Osmanabad- Ter

alouise · Oct 18th, 2008, 19:22

Hi everyone, this is a query about the ruins of the ancient city of Tagara, now called Ter or Thair, which lies 16 km NNE of Osmanabad. And this is the news link that convinced me to first check with any IM-ers who might have visited the area before I start planning how to best get there.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/107040...ry_7623483.asp

This article, and others I've read, discuss the continuing site vandalism problems resulting from a century-long history of sporadic excavations at the site.

I was wondering if the Ter museum is still operating?

As for how to get there, I've been looking at the train schedule for the Mumbai-Usmanabad express in both directions (1005 and 1006). This train stops at other places I'm wanting to visit, Nasik and Aurangabad, but only in the very early hours of the morning. Is it possible to arrange railway retiring rooms to cover these early hours? Or is there another train that I might have missed in my search that will then allow connections between sunrise to 11.00pm for trains to either Nasik or Aurangabad?

The other option is buses from Pune, or is this journey too far to be considered compared with the trains? The narrow gauge conversions (eg. including Barsi) have not been completed yet, is that correct?

If anyone knows anything about this area and how to get there, please help!

alouise · Oct 25th, 2008, 09:32

Thanx Santosh, that's good to know, museum open and your historian friend could tell me about Ter as well as Paithan. Mind you I'm still a bit doubtful about going all the way out to Ter, largely because of the travel time I'd need to allocate - tight schedule, lots of sights, travelling each day...Still working out that plan. So far, taking overnight Goa express to Manmad then Tapovan express connection to Aurangabad (ie. if the Goa express runs on time - otherwise lose my ticket refund and catch the bus). That afternoon visit Aurangabad caves. Next day Ajanta, following day Ellora. Early train the next morning to Nasik,visit Panduv Lena and then onto Pune (bus or train. Allowed three days in Pune - one to visit Lonavala (Karla , Bhaja), one to Junnar and one to visit the Deccan College.Then train to Mumbai.

I was thinking of extending the Pune section to another day, possibly for visiting Ter. The distance from Pune would be less than from Aurangabad, but then there are the transport options to consider. Perhaps they are better from Aurangabad? But then, Indian railways website showed trains not yet stopping at Usmanabad (Osmanabad/Darshir). So, I just don't know anymore whether this sidetrip trip would be worthwhile, as it would cut into my time at Mumbai and I would ideally like to see both Kanheri and Elephanta caves. It's a lot of careful planning to do

shirish · Feb 8th, 2009, 02:57

Hi,

I am from Ter, and my parents and brother still live in Ter. I live in California. I know you have probably already completed your travel, but if you need any additional information, feel free to contact me.

Shirish

alouise · Feb 8th, 2009, 19:26

Yes Shirish I have returned home from my trip to India, where I mostly visited cave temples and museums. I didn't make it out to Ter, ran out of time this trip, but thank you so much for your reply. It is always fascinating to hear from people who've lived in a place you're thinking of visiting and I will definitely keep your offer of advice in mind if I do set out for Ter. I read the excavations there turned up some amazing finds which show that Ter was an important place along the overland trade route.

alouise · May 31st, 2009, 12:00

Well, despite being back in Sydney I still can't stop thinking about Ter.... teaching Ancient History does that when the place is Pompeii and Ter is famous for the ivory carved figurine that matches the Pompeii find. So I'm still playing with the idea of going there, probably from Hyderabad, as there's an ideal overnight express to Osmanabad and it would not be too difficult I would imagine to hire a taxi or auto from the station for the 16 km trip to Ter. Could probably arrive in the morning at Osmanabad, visit Ter, and be back at the station same day. The only thing is, it would be good to go back to Aihole/Badami and to do that I would need to catch a bus to Solapur then either bus/train to Badami. Solapur looks like a good place to stay the night, as it seems to have better accommodation options than Osmanabad.

Has anyone been to Osmanabad, and could recommend a hotel there? Or would it be better to use Solapur as the base - ie. catch train from Hyderabad to Solapur instead of Osmanabad - and hire a car there for visiting Ter (approx. 85 km each way). Thanks in advance for any advice.

shirish · Jun 20th, 2009, 13:16

There is a small guest-house in Ter itself, but I believe you are better off staying in Solapur. You can hire a taxi for about Rs. 500 to get to Solapur from Ter.

shirish · Jun 20th, 2009, 13:24

As a matter of fact, I will be in Ter towards the end of July. I will be there for about a week. Let me know when you plan to be there, and I can certainly help you.

Shirish

edwardseco · Jun 20th, 2009, 13:28

What a lovely thread. Maharashtra has lots of much ignored sites to explore. I have filed this one away in my archives for a future visit..

alouise · Jun 20th, 2009, 21:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by shirish

As a matter of fact, I will be in Ter towards the end of July. I will be there for about a week. Let me know when you plan to be there, and I can certainly help you.

