India Travel Information

An Insight :
Mumbai is one of the most vibrant cities of India, so full of life that any Mumbaiyaa can swear by this city that they are so proud of. Mumbai (Bombay) lies on the western coast of India. It is a group of seven islands in the Arabian Sea which lies off the northern Konkan coast on the west of Maharashtra state in India. These seven islands which were once separated by creeks and channels were filled and bridged over the years by the inhabitants.

Mumbai, which was previously known as Bombay is a major metropolitan city of India. It is the state capital of Maharashtra . Mumbai city is known as the business capital of India, it being the country's principal financial and communications center. The city has the largest and the busiest port handling India's foreign trade and a major International airport. India's largest Stock Exchange which ranks as the third largest in the world, is situated in Mumbai. Here, trading of stocks is carried out in billions of rupees everyday.
The city is the center of the Hindi film industry, and the newer industries also include chemicals, motor vehicles, electronics, and paper making.

Lets Explore The Glamorous City...
» Chowpatty Beach - Mumbai's famous beach is no place for a sunbathe or a dip. In fact, there's not much going on at Chow patty at all during the day, but in the evening it develops a magical atmosphere as locals come to stroll among the balloon sellers, nut vendors and beach entertainers. Eating bhelpuri at the collection of garishly lit stalls on the edge of the beach at night is an essential part of the Mumbai experience, as is getting a vigorous massage from a malish-wallah. Chow patty is a great place to witness the annual Ganesh Chaturthi Festival in August/September when large images of the elephant-headed god are immersed in the murky sea.

» Crawford Market - The colorful indoor Crawford Market (or Phule Market) is the last outpost of British Bombay before the tumult of the central bazaars begins. It used to be the city's wholesale produce market before this was strategically moved to New Bombay. Today it's where central Mumbai goes shopping for its fruit, vegetables and meat.
Bas reliefs by Rudyard Kipling's father, Lockwood Kipling, adorn the Norman-Gothic exterior, and an ornate fountain he designed stands buried beneath old fruit boxes at the market's center.

» Marine Drive - Built on land reclaimed from Back Bay in 1920, Marine Drive runs along the shoreline of the Arabian Sea from Nari man Point past Chow patty Beach to the foot of Malabar Hill. It's one of Mumbai's most popular promenades and a favorite sunset-watching spot. You certainly won't be loitering on the sea wall long before you're engaged in conversation, even if it's with someone offering to show you how well their monkey can break dance. The promenade is lined with decaying Art Deco apartments just begging for a paint manufacturer to prove what their product can do to brighten up an area. Tourist brochures are fond of dubbing it the Queen's Necklace, because of the dramatic curve of its streetlights at night. It's less spectacular during the day, though there are plans afoot to beautify the area.

» Fort - The extravagant Victorian Gothic buildings in the Fort area reinforce the European roots of the city, and send shivers of recognition down the spines of visitors from the industrial cities of northern England. This lively area occupies the site of the old British built fort and is the established commercial center of Mumbai. It's jam packed with commuters, street stalls and the grand facades of 19th century British institutions and trading houses.

Victoria Terminus, the city's most exuberant Gothic building, looks more like a lavishly decorated cathedral or palace than anything as mundane as a transportation depot. Carvings of peacocks, gargoyles, monkeys, elephants and British lions are mixed up among the buttresses, domes, turrets, spires and stained-glass windows. Topping it all is a 4m (13ft) high image of 'Progress' - though the rest of the building looks more like a celebration of Pandemonium. Don't wait until you have to catch a train to see it.

» Malabar Hill - On the northern promontory of Back Bay is the expensive residential area of Malabar Hill, favored for its cool breezes and fine views over Back Bay. The colonial bungalows that peppered the hillside in the 18th century have now been replaced by the jerry-built apartment blocks of Mumbai's nouveau riche. The formal Hanging Gardens (or Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens) on top of the hill are an interesting spot to study the courting rituals of coy Indian couples nestled among the bestial topiary, and there are superb views of the city from neighboring Kamala Nehru Park. Beside the Hanging Gardens, but carefully shielded from view, are the Parsi Towers of Silence. Parsis hold fire, earth and water as sacred so do not cremate or bury their dead. Instead the bodies are laid out within the towers to be picked clean by vultures (or crows). Elaborate precautions are taken to keep out ghoulish sightseers.

Towards the southern end of the promontory is the temple of Walkeshwar, the Sand Lord. According to the Ramayana, Rama rested here on his way to rescue Sita in Lanka and constructed a lingam of sand at the site. The original temple was built about 1000 years ago, though the current structure is much more recent. Just below the temple is the Banganga Tank, which was built on the spot where water spouted when Rama shot a bana (arrow) into the ground. Bathing pilgrims and scores of curious kids make this neighborhood an oasis from the world of luxury apartment blocks towering above.

» Main Attraction.. Bollywood - The world's movie capital is not Hollywood but Bollywood. Bollywood is the nickname for the Indian film industry located in Bombay (now known as Mumbai, though Mollywood hasn't quite caught on.)

