Maharashtra
One of India’s greatest monuments, this astonishing temple, carved from solid rock, was built by King Krishna I in AD 760 to represent Mt Kailasa (Kailash…
Must-see attractions in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Ajanta’s caves line a steep face of a horseshoe-shaped gorge bordering the Waghore River. Five of the caves are chaityas (assembly or prayer halls) while…
Maharashtra
One of the best places to see tigers in India, the seldom-visited Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, 150km south of Nagpur, is now much more accessible thanks…
Maharashtra
The saga of the hammer and chisel comes full circle at the Unesco World Heritage-listed Ellora cave temples, located 30km from Aurangabad. The pinnacle of…
Aurangabad
Built by Aurangzeb’s son Azam Khan in 1679 as a mausoleum for his mother Rabia-ud-Daurani, Bibi-qa-Maqbara is widely known as the poor man’s Taj. With its…
Konkan Coast
The commanding, brooding fortress of Janjira, built on an island 500m offshore, is the most magnificent of the string of forts that line the Konkan…
Shree Chhatrapati Shahu Museum
Maharashtra
‘Bizarre’ takes on a whole new meaning at this ‘new’ palace, an Indo-Saracenic behemoth designed by British architect ‘Mad’ Charles Mant for the Kolhapur…
Joshi's Museum of Miniature Railway
Pune
Inside the small Soudamini Instruments factory in eastern Pune is what is claimed to be India's only miniature city, the lifelong obsession of model train…
Maharashtra
This wildly panoramic viewpoint 12km south of Lonavla is one of the resort town's best non-kitschy sights. On a clear day, small waterfalls are visible…
Pune
An oddball of a museum that’s one of Pune’s true delights, housing only a fraction of the 20,000-odd objects of Indian daily life painstakingly collected…
Nashik
This sacred River Godavari bathing ghat in the heart of Nashik’s old quarter, a Kumbh Mela venue, sees hundreds of Hindu pilgrims arriving daily to bathe,…
Nashik
Sula Vineyards, located 15km west of Nashik, commands around 65% of the Indian wine market. It offers a slick, professional tour (around 45 minutes) of…
Maharashtra
One of Maharashtra’s most important and vibrant places of worship, the Mahalaxmi Temple is dedicated to Amba Bai (Mother Goddess). The temple’s origins…
Maharashtra
Cave 1, a Mahayana vihara, was one of the last to be excavated and is the most beautifully decorated. This is where you’ll find a rendition of the…
Maharashtra
Cave 16, a vihara, contains some of Ajanta’s finest paintings and is thought to have been the original entrance to the entire complex. The best known of…
Maharashtra
Cave 19, a magnificent chaitya, has a remarkably detailed facade; its dominant feature is an impressive horseshoe-shaped window. Two fine, standing Buddha…
Maharashtra
Cave 10 is the only chaitya in the Buddhist group and one of the finest in India. Its ceiling features ribs carved into the stonework; the grooves were…
Maharashtra
Cave 2 is a late Mahayana vihara with deliriously ornamented columns and capitals and some fine paintings. The ceiling is decorated with geometric and…
Maharashtra
No trip to Aurangabad is complete without a pit stop at the ruined but truly magnificent hilltop fortress of Daulatabad, about 15km away from town en…
Maharashtra
Calm and contemplation infuse the 12 Buddhist caves, which stretch to the south of Kailasa. All are Buddhist viharas (monasteries) used for study and…
Pune
The grand Aga Khan Palace is set in a peaceful wooded 6.5-hectare plot northeast of the centre. Built in 1892 by Sultan Aga Khan III, this graceful…
Maharashtra
Drama and excitement characterise the Hindu group (Caves 13 to 29). In terms of scale, creative vision and skill of execution, these caves are in a league…
Maharashtra
The five Jain caves, the last created at Ellora, may lack the ambitious size of the best Hindu temples, but they are exceptionally detailed, with some…
Maharashtra
The moody Trimbakeshwar Temple stands in the centre of Trimbak, 33km west of Nashik. It’s one of India’s most sacred temples, containing a highly…
Maharashtra
Karla Cave, the largest early chaitya (Buddhist temple) in India, is reached by a 20-minute climb from a mini bazaar at the base of a hill. Completed in…
Maharashtra
Sevagram (Village of Service) was chosen by Mahatma Gandhi as his base during the Indian Independence Movement. Throughout the freedom struggle, the…
Maharashtra
With carved dwarfs supporting the pillars, cave 17 has Ajanta’s best-preserved and most varied paintings. Famous images include a princess applying make…
Archaeological Excavations at Mansar
Maharashtra
Believed to be the excavated 5th-century remains of a temple and residential palace complex known as Pravarapura, once the capital of the Vakataka King…
Maharashtra
Cave 32, the Indra Sabha (Assembly Hall of Indra), is the finest of the Jain temples. Its ground-floor plan is similar to that of the Kailasa, but the…
Maharashtra
Cave 10 is thought to be the oldest cave (200 BC) and was the first one to be spotted by the British hunting party. Similar in design to Cave 9, it is the…
Maharashtra
About 40km northeast of Nagpur, Ramtek is believed to be the place where Lord Rama, of the epic Ramayana, spent some time during his exile with his wife,…
Konkan Coast
This enthralling hilltop fort served as Shivaji’s capital from 1648 until his death in 1680. The fort was later sacked by the British and some colonial…
Maharashtra
Cave 4 is the largest vihara at Ajanta and is supported by 28 pillars. Although never completed, the cave has some impressive sculptures, such as the four…
Maharashtra
A largely ruined chaitya, cave 26 is now dramatically lit and contains some fine sculptures that shouldn’t be missed. On the left wall is a huge figure of…
Maharashtra
Cave 21, known as the Ramesvara Cave, features interesting interpretations of familiar Shaivite scenes depicted in the earlier temples. The figure of the…
Maharashtra
Cave 15, the Das Avatara (Ten Incarnations of Vishnu) Cave, is one of the finest at Ellora. The two-storey temple contains a mesmerising Shiva Nataraja…
Maharashtra
Cave 6 is an ornate vihara with wonderful images of Tara, consort of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, and of Mahamayuri, the Buddhist goddess of learning,…
Pune
The 5-hectare Osho Teerth Gardens are a verdant escape from urban living with giant bamboo, jogging trails, a gurgling brook and smooching couples. You…
Maharashtra
The ruined Sinhagad, about 24km southwest of Pune, was wrested by Maratha leader Shivaji from the Bijapur kings in 1670. In the epic battle (where he lost…
Maharashtra
Emperor Aurangzeb, the last of the Mughal greats, is entombed in the courtyard of this simple (and somewhat unwelcoming) shrine. Despite matching the…
