[libranof1987]

Last year, we'd done a trip that covered the south western coast of India, one part of the idea to drive across the entire coastline of India. The plan for this year was to then cover the eastern coastline. However, as we got down to the planning and logistics, we realized that we'd be spending at least six of the 12-15 days just in getting there and back, considering we'd have to cross the Indian heartland to get there. And spending time in the cities en route would mean, we'd have less on the coast.

We then thought of splitting up the coast and covering it in two trips, and as we got into the nitty-gritty of planning, it just didn't seem feasible for one reason or the other.

We then decided to look elsewhere, and considered several options. For a while, we'd been thinking of travelling to Varanasi, especially given the massive facelifts it was receiving in recent times, and a focus on making it traveller friendly (cleanliness, infrastructure, a boost to tourism). With Varanasi as the main destination of the trip, we then began to draw up itineraries, routes and places we could visit en route.

Reaching there is simple: Pune - Nagpur - Jabalpur - Varanasi.

The return leg is where we had to think long and hard. As we'd done in last year's trip, we preferred to travel in a loop so as to allow us to visit / experience more cities and towns. However, the Samruddhi Expressway has cut down travel between Pune and Nagpur to such an extent that choosing to not come back via the same route increased the return journey by several hours. While that wasn't exactly a major concern for us, considering a long trip was the intention of the trip, the spread of towns and cities on potential return legs did not allow us an ideal driving distance / day. Eventually, we decided to return the same way: via Jabalpur, Nagpur and the Samruddhi EW.

The itinerary would thus be:

Pune - Nagpur

The greenfield Mumbai - Nagpur Samruddhi expressway has transformed travel along the two ends of the state, trimming travel time to ~10-12 hours. A very well designed and conceptualised highway with top quality infrastructure, the highway is a major boon for residents of Pune as well, despite not passing through it, with multiple entry points close by: Sinnar (near Nashik), Shirdi and Aurangabad. Of these, Sinnar makes the most sense unless you stay in the eastern part in Pune (Wagholi).



Joining the Samruddhi EW at Sinnar



Top quality roads with proper banking on turns, lane markings, ample openings for maintenance/emergency vehicles, railings on both side, and very, very frequent underpasses/overbridges for wildlife and local residents



Toll booths with ample lanes to cater to traffic



At the end of the EW



I've posted a review of this highway on the dedicated thread, highlighting a few important points:

Originally Posted by libranof1987

First things first: what a well done highway. Commendable really. The highway infrastructure is top notch, be it the VERY well laid out entry-exit points, lane marking, banking on turns, tolls, wildlife corridors, sound barriers and so on.

1) There are NO foodcourts. There are NO dedicated toilets. Petrol pumps are very few and far between.

You have to rely on tapris / makeshift stalls near petrol pumps for food and water - quality and hygiene are massively compromised.

You have to rely on the toilets attached to the petrol pumps - again, they are overcrowded, often don't have running water, and are in very poor state. You'll find more people doing their business by pulling over on the highway, than in the toilets.

Petrol pumps: on the lane towards Nagpur, the petrol pumps are fewer than the lane towards Mumbai. The first petrol pumps are close to the Sinnar entry point, and thereafter almost ~175kms later, and again, after ~175kms.

For now, fuel pump just before or after you start on the EW, carry your own food and get your toilet business done at the food courts before the EW.

[libranof1987]

Nagpur

While in Nagpur, we decided to spend half the day exploring a couple of places we'd long identified.

First, the Zero Mile stone.

https://nagpurtourism.co.in/zero-mile-marker-nagpur

Placed on the side of an unassuming traffic junction in the heart of the city, the Zero Mile stone was built by the British, during the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India in 1907. While there is no official word or statement regarding this, it is said that this point is the centre of India, as the British ruled it.



Next up: the Narrow Gauge rail museum

https://nagpurtourism.co.in/narrow-g...-museum-nagpur

An incredibly well maintained museum documenting the history, trains and infrastructure of Narrow Gauge rail in India. An absolutely commendable effort.

There are several engines on display







As are the various elements of the rail network. Here, the signalling systems



Railroad switches



Alternator assembly



The engine





A quick peek into the pilot room of an engine





A typical coach, this served as a dining car



A ride on the toy train to top it off!

[libranof1987]

Jabalpur

Jabalpur is famous for Bhedaghat, which is characterised by high valleys formed by marble rocks, and the Narmada river that flows through it, making for a very enchanting sight. The Bhedaghat area consists of the marble formations, Dhuandhar falls, and the Chausath Yogini temple.

