Pali to

15.04.09 7.50am start

24. PALI Ashta Vinayaka Temple

Ganesha is believed to have saved his boy-devotee, Ballala, who was beaten by local villagers and his father (Kalyani-seth) for his single-minded devotion to him.

The original wooden temple was reconstructed in to a stone temple by Nana Phadanavis in 1760. There are two small lakes constructed on two sides of the temple. One of them is reserved for the puja (worship) of the Deity.

25. MATHERAN Hill Station

Matheran has been declared an eco sensitive region by the Union Environment Ministry and can be called a Health Sanatorium in itself. The only form of automobile allowed in Matheran is an ambulance operated by the Municipality. No private automobiles are allowed. Within Matheran, transport facilities available are horses and hand-pulled rickshaws.

There are a lot of Parsi bungalows. Beautiful old British-style architecture is preserved in Matheran. The roads are not metalled and are made of red laterite earth. There are altogether 28 points, 2 lakes, 2 parks, 4 major worship places and a racecourse to visit inside Matheran. If you want to see all of them then you may need 2-3 days on your feet. One can move around on foot or horseback, but it is recommended moving on feet to take the best glimpse of nature. If you are on Horse back you may not be able to spend your desired time on the points.

6.00pm 28352km halt at Mumbai 185 kms

26. MUMBAI

16.04.09 Mumbai sight seeing including ELEPHANTA Caves
17.04.09 Mumbai sight seeing including PAGODA Buddha Mandir
18.04.09 Mumbai sight seeing including Shopping

The Elephanta Caves are a great tourist attraction in the vicinity of the large Mumbai metropolis. The Elephanta Island is located 10 km away from the Gateway of India at Mumbai. These caves house rock cut temples dating back to the 5th century BC. These rock cut temples dedicated to Shiva Mahadeva are rich in sculptural content.

Carving out rock, and creating the columns, the internal spaces and the images created this rock cut temples. The entire temple is akin to a huge sculpture, through whose corridors and chambers one can walk. The entire complex was created through a process of rock removal. Some of the rock surfaces are highly finished while some are untreated bare rock.

The PAGODA or the Buddha Mandir is a new landmark coming up near Mumbai. It is adjacent to Essel World. We were not interested in seeing Essel world as such amusement parks are there in almost every city. However the PAGODA is a pagoda and there is no comparision to it. It is still under construction, but don’t miss it when you visit Mumbai. More information on this can be had from Internet.

Mumbai is situated on an island - Salcette Island. Mumbai originally was a cluster of seven separate islands, and the southernmost island was called Old Woman’s Island. It took 60 years to merge the seven islands of Bombay into one landmass between 1784 and 1845. The name Bombay was derived from Bom Bahia (The Good Bay), a name given by Portuguese sailor Francis Almeida, in 1508.

The wooden pole in the centre of the Banganga Tank in Mumbai signifies the centre of the earth. Legend has it that Lord Ram created the tank by piercing the earth with his arrow.

The Lumiere brothers introduced Motion Pictures to India with six soundless short films at Bombay’s Watson’s Hotel in 1896. Mahatma Gandhi began his political career in Mumbai in 1915 after returning from South Africa.

In 1995, Nariman Point had the highest land price in the world. Mumbai has 3 lakes - Tulsi, Powai, Vihar, 3 rivers - Mithi (Mahim), Dahisar, Oshiwara and 4 forts - Sewree, Bandra, and Mahim & Worli. Tallest building in India, The Shreepati Arcade (45 floors) is in Bombay.

Mahalaxmi Temple: The Mahalaxmi Temple in Mumbai is a popular holy site as Mahalaxmi is the goddess of wealth. It is situated at one end of Breach Candy. Named for Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, and her consort Lord Vishnu, this shrine is the focus of Navratri celebrations (when devoted Hindus offer gifts to gods and goddesses).

Siddhi Vinayak Temple: Located in the Prabha Devi area of Mumbai, this popular temple dedicated to Ganesh was rebuilt on the site of a 200-year old temple. Built of black stone, the idol of Ganesh is two and a half feet in height and two feet in width. An unusual feature of the statue is that the trunk turns to the right, not often found on Ganesh idols.

19.04.09 7.30am start from Mumbai

27. NASHIK Temple

Mythology has it that Rama, the king of Ayodhya, made Nashik his temporary abode during the 14 years of his exile. The poets Rishi Valmiki, Mahakavi Kalidas and Bhavabhooti have paid rich tributes to Nashik in many of their works. In addition, Nashik has always been the epicentre of commerce and trade. Ptolemy, the famous philosopher made a mention of Nashik in 150 BC, leading researchers to believe that it was probably the country's largest market place.


Today, Nashik is a bustling township with a blend of the ancient and the modern. Scattered across the city are numerous forts and majestic temples. But it is also the home to many industries. The Security Printing Press of the government, which prints the nation's currency, is located here.

