[faustus77]

Fauji
Hi
Great photos and writup
Drooling over your Pictures.
Kailash is at the southern point of Dadar CR station and it is always crowded
They have maharaja,dry fruit etc.All very good.
Regards

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by akbaree

@Fauji - excellent trip route. I am loving your log and looking forward to rest of the story.

I went to Maheshwar in 2008 and what a trip it was. I am not sure if you met this interesting pandit who belongs to the lineage of care takers at Ahilya bai's personally worshipped temples. Here's the link to the story

P.S.: The maheshwari sarees can do a lot lot of damage financially. We had ended up buying a whole lot of them.

Thanks Akbaree. I read your nice TL as well. We could not meet the Panditji as it was hot afternoon and could have gone home for a nap! Yes, we also opened up our valet liberally at the REHWA store buying quite a bit of sarees, stoles etc

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Fauji,
Amazing review as usual your language and flow of things are simply too good. Why don't you seriously consider doing a highway on plate yourself? Will be following your thread till you reach Bangalore. Thanks for those pointers you have given me will share the finer details of my TL once it has been completed.

Quick question: Would you want to share the Finance details around the Fuel/Accomodation?

Thanks Mahesh. If we collect the threads on eats/retauranats in TBHP, it will better than "Highway on my plate".

To some extent, i am disppointed with the book as it covers not even 25% of the country. Also, sometimes it does not give correct picture as well. For example, under MTR, Bangalore they list Vada as speciality and leave out Rave Idli, Khara Bath and Chandra Hara and under Vidyarthi Bhavan they list Poori - Sagu as speciality instead of Masale Dose and Rave Vade (Sooji Vada) as we all know in Bangalore. They miss out Hotel Diana and Mitra Samaj in Udupi. Nevertheless, it is a handy guide.

Yes, I will list out all the details including the rates of hotels etc. Stay tuned.

Originally Posted by creative420

Just got back from Bhopal-Indore trip. Had the egg banjo. And Poha Jalebi. It's simply out of the world. Bring Bhopal on!

Lucky man!! We missed Egg Banjo in Indore but had Poha - Jalebi in Bhopal. Fantastic!

If your are a Non-veggie, Bhopal is the place to freak out. Take a look at my last post.

Originally Posted by faustus77

Fauji
Hi
Great photos and writup
Drooling over your Pictures.
Kailash is at the southern point of Dadar CR station and it is always crowded
They have maharaja,dry fruit etc.All very good.
Regards

Thank you Faustus. Kailash is on "To Do List" in Bombay next time around!!

[bilalsyed]

A Wonderful writeup sir..!! Would love to see the pics from Lucknow if available (as u mentioned it in your plan) My mouth is watering since i saw the gulab jamuns in one of your pics

[nanduchitnis]

Magnificient triplog. Not just a trip log but a text book for travellers.

The details of the day to day travel, maps, distances is a big winner for me.

Your photography is a winner all the way.

As regards to ARMY STICKER, which helped you at Shirdi, your ID card must have also helped at Toll Nakas. I have always been exempted from paying toll during my travels.

One request: What did you pay at the variuos fancy hotels that you stayed in?

Thank you once again for writing the TL in such great details. I for one will use it for my travels up North.

Regards

Nandu Chitnis

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by Fauji

Thanks Mahesh. If we collect the threads on eats/retauranats in TBHP, it will better than "Highway on my plate".

To some extent, i am disppointed with the book as it covers not even 25% of the country. Also, sometimes it does not give correct picture as well. For example, under MTR, Bangalore they list Vada as speciality and leave out Rave Idli, Khara Bath and Chandra Hara and under Vidyarthi Bhavan they list Poori - Sagu as speciality instead of Masale Dose and Rave Vade (Sooji Vada) as we all know in Bangalore. They miss out Hotel Diana and Mitra Samaj in Udupi. Nevertheless, it is a handy guide.

Yes, I will list out all the details including the rates of hotels etc. Stay tuned.

Wow this is blasphemous cannot imagine heading into MTR and walking away without eating their Kharabath & Rava Idly topped up with Coffee. They are strong addictions, to be honest am not a big fan of VB for their Poori Sagu. Was eager to buy their book but looks like its better to call you for food directions on unknown territory .
For sure and it goes without saying all your threads are closely followed by me.

