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
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…
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…
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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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
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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Maharashtra
Emperor Aurangzeb, the last of the Mughal greats, is entombed in the courtyard of this simple (and somewhat unwelcoming) shrine. Despite matching the…
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Maharashtra
Pratapgad Fort, built by Shivaji in 1656 (and still owned by his descendants), straddles a high mountain ridge 24km northwest of the town of Mahabaleshwar…
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Maharashtra
Sevagram (Village of Service) was chosen by Mahatma Gandhi as his base during the Indian Independence Movement. Throughout the freedom struggle, the…
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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…
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Nashik
Indian wine pioneers first produced juice with imported French vines at their Karnataka estate in 1982. Today it's easily India's most lauded winery (113…
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Aurangabad
Architecturally speaking, the Aurangabad Caves aren’t a patch on Ellora or Ajanta, but they do shed light on early Buddhist architecture and make for a…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Aurangabad
The garden complex of Panchakki, literally meaning ‘water wheel’, takes its name from the ancient hydromill which, in its day, was considered a marvel of…
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Nashik
Soma Vine Village, 17km west of the city centre, is one of Nashik's newer wineries and offers 45-minute tours that end in a sampling plucked from its 11…
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Maharashtra
This group of interesting Hinayana Buddhist caves sit soaring above Lenyadri. Of the 27 caves, cave 7 is the most impressive and, interestingly, houses an…
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Maharashtra
Shivneri Fort holds the distinction of being the birthplace of Shivaji. The most important structure is Shivkunj, the pavilion in which Shivaji was born…
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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…
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Nashik
Dating from the 1st century BC to the 2nd century AD, the 24 early Buddhist caves of Pandav Leni are located about 8km south of Nashik along the Mumbai…
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Nashik
York Winery offers tours and wine-tasting sessions in a top-floor room that has scenic views of the lake and surrounding hills. Four reds, including its…
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Maharashtra
Kolhapur is famed for the calibre of its Kushti wrestlers and at the Motibag Thalim you can watch young athletes train in an earthen pit. The akhara …
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Maharashtra
Cave 19, a magnificent chaitya, has a remarkably detailed facade; its dominant feature is an impressive horseshoe-shaped window. Two fine, standing Buddha…
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Maharashtra
On the other side of the expressway from Karla Caves in a lush setting 3km off the main road, Bhaja Caves is the greener and quieter of the region's caves…
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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…
