Madhya Pradesh Trip

There are 3-4 different aiports to enter Madhya Praesh - Indore, Nagpur, Bhopal or Gwalior. Depending on what you want to cover, you can chose the appropriate airport.

I had made 2 plans.

Plan A

• night Indore (Dont miss street food) 
• omkareshwar temple - day trip night halt indore
• Ujjain and back to Indore 
• train to Jabalpur 
• Kanha/Bandavgarh - 4 hours
• 2 nights in kanha 
• drive to bhedghat near jabalpur - 4 hours. Stay in Bhedghat
• boat ride and relax and stay Bhedghat
• morning drive to chitrakoot and stay there
• 4 hours drive to khajurao - see the place and stay
• 4 hours drive to Jhansi. stay - see the place
• afternoon start towards gwalior - 3 hours
• gwalior sight seeing and evening flight
• Skip chitrakoot and just see khajurao to save a day.

Plan B

• Morning fligt to gwalior
• afternoon/evening -see gwalior
• drive to jhansi see the place
• start towards khajurao - see the place and night stay
• chitrakoot and stay
• come to jabalpur and checkin at bhedghat and stay
• boat ride and go to kanha by night
• 2 days in kanha
• Feel free to end the trip by going to nagpur for a flight to bangalore
• Else, contine to Indore for Ujjain and mahakaleshware visit 

I stuck with plan A.

Route map

There are 2 Jyotirlingas in MP. To reach them, it is best to start the trip from Indore. I will capture my trip itinerary

Day1:
Land in Indore. Depending on what time you land in Indore, you can plan local sight seeing at indore.  Indore is famous for Namkeens. You can shop for them in Prakash Namkeen, Agarwal Nameen or Apna Sweets.
You can also Visit Indore’s Sarafa, India’s only night street food market
https://recipes.timesofindia.com/articles/features/visit-indores-sarafa-indias-only-night-street-food-market/articleshow/46677266.cms

Day2:
For Day 2 travel from Indore, there are several options to book cabs - like Ola, redbus, savari.com etc. But based on my friend's recommendatin, I booked cab from https://www.gozocabs.com/

Visit 2 Jyotirlingas - Omkareshwar and Ujjain Mahakaleshwar. In 2019, the roads were not so a great, so we  had start early in the morning and Visit Omkareshwar. The temple closes by 1.00 p.m. and reopens after a couple of hours. You can opt for special Darshan. Try to avoid Pundits. Finish the darshan early and head towards Ujjain.
If you reach Ujjain early, visit Harasiddhi Mata temple.  This is more than 1000 years old maha kali temple in Ujjain and it is having two pillars and each one is having 1001 lamps. At the time of evening aarthi, all the 2002 lamps are cleaned everyday and lighted again.
See how this task is done perfectly and quickly.


The main Mahakala temple is open till 11 p.m. So, try to get a darshan either before or after dinner. It takes about 20 min for Darshan.

Day3: 
Ujjain Mahakala temple is famous for Bhasma Arati. This Arati starts at 4.00 a.m. People stand in the line from 12.00 a.m. I am told that first 50-100 people who enter the temple will get a chance to go close to god and do Jalabhishek themselves. To get this chance, people stand in line from 12.00 a.m. If you are not particular about Jalabhishek, but want to get a good Darshan of Bhasma Arathi, it is good to get in to the line by 2.30. Any later than this, you might not get a good seat to view the Darshan. Booking can be done from temple website 30 days before the darshan
http://dic.mp.nic.in/ujjain/mahakal/default.aspx



For Stay, there are multiple places to stay in Indore, but I chose the Dharmashala attached to the temple. It is not fancy. It is a very basic, but clean accomdation. Advantage is if you want to go to temple for Arati, you can get up and walk 200-300 mts to reach the temaple. Other good hotels are more than a km away. Booking can be done from temple website 30 days before the darshan
http://dic.mp.nic.in/ujjain/mahakal/default.aspx

Since the Darshan gets over by 6.30 or 7, you have rest of the day to take rest and visiting near by temples. There are plenty of Auto rickshaws that you can hire for the same

My next destination was visiting National parks in MP. Most famous ones are Kanha Tiger reserve forest and Bandavgarh National Park. These national parks are more than 600 kms from Ujjain. So, instead of wasting an entire day travelling by road, I took AC train to go to Jabalpur. Jabalpur is the closest railway station to any of these National parks.

Day4:
There are a few local attractions in Jabalpur - Marble rocks at BedaGhat, Dhuadhar falls, 64 yogini temple, Jain temple, Madan Mahal fort, Sharada temple, Kachnar temple. Depending on your interest you can visit any of these places.

Enjoy the boar ride in Beda Ghat. Get a glimpse of it from the famous song from Ashoka movie "Raat ka Nasha Abhi"



Unfortunately there was an extended monsoon this year and Narmada river was over flowing. So, we couldn't go no a boat ride.
For traveling in Madhya Pradesh, I booked cabs from http://www.guptatravelsjabalpur.com/
I found them online and they gave me a good service.

