[pravdr]

dear teambhpians central india lovers and those who havent been there.

some details of the trip

total kms covered 2287

newhondacity 2006 had done 90000kms already

tyres bridgestone potenza g3 had done 15000kms already

duration 9 days

1 mumbai maheshwar
2 maheshwar omkareshwar maheshwar
3 maheshwar sanchi
4 sanchi vidisha udaigiri sanchi
5 sanchi bhojpur bhimbetka
6 bhimbetka ujjain
7 ujjain mandu
8 mandu
9 mandu mumbai

weather perfect
some rain till igatpuri
no rain over central india it had just stopped so it was lush green everywhere
rains at igatpuri again when entering mumbai

it was my second foray into mp which i think is one of the most incredible tourist destinations.

[pravdr]

day began early with loading luggage into the boot.after a round of tea we were ready to move.

5.34am started on our wonderful sojourn which would take us deep into the heart of incredible india.

the nh3 was still being made into a 4 laned highway. work at many places is complete what requires completion is the bridges and culverts across waterbodies where work is held up.

after shahpur the black ribbon suddenly expands like a runway before you.as you take off the sections in kasara ghat appear to be childs play with excellent roads.huge unopened petrol pumps coming up auagur well.

we passed by the manas resort which was as usual enveloped in fog.after passing manas a a beautiful dawn brightened up a clear sky. with that whatever smattering of rain we experienced was left behind and a clear sky beckoned a beautiful day ahead.

we stopped after igatpuri at hp outlet to fill up.

20 kms before nasik the two laning stops and frustration starts as this section which is quite narrow for overtaking leads to dull crawls.

reached nasik at 7.45am time taken was 2 hours 11 mins.

stopped at sai restaurant at nasik for some ordinary fare of idlis and south indian fare.this place has deterioriated but at this early hour being in an industrial area junction opens early.

started from nasik at 8.34am huge flyovers coming up in nasik city made our progress slow for 20 kms till we left nasik city limits at pimpalgaon.

here at pimpalgaon begins a dream stretch right upto dhule.a lane separated highway with sparse traffic with huge flyovers bypassing the mess that is malegaon.

hit sppeds upto 160kmph with most of the stretches covered between 100-120kmph

arrived in dhule at 10.45am time taken 2 hours 11 mins

in conclusion driving time from mumbai to dhule was 306kms driving time 4 hours 22mins.

we stopped at dhule at hotel residency restaurant chitchat.

the toilet facilities are basic but ladies are allowed to use good restrooms in main hotel.

we were informed we are too early for lunch so we had to settle for breakfast items of idli dosa again but some poha potato chips and sabudana khichdi saved the day.

we started from dhule at 11.45am

dhule town flyover bypasses most of dhule and railway crossing which was a major bugbear before.

the 4 laning is in various stages of completion at some stages work has not begun.

progress was ok till nardana therafter a toll road till shirpur makes driving a bit easy but remember it is not lane separated as yet.

nh3 is a freight road now i know why our pm is harping on dedicated freight corridor between newdelhi and mumbai.

trucks trailers tankers multiaxle vehicles hold sway here it is their territory

[akbaree]

Wow pravdr! That itinerary looks awesome. I had been to Maheshwar and loved it. Couldn't go to Mandu. Eagerly waiting for snaps from Mandu.

Did you go to Parshuram ashram (somewhere on a hill between Maheshwar and Mandu)?

[Wanderer78]

That looks like a great itinerary. Looking forward to more details and pics.

[pravdr]

We crossed tapi river at shirpur where nmims has a new campus we were amazed by its location just on the banks of tapi river.

the nh3 in this areas is completed in sections but more or less progress was on ordinary nonlane separated roads till palasner.

palasner is the last town on maharashtra mp border. from palasner you proceed towards the vindhya mountains. the progress is a gradual ascent all the way till the foothills of vindhyas. your ears pop as you reach the base of sendhwa ghat.

at this point you enter madhya pradesh. at this point you have a vindhyavasini mandir perched atop a hillock.

the bor ghat is reduced to a rubble. huge jcb machines have worked day and night to cut a two laned path through this once formidable ghat which had one or two really dangerous bends. now you zip through the borghat. with one final burst you ascend over a shoulder and you are free!!!!you are on the plains of malwa 1000m above the maharshtra plains.

