur abhayaaranya:65 kms. from Kolhapur.