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Ratnagiri, Kingdom of the Mango

Before leaving Pune we had a wonderfully impromptu send-off from a couple of local piped bands. Flushed with their successes in the recent All India Police Band contest and resplendent … Continue Reading →

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Maharashtra, Land of the Storyteller

We arrived in Pune by the early morning train and settled in to a simple but comfortable hotel in the city centre for a few days. For me this is … Continue Reading →

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Bijapur, City of Victory

By the time we reached Bijapur (now being called by its earlier name of Vijayapura), last destination on the Karnataka route, I had completely forgotten why it was so important … Continue Reading →

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Karnataka, Voyage of Discovery II

The state of Karnataka only came into existence after Independence. Before that the land of the Kannada speakers fell under the sway of one pan-Deccan Empire or another as fortunes … Continue Reading →

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Karnataka, Voyage of Discovery

Our journey up the spine of the Deccan state of Karnataka from Mysore to Bijapur turned into something of a thrill ride backwards and forwards through its history as we … Continue Reading →

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Hampi, Hippy Heaven

This is one of the most important archaeological sites in India. From the 14th to the 16th centuries it was an immense city of half a million people, second in … Continue Reading →

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Mysore, the Garden City

The night train to Bangalore left on time and I had a lower berth with good access to the (exceptionally clean) toilets, which was about all I was capable of … Continue Reading →

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Golconda, Prize of Southern India

The great hilltop fort at Golkonda dates back 800 years and plays such an important role in the history of Southern India that I didn’t feel I could miss it, … Continue Reading →

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Hyderabad, City of Diamonds

If this account (written subsequently) is a little light on historical detail and a little heavy on trivia, then we must blame the fact that my challenging itinerary finally caught … Continue Reading →

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Night Train from Bhopal

I’m afraid it was with a certain amount of relief that I climbed aboard the 12708 1800h, The Ap Sampark Kranti or “Pilgrim’s Special” leaving the city of Bhopal and … Continue Reading →