TRAINS TIME TABLE DAHANU ROAD TO VAPI

Dahanu Road - Vapi Route

The distance between Dahanu Road and Vapi is around 49 kilometers.

Stations Between Dahanu Road and Vapi
Gholvad, Bordi Road, Umbargam Road, Sanjan, Bhilad, Karambeli

Train No.	Train Name	Type	Zone	Dep.	Arr.	Dep Days
11096	Ahimsa Express	Exp	CR	1:10	1:44	Thursday
11090	Pune-Jodhpur Exp....	Exp	CR	1:10	1:44	Monday
11088	Pune-Veraval Ahimsa ...	Exp	CR	1:10	1:44	Friday
59441	Mumbai Central-Ahmed...	Pass	WR	2:04	3:10	Daily
19019	Mumbai Bandra Termin...	Exp	WR	2:17	2:49	Daily
59009	Virar Bharuch Shuttle...	Pass	WR	5:22	6:21	Daily
19011	Gujarat Express	Exp	WR	7:48	8:41	Daily
59047	Virar Surat Passenger	Pass	WR	9:05	10:09	Daily
19023	Mumbai Firozpur Jant...	Exp	WR	10:08	11:00	Daily
19215	Saurashtra Express	Exp	WR	10:45	11:40	Daily
59045	Mumbai Bandra T-Vapi...	Pass	WR	12:01	13:15	Daily
59039	Virar Valsad Shuttle...	Pass	WR	12:44	13:43	Daily
12925	Paschim Express	Exp	WR	13:32	14:06	Daily
59439	Mumbai Central Ahmed...	Pass	WR	15:46	16:58	Daily
19115	Sayaji Nagari Expres...	Exp	WR	16:37	17:16	Daily
59037	Virar Surat Passenge...	Pass	WR	18:46	20:11	Daily
19017	Saurashtra Janta Exp..	Exp	WR	19:43	20:17	Daily
12921	Flying Rani Express	Exp	WR	19:58	20:30	Daily
59023	Mumbai Valsad Passen...	Pass	WR	20:42	22:03	Daily
19143	Lokshakti Express	Exp	WR	22:00	22:31	Daily
19707	Aravalli Express	Exp	NWR	22:58	23:31	Daily

Kailasa Temple, Ellora

Kailasa Temple, the most impressive of all the temples of Ellora and one of the wonders of India. During the 8th and early 9th centuries, the greatest masters of rock sculpture produced this cave which is known as the Kailasa, the mountain dwelling place of Shiva. It is probably the world’s biggest monolithic structure, carved out of a single rock and its conception is simply breathtaking. Starting at the top of a cliff, a horde of stone-cutters removed three million cubic feet of rock to form a vast pit measuring 107 feet deep, 276 feet long and 154 feet wide, leaving a block in the center which was to become a temple rising from the foot of what had been a hill. But, despite its colossal proportions, this is all sculptured and its detail is worked as intricately as if it had been an ivory miniature.

This replica of the home of Shiva stands in an open country yard as three separate structures. The main temple rests on a base 25 feet high which appears to be supported by friezes of elephants. This temple measures 150 by 100 feet under a gabled front and a tower in three tiers beneath a cupola. An over head bridge links the three buildings of Kailasa and its outer gateway.

One gallery in this temple is devoted to a dozen panels relating legends of Shiva with an adjoining gallery telling the story of Vishnu as a man-lion, shredding the body of a demon with his claws. This demon was supposed to have been invulnerable to human or animal attackers, but Vishnu destroyed the tyrant by adopting a form which was neither man nor beast.

Then you will reach the masterpiece of this cave, the tale in stone of “Ravana shaking Kailasa”. Ravana, according to the epic Ramayana, was a demon who decided to show his strength by lifting Kailasa over his head. You can almost feel the mountain tremble in this piece of sculpture, but you are reassured by the unperturbed figure of Shiva who is taking care of his downstairs neighbor by merely putting his foot down so hard that Ravana is caught below. Parvati seems to be a little preoccupied: she clings to her husband’s arm as any young wife would in a similar situation.