[addyhemmige]

Lovely Travelogue Fauji sir!!! I'm sure I can use your travelogues as a reference if and when I do my trip up north. Still waiting for the rest to come up

Originally Posted by Fauji

To some extent, i am disppointed with the book as it covers not even 25% of the country. Also, sometimes it does not give correct picture as well. For example, under MTR, Bangalore they list Vada as speciality and leave out Rave Idli, Khara Bath and Chandra Hara and under Vidyarthi Bhavan they list Poori - Sagu as speciality instead of Masale Dose and Rave Vade (Sooji Vada) as we all know in Bangalore. They miss out Hotel Diana and Mitra Samaj in Udupi. Nevertheless, it is a handy guide.

Originally Posted by ku69rd

They are strong addictions, to be honest am not a big fan of VB for their Poori Sagu. Was eager to buy their book but looks like its better to call you for food directions on unknown territory .
For sure and it goes without saying all your threads are closely followed by me.

. I really don't know a single person who has gone to VB and come eating just Poori Sagu. Rocky and Mayur got it wrong big time. Maybe it was good, but VB was never known for it's Poori Sagu, was it?

For those who don't know Vidhyarthi Bhavan is famous for its dosas

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

For those who don't know Vidhyarthi Bhavan is famous for its dosas

Hey guess we ought to start a thread and have our very own version of Highway on plate .

Fauji Sir,
Next time you hit Davangere do try the Gururaj Benne Dose Kendra, he makes them very good.

[Fauji]

Total Distance - 235 KMs
Departure time -9.45 AM (Bhopal)
Arrival time - 7.45 PM (Sagar)
Road condition - Mixed
Breaks - Bhojpur (45 Minutes), Sanchi (one hour)
Max speed - 130 KMPH (I never crossed this limit throughout the trip)
Best stretches - Chiklod to Raisen.
Worst - NH 83 beyond Sanchi is misery



We get up early and plan to go to city for a Poha – Jalebi breakfast. We hire an auto rickshaw. It is Navaratri morning we see women folk thronging the temples. I had read somewhere that Sharma’s in old city is one of the best for Poha-jalebis and ask the driver to take us there. Poha is ready and Sharmaji is busy preparing Kachoris and Jalebis. There is already a crowd in front of the shop.

In front of Sharmaji's shop



Sharmaji ready to serve



We order Poha followed by Kachoris and jalebis. Poha prepared here is similar to what we in Karnataka call “Avalakki Oggarane”. The Poha used here is thin unlike the thick ones we use here. It is also tangy as there is dash of lemon on that. No coconut of course. It is soft and tasty. Hot jalebis are yummy and go very well with Poha and kachoris. The auto guy takes us to another place making Suleimani chai and we wash poha with glass of Suleimani chai.

Energised, now we are on the whirlwind tour of the famous mosques of Bhopal – Taj- ul - Masjid and Moti Masjid. Of the two, Taj looks beautiful with its minarets towering high in the sky. Located next to Chota Talab, the waters of the lake adds to the beauty of the mosque. It is one of the largest mosques in Asia. Moti Masjid is smaller and located in the city is smaller than Taj but is a charming mosque looking similar to the Jumma Masjid of Delhi. The colors look very harmonious and lovely.

Taj -ul -Masjid as seen from the banks of Chota Talab



Taj -ul -masjid - zoomed shot



Moti Masjid


I am not going into details as this can be got from Wiki link here. What is interesting to know is Bhopal was ruled by women for two centuries and they were visionaries and did lot of good to the city. This mosque was the vision of Sultan Shah Jahan, Begum of Bhopal.

A wiki link on the msajid
Taj-ul-Masajid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A quick tour of the city – we still missed out many like Bharat Bhavan, Anthropological museum, and boat ride in the lake – we were back in the hotel to check out and move to Bhojpur, our next stop.

Ever since I read about Bhojpur and the massive unfinished temple with tallest Shiva Ling in the world, I am excited to see the place. The road to Bhojpur is good and we reach the place in an hour. The Bhojpur road seems to be the favourite of founders of private engineering colleges as we see more than four of them. The traffic in the city is manageable at 10 AM and we cross Betwa river to reach Bhojpur at 11 AM. We did expect crowds due to Navaratri but there is hardly any except for a bunch of kids from a local school in Bhopal.