Shirish

Hi again, Shirish, great to hear from you. Unfortunately looks you'll be there and gone long before I get there, so we may not meet up this time! Good advice too re. heading for the night in Solapur, although it could be interesting to linger in Ter, check out the remains of the 5th century brick temple, and maybe chat with a few locals about the progress of the ancient mound excavations (or lack of?).

I was also considering a visit to the Darashiv caves and the older ones nearby, both in the Osmanabad district. I'm also drawn to Paithan, to the north, where I think there's another very old brick temple or two.... and the Daroq caves, those ones where the only mention on Maharastra tourist info websites (and googling in general)report that the "nightmare adventurers" seldom visit due to "a tradition of death". If you know the Daroq area, could you please make any sense of this tourism blurb?

alouise · Jun 20th, 2009, 21:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by edwardseco

Maharashtra has lots of much ignored sites to explore. I have filed this one away in my archives for a future visit..

Good to hear, edwardesco. Maharastra is the place to visit, definitely! And not just Ajanta and Ellora, there are many hundreds of Buddhist cave monasteries dotted along the ancient inland trade routes,that once connected Satavahana cities such as Paithan and Ter with the ports of Barygaza (Bharuch) and Nalosopara (Mumbai), as well as the Ganges cities. I think many people miss out visitng these lesser known places because they're off the major transport routes today. You really have to plan your early hours train-hopping junctions well, unless you enjoy the liesurely pace of government of Maharastra buses.

edwardseco · Jun 21st, 2009, 00:14

Oh I have spent a lot of hours on the Maharashtra STD busses. Ah, to go back again and hear Marathi..

alouise · Jun 21st, 2009, 17:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by edwardseco

Oh I have spent a lot of hours on the Maharashtra STD busses. Ah, to go back again and hear Marathi..

Glad you enjoy the experience!

alouise · Jul 18th, 2009, 17:55

Do buses run between Osmanabad and Paithan? Or would it be better to catch a bus or train from Osmanabad to Latur and take it from there? Better still would there be a bus from Osmanabad to Paithan that stops in Ter? That one is top of my wish list!

Edwardesco, I'm hoping you can help me out on this one, seeing you're a fan of Maharastra buses.

laxmikant.1919 · Jul 19th, 2009, 01:58

Hi Alousie,
I think its better to make aurangabad as base camp to visit paithan.you have direct buses from osmanabad to aurangabad and it is an overnight journey.i am an architect by profession and as you are an archeologist if you are coming to aurangabad than i can make arrangement for a meeting with a very famous historian who can guide you about all the historic places around aurangabad which i think will be very useful to you.
happy travelling
laxmikant

alouise · Jul 19th, 2009, 06:54

Thank you Laxmikan, I'll keep that in mind. Right now I'm juggling what can be visited within two weeks, most of that time being spent in AP. I will definitely be going to Osmanabad to visit Ter, because I had to leave that out previously due to lack of time. I have maximum four days (including travel time) for that side trip from Hyderabad and was looking for any short cuts, to allow including Paithan before return to Hyderabad - will be returning to Malwa and northern Maharastra in January.

Oct 18th, 2008, 19:22	#1
alouise Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: sydney Posts: 812	Osmanabad- Ter Hi everyone, this is a query about the ruins of the ancient city of Tagara, now called Ter or Thair, which lies 16 km NNE of Osmanabad. And this is the news link that convinced me to first check with any IM-ers who might have visited the area before I start planning how to best get there. http://www.telegraphindia.com/107040...ry_7623483.asp This article, and others I've read, discuss the continuing site vandalism problems resulting from a century-long history of sporadic excavations at the site. I was wondering if the Ter museum is still operating? As for how to get there, I've been looking at the train schedule for the Mumbai-Usmanabad express in both directions (1005 and 1006). This train stops at other places I'm wanting to visit, Nasik and Aurangabad, but only in the very early hours of the morning. Is it possible to arrange railway retiring rooms to cover these early hours? Or is there another train that I might have missed in my search that will then allow connections between sunrise to 11.00pm for trains to either Nasik or Aurangabad? The other option is buses from Pune, or is this journey too far to be considered compared with the trains? The narrow gauge conversions (eg. including Barsi) have not been completed yet, is that correct? If anyone knows anything about this area and how to get there, please help!

Feb 8th, 2009, 02:57	#3
shirish Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: California, USA Posts: 3	Ter Hi, I am from Ter, and my parents and brother still live in Ter. I live in California. I know you have probably already completed your travel, but if you need any additional information, feel free to contact me. Shirish

Jul 18th, 2009, 17:55	#13
alouise Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: sydney Posts: 812	bus Osmanabad to Paithan Do buses run between Osmanabad and Paithan? Or would it be better to catch a bus or train from Osmanabad to Latur and take it from there? Better still would there be a bus from Osmanabad to Paithan that stops in Ter? That one is top of my wish list! Edwardesco, I'm hoping you can help me out on this one, seeing you're a fan of Maharastra buses.