Outside this temple and facing it is a smaller pavilion with the bull Nandi in front of it. On each side of the shrine to Nandi is a stone “Flagstaff” 50 feet high, covered with symbols of the Shiva cult in fine carvings.

Kailasa was begun under the reign of a Rashtrakuta King, Krishna-I, and its execution took 100 years. Even today, a visitor can only marvel at the vision of its unknown planner who was able to foresee this gigantic temple emerging from a mountainside. But Kailasa is not merely colossal: it displays perfect unity in its conception. Percy Brown, a leading authority on India Art and Architecture, has said : “The Kailasa is an illustration of one of those rare moments when men’s minds, hearts and hands work in unison towards the consummation of a supreme ideal”.

The paintings at Ajanta

The sophistication of Ajanta's ancient
murals rival the best in Europe of the
same period

The paintings at Ajanta are called “frescoes” although they were not executed in the true fresco technique developed in Italy. Here, the process began when a rough rock wall was covered with a plaster made from clay and cow-dung mixed with chopped rice-husks in a layer about half an inch thick. On top of this surface, a smooth coat of lime was applied and then the painter began his work (the plaster was kept moist as he used his brushes). First, he outlined his composition in red and then he applied an undercoating. Analysis has shown that all the colors used at Ajanta were of local origin: red ochre, burnt brick, copper oxide, lampblack, or dust from green rocks which had been crushed. In this background, the painter then applied his colors. The outline was accentuated and highlights were added before the surface of the mural was polished to a shine. This luster has dimmed and some of the paintings were damaged in the early 19th century when the British applied shellac to them in an attempt to revive it.

Fairy Tales in Fresco

The subjects at Ajanta are divided into two main themes: the life of Buddha and the illustration of tales from Buddhist fables or Jatakas. Their total effect is nothing less than that of a magic carpet transporting you back into a drama played by nobles and wise men and commoners. Here, you will find the stories of Buddha’s birth. Here, too, you will see vivid scenes of market places or river bathing or court life. You’ll also see a beauty applying lipstick, just another proof that there really isn’t anything new under the sun.

Now for a trip through the Ajanta Caves. Words are nearly always inadequate to describe paintings and we can only refer you to illustrations in this site whenever they fail us. The caves are numbered by the way, from west to east and not in chronological order.

The first cave is a lavish Vihara with a six-pillared façade. The pillars are carved, but the main sculptural effect here is achieved by a huge image of Buddha. Inside the cave, there is a strangely-carved pillar consisting of four deer with a single head. While many of the paintings in this cave have been flaked away by time, some masterpieces remain and they tell charming stories. For example, one painting illustrates the Sibi Jataka, the tale of King Sibi, a near-Buddha or Bodhisattva. A pigeon fleeing a hawk sought refuge with the King who then had to deal with the hawk who demanded its prey. The King compromised and, using the scales shown in the paining, gave the hawk the equivalent of the pigeon’s weight in his own flesh. In the antechamber of Cave 1, there are huge scenes from the Buddha’s life and then, on the walls of the black corridor, you will find two masterpieces. One is of Padmapani, a meditating Bodhisattva, and it has been compared in technique to the work of Michelangelo and Corregio. He is depicted with his melon-breasted, sensuously-hipped wife, one of the most widely-reproduced figures of Ajanta. The other paintings show Vajrapani, a jewel-bedecked Bodhisattva.

Cave 2 is remarkable for its ceiling decorations and its murals relating the final birth of Buddha. As you will see in the paintings (unfortunately, they are somewhat damaged), his mother, Queen Maya, dreams that an elephant with six tusks has entered her body. This dream is interpreted to mean that she is to bear a great son and, in one panel, we see the nativity of Buddha and the newborn child walking over lotus blossoms with the King of the Gods, Indra, holding an umbrella over his head.

