Itinerary Part-8: PUNJAB, HARYANA & CENTRAL INDIA
Dear Readers,
Having covered the southern and western region of India on my All India Solo Trip (link to other itineraries at the end of the post), I'll be entering a period where travelling within a specific state will not be feasible. So in this leg of 15 days, I'll be travelling in states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in a very random manner. Also, since this period of the journey will be during the winters, I'll not be proceeding up north to Himachal Pradesh or Jammu and Kashmir as most of the places will not be accessible in these states during the winter. So I'll be descending down to central India and then move to western region.
As with all the other Itineraries, I've had help from friends, fellow bloggers, tourism department of Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, travel companies and readers, providing me various inputs on availability of local transports, places to visit, places to stay, etcetera, to develop this itinerary. And, as mentioned in previous posts, this itinerary is loosely based on various ideal situations. Thus, following it may not be possible due to reasons out of our hand during the trip.
So here's the itinerary for the eighth leg of my All India Solo Trip in the state of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (Part-A) and Madhya Pradesh (Part-B):
Day 1: Delhi. Starting off in this misc leg of the trip, I visit the capital of the country, Delhi. A symbol of the country’s rich past and thriving present, Delhi is a city where ancient and modern blend seamlessly together. Overnight travel to Hisar.
Check this out from my last visit to Delhi:
Day 2: Hisar. Next stop on this journey is Hisar (Haryana). Hisar, Arabic word for fort, was earlier known as Hisar-e-Firoza or the fort of Firoz, as it was found by the ruler Firozshah Tuglaq in the 14th century. Here, we find the pre-Harappan settlements excavations. Overnight travel to Dhuri then to Patiala.
Day 3: Patiala. Moving on to Punjab now and the first stop here would be Patiala. Built around the castle known as Qila Mubarak (fortunate castle), this place is famous for its authenticity. Overnight travel to Amritsar.
Day 4: Amritsar. Next stop is the place which has the most sacred shrine of Sikhs-Golden temple, Amritsar . Other than this, there is also the pulsating Attari border.
Day 5: Kapurthala. Next stop in Punjab is Kapurthala, the city of palaces and gardens with numerous palaces, especially the Jagatjit Palace, which is one of the most extraordinary architectural marvels, and beautiful gardens. Overnight travel to Chandigarh.
Day 6: Pinjore. Moving back to Haryana, through the shared capital of both state, Chandigarh, I will visit Pinjore. The erstwhile town of Pandavas is famous for its Mughal gardens and palaces. Overnight stay at Chandigarh.
Day 7: Kurukshetra. The final stop in Haryana will be the place where the battle of Mahabharat was fought, Kurukshetra. Overnight stay at Delhi.
Day 8: Mathura. Now, moving on to the state of Uttar Pradesh, the first stop is the birthplace of Lord Krishna, Mathura. It is the part of the twin city of Mathura and Vrindavan, that personifies the legend of Lord Krishna, with folklore, cultural traditions and even day-to-day life are imbued with a divine presence.
Day 9: Agra. Next stop, is the city on the banks of river Yamuna, Agra. The home to one of the most iconic architecture, one of the seven wonders of the world, Taj Mahal. The city flourished after Akbar, the great Mughal emperor, built the Agra fort and the Mughals continued to beautify the city with more palaces and gardens.
Check this out from my last visit to Agra:
Day 10: Gwalior. Moving on, I'll now enter Madhaya Pradesh again, having covered the Indore region earlier. The first stop will be Gwalior, home to the pearl amongst fortresses in India, the Gwalior fort.
Day 11: Jhansi, Orcha. First stop on this day will be Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh), the home to the valiant queen, Rani Laxmi Bai. Next stop on the same day will be Orcha (Madhya Pradesh), the home to the Bundela Rajput clan. The Jhansi fort was actually built to strengthen the security of Orcha. Overnight travel to Bhopal.
Day 12: Bhopal. Next stop is the capital of the central state of India, Bhopal, this city is split by a pair of lakes, the split being contrasting in terms of cityscape. On the north we find the old city with fascinating mosques, havelies, bazaars, while in the south is the new Bhopal, with sparkling shopping malls, plush hotels etc.
Day 13: Sanchi. Next stop is the town of Sanchi. Famous for the Buddhist Stupas, constructed on the orders of Emperor Ashoka to spread the Buddhist philosophies, this is a UNESCO world heritage site. Overnight travel to Jabalpur from Bhopal.
Day 14: Jabalpur. Next stop is Jabalpur, a city with surreal natural spectacles as well as carefully preserved historical monuments.
Day 15: Bedaghat. The final stop on this leg of the trip will be Bedaghat, with glittering marble rocks standing tall on the river Narmada. I will also visit the Dhuandhar falls, where river Narmada falls from a height of 100 feets.
From here, I'll move to my home town Jagdalpur, Chattisgarh, for a few days rest, before proceeding further on the journey.
So readers, if you feel that I should change the itinerary in some way or other for me to move much better between places, please specify them on the comment section. And ,as I've mentioned in earlier post, if any of you reader wants to join me in any juncture of this journey, I would love to share the journey with you.
You can also write to me at muditacharya28@gmail.com with your valuable suggestions and questions about this trip.
And keep following the blog as I release further details and further itineraries of the trip.
Cheers!
Links to other Itineraries:
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