Jul 19th, 2009, 01:58	#14
laxmikant.1919 Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: aurangabad,maharashtra,india Posts: 3	paithan Hi Alousie, I think its better to make aurangabad as base camp to visit paithan.you have direct buses from osmanabad to aurangabad and it is an overnight journey.i am an architect by profession and as you are an archeologist if you are coming to aurangabad than i can make arrangement for a meeting with a very famous historian who can guide you about all the historic places around aurangabad which i think will be very useful to you. happy travelling laxmikant

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Oct 25th, 2008, 09:32	#2
alouise Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: sydney Posts: 812	Thanx Santosh, that's good to know, museum open and your historian friend could tell me about Ter as well as Paithan. Mind you I'm still a bit doubtful about going all the way out to Ter, largely because of the travel time I'd need to allocate - tight schedule, lots of sights, travelling each day...Still working out that plan. So far, taking overnight Goa express to Manmad then Tapovan express connection to Aurangabad (ie. if the Goa express runs on time - otherwise lose my ticket refund and catch the bus). That afternoon visit Aurangabad caves. Next day Ajanta, following day Ellora. Early train the next morning to Nasik,visit Panduv Lena and then onto Pune (bus or train. Allowed three days in Pune - one to visit Lonavala (Karla , Bhaja), one to Junnar and one to visit the Deccan College.Then train to Mumbai. I was thinking of extending the Pune section to another day, possibly for visiting Ter. The distance from Pune would be less than from Aurangabad, but then there are the transport options to consider. Perhaps they are better from Aurangabad? But then, Indian railways website showed trains not yet stopping at Usmanabad (Osmanabad/Darshir). So, I just don't know anymore whether this sidetrip trip would be worthwhile, as it would cut into my time at Mumbai and I would ideally like to see both Kanheri and Elephanta caves. It's a lot of careful planning to do

Feb 8th, 2009, 19:26	#4
alouise Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: sydney Posts: 812	Yes Shirish I have returned home from my trip to India, where I mostly visited cave temples and museums. I didn't make it out to Ter, ran out of time this trip, but thank you so much for your reply. It is always fascinating to hear from people who've lived in a place you're thinking of visiting and I will definitely keep your offer of advice in mind if I do set out for Ter. I read the excavations there turned up some amazing finds which show that Ter was an important place along the overland trade route.

May 31st, 2009, 12:00	#5
alouise Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: sydney Posts: 812	Well, despite being back in Sydney I still can't stop thinking about Ter.... teaching Ancient History does that when the place is Pompeii and Ter is famous for the ivory carved figurine that matches the Pompeii find. So I'm still playing with the idea of going there, probably from Hyderabad, as there's an ideal overnight express to Osmanabad and it would not be too difficult I would imagine to hire a taxi or auto from the station for the 16 km trip to Ter. Could probably arrive in the morning at Osmanabad, visit Ter, and be back at the station same day. The only thing is, it would be good to go back to Aihole/Badami and to do that I would need to catch a bus to Solapur then either bus/train to Badami. Solapur looks like a good place to stay the night, as it seems to have better accommodation options than Osmanabad. Has anyone been to Osmanabad, and could recommend a hotel there? Or would it be better to use Solapur as the base - ie. catch train from Hyderabad to Solapur instead of Osmanabad - and hire a car there for visiting Ter (approx. 85 km each way). Thanks in advance for any advice.

Jun 20th, 2009, 13:16	#6
shirish Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: California, USA Posts: 3	There is a small guest-house in Ter itself, but I believe you are better off staying in Solapur. You can hire a taxi for about Rs. 500 to get to Solapur from Ter.

Jun 20th, 2009, 13:24	#7
shirish Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: California, USA Posts: 3	As a matter of fact, I will be in Ter towards the end of July. I will be there for about a week. Let me know when you plan to be there, and I can certainly help you. Shirish

Jun 20th, 2009, 13:28	#8
edwardseco Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Land that shakes and bakes. Posts: 5,833	What a lovely thread. Maharashtra has lots of much ignored sites to explore. I have filed this one away in my archives for a future visit..

Jun 21st, 2009, 00:14	#11
edwardseco Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Land that shakes and bakes. Posts: 5,833	Oh I have spent a lot of hours on the Maharashtra STD busses. Ah, to go back again and hear Marathi..

Jul 19th, 2009, 06:54	#15
alouise Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: sydney Posts: 812	Thank you Laxmikan, I'll keep that in mind. Right now I'm juggling what can be visited within two weeks, most of that time being spent in AP. I will definitely be going to Osmanabad to visit Ter, because I had to leave that out previously due to lack of time. I have maximum four days (including travel time) for that side trip from Hyderabad and was looking for any short cuts, to allow including Paithan before return to Hyderabad - will be returning to Malwa and northern Maharastra in January.