Sculpture is the main point of interest in Cave 4, the largest Vihara at Ajanta where, in stone, a man and a woman flee from a mad elephant and a man gives up trying to resist a tempting woman. Cave 10 is a Chaitya measuring 95 by 41 feet (impressive dimensions for anyone who has not seen Ellora) and it is believed to be perhaps the oldest of the caves at Ajanta, going back to the 2nd century B.C. according to an inscription found on its façade.

There is an excellent view of the river from Cave 16 which may have been the entrance to the entire series of temples. This 6th century temple is extremely beautiful and its paintings continue the story of Buddha’s birth which had begun in Cave 2. Here, however, interest is usually focused on one painting known as “The Dying Princess”. This mural, which is believed to represent Sundari, the wife of Buddha’s half-brother, Nanda, who left her to become a monk, remains as emotionally gripping today as the day it was painted. You can almost see the princess’ eyes cloud over in death and you cannot help agreeing with the art critic who said; “For pathos and sentiment and the unmistakable way of telling its story, this picture cannot be surpassed in the history of art.”

But the greatest gallery of all in this Ajanta museum of Buddhist paining is undoubtedly Cave 17 which possessed the greatest number of paintings not too badly damaged by time. Lucious heavenly damsels fly with effortless ease overhead, a prince makes love to a princess, and Buddha tames a rampaging elephant, all on the portico alone of the cave. Elephants also appear within the Cave in the Jataka story of a Bodhisattva as an elephant, the chief of a huge herd. One of his wives, who bore a grudge against him, was reborn as a queen and ordered a hunter to bring her the tusks of the elephant. But the hunter was enabled to remove his prize until the near-Buddha himself, in a gesture of self-sacrifice, pulled out his tusks. When the queen saw them, she died of a broken heart.

Another mural in this cave tells how Prince Simhala conquered Ceylon, an island of beautiful ogresses who trapped the prince and his 500 companions. Their captivity was a merry one but Simhala sensed the trap and fled on a winged white horse with an ogress in pursuit. This beauteous which enticed the King of Simhala’s country into marriage and ate her husband for their wedding banquet. Nut Simhala drove out the ogress and reconquered her island of Ceylon. This lively story is related in a series of scenes of dancers, elephants on parade, ships beached on an island and the crowning of the new king. Incidentally, next to this painting is the scene of a woman applying lipstick which never fails to fascinate Western woman visitors.

Another and more moving note is struck by a painting on the back wall of this temple known as “Mother and Child before Buddha” in which Buddha returns to his palace as a beggar. This tender work has been compared to the Madonnas of the Italian Renaissance.

Finally, there are three caves-19, 24 and 26 -in which sculpture predominates. Cave 19 has some large Buddhas in relief on its façade which bears a remarkable arched window. In Cave 26, also a Chaitya, there is a relief of the “Temptation of Buddha” subject which is treated as a mural in Cave 1.

Aurangabad

Whether you are coming from Mumbai or Pune, Aurangabad is the most convenient headquarters for a trip to Ajanta and Ellora. This, in a way, is unfortunate for the renown of this city (named after Aurangzeb, of course) which has a number of points of interest. Amazing Maharashtra strongly advises you to see them before setting out for the caves. After Ajanta and Ellora, anything is an anti-climax.

Panchakki

To start with, there is the Panchakki Water Mill which serves as the tomb of a Moslem saint buried there in 1624. He lies in a simple grave surrounded by gardens, fountains, basins and an artificial waterfall, making for a very peaceful setting. A far more grandiose affair is the Bibi-Ka-Maqbara, six miles from Aurangabad, the mausoleum built in 1660 by Aurangzeb for his wife, Rabia-ud-Daurani. It is rather pale limitation of the Taj Mahal, the masterpiece of his father , Shahajahan, but it’s impressive if you haven’t seen the Taj. The exterior lacks symmetry and balance and its interior decoration has nothing comparable with the wonder at Agra. Yet, comparisons apart, this royal resting place has its own splendor and grace. Aurangazeb himself is buried 17 miles out, at Khuldabad on the road to the Ellora Caves, but not in a mausoleum. His tomb is the simple grave covered with earth, for the Grand Moghul had ordered it to be built only with the money he had earned by sewing cloth!