Day 5:
For the next segment of my trip which was for 6 days, I booked a Tempo traveller from Gupta travels.
Roads are not great (as of 2019) and it takes long time to reach places.
We started by 8 a.m and reached BandavGarh National park by lunch time. We had booked 2 safaris. People say that tiger sighting is better in BandavGarh National park. But the best time to sight tigers is Dec-March. We had booked an evening safari (3 p.m. to 6 p.m) and a next day 6 a.m. to 10.a.m.)

Day 6:
Get up early and head to Tiger safari. The resort guys generally pack breakfast. After the safari, you can come back to hotel and get ready for next journey.
We started towards Khajurao in the afternoon. Due to bad road conditions in 2019, it took us 8 hours to reach Khajurao.

Day7:
The entire day was dedicated see different temples in Khajurao. We travelled in September and weather was still in 30s and very humid in Madhya Pradesh. So, it is better to start sight seeing as early as 6 a.m. Early morning is also good for photography.
We went to the main khajurao temple (western group of temples) at 6 a.m. It takes 2-3 hours to see the temple (depending on your interest). Return back to hotel, have breakfast, and then head to Rahen falls which is about 30 min drive from khajurao. It is a beatiful falls formed due to volcanic eruption. You can spend about an hour there and head back.
After lunch, you can take some rest. You can resume visiting eastern and southern tempples after the temperature cools down (say after 3 p.m.) Finish all temples by 6 to be back to main Khajurao temple for light and sound show (english show at 6.30 and Hindi show at 7.30)

Day 8: 
After breakfast, start journey towards Orchha. Due to road conditions, we reached Orccha by lunch time. After lunch time, we visited Orccha fort. Try to finish the fort visit before sunset to visit Chattris. https://www.windhorsetours.com/sights/india/Chhatris.html
It is a beautiful view at that time.
After sunset, head towards Jhansi.

Day 9:
Start towards Jhansi fort early in the morning. Jhansi fort was not as exciting. It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to see the place. It is even ok to skip Jhansi. Post lunch, we headed towards Gwalior.
On the way to Gwalior, if you have time visit Datia. There is a fort and Pitambar temple (Shakti Peeth). Due to Navarathri festival, the temple was crowded, so we skipped it.
We reached Gwalior by evening.

Day 10:
Start early at 6 a.m. to cover Gwalior fort. It is a beautiful fort. It takes about to cover all the places in and around the fort. In the same premisis, you can visit Gwalior fort, Saash Bahu mandir, Gurudwara and Teli ka mandir.
Return to hotel, have breakfast, take some rest. After lunch, visit Jai Vilas Palace in Gwalior. It is a beautiful palace and you can easily spend about 2 hours.

You can do some shopping in Gwalior

Breakfast - Famous Poha



Lunch/Dinner - kwality restaurant.
For chats -(at your own risk), try Phool Bagh chaupti
Shopping - Topi bazar, sarafa bazar, subhash market
Sweets - Bahadura for Gulab Jamun, Shano-Shaukat for assorted sweets especially Boondi laddu, Daulatram Gupta, Gazak

Day 11:
Return to Bangalore

Other places of interest in MP 
I didn't have time to cover it. But if you happen to go to bhopal, visit Bhimbetka rock shelters
Bhimbetka rock shelters are in Bhopal, MP.  It is a UNESCO world heritage site that consists of seven hills and over 750 rock shelters distributed over 10 kilometres. At least some of the shelters were inhabited more than 100,000 years ago. Some of the Bhimbetka rock shelters feature prehistoric cave paintings and the earliest are about 10,000 years old (c. 8,000 BCE),

Adukale products

Extract from Adukale site
“Sankethi” is a small smartha-brahmin community mainly settled in the south of India in the state of Karnataka. They are believed to have migrated from Shenkottai a millennium ago and settled predominantly in Kaushika and Bettadapura in Hassan and Mysore districts of Karnataka respectively. The community has two "factions", the Bettadapura and the Kowshika Sankethis. The community is traditionally famed for intelligence, hard work and its expertise in music, vedas and in growing the areca palm The language of Sankethis’ has no written script but is more of a sweet spoken language comprising of a healthy sprinkle of Kannada, Tamil, and Malayalam languages. Two main unique traits of every Sankethi family are music and of course mouth watering food preparations. The sankethis are known to be great cooks and even better.....awesomely generous servers! While tasting delicious, the sankethi cuisine eschews the extent of spices and heat traditionally found in south Indian cuisine. Sankethi style of cooking is completely different and incorporates a blend of tastes from Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. Their signature dishes are Chomai (Steamed Rice vermicelli) made from scratch, Gojjavalakki (peppered broken rice) and Kolakattaes (Steamed rice dumplings). In Sankethi, “Adukale” means kitchen- traditional Sankethi cuisine. Most of the original recipes have been passed across generations more by choice than by design for the love for food is more in the genes. “Adukale” is an attempt at reviving and reliving the original Sankethi epitome of good food. Each of the products has a healthy sprinkle of spices which appeal to the culinary senses of the old and young. Each of the mixes combines knowledge, experience, dedication, perfection and passion to give you the gastronomic experience you have always been waiting for. Go ahead and let your taste buds tingle….with our wide range of products to choose from.