after borghat progress towards sendhwa was rapid huge tracts of nh3 lane separated are ready waiting to be opened some sections are opened.
most of the nh3 after sendhwa is completed.

work is stuck wherever there are river crossings overbridges or culverts/bypasses.a dream section bypassing sendhwa is all ready but not yet opened.

it would be a dream to bypass sendhwa which always has been painful to pass through. it was no different this time around we took almost 45 mins to cross it and we thought we were quick.

picture guide

1 after shirpur the right turn to chopda will be bypassed by a nh3 overbridge
2 palasner last town in maharashtra
3 saw tens of dozens of these tata chassis trucks were from palampur? can someone tell where they were going?to mumbai perhaps
4 you cant touch this but can pass it with respect huge car containers booming auto demand!!!
5 gradual ascent to borghat
6 vindhyas in view beyond lies the malwa plateau
7 borghat reduced to a rubble
8 borghat also known as traffic jam ghat will be a thing of the past
9 huge sections of vindhyas have been cut old teambhpians will fume at reducing this challenge to a 15 minute two lane highway
10 last section before we cross the hump and we are on malwa plateau
11 jcb machine being given piggyback thro borghat
12 overtaking jcb note the road is still like leh ladakh dust but see the curve
13 across the vindhyas onto malwa
14 remeber the old road? some sections still not touched

[pravdr]

we speeded upto sendhwa fully knowing what lay in wait for us. alog the way at one point traffic was allowed to proceed in turns as a major bridge is under completion here.

just before sendhwa we saw a dream a dream which indians have waited long enough. A BEAUTIFUL BYPASS TO THE MESS THAT IS SENDHWA!!!! lane separated black ribbons with fresh paint. hold your horses yet not opened for use!!!!!

we crawled into sendhwa were struck by the fact that still more development has happened here than in 2008 modern houses new govt buildings but same old roads. we crawled honked did some mooncrater driving and left the clutches of sendhwa. however let me tell you this town allows you sights of semirural india and its economy like nothing else.you come to know how rural india runs here.

we left sendhwa to be greeted by a new nh3 with beautifuil straight sections with 2 stoppages where traffic was being regulated on offroading roads becuase bridges were under completion

we speeded towards thikri just before thikri is shrikrishna dhaba we halted here for some tea in hot afternoon sun i have really not understood why indians as a whole want to have tea in the hot afternoons. the dhaba is good but no good toilets only shabby ones.actually we could have proceeded to maheshwar and reached ina record time but afternoon tea is what indians dont give a miss!!!!!

we left shrikrishan dhaba at 15.23 pm we were closing onto khalghat the town before narmada river.
the roads were good and almost all bypasses were ready. so in future you will be missing all these quaint towns with their beautiful bazaars.

picture guide
1 we are on top!!! sendhwa entry sendhwa is first town in mp and is on the edge of malwa plateau
2 love to hate sendhwa
3 traffic jam town sendhwa
4 rural india rules here
5 sendhwa fort can anyone tell me its significance?
6 why do you teambhpians want top reach everywhere so fast dont you have time for a bullock cart ride?
7 aapki yatra mangalmay ho says a teaser board at end of rocking sendhwa
8 shape of things to come promises a lane bifurcated road
9 some unfinished work slows you down no gain without pain
10 THIS IS IT yes we want such good roads but with proper markings this road looks ink black at night

[pravdr]

we left shrikrishna dhaba and proceeded to khalghat narmada crossing and into dhamnod

1 traffic was regulated at many points where bridge work is getting completed
2 some good sections
3 some bad but none ugly
4 bridge across narmada the bypass will go over this
5 we are crossing the holy narmada at khalghat
6 big bad boys group together at a toll gate mind you cars on this sections are a rarity its a FREIGHT CORRIDOR
7 PAY THE TOLL and you will get this dream run upto indore
8 we enter dhamnod from the nh3 bypass
9 10 11 12 have u seen dhamnod deserted after the bypass the streets of dhamnod look pretty wide this used to be choc a bloc with traffic two years ago. now the traffic moves smoothly along nh3
13 right turn to maheshwar

[TaureanBull]

A nice beginning and built up. I would suggest to you if you can put the captions with the picture then it would be better. Reading becomes easier.