The conscientious tourist probably won’t leave Aurangabad until he had seen Daulatabad and the Aurangabad Caves. Daulatabad is a medieval fortress on a pyramid shaped hill nine miles from the city and it was originally known as Devagiri, the “Hill of the Gods”. During the 14th Century, it was renamed to Daulatabad, the “City of Fortune”, by the Sultan of Delhi, Muhammad Tughlaq, who decided to move his capital there, 700 miles away. He moved the whole population of Delhi , too, a decision so mad that, after thousand died on this forced march, he ordered them to walk back to Delhi. But Daulatabad remained, ruling a province from its mountain fort. The fort is surrounded by three miles of walls and a visit here means a climb to the top of the rock, 600 feet high. When you get there, you are greeted by a huge seven-inch cannon twenty feet long which, somehow, got there before you in the 17th Century. One feature of the climb through the citadel is a spiraling tunnel 150 feet long near the top. Its upper entrance is crowned by an iron lid where defenders lighted a fire of hot coals to scorch besiegers in the tunnel. The Chand Minar pillar at the base of the fort was built as a Victory Column.

Daulatabad Fort

Finally, there are the Aurangabad Caves with some good sculpture. Unfortunately , visiting them is a rather athletic proposition. It’s a tough climb up to the site itself and the group of caves are separated by a mile of the hills. If you decide to see them, make the trip before heading for Ajanta and Ellora.

In Aurangabad, as at the other two sites, the caves reproduce two forms of religious structures: the place of worship or Chaitya and the monastery or Vihara. In general, the Aurangabad caves are later formed in Mahayana Style, carved out during the 7th Century. This can be seen readily in such temples as Cave 1, with a Buddha on a lotus seat supported by snake-hooded demi-gods, or Cave 2 where a huge Buddha sits with his feet on a lotus, or Cave 3 with twelve carved pillars, and another seated Buddha in front of his shrine. In the second group of temples a mile away, the most interesting is Cave 7 with a huge figure of Bodhisattva Padmapani (a Bodhisattva is a near-Buddha and one of the forms through which Buddha passed before he achieved Enlightenment; Padmapani means “Lotus –in-Hand”). He is praying for deliverance from the eight fears which are illustrated here dramatically in stone: fire, the enemy’s sword, the chains of slavery, shipwreck, attack by a lion, snakes and a mad elephant, and death, portrayed as a demon.

Ajanta Cave

Stern going though it may be , this climb to Aurangabad’s caves will put you in the proper mood for a visit to Ellora where this art of Buddhist sculpture reached its highest pitch.

Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganapati

Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganapati Temple is located in Budhvar Peth, Pune, is a temple dedicated to the Lord Ganesha. It is one of the most famous and richest temples in Pune and is revered by every Punekar. The temple was constructed in 1893 by Dagadusheth Halwai, a sweet maker at that time. The temple got its name after him. Thousand of devotees visit the temple and at the time of Ganesh Chaturthi the count goes unlimited.

