[sdp1975]

The Jami Masjid is a splendid work of architecture.











Behind the Jami masjid, is the tomb of Hoshang Shah. It was undergoing renovation.





Pillars inside Jami masjid.



Our next destination was the Jahaz and the Hindola Mahals. The Jahaz Mahal is built between 2 artificial lakes - one of them had dried up when we visited. It gives the impression of being a ship - hence the name.



Stairs leading to the topmost floor.







This building houses an ASI office and museum.



The Kapur tank, this one did have water in it.



A dome at the end of the Jahaz Mahal.



The Hindola Mahal is located behind the Jahaz Mahal. Looks beautiful.







Some ruins behind the Hindola Mahal.



Views of Jahaz Mahal from Hindola Mahal side.





We had lunch at the MPTDC hotel opposite to Jahaz Mahal. I didn't want to take the route from Mandav to Palash because of the bad road conditions. We instead drove towards Dhar and took a U-turn onto SH 31. SH31 gave us a beautiful view of the Vindhyachal mountains . The road was barren and there were hardly any vehicles till Gujri. The road condition wasn't great , but better than the Palash-Mandav road. It took us over an hour to meet NH3 and we made it to Dhule at around 7 pm where we checked into a hotel.

[sdp1975]

Trimbakeshwar was not in our plan originally but an impromptu visit. We started from Dhule at around 7 am and decided to visit Trimbakeshwar. Trimbakeshwar , located in Maharashtra , is another Jyotirling. We crossed the Nashik flyover and then took the Talegaon road towards Trimbak. This was a 2 lane road was in good condition, route map below.



Road towards the temple from the parking lot.



Temple at the end of the road.



A closer view of the temple.



Mobiles and cameras are not allowed inside the temple. There are numerous shops that keep mobiles and cameras for Rs 5/-. We deposited our stuff and entered the temple. The queue was relatively short, and the wait time in the queue was about half an hour. We had a good darshan and left the temple.

Our next visit was to Gangadwar , supposedly the source of Godavari. One has to climb 750 steps to reach Gangadwar. Brahmigiri is another trek beyond Gangadwar that we did not attempt.

A kund on the way to Gangadwar.



The beginning of the stairs.



View of the hills from the stairs.



The climb wasn't easy for sure. We stopped at least 5 times , had plenty of nimbu paani from the stalls on the sides. Eventually after a 1 hour climb, we reached the temple at Gangadwar.





We did puja at the temple and proceeded to Goraknath cave temple opposite to Gangadwar. Stairs again ! Towards the right was a free fall - no railings .



Entry to the cave.





The return path.



We had lunch at Triambak and then started for Pune via Mumbai. We reached Hinjewadi at around 8 pm and checked into our hotel , had dinner and crashed in bed.

[sdp1975]

The next day was our return home. We started after having breakfast , had several breaks on the way , and reached Bangalore somewhat late at around 1 am.

Inspite of the heat , we enjoyed every moment of our journey. Food at the Dhabas was really wonderful. On the morning of our Mandav visit , we had poha , kachoris , jalebis and tea at a dhaba on NH3 for less than 80 bucks ! Absolutely fresh and tasty .

We visited 3 jyotirlingas and 3 important rivers - the Narmada , the Betwa and the Kshipra. I tried to keep count of the number of times we crossed the Narmada but I lost track.

Roads in MP are excellent throughout. The only bad stretches I encountered were from Panna ( Madla Gate ) to Khajuraho and from Palash to Mandav.

Approximate trip expenses :

Fuel : 11K
Hotel : 27K
Jeep and Guide for Safari : 2.5K
Toll : 4K
Shopping : 7K
Food and other misc : 10 K

Total : 62 K.

Thanks for reading . I hope my travelogue provides some insights on the beautiful state of MP , and encourages some of you to travel there as well.

[Aditya]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[ampere]

Brilliantly composed. Lots of places and very well documented as well! Besides the logs on the forum, any other source that you used to plan? That would be good to know. MP is on my list of plans too.

[sdp1975]

Originally Posted by ampere

Brilliantly composed. Lots of places and very well documented as well! Besides the logs on the forum, any other source that you used to plan? That would be good to know. MP is on my list of plans too.