Were you travelling alone? Just curious. I dont recollect you mentioning anything abt it anywhere.

[pravdr]

Originally Posted by akbaree

Wow pravdr! That itinerary looks awesome. I had been to Maheshwar and loved it. Couldn't go to Mandu. Eagerly waiting for snaps from Mandu.

@ akbaree well there are marvels gems and diamonds before the kohinoor mandu

Did you go to Parshuram ashram (somewhere on a hill between Maheshwar and Mandu)?

@ ive read about it somewhere but i have not visited this place neither did i spot it if you come across any info please tell me about it.

Originally Posted by Wanderer78

That looks like a great itinerary. Looking forward to more details and pics.

@ wanderer thanks

Originally Posted by TaureanBull

A nice beginning and built up. I would suggest to you if you can put the captions with the picture then it would be better. Reading becomes easier.

Were you travelling alone? Just curious. I dont recollect you mentioning anything abt it anywhere.

@ taureanbull i was with my family two parents brother and his wife and me 5 people with a full boot of luggage

i will take ur advise and post my next pics with captions

[MX6]

Wow, I missed seeing all these places, as I was driving in the night. All I remember was crossing the Palasner in dying lights. Then it was a mad rush to Indore for stay. Changed my plan of taking off to Omkareshwar from Dhamnod and ended up in Indore instead. In Day time, it does look impressive. But the traffic looks the same awful here as well.

[hvkumar]

Thanks for the update, pravdr.
MP roads have seen tremendous improvements in the last 2 years and the 4-laning till Indore will make a mjor difference to travel in this part of India.
What is impressive is that none of the roads have cracked up under the rains this season.

[pravdr]

Originally Posted by MX6

Wow, I missed seeing all these places, as I was driving in the night. All I remember was crossing the Palasner in dying lights. Then it was a mad rush to Indore for stay. Changed my plan of taking off to Omkareshwar from Dhamnod and ended up in Indore instead. In Day time, it does look impressive. But the traffic looks the same awful here as well.

@ mx6 there is a mpstdc tourist lodge at khalghat in good condition
you can always stay at maheshwar narmada retreat mpstdc which is excellent.in case you are in itinerary to reach indore

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Thanks for the update, pravdr.
MP roads have seen tremendous improvements in the last 2 years and the 4-laning till Indore will make a mjor difference to travel in this part of India.
What is impressive is that none of the roads have cracked up under the rains this season.

@ hv sir i will keep updating as this stretch is a bit less travelled it is a complete freight corridor with very few tourist vehicles so no amenities on the way except for dhabas.the roads have held remarkably well but the new nh3 has a better drainage too so lesser potholes. 2 sections of nh3 where i touched 160kmph were the dhule nasik and the dhamnod indore section.when completed indore will be accessible in 8-9 hours

[pravdr]

as seen in the last pic we took a right turn for maheshwar. as compared to 2008 the road was beautifully laid. we passed through the town bazaar which was less lively this time in fact whole dhamnod wore a ghostly look as the traffic now flows on the bypass and only a few vehicles are sen in dhamnod.

few pics of the beautiful road upto maheshwar at maheshwar you take a right turn to go towards narmada retreat run by mpstdc which is at the very end of the right turn.last pic shows the gate of narmada retreat

we reached at 16.15pm 510kms total time including halts 10 hours 41 mins

driving time 8 hours 28 mins avg spped apprx 60kms/hr

[pravdr]

wonderful resort on the banks of narmada peaceful quiet and with narmada flowing post monsoon in full glory it was a sheer magic a few pics of the wonderful place

[MileCruncher]

Good travelogue. I have been to MP a few times and it does have a vast historical treasure. And MPTDC resorts are good to stay too. I'm also looking forward to Bhimbetka as I had stayed at the Highway Retreat last year but couldn't go the caves due to paucity of time.


P.S: As already mentioned by Taureanbull, you can caption each picture in a post rather rather than doing multiple post. Once you have uploaded all the pictures, just click the attachment sign and a drop down will come. Click "Attach All" and then you can write caption with each picture. Hope it helps.