The Betwa river



The first sight of the temple tells you what to expect – the massiveness. You won’t get disappointed when you go closer. Our jaws drop when we see the massive Shiva linga on a large platform. It is really tall. Bhojeshvara temple built by Raja Bhoja in 11th century could have been the largest temple had it been completed. It houses the tallest Shiva Linga in the world – taller than the one in Brihadeeshwara temple in Tanjavur. The incomplete dome could have been the largest and is supported by four massive pillars. The main entrance is embellished with exquisite sculptures of Yakshis. The side walls have intricately carved balconies.

The temple from distance


The massiveness hits you as you come close


Temple entrance - notice the height!


Lord Bhojeshwara


Tallest Shiva Ling in the world!! Notice the massive pillars in the background to support the dome of the temple


Yakshis on the entrance walls


For more on Bhojeshwara temple here is the link.
Bhojpur, Madhya Pradesh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From Bhojpur we proceed towards Sanchi. We drop the idea of going to Bhimbetka Rock Shelters as it would have taken us another one and half hours. We had planned to reach Chattarpur by evening and had to skip Bhimbetka.

We take the road via Chiklod kalan to reach Raisen and onwards to Sanchi. Google map and map my India again ditch us and we ask locals for directions. As we reach the Bhojpur road – Bhopal road junction, we turn right towards Chiklod Kalan. The first ten KMs is a horrible drive on a potholed road. Our misery end when we near Chiklod Kalan after which the road is excellent and we pass through some of the pristine forests and small lakes of MP to join NH 86 before Raisen. Sanchi is at a distance of 22 KMs from Raisen.

Hers is the Wikimap of the route taken



The Buddhist monuments of Sanchi are a World heritage site. Spread over a small hillock, it has stupas, remains of monasteries and temples. Being a weekday afternoon, first thing we notice is that the place is calm and peaceful. An odd tourist from Korea is the only one we see. We start exploring the monuments built by Ashoka in 3rd century BC. Let me take yu through a pictorial tour of the place.

Panoramic view of Stupa 1



Stupa 1 flanked by North and South thoranas. Thoranas are beautifully decorated with sculptures and depicts life stories of Buddha and Jatakas.


Stupa 1 from West thorana



Deatails trapeze of sculptures on thoranas are given in these to help vsitors identify and understand them


North Thorana - Stupa 1 - A pristine beauty!!


Shilabhanjikas on the thoranas


Buddha preaching Sakhyas in Nyagrodharma. Buddha is not depicted in life form anywhere in these as it was a later development.


Dwarapalas


Royal procession


Four drives that Buddha as Gautama


West thorana


Well preserved monastery 51


Stupa No 7



Dwarfs on thorana - each one has different expressions on their face!!


Temple ruins



Temple 18


For more details of on Sanchi here is the Wiki link.
Sanchi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sanchi exploration continues.......

[phamilyman]

sir ji,

god level fundoo pictures - the quality is very good but they tell a story very well. and love your KHAU-LOGUES

btw, i rode via maheshwar in sept 05 but finding it (yet another) town I proceeded onward to Mandu which was my destination for the day (had been riding from Indore to Omkareshwar then to Mandu via Dhamnod - the road was a moonscape around Dhamnod & Mandu ghat in those days!!)

[creative420]

Fauji sir and other BHPians...whenever you go to Bhopal please do visit Manav Sanghralaya (Museum of Mankind). It'll take some good 4-5 hours to cover the entire 500acre+ site, but it's awesome.

Welcome to Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya

It's India packed in one big space. And don't be afraid if you hear tigers or leopards roaring from the other side of the wall

[gajadonga]

Nice travelogue and some good pictures.
One of the pictures taken in the night The evening street food scene
there are lot of dots in the picture.
Even I get this kind of images while clicking in the dark any reason?

Originally Posted by gajadonga

there are lot of dots in the picture. Even I get this kind of images while clicking in the dark any reason?

They are dust particles deposited on the camera lens. Clean the lens and they won't be there.

[hvkumar]

Why did you not take the direct Bhopal-Vidisha road to go to Sanchi (instead of via Raisen?).

The less said abut Navigator devices in India, the better. After all, Navigators are not meant to find just Pizza Huts and McDs in city roads!