To view the marble formations, you take a boat ride along the Narmada river. During the monsoon months when the river swells up significantly and boating is shut, you can walk along on the trail on the top of the hills. On full moon nights, there are boat rides even at night. (Quite like the Taj has night viewing on full moon nights)

Visit the Bhedaghat boating point to hire a boat. You can choose one just for yourself/family, or take a larger boat with 20-25 people. The water current is very strong, and often, even two boatmen are no match for it as you go deeper into the formations. Hence, a smaller boat with lesser number of people works better as the boat can go further up than bigger ones.

Try to visit this place early in the morning so it is not crowded, and more importantly, you don't get baked in the sun. Most boats are deliberately without a roof, so you have a good view. Carry sun caps.



The rock formations are a visual delight









The marble rocks show the impact of nature's elements with the surface corroded at several places









Dhuandhar falls: a furious waterfall over the Narmada river, that eventually flows through the rock formations. You can estimate how difficult it is to row a boat against such waters





Chausath Yogini temple: a temple dedicated to Goddress Parvati. There are 64 structures symbolising the 64 Yoginis, various incarnations of Parvati







Balancing rock: a set of volcanic rock formations that are balancing themselves, withstanding nature's elements and even earthquakes

[libranof1987]

Jabalpur - Varanasi via Centre point of India

While Nagpur's Zero Mile stone is said to be at the centre of British India, the actual geographical centre point of post-partition India, basis a study carried out by the Govt. of India, lies in Karaundi, a village in Madhya Pradesh.

The village lies less than an hour's detour from NH30, the highway connecting Jabalpur and Varanasi. You turn off NH30 at Sihora, and head over to Karaundi on splendid country roads.

The day's travel



The detour for Karaundi



Lovely roads in interior MP





At the monument commemorating the location



We were the only visitors at the time, but clearly there had been visitors before, given the amount of trash









We were then back on the highway towards Varanasi, bypassing Katni, Maihar and Rewa along the way



We crossed the Vindhya range to get to Varanasi

[libranof1987]

Varanasi - the temples

Varanasi is the land of temples, a holy city considered to be the ultimate pilgrimage spot. Kashi yatra has long been of immense significance, as people looked to attain mukti (salvation) by undertaking the pilgrimage.

The Kashi Vishwanath temple is considered to be among the most sacred sites, dedicated to Lord Shiva





I'd highly recommend getting a Sugam Darshan (VIP queue) ticket; it will make the visit very quick. Through this channel, your darshan can take place <30min, while the regular queue can take three hours.

Do note: While you can take your purse, wallet and phones, and shoes, inside the temple premises, smart watches are not allowed. You cannot even enter the main gate if you have them on you. There are separate counters for shoes, and purse/phones just before the queue for the darshan.

At the Manikarnika ghat sits the Ratneshwar Mahadev temple, a unique structure that leans significantly towards one side. The temple is underwater for much of the year





Bharat Mata mandir: another unique temple, this is dedicated to Bharat Mata and has a map of India. Raised on marble, the map highlights the topography of India.



Vishwanath Mandir / Birla Temple: a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, inside the BHU campus



Other notable temples in Varanasi:

Maa Annapurna temple
Kalbhairav temple
Sankatmochan temple
Mritunjay temple
Maa Annapurna temple

[libranof1987]

Varanasi - the ghats

The ghats along the banks of the Ganga in Varanasi are perhaps as famous as the temples themselves, and have been immortalised in several movies through the ages. There are 84 ghats in total, and each have their own history, legacy and importance.

You can visit the ghats either by foot through the interiors of the town, or by boat. Taking a shared boat to cross over to the other bank of the Ganga, or to travel between ghats is extremely common there.

One of the most popular attractions is to hire a boat to see/visit all the ghats, especially in the evening to witness the glorious Ganga aarti. You can hire a boat to yourself/family, hitch a ride in the bigger shared boat, or take one of the luxury cruises.

Note that the luxury cruises ply only in the evening, and they start/end at Ravidas ghat: https://alaknandacruise.com/.

While you can hire a boat at any of the ghats, Namo ghat is the most common / popular given that it is slightly away from the main city and hence, is easily accessible by car, and is set up as a tourist destination.



As you travel on the river, you cross the ghats one by one. Several have been converted to private properties / hotels, and are decked up.







