Bhopal-Maheshwar-Mandu?

suiko

What would be the best way to travel between Bhopal and Maheshwar? Would prefer to avoid Indore, as we shall be finishing up there.

And from Maheshwar on to Mandu?

Thanks

JuliaF

Hmm. I'm not trying to be clever but it depends what you mean by the best way. Fastest, most comfortable, most interesting ...

I think the most straightforward way would be to get a bus from Bhopal to Indore, then another bus to Dhamnod (this is on the main highway to Mumbai and there are plenty of fast buses). From Dhamnod you get a local bus for the last few km to Maheshwar.

I know you said you'd rather not go through Indore ... and I would generally perfer trains myself but I do think that's the least complicated way.

Is it definite that you are coming from Bhopal? If you were coming from say Delhi or Mumbai I'd suggest getting a train to Khandwa and then a bus to Barwah then another bus from there to Maheshwar.

There is also another way from Khandwa, which involves a lot of time on buses but the payback is that you arrive in Maheshwar by boat! Maheshwar is most beautiful from across the river, or in the river(!) so I think it's a great way to arrive. Anyway I'm rambling a bit now so I'll stop. If you are interested I'll try to remember the route.


Maheshwar to Mandu - I think I did a direct bus once but it took forever and was very crowded, with goats as well as people Somebody else will be along with good advice I'm sure.

Julia

vonkla

There are a lot of trains from Bhopal to Khandwa, see http://erail.in/

If you are not familiar with this site, for Khandwa you must select 'all stations' and the type the name of the city.

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suiko

Well, basically the issue is that we have two weeks or so in MP, and will be arriving by train from Mumbai and leaving by plane from Indore. So I thought of staying first in Orchha (+ visiting Khajuraho), then Bhopal (for Sanchi etc), and then the other two. But I've never been to MP, so maybe you know better? Basically we'd like to minimise travel time, of course.

JuliaF

Yes I see. You have quite a short time for all those places and of course don't want to spend hours and hours travelling! Both Mandu and Maheshwar are great places to relax right down and use no motor transport at all for a few days. In Mandu you can hire bikes, andMaheshwar is small enough to walk around, and also crossing the river by boat.

So I think my original suggestion of bus to Indore is best. There are buses going literally all the time, as soon as one is full it sets off then another one starts filling up. I can't remember where it drops you in Indore but you want to get to the state bus stand (close enough to the rly stn). There are plenty of buses then going through Dhamnod - and they are good, relatively comfortable Maharashtra state buses. The longest wait could be in Dhamnod for a bus to Maheshwar, but you could probably hire a jeep, it's a short enough distance.

And thinking about it a better way to Mandu might be to get a bus back to Dhamnod and then another to Mandu, though I've never done this.

Hope you have a great trip, Julia

suiko

Thank you so much! So bus is better than train from Bhopal to Indore? How long would the journey from Bhopal to Maheshwar take, do you think?

JuliaF

Yes I think bus is better than train as Indore is on some sort of branch line and trains there from Bhopal are slow and infrequent. Which is probably why the buses are going all the time.

As I recall it's about 4 hours to Indore. Indore-Dhamnod I'd say about 2 hours or less. And then it would be half an hour, if that, to Maheshwar. It's a long time since I've done this, my memory could be a little hazy on the times there.

suiko

Thanks Julia!

worthyquest

now i'm answering your threads on two websites!

if you are coming from mumbai, why don't you go straight to maheshwar, then mandu - bhopal (yes, bus is best from indore to bhopal, i think). i know i suggested cutting out khajuraho on the TT, and looking at the type of travel you are doing and your desire not to hit tourist places, i'd suggest cutting out orchha as well. then you could fly or do an overnight train to bangalore from bhopal.

remember - there is lots to see around bhopal, and you might be tempted to spend a day or two in sanchi rather than just doing an day trip (and of course you would want to visit vidisha along with sanchi, and do a separate day trip to bimbetka). and if you get to bhopal and decide you just have to get out and go to orchha instead, it is an easy train trip and you could get on an overnight train to bangalore from jhansi.

suiko

hello again :-)

Ah, but you can't fly from Bhopal to Bangalore (at least as far as I know!) That was why it was that way round. Train from Jhansi to Bangalore is also a minimum of 36 hrs - think that might be a bit much to land on my girlfriend :-)

I do take your point about Bhopal tho. Would you say Bhimbetka is a must? And not Orchha?

worthyquest

that's kind of crazy that there is no bhopal-bangalore flight... but then indore is where the business action is. i guess you could fly to indore and connect there to bangalore. i think you can get from bhopal to bangalore in about 24 hours by train... i don't mind a long train journey, but that's personal choice.

bimbetka is pretty cool. prehistoric cave drawings --- not your usual indian attraction. it's out in the countryside and the caves are pretty much the only things out there. when i went years ago, i had use of a car and driver. it is a bit more difficult to get there on the bus, but possible.

i thought orchha was lovely, but i think after mandu you might find it: a) repetitive and b) full of backpackers and banana pancakes. when i was there 5 years ago, it was on its way to backpacker mecca, and i think it is further along now.

while i got you here... other things about bhopal: historic and atmospheric muslim old city with some impressive mosques. the bharat bhavan, with galleries of amazing tribal art, as well as a contemporary gallery. the outdoor museum of man, which recreates tribal dwellings from across india (and sounds cheesy, but actually is not, perhaps because no one ever seems to be there in terms of tourists... definately few foreign tourists). boating on the lake. green and leafy (for india) new city.

because there are few western tourists, hotel accomodation isn't great. most backpackers stay on hamidia road by the train station. i never have stayed there, but can recommend the hotel classic in arera colony. a little pricey but a clean and nice middle-class family hotel in an upscale neighborhood right next to a bazaar. easy to take the bus into the city center or to get a rickshaw. good place to get a taste of indian city life that isn't completely crazy. again, though, this was 5 years ago. they have no website; they did give me a foreigner discount. (presumably so i would do what i am doing now.) there is also the MPTDC hotel, which is well-located in the new city, but i found a bit rundown when i was there.

suiko

Does certainly sound like an interesting place. How long would you spend there? I think we would be going to Orchha first if we do go there, so it wouldn't suffer from comparison with Mandu!

worthyquest

well, i'd say a day for the old city. a day for the museums. a daytrip to bimbetka and a day trip to sanchi and vidisha (or you could overnight in sanchi if you want to take more time; sanchi is not to be missed and is my favourite historical place in india.)

suiko

Is anyone else similarly underwhelmed by Orchha? Must check out Vidisha, as I am ashamed to say I don't know anything about it.

johnrr88

I am trying to plan a week , beginning in Mumbai and then flying to either Ahmedabad or Indore. While in MP my places to stay are Maheshwar and probably Mandu because we want to explore for at least one day there. I cannot find Mandu on any map..even Google! I have these questions for those who know:
1.Is Mandu anywhere between Ahmedabad and Maheshwar? I am trying to determine how to route this out.
2.How is the road between Maheshwar and Ahmedabad(this is mostly done on #59 it seems) and how much time should we allow for that trip?
3.I have never been to India before. Can you do one way rentals (ie pick up in Ahmedabad and drop off in Indore when we are done in MP?)
4. Any accomodations recommended near Mandu?
After this we will fly or take the train to Jaipur from wherever we finish(Indore or Ahmedabad)..does it make more sense to do one area before the other?
Thanks for considering the naive questions of one who knows nothing at all! john