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by bilalsyed

Would love to see the pics from Lucknow if available (as u mentioned it in your plan) My mouth is watering since i saw the gulab jamuns in one of your pics

Thanks Bilal. Yes, you will see some nice pictures of Lucknow when we reach there.....both of Nawabi Lucknow and Mayavati lucknow!! In fact Mayavati Lucknow is amazing.

Originally Posted by nanduchitnis

Magnificient triplog. Not just a trip log but a text book for travellers.

As regards to ARMY STICKER, which helped you at Shirdi, your ID card must have also helped at Toll Nakas. I have always been exempted from paying toll during my travels.

One request: What did you pay at the variuos fancy hotels that you stayed in?

Regards

Nandu Chitnis

Nandu Sir, Thanks for your kind words. To tell you frankly i had never used my Army ID at any toll on earlier trips. Even in this trip, i was goaded by the guide in Varanasi who asked me to use it and not pay toll and it worked!!! Only after that i have started using the ID. I was sceptical when i reached the borders of Karnataka. But it worked too. Lastly my wife asked me to try on NICE road in Bangalore and i did. It worked!!! Now i can say i drive on "Toll free" roads!!

I will share the details of the hotels and rates.

Originally Posted by ku69rd

For sure and it goes without saying all your threads are closely followed by me.

Thanks Mahesh.

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

Lovely Travelogue Fauji sir!!! I'm sure I can use your travelogues as a reference if and when I do my trip up north. Still waiting for the rest to come up

For those who don't know Vidhyarthi Bhavan is famous for its dosas

Thanks Addy. What can i say about these guys' ignorance?

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Fauji Sir,
Next time you hit Davangere do try the Gururaj Benne Dose Kendra, he makes them very good.

On next trip definitely!!

Originally Posted by phamilyman

sir ji,

god level fundoo pictures - the quality is very good but they tell a story very well. and love your KHAU-LOGUES

btw, i rode via maheshwar in sept 05 but finding it (yet another) town I proceeded onward to Mandu which was my destination for the day (had been riding from Indore to Omkareshwar then to Mandu via Dhamnod - the road was a moonscape around Dhamnod & Mandu ghat in those days!!)

Thanks Phamilyman. Yeah, a TL should also be a KL as well Otherwise there is no fun.

You bet. The ghat road is still moonscape and imagine driving on that on new moon - amavasya - night. It was nightmare. But the road is very scenic after rains.

Originally Posted by creative420

Fauji sir and other BHPians...whenever you go to Bhopal please do visit Manav Sanghralaya (Museum of Mankind). It'll take some good 4-5 hours to cover the entire 500acre+ site, but it's awesome.

Thanks creative420. I mentioned about missing out this place. Next time perhaps

Originally Posted by gajadonga

Nice travelogue and some good pictures.
One of the pictures taken in the night The evening street food scene
there are lot of dots in the picture.
Even I get this kind of images while clicking in the dark any reason?

Thanks Gajadonga. I need to get the lens cleaned as Ravi mentions below.

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

They are dust particles deposited on the camera lens. Clean the lens and they won't be there.

Thanks Ravi. We enjoyed your Linea trip to Leh!!

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Why did you not take the direct Bhopal-Vidisha road to go to Sanchi (instead of via Raisen?).

The less said abut Navigator devices in India, the better. After all, Navigators are not meant to find just Pizza Huts and McDs in city roads!

Yes sir. That was another option. But we did not want to come to city after Bhojpur. Looking back, i think it is a better option as the road from Bhopal to Sanchi is good. It has to be good, otherwsie Sanchi will lose "World heritage" tag!!

[bilalsyed]

Originally Posted by Fauji

Thanks Bilal. Yes, you will see some nice pictures of Lucknow when we reach there.....both of Nawabi Lucknow and Mayavati lucknow!! In fact Mayavati Lucknow is amazing.

Indeed sir. I am a lucknowite but here in chennai :( I'd have loved to show you around this magnificent city also called Shiraz-e-Hind.

Mayawati lucknow Is great ! but the old Lucknow food is ooh-la-la ! please Do visit my school La Martiniere College, Lucknow if you get time. Its the only school in India with battle honors given by the Queen herself.

and yes "Muskuraiye Kyunki aap lucknow mein hain"