Scindia ghat, built by the erstwhile Scindia royal family



Jalasen ghat, the ghat closest to the Kashi Vishwanath temple



Lalita Gauri ghat



Ganesh ghat



Around 6pm, we rolled over to Dashashwamedh ghat, where the evening Ganga aarti takes place. It is similar to the Ganga aarti that takes place at Haridwar, the only difference being, most witness the aarti from boats at Varanasi.

An advantage of being in a normal boat vs. luxury cruise is that you're much, much closer to the aarti.



Manikarnika ghat: there are only two ghats in Varanasi where funerals take place, Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats. Of these two, Harishchandra ghat now has electric cremation, making Manikarnika ghat the only place on the Ganges where wooden pyres are still lit. It makes for a very melancholic sight, as about 1,500 funerals take place at each ghat







We were back at Namo ghat after the boat ride



The iconic railway-vehicle dual bridge



We visited the ghats again the next morning, after our darshan at the Vishwanath temple





Manikarnika ghat by the day, where all the wood is stored



Assi ghat



We were very, very impressed with just how clean the Ganga and the ghats are. Folklore has always described the Ganga near Varanasi to be full of dead bodies floating in the river, the associated garbage/materials, and the ghats piled up with corpses, and the remnants of funerals. While funerals still take place on the ghats, and the wooden pyres continue to be lit, the river and the ghats aren't dirty or littered with garbage. Even the wooden pyres are confined to one area of the Manikarnika ghat, which is perhaps the only place you will find garbage.

For those who have visited Varanasi in the previous decades, this change is monumental.

[libranof1987]

Varanasi - other points of interest

A few kms from the Varanasi city centre is Sarnath, a revered pilgrimage centre for Buddhists.

Here, there is the Thai Temple, named so as it was built by the Thai Govt as a gift.









In front of this temple is the very well appointed Sarnath Museum documenting all the several artefacts excavated from the ruins of the ancient city. It is here that the Ashoka Chakra was first found, and is on display. (No pictures allowed in the museum)



The ruins are mostly below the surface, and you can see the outline of several structures



The Dhamekh Stupa is built at the exact place where the Buddha is said to have delivered his first discourse



Ramnagar Fort: erstwhile residence of the Maharaja of Kashi. The Fort is sadly in very poor shape, and the museum in an even more miserable state





We visited the birth place of India's second Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri. The house has been converted to a museum, and is thankfully, upkept. The person in charge lamented how very few people know about this place, and the even fewer number of visitors.



Travelling within Varanasi: The main town of Varanasi is a perpetual massive traffic jam, with narrow streets, and a lot of construction and infrastructure development happening everywhere. The area where majority of the temples and ghats are located are cordoned off for cars, with only 2W, and cycle / electric rickshaws allowed. The narrow lanes leading up to the ghats are barely a couple of feet wide, so you have to walk.

I'd recommend parking your car at the hotel, and renting an electric rickshaw to take you everywhere; it will be much faster and you will be able to go everywhere right to the gate (except most ghats of course).

Do note that most hotels on the banks of the river / at the ghats, and in the interior of the city do not have their own parking and may ask you to park at a common parking. In fact, most luxury hotels on the ghats pick you up by boat. Do call in advance and check.

[libranof1987]

The food scene in Varanasi

No report on Varanasi can be complete without a mention on the street food! As our driver told us, you typically have jalebis and puri-bhaaji in the morning, and chaat in the evenings/night, regular meals for lunch and dinner!

First, the famed chaats of Varanasi



The signature dish is the Tomato chaat (on the top center); then there's the more common Aloo chaat, dahi bhalla and tikki chaat



Then, some paan







Fresh jalebis in the morning



Followed by puri bhaaji



While walking through the tiny lanes near the main temple area, we came across Blue Lassi, a place we later found to be very popular and a must-do



Customers are encouraged to stick their photos on the wall!



You get various iterations of Lassi: most popular ones being Guava, Pineapple and dry-fruit Lassi



A typical serving of Lassi



Then onto Pahalwan Lassi



A unique dish in Varanasi is the Malaiyo, available only during the winter months

[libranof1987]

Prayagraj

While Varanasi - Prayagraj is a four-lane, access-controlled highway, the few kms on the outskirts of both Varanasi and Prayagraj, predictably, have terrible traffic.



Prayagraj is where the three rivers: Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati meet and flow as the Ganga. The confluence is hence called, Triveni Sangam

You can rent a boat to go to the actual point of the sangam, either a private boat for yourself, or a shared boat along with several other tourists. Negotiate shamelessly. It is not uncommon for the agreed price to be 50% of what is quoted at the beginning.



