Maharashtra Tourism

Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir

Srinidhi K — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:04:40 +0000

Siddhivinayak is one of the major pilgrim places in Mumbai. Normal people to celebrities visit this temple. Ganapati is the deity worshipped here. It is located in Prabhadevi in Mumbai. It is built by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil. The temple has a small mandap or Hall. The name Sidhivinayak means “Ganesh/ Ganapati who grants your wish”. This is the main reason there is always an unending flow of devotees and most of them leave the temple with a happy face. The inner roof of the sanctum is gold plated. Siddhivinayak was started as a small insignificant temple; today it is the most known temple in Maharashtra and beyond.

People from all parts of the country visit Siddhivinayak temple to get blessed. Mumbai international airport is the nearest airport and Mumbai railway station has wide network from all parts of the country. There are plenty of hotels and resorts in Mumbai where one can stay during their visit to Siddhivinayak temple.

Khandala: A Paradise for Weekend Getaways

Srinidhi K — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:04:03 +0000

Khandala is one of the most beautiful places in the state of Maharashtra. Endless green valleys and misty hilltops makes Khandala the most sought out hill stations in the western India. Khandala and Lonavala are close by both the hill stations are blessed with natural beauty indescribable. Khandala is very close to Mumbai and Pune. Tourists usually youngsters find Khandala the best place for road trips and weekend getaways. Khandala is located at the top of the Bhor Ghat on the road link between Deccan Plateau and Konkan plain. Khandala is marvelous during monsoon seasons when the mountains are carpeted with green and sky in dark blue. There is a famous management college, a market and few hotels in Khandala.

Khandala can be reached by air, road and rail. The nearest airport is in Pune which is just 66 kms away and Mumbai international airport is 110 km away. There are trains to Lonavala which is the nearest railway station. There are AC, non AC, and semi sleeper bus serviced to Khandala from Mumbai.

Pune- The Queen of Deccan

Srinidhi K — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:05:40 +0000

Pune is one of the most promising cities in the country. It boasts as the eighth largest city in India, seventh metro city and second largest in Maharashtra after the state capital of Mumbai. The factors which make Pune different from others are it is known as the most sought out educational hub in the country. Big industries consider Pune the right place to mint money. More than half of the crowd are youngsters which makes this city the city of the young generation. The growth prospects of this small city are high in coming future. Pune is well planned, there are several infrastructural projects which once completed would give a face lift to this city.

Pune has an International Airport with a good network system, so does its railheads. The city is connected air, rail and road the best suitable way, easy accessible to many parts of the country. The accommodation facilities are of high standards. The boutique hotels of all grades are available for a city stay both for business and pleasure.

Elephanta Caves: Island of caves

Srinidhi K — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:17:48 +0000

Elephanta Caves arelocated in Elephanta island 10 kms away from the Gateway of India in Mumbai. The name was given by the Portuguese because of the Elephant statue on the Island, and hence the ancient “Gharapuri” was changed to “Elephanta Island”. Today the caves are listed on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

There are seven caves in the island. The gigantic statues of the Dwarapalakas/ Doorkeepers are remarkable. The brilliantly carved structures inside the caves have left the world in awe. The cave temple can be reached after climbing for almost 100 steps. The mystery about Elephanta caves are, nobody really knows who created these marvelous architectural masterpieces in the middle of the desolate island. The entire rock cave extends to around 60,000 square feet.

The ideal time to visit the Elephanta caves is in between November andMarch. The nearest airport and Railway Station arein Mumbai; and since Mumbai is the commercial capital of India, it is well connected by road. There are severalhotels and resorts in Mumbai for over night stay. So, no matter from where you are coming to visit this island, you won’t face any problem with accommodation.

Bandra – Worli sea link: India’s new generation landmark

Srinidhi K — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:28:40 +0000

Finally Mumbai, the industrial capital of India, can boast of one more metropolitan landmark blessed with beauty and architectural spectacle. This single concrete structure can silently provide lasting solutions for several suburban problems.

