[ramkya1]

Originally Posted by prmd_cochin

I must admit that i never thought MP is so amazing. I knew it had good forests , but nothing like what i have seen in this thread. Especially the pandav caves.

I think MP is a treasure house waiting to be discovered; there are places in MP like the Patalkoat, Madai Chowk which I heard are great, thouggh I could not visit. Access is difficult even today, not many people have even heard of them.

The best I liked were the Ridgegarh at Panchmarhi and Pandav Caves; never expected something like that and would charm the soul.

You should see them sometimes,

--Ramky
======

[SS-Traveller]

Hi Ramky: Beautiful travelogue of yours through MP, just reminded us of our own trip there in December 2007. Just wanted to share some pics of ours taken during that trip, covering
Khajuraho (Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India pictures from india photos on webshots),
Panna & Bandhavgarh (Wildlife in Madhya Pradesh, India - Bandhavgarh & Panna National Parks pictures from india photos on webshots),
Bheraghat (Bheraghat (Jabalpur), Madhya Pradesh, India pictures, photos, and videos, from india on webshots),
Orchha (Orchha, Madhya Pradesh, India pictures from india photos on webshots) and
Gwalior (Gwalior Fort, Madhya Pradesh, India pictures from india photos on webshots) . Wasn't a member of T-BHP then, so my pictorial travelogues ended up on that site. In fact, you'll also find some pics of us wandering through Gujarat , esp. places unheard of by a lot of Gujarati friends too!!! (Pirotan Island, Jamnagar pictures from india photos on webshots)

[sidd25]

I belong to MP. These pics Just remind me of the places I had fun, with my friends and familiy. Excellent Travelogue ramkya.

[hvkumar]

Some quick updates on road conditions:

I was in Kajuraho in Jan 2010.

The Jhansi-Chhatarpur-Bamita-Kajuraho road is fantastic. The bad sections mentioned by Ramkya1 between Chhatarpur and Bamita are history.

The most pleasant surprise is that you don't have to go the roundabout route to Jabalpur via Satna or Nagod. You can go direct to Katni (on NH7, en route Jabalpur) from Panna via Amanganj and Shahnagar, which is now a spectacular new road going through some great jungles.

NH7 is now in very good condition between Katni and Jabalpur.

And the other news is that on NH86 between Bhopal and Indore, 4-laning is almost complete.

MP is going places under the present Government, never seen such great roads in MP ever in the last 15 years I have driven in that region.

[samarjitdhar]

Originally Posted by ramkya1

Now some real pictures of the tiger sightings..... some of them are a little shakey, 2 of them very clear...... here goes......

Fantastic travelogue, had to hunt it out in TBHP for my own needs. I myself am planning to touch some of the points you have covered, the focal point being Bandhavgarh. I had a few questions though the information now can be dated this being 2011, 3 years from when you did your amazing trip

1. From Jabalpur to Bandhavgarh is there any way State Highways 22 and 11 could be used? In what condition are they? Would you have any idea of the condition of NH7 and NH78 as of now?

2. I do understand that only 4X4 vehicles are allowed through the gates after procuring the entry tickets and paying for the guides. But how about other vehicles going to the resorts? Are there any restrictions on driving your own personal cars to the resorts where you are going to stay?

3. While traveling from Bandhavgarh to Khajuraho there is another road from Maihar which goes right through Panna National Park. Would you have any idea about this road and what condition is this in? Would it advisable for a car to be driven along this road?

Appreciate if you could respond as early as possible.

[samarjitdhar]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Some quick updates on road conditions:

I was in Kajuraho in Jan 2010.

The Jhansi-Chhatarpur-Bamita-Kajuraho road is fantastic. The bad sections mentioned by Ramkya1 between Chhatarpur and Bamita are history.

The most pleasant surprise is that you don't have to go the roundabout route to Jabalpur via Satna or Nagod. You can go direct to Katni (on NH7, en route Jabalpur) from Panna via Amanganj and Shahnagar, which is now a spectacular new road going through some great jungles.

NH7 is now in very good condition between Katni and Jabalpur.

And the other news is that on NH86 between Bhopal and Indore, 4-laning is almost complete.

MP is going places under the present Government, never seen such great roads in MP ever in the last 15 years I have driven in that region.

Thanks for this insight. Though dated, what would be the condition be NH78. I am planning a trip from Kolkata->Varanasi->Bandhavgarh->Khajuraho then back via Varanasi. While the Kolkata-Varanasi is more or less decided, I am trying to figure out the best route from Varanasi to Bandhavgarh. I think you have already suggested is to use NH2 and then NH27, NH7. Since you mentioned NH7 is in good shape, would it be prudent to take NH7 all the way from Varanasi? Please advise.

[hvkumar]

Varanasi-Rewa road was in a bad shape lately, so it may not be a bad idea to continue on NH2 till Allahabad and take Allahabad-Rewa instead which is mostly good. May be longer but will be faster.

FRom Rewa, continue on NH7 till Maihar, then go to Umariya to go to Bandhavgarh. This road is good.

If you want to go onto Jabalpur, go from Umariya via Dindori, avoiding the NH.

To go to Khajuraho, you can go from Maihar to Panna, which is good road. If you want to go via Katni, then the Amanganj-Panna road is also good.