There are more birds than boats and people at the river banks, courtesy tourists who feed them, encouraged by local boatmen to do so as an act of generosity



About half an hour of a boat ride later, you will see the sangam of the rivers. The brownish muddy water is of the Ganga, and the blueish water of the Yamuna. Saraswati flows underground, and hence not distinguishable. There are multiple theories as to why it is underground, it depends on your inclination to believe the truth.



The unmistakable sangam



Here, at specific points demarcated by ropes, you can take a dip in the rivers to symbolically wash away your sins



Minute whirlpools along the sangam



Along the banks of the rivers is the Akbar Fort which is currently in a dilapidated state, and undergoing restoration. (It is on these banks and beyond that the Kumbh Mela is set up, and the arrangements for pilgrims pan tens of kms)



In the fort premises is the sacred Akshayvata. Below the surface, is the Pataalpuri temple



Chandrashekhar Azad park: this public park houses the Chandrashekhar Azad memorial, at the point where the great freedom fighter sacrificed his life by shooting himself to avoid being captured by the British

[libranof1987]

Return: Prayagraj - Nagpur - Pune

On the return journey, we contemplated splitting up the journey across three days with halts in Jabalpur and Nagpur, or skipping Jabalpur and heading straight to Nagpur. Eventually, we decided to complete the journey in two days, with Prayagraj - Nagpur on day 1, and the home stretch on day 2. It ended up being roughly a 10 hour drive on each day. The beautiful roads and minimal traffic ensured we had minimal fatigue.

[libranof1987]

The trip did good to showcase just how much the infrastructure in India is improving, in every sense. Roads are top quality, complementary services such as petrol pumps provide the same level of service on highways in tier 3 towns as they do in metros (card machines, clean toilets), Fastag implementation has gotten seamless across the board (average stopping time while the Fastag is read is down to a second, often even less). The overall experience has made cross country trips an increasingly comfortable affair!

We thus wrapped up a 12-day trip that ended up being way simpler and effortless in reality, than on paper.



Summary of the trip:

Total toll: Rs. 5165. (Toll on Samruddhi EW: Rs. 975 each way)
Total kms: 3,185.5
Fuel cost: Rs. 23k (@ 14.3 km/l)

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Amukherjea]

Very nice writeup.
I first time did Mumbai NH8 Dhule NH6 Nagpur NH7 Jabalpur Mangaon NH27 Allahabad NH2 Varanasi and return in a Maruti Van 1986. Forget the number of days but it was long. What a change.
Till 2019 We that is my wife and I have traversed this route with minor variations. Many Cars like Van, Safari 1st edition, 2nd edition, Nissan Xtrail, Discovery LR4, Mercedes Van, Skoda Yeti, VW Tiguan. Mostly with one or two dogs with us. Our attempts to find reasonable places to stay enroute with two large dogs calls for another thread.

Some where in 2010, a friend of ours who regularly drove Ranchi Mumbai Ranchi, suggested to return to Mumbai from Nagpur via Wardha Karanja, Mehkar, Jalna Aurangabad Nagar etc. The forerunner of todays Samrudhhi Expway. Thereafter we stopped going upto Dhule for our trips up to Heartland of India.

Normally we would go to Shirdi then find our way towards Jalgaon, or Khamgaon and join old NH6. Later when NH6 became crowded we started going to Indore Jhansi or Sagar and variations to get to Allahabad.

We are getting old but I have convinced my wife to do one more road trip just to take on the Mumbai Nagpur Expway. should be leaving in 3 4 days in my 6 years old Tiguan. Just got tyres changed and battery replaced. But thats another story of trying to find 215/65 R17 Tyres.

Thank you for the write up as it has given me boost to do this trip. Also I did not know about the Geographical Center. Must visit.

[Dibyendu Bose]

Thanks for a very comprehensive travelogue. Learnt quite a few new things, like the new Centre of India and the narrow gauge railway museum. Just wanted to know, which vehicle did you use (if you have mentioned it somewhere, i have missed it and my apologies in advance). Saw it was a Toyota Innova probably…..was it a Hycross or Crysta?

[scorched_earth]

Thanks for this travelogue, I liked it very much and the information you shared is useful to me, especially Nagpur to Varanasi journey.

By the way, when did you visit?

Glad you visited Karaundi, many don't visit this place unless traveling towards Rewa or Panna from Jabalpur.

Next time if you ever drive towards Amarkantak from Jabalpur you may want to visit the fossil parks in Ghughwa. This is an amazing place if you are interested in natural history.