Changes noticed in Pizza Hut

After I wrote to Pizza Hut, about their Anti kannada Policy, I was wondering if they have taken any action. Last week, I had been to the same Pizza Hut again and spoke to the staff. There was a change in the staff's approach. They replied to me in Kannada when I spoke to them in Kannada. I called the same waiter, with whom, I had interacted the previous time. I asked him if anything had changed. He told me that the one of the senior guy from the management team had come down to the outlet and had instructed all the staff to talk to the customers in Kannada if they preferred. He told me that the manager mentioned about the complaint they had received about the outlet's Anti kannada policy.
I was happy about their change. I was more happy that I had influenced a Pizza Hut to adopt and honor the local language.

Pizza Hut's response

After posting Pizza Hut's Anti Kannada policy blog, I even left a feedback at their website. One day later, I received a call from Pizza Hut. The representative apologized for their actions. However, he denied that they had any policy, which says that the staff cannot speak in Kannada. When I told him the whole story, about how the staff was afraid to speak in Kannada, he kept repeating that there was some confusion and mistake from the staff, but never admitted the fact that they have a Anti Kannada Policy. He also told me that he will talk to the staff to clear the confusion (if they have any) regarding their policy towards speaking in Kannada.
Some of the people whom I have to spoken to and some people who have read my blog have told me that they have had similar bad experiences with Pizza Hut.
All I can do is probably go to one of Pizza Hut outlets some time and verify.

Gufa restaurant

On the eve of Valentine's, I was wondering, where I should take my wife out. Then one of my friends told me about Gufa in Jayanagar, Bangalore. I decided to try it out.
I called them up and reserved the table. They were not ready to hold the table beyond 7.45 p.m. So I reserved it for that time and arrived at the place in time. I was wondering who would go for dinner that early, but I later realized that the hotel was full by 8.30pm and the reason - It was an awesome place.
Gufa means cave and that the is the concept for this restaurant. The interiors looks like a cave. The place is softly lit and gives you an impression that you have come to a different era. The ceiling is low and the AC ducts in the ceiling also gels with the theme. The people who serve the food are dressed like 'Shikari Shambu' (people who read Tinkle know him - for others, he they are dressed like forest officers). There are people around who look like (are dressed like) cavemen. If you observe the walls closely you will notice some creatures like bats, snakes etc (ofcourse not real) on the walls. You will also see the roots of some trees. Occasionally, you will hear some strange animal noise in the background. It is just like being in a jungle.
We were assigned a table in one of the corners, where there was a single beam of soft light on the table. The food is also pretty good, but a little expensive.
A meal for 2 comprising of one drink, followed by 2 starters, main course and the dessert costs close to Rs 1000 (as of 2008). Non-veg might be a little more expensive. But it is worth going there once in a while for celebrating some special occasion like birthday, anniversary etc.
I tried to search for their phone number on the web and was unable to find it. So, I called Just Dial and got their number (call just dial at 080-23333333 to get any phone number)

Guffa Restaurant,
Jaynagar 3rd Block,
Bangalore
Ph: 080 - 41808777

Idli Vada

Idli and Vada are one of the most favourite South Indian breakfasts. Crispy Vadas, soft Idlis , with a Chutney and
Sambar make a deadly combination for breakfast.
Yesterday, I had been to Malleshwaram
in Bangalore to see my friend's new born baby. When we were about to leave, my friend and his mom asked me if I was going to stop at 'Veena Stores'. I told them that I had not heard that name earlier. They gave me a strange look and told me that it is the store next to the
hospital. I told them that I had noticed it while stepping in to the hospital and thought it was just a tea stall. My friend told me that it is a very old shop which is very famous forIdli and Vada . People flock at this place for a bite
whenever they pass by that street. It has been running for decades. This made me curious and wanted to check it out before I left. It is a very small shop, but a very busy one. I could seeat least 2 dozen people on the foot path either munching something or waiting for their turn to get food tokens. I too had to put up a struggle to get my token. Though it took me a while to get my token, the service was very fast. Because there is acontinuous demand for the snacks, the kitchen is busy continuously and hence there is a steady supply. And yes, I was not disappointed. Though Idli and Vada is a very simple snack, the chutney that is given with it makes it tastes good. The crispy Vada was really mouth watering.

I have decided that from now on whenever I go towards Malleshwaram, I will make it a point to go to Veena stores and eat Idli and Vada and also check out other snacks that he makes.
This place is also known for Shavige Bath, Uppit (Upma), Kesari Bath etc
Location: Near Malleshwaram 15th cross, Next to Lakshmi Maternity Home, Margosa Road.