Indians are in love with movies, even though most films follow a similar format called mas ala (the word for a collection of spices). Movies are three to four hours long (and include an intermission), include dozens of songs and dances (featuring 100 or so choreographed dancers), top stars, the story between the songs of boy meets girl (without any kissing or sexual contact), lots of action (though no bloodshed), and always - a happy ending.

Bollywood films are being shown in American and British theaters on a more and more frequent basis. These theaters have become community foci for the South Asian communities around the world. Though separated by a vast distance from home, South Asians have found Bollywood films to be a great way of staying in touch with their culture and their fellow South Asians.

Mumbai (Bollywood) leads India in film production, its specialty lies with Hindi movies. Chennai (formerly Madras) produces films in Tamil and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is the Bengali movie capital. Neighboring Pakistan's Lahore calls itself Lollywood.

Bollywood's film production center is a government-owned studio facility known as "Film City" in the northern suburbs of Mumbai. Bollywood traces its start to 1911 when the first silent Indian feature film was released by D.P. Phalke. The industry boomed and today there are over 250 theaters in Mumbai alone.

Where is Mumbai??
» By Air - Mumbai beats Delhi, Kolkata and Madras for international air traffic. It also has the busiest network of domestic flights, including flights to Aurangabad near the Ellora and Ajanta caves. The international terminal (Sahar) and the domestic terminal (Santa Cruz) are 30km (19mi) and 26km (16mi) respectively from downtown Mumbai.

» By Rail - Two railway systems operate out of Mumbai. Central Railways handles services to the east and south, plus a few trains to the north. Western Railways has services to the north from Churchgate and Central stations. Trains travel frequently between Mumbai and Agra, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Pune and Varanasi.

Introduction :
A city known for its medieval monuments and rich cultural heritage. Aurangabad, the city named after the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, is more than just simply a place to stay while visiting famous cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora.

Under Aurangzeb, Aurangabad became the seat of the powerful Mughal Empire for a short while. His predecessors preferred Agra, Delhi or Lahore - all in the north, and Aurangzeb's move was not unopposed. But the autocratic Emperor's will prevailed. The Mughal court moved to Aurangabad and remained there till his death. Built during his years in Aurangabad were such architectural gems as the Bibi-ka-Maqbara, a mausoleum with a marked resemblance to the Taj Mahal and a medieval watermill.

Aurangabad became a thriving industrial center with many fine academic institutions. Its textiles became much sought after and even today, the weavers of Aurangabad produce fine textiles like pathani, himroo and kimkhwab.

Aurangabad city is located in the northern part of the state of Maharashtra, in the western region of India. It is 375 km from Mumbai (Bombay). Today, Aurangabad is a bustling city of Maharashtra with diverse big and small industries, fine silken textiles, and exquisite hand woven brocades of silver and gold fabrics, Himroo of world frame. To scholars and lovers of art and culture the city is more familiar as the gateway to the ancient caves of Ajanta and Ellora, both famous as treasure houses of Indian Art and Sculpture.

Attractions :
» Aurangabad Caves - Just outside the city, lie the Aurangabad caves, excavated between the 2nd and 6th century AD. Tantric influences can be discerned in their architecture and iconography. There are twelve caves in all, a major chunk of which are viharas, of which Caves 3 and 7, are the most fascinating. Cave 3 stands supported by 12 finely carved columns, and sports sculptures portraying scenes from the Jakarta tales. Cave 7 houses an imposing sculpture of a Bodhisattva, praying for deliverance.

» Pan Chakki - Pan Chakki, the ingenious watermill which was designed to generate energy from water, brought down from a spring on a mountain, located nearby. The energy generated was, further, used to turn the large grinding stones of the flour mill. From my guide I came to know that it was built by Malik Ambar in 1695. The gardens and fish tanks around this place serve as a memorial to a Sufi saint who was much venerated by Aurangzeb.

» Some More Attractions - There are a number of important tourist spots beyond the city limits of Aurangabad. The cave temples of Ellora, listed among the World Heritage sites, are 30 km northwest of the city. The world famous Buddhist caves at Ajanta, also a World Heritage site, lies 166 km northeast of Aurangabad. The Buddhist caves of Ajanta are world famous for their well-preserved frescoes (wall paintings), which vividly depict the lifestyle of that period. Grishneshwar temple, an important Hindu pilgrim place, is located in the village of Verul, near Ellora caves. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of India, where Lord Shiva is worshiped. Paithan, 56 km south of Aurangabad, is famous for its traditional Paithani silk saris. Twenty-four kilometers from Aurangabad lie the Bani Begum Gardens, which surround the tomb of one of Aurangzeb's queens. Pithalkora caves are 78 km from Aurangabad. Mhaismal, 25 km from Aurangabad, is another tourist spot.

How To Get There??
» By Air - Indian Airlines and Jet Airways fly daily from Mumbai. Indian Airlines also operates daily flights from Delhi.

» By Rail - Aurangabad is well connected to most major Indian cities.

» By Road - Aurangabad is well connected to Mumbai (392 km), Nasik (221 km), Shirdi (136 km) Ajanta (106 km), Pune (299 km), and Ellora (30 km).