Temple’s Daily Schedule

06.00 to 07.30     Temple Opens, Darshan for General Public
07.30 to 07.45     Morning Prayer
07.45 to 13:30     Darshan for General Public
13:30 to 14.00     Offerings & Noon Prayer
14:00 to 15:00     Darshan for General Public
15:00 to 15:15     Madhyana Prayer
15:15 to 20:00     Darshan for General Public
20:00 to 20:45     Atharvashirsha Pathan & Prime Prayer 
20:45 to 22:30     Darshan for General Public
22:30 to 22:45     Shejaarti
22:45 to 23:00     Darshan for General Public, Temple Closes

Contact Details (Trust Office)

Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganpati Trust, Pune
"Ganpati Bhavan", 250, Budhvar Peth
Pune, Maharashtra, India - 411002
Phone: +91 20 24479222

Hazur Sahib Nanded

Hazur Sahib, is a 300 year old heritage Gurudwara is located on the banks of the holy Godavari river in the city of Nanded in the state of Maharashtra, India. This is one of the five Takhts (thrones) of the Sikh religion. It is the place where the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh was cremated in 1708. The Gurudwara was constructed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh over the place where Guru Gobind Singh was cremated during 1832 to 1837. The Gurudwara is visited by millions of devotees throughout the year. It is a two-storey building. The interior of the Gurudwara is artistically ornamented in the style of Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar. The walls of the inner room called Angitha Sahib have been covered with golden plates. The dome is polished and on the pinnacle is the Kalash made of gold plated copper. The building stands on a high base and has a small square room on the second floor bearing the gilded ribbed dome topped with a tall gilded pinnacle and umbrella shaped finial. There are some rooms in the basement too, so that the edifice is technically four-storied. Corners of the roof of the first floor are decorated with domed kiosks on octagonal pedestals. Other embellishments on the exterior included oriel windows and a fancy fencing on the roof top. Inside, the sanctum it has marble lining decorated with inset work in floral patterns on lower parts of the walls and stucco and tukari work on the upper parts as well as on the ceiling.

Guru Granth Sahib is seated in the room in front of the sanctum during the day time only and at night after evening prayer it is brought inside and placed on a marbled platform. During the day there are some old weapons and other sacred relics are placed on a marble platform includes a golden dagger, a matchlock gun, a quiver with 35 arrows, two bows, a steel shield studded with precious stones and five golden swords.

The building complex of the Takhat Sahib about is half a kilometer from the left bank of the river Godavari and is spread over about 525 acres of land. Besides the Takht Sahib It also includes two other shrines, Bunga Mai Bhago ji (comprising a large room where Guru Granth Sahib is seated and some historical weapons are on display) and Angitha Sahib (place of cremation).

Guru Gobind Singhji, while conferring Guruship on the holy Book, had named Nanded region as Abchalnagar (steadfast city). The word Sachkhand (region of Truth) was used to mean the abode of God.

Best Time to Visit

Best time to visit is early morning or late evening when it is very peaceful and very beautiful.

Accommodation

The rooms are available in Sachkhand Complex and can be easily booked 15 days prior to visit.

Meal

There is Guru Ka Langar/community Kitchen which serves free meals round the clock for all the devotees.

Attractions Nearby

There are other Gurudwaras nearby and easily can be reached via auto or taxis. Gurudwara Sahib has their own buses also that start every day in the morning from Gate 2.

Photo Gallery

The Zero Mile Stone, Nagpur

Zero Mile is a stone pillar locating the geographical center of India in the city of Nagpur, Maharashtra. The Zero Mile Stone was erected by the British who used this point to measure all the distances. The British considered Nagpur as the center of India. Being at the centers of the country, they also had a plan to make Nagpur the second capital city. The Zero Mile Stone consists of four horses and a pillar made up of sandstone. Each horse denotes a cardinal direction. The Times of India Group has taken the responsibility to maintain this as a monument since 2008.

The Bandra Bandstand

The Bandstand Promenade, a kilometer long walkway along the sea, is on the west side of Bandra, a suburb of Mumbai. The Bandra Bandstand is popularly known as lover’s point as it is a regular hangout spot for young couples. The bandstand got its name from the old glory days of bandstand culture, when bands used to provide entertainment by playing outdoors there. The Bandra Bandstand is normally associated with celebrities who reside in the area, the popular Shahrukh Khan's bungalow Mannat is located opposite the old Sea Rock hotel at the Bandstand. There are hordes of people waiting outside his bungalow, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.