I used the MPTDC website for places to visit. I'm also part of the HVK Facebook forum, and I discussed my route plan and itinerary with forum members.

Some places that were left out this time were Panchmarhi , Chitrakoot , Amarkantak , Chanderi and Bhimbetka and I plan to cover them in another trip.

If planning on the wildlife sanctuaries , do note that booking tickets well in advance is necessary for Pench and Bandhavgarh. The rush in Panna is relatively less and one can walk in on most days.

[vinitbhavi]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

I used the MPTDC website for places to visit. I'm also part of the HVK Facebook forum, and I discussed my route plan and itinerary with forum members.



Some places that were left out this time were Panchmarhi , Chitrakoot , Amarkantak , Chanderi and Bhimbetka and I plan to cover them in another trip.



If planning on the wildlife sanctuaries , do note that booking tickets well in advance is necessary for Pench and Bandhavgarh. The rush in Panna is relatively less and one can walk in on most days.

An absolutely wonderful travelogue and beautiful crisp pictures. Rated it at the 5 stars it deserves.It's fascinating to see the diversity in our country. I have twin boys of 11 months and will look forward to reading more of your posts about your travel experiences with them. What is the youngest at which you took them on a road trip. Mine were 3 months during our Mumbai -Lonavala - Mumbai run. Plan to drive all over so wondering what is the best age to start taking them long distance.

[sdp1975]

Originally Posted by vinitbhavi

What is the youngest at which you took them on a road trip.

The first trip was to Tirupati when they were about 8 months old. The second was the Bangalore-Rameshwaram-Kanyakumari trip when they were 1 yr and 8 months. The third long drive was from Bangalore-Kolkata when they were short of 3 years.

The younger they are , the easier it is for them to adjust to long drives. Recently , I've seen them becoming impatient at times and asking " When will we reach our destination ? " . Maybe they aren't that young anymore.

Here they are at the Sanchi stupa.

[PearlJam]

Hi sdp1975, excellent travelogue!

One question: Is MP safe in general to travel with family? Did you follow any specific guidelines other than the general "do not travel after dark"? Thanks!

[sdp1975]

Originally Posted by PearlJam

Hi sdp1975, excellent travelogue!

One question: Is MP safe in general to travel with family? Did you follow any specific guidelines other than the general "do not travel after dark"? Thanks!

MP is extremely safe for travel. Gone are the days of the Chambal dakus riding their horses through ravines. I drove through desolate roads , albeit in the daytime, without any problems whatsoever.

There was excellent police presence in most places we visited - one reason was the Kumbh though. They were friendly and helpful. The state government has been pushing tourism as a revenue generator. We felt welcome everywhere we went. One doesn't have to worry about safety while visiting MP.

[SDP]

sdp1975,

Excellent travelogue! Just the right amount of detail. I love travelogues which give some insight into a new place, but don't cover every inch of the place. If every artifact in a museum is already covered in a travelogue, what would I see there that would excite me? What helps me in my travel are glimpses of places to visit, the route information and the travel time details. MP has definitely been on the cards for a couple of years now. Your log would definitely help me.

Thanks again
sdp1973

[agd19682]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

Some places that were left out this time were Panchmarhi , Chitrakoot , Amarkantak , Chanderi and Bhimbetka and I plan to cover them in another trip.

Dude, you left out visiting a hill station (Pachmari) during the summer. BTW, I really admire your courage to visit MP during the summer season; I belong to Jabalpur myself, but trust me, we avoid being there during this time of the year.

Also, really splendid description of all the places. It brought back all the memories I had of these places.

[LoneRidder]

Lovely writing. I loved the modesty and references (in the left see a bridge, in right see a temple.

This would help in great deal to plan a trip to MP!

[pramodpk]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

T
Thanks for reading . I hope my travelogue provides some insights on the beautiful state of MP , and encourages some of you to travel there as well.

Excellent travelogue backed with wonderful pictures. Definitely will be of great help if I plan a trip to MP.

When was your last drive to Kolkata?

[sdp1975]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

When was your last drive to Kolkata?

I've driven only once to Kolkata - my home town - in October 2013.

This year I may do it once again. The roads have improved in some stretches.

Train fares have also kept going up - making the cost of road and train travel almost same. Plus , of course , the driving pleasure and the flexibility I get while taking my car .