Today a normal Mumbaikar can travel from north to southern part of the city in a short span of 30 minutes in peak hours. The new bridge that splits across the sea can reduce the normal 45 minute drive to 7 minute from Bandra to Worli without traffic. Apart from its strategic and infrastructural importance the Bandra-Worli bridge is considered a great architectural masterpiece which itself is a tourist attraction.

For tourists or weekenders the accessibility of the famous Haji Ali Shrine is the greatest problem for city viewers, out of the eight lanes, at present only four are in operation. Once the project is complete tourists can reach Haji Ali without any traffic congestions. The second phase of the Bandra Worli sea link connects Worli with Haji Ali which will be a great blessing for Tourists. This structure will definitely be the first landmark of the futuristic Mumbai city. Today Mumbai is well connected by air, rail and road to all part of the country and beyond and have some of the world class accommodation facilities.

Do you need an idea for a family weekend trip from Mumbai?

Srinidhi K — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:32:29 +0000

Are you looking for a weekend getaway from Mumbai? If you are living in a fast metro or for that matter any city, you will definitely be looking for a break for 2 days. Well, you can’t get more than 2 days break, but still you need to utilize those couple of days. You might be going with your parents who are too old to be dragged into a trek. So, what’s your take on it?

The popular choices are Lonavala, Matheran, Mahabaleshwar, and Pune. If you have covered all of them then my suggestion is try Alibaug. There are few sightseeing points in Alibaug. For example, you have Kanhoji Angre Samadhi, Magnetic Observatory, Janjira Fort, Kulaba Fort, and Vikram Vinakyak Temple. The place has several good hotels and restaurants also. My favourite out of the listed names is Janjira Fort. Take a break, go for Alibaug. The best time to visit the place is during the monsoons. Heavy rainfall and lush greenery make Alibaug irresistible.

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

Srinidhi K — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:56:09 +0000

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport was formerly called as “Sahara Airport”. It is located in Mumbai metro city, Maharashtra, India.

The airport has two terminals (formerly known as Sahar, for international flights; and Santa Cruz for domestic flights) spread over an operational area of 1,450 acres (5.9 km2). The ground transportation between the international and domestic terminals consists of Free shuttle service and Pre-paid taxi service.

The airport is India’s largest and most important aviation hub. On 31 March 1999, the airport was renamed after the 17th century Maratha Emperor, Chhatrapati Shivaji. It is the busiest in terms of passengers carried per year.

Shirdi, The holy abode of Sai Baba

Srinidhi K — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:54:43 +0000

Shirdi is a town and is located in Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra. It is approximately 83 km from Ahmednagar and 15 km from Kopargaon.

Shirdi Sai Baba, a saint was residing in this place during the 19th century. Sai Baba taught a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner peace, devotion to God and guru. His teachings combined elements of Hinduism and Islam and tried to achieve communal harmony between these religions.

Now, a shrine is present here, where devotees from far and near give a visit and get blessings. The temple is open throughout the year. This place is situated near Nashik & Triambakeshwar where many holy temples of Hindu worship are found.

Chandoli National Park, A delightful journey

Srinidhi K — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:44:57 +0000

Chandoli National Park, is located in Sangli district of Maharashtra and has a vast variety of flora and fauna. The National Park is spread over more than 300 square kilometers of area. The diversified vegetation found here makes it an ideal habitat for different species of mammals, reptiles and birds. It also has the protected status of Tiger Reserve.

The former Chandoli Sanctuary was declared as a National Park in March, 2007. The reservoir of Chandoli Dam and the famous Prachitgad Fort make this National Park a great weekend destination.

The ideal time for making trips to the national park is in the spring season when trees and flowers in the forest are at full bloom.

Ajmal and the Father of the Nation

Srinidhi K — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:01:47 +0000

Mohammad Ajmal Amir, aka, Kasab, is the lone terrorist to be captured alive during the Mumbai terror attack.

Inside the cell, he was given to read Mahatma Gandhi‘s autobiography, “My Experiments with Truth”. This is the Urdu translation of the autobiography.

The book was given by the jail staff. Initially he refused to read the book. However, he has been reading the book for a week now.

The book is available in the jail library in several languages like Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, English, Kannada, and Urdu.