28. TRIAMBAKESHWAR Jyotirlinga

The village of Trimbak, 36 kms from Nashik, is famous for the Trimbakeshwar Temple and as the source of the Godavari River.

Legend has it that Guatam Rishi performed a rigorous ritual of prayer and penance or tapasya to Shiva on Brahmagiri Hill, which rises above the present-day temple. Pleased with this devotion, Shiva is said to have blessed him and brought down to earth from heaven the sacred rivers of Ganga, Gautami and Godavari. To this day, Hindus offer shraad prayers (prayers for the souls of the departed) here. It is also believed that bathing in the waters of the Godavari will bring moksha or salvation.

29. SINNAR Temple

A small bustling town, Sinnar lies on the NH 50, around 30 km from Nasik and 60 km from Shirdi. Shri Swami Samarth Temple, Gondeshwar Temple and Aieshwar Temple are famous places of worship in Sinnar. Anther major attraction is a 12-13 ft tall Ganesha idol, located close to the Bhairavnath temple. Nandur Madhmeshwar Bird Sanctuary is within a short distance from here.

This is not a famous tourist spot, and can easily be skipped. We visited this as it was on the way to our next destination, i.e. Shirdi.

30. SHIRDI Temple

Shirdi is the abode of one of Maharashtra's most revered saint - Sai Baba. Popularly known as the 'Child of God', Sai Baba preached tolerance towards all religions and the message of universal brotherhood.

Every activity at Shirdi revolves around the vast temple complex dedicated to Sai Baba. Devotees start queuing up in the early hours of dawn to catch a glimpse and seek the blessings of the life-size statue of Sai Baba. Thursday is marked by special pujas and darshan of the Sai Baba statue.

6.20pm 28669km halt at Shirdi 317 kms.

20.04.09 6.45am start

31. SHANI SHINGANAPUR Temple

The presiding deity of Shinganapur, Sri Shaneshwara or Shanidev – the personification of the planet Saturn is worshipped with utmost reverence and devotion by multitudes of people from all over the world. The spectacle of the deity in black stone is overwhelming. A unique aspect of this place is, that no temple structure houses the Shanidev. There is only a simple platform on which stands the swayambhu idol, in black stone.


Unlike other pilgrimage centres, devotees here can perform puja and other religious rituals themselves.

One of the unique aspects of the village Shiganapur is that houses here have no doorframes or locks on them for safety. (Querulously I checked up the toilets also, even ladies toilets don’t have doors!). They are in fact not needed. The people here believe that it is the benediction of the god that no crime ever occurs in this village.

32. AURANGABAD Bibi-Ka-Makbara

Aurangabad is named after Aurangzeb. Bibi Ka Maqbara is a maqbara built by Prince Azam Shah, son of Emperor Aurangzeb, in the late 17th century as a loving tribute to his mother, Dilras Bano Begam.

The monument's name translates literally to 'Tomb of the Lady', but has earned the nickname 'poor man’s Taj' because it was made to rival the Taj Mahal. The tomb in itself represents the transition from the ostentatious architecture of Akbar and Shah Jahan to the simple architecture of the later Mughals. The comparison to the Taj Mahal has resulted in a general ignorance of the monument.

33. DAULATABAD (DEVAGIRI) Fort

Devagiri is famous for its formidable hill fort. The fort is situated on an isolated cone-shaped hill rising abruptly from the plain to the height of about 190 metres. The fortification constitutes of three concentric lines of defensive walls with large number of bastions. The noteworthy features of the fort are the moat, the scarp and the sub-terrain passage, all hewn of solid rock. The upper outlet of the passage was filled with an iron grating, on which a large fire could be used to prevent the enemy.

The Chand Minar, the Chini Mahal and the Baradari are the important structures within the fort. Alauddin Bahman Shah erected the Chand Minar, about 63 metres in height, in conquest of Daulatabad. Opposite the Minar is the Jumma masjid, whose pillars originally belonged to a temple. Close to it, there is a large masonry tank.

Nearby is a round bastion topped with a huge canon with ram’s head, called Kila Shikan or Fort-Breaker. The Baradari, octagonal in shape, stands near the summit of the fort. The principal bastion at the summit also carries a large canon.

34. ELLORA Caves

Ellora was built by the Rashtrakuta Dynasty. Famous for its monumental caves, Ellora is a World Heritage Site.

Ellora represents the epitome of Indian rock cut architecture. The 34 "caves" – actually structures excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills – comprised of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples and monasteries, were built between the 5th and 10th century. The 12 Buddhist (caves 1-12), 17 Hindu (caves 13-29) and 5 Jain caves (caves 30-34), built in proximity, demonstrate the religious harmony prevalent during this period of Indian history.