Kacchh Nahi Dekha toh *Bohoth* Kuch nahi Dekha.

Well, I wanted to verify if Mr. Amitabh Bacchan really meant what he said when he said ‘Kacchh nahi dekha toh Kuch nahi dekha’ (If you haven't seen Kachchh/Kutch, then you haven't seen anything!) while promoting Gujarat tourism. After travelling for 9 days and visiting the ‘Kutch Hub’, I can surely say that Kacchh Nahi Dekha toh *Bohoth* Kuch nahi Dekha. So, here is a report which I have tried to make as concise as possible while giving all important & relevant details.

Kutch district also written as Kachchh, is a district of Gujarat state. Covering an area of 45,652 km², it is the largest district of India. Kutch literally means something which intermittently becomes wet and dry; a large part of this district is known as Rann (Desert) of Kutch which is shallow wetland which submerges in water during the rainy season and becomes dry during other seasons. The Rann is famous for its marshy salt flats which become snow white after the shallow water dries up each season before the monsoon rains.

The district is also famous for ecologically important Banni grasslands with their seasonal marshy wetlands; which form the outer belt of the Rann of Kutch. - Wikipedia.

We had traveled in our own vehicle throughout the visit. And during this drive we have travelled a distance of about 3000Kms in 9 days (this includes the distance driven even during local sightseeing).

Started our trip from Borivali, Mumbai and did the Kutch hub.

AHMEDABAD (2Nights)
Borivali/Ahmedabad road condition: National Highway - Very good.

Day 1 – 18 Mar – Borivali – Ahmedabad (Overnight stay) – Approximate distance 535 Kms
Local Sightseeing: Sarkhej Roza

Day 2 – 19 Mar – Ahmedabad (Overnight stay)
Local Sightseeing: Thol Bird Sanctuary – Approximate distance 30 Kms.

Hotel Royal,
Near Sarkhej Dhal, Near, City Pulse Cinema, Sarkhej, Ahmedabad – 382210
Ph. No. 26821149, 9016299500
Tariff: Rs. 499/- Non-AC room, Rs. 950/- AC room (Inclusive of taxes, on double Occupancy/night)

A restaurant serving good Vegetarian food is in the same compound.
Vehicle parking space is available for a few vehicles.
Budget Hotel. AC rooms are better than Non AC rooms - cleanliness and comfort wise.

BHUJ (2Nights)
Ahmedabad/Bhuj road condition (Part National Highway & part State Highway):
Ahmedabad-Bachau, very good. Bachau to Bhuj – road work in progress, not exactly bad but a difficult drive.

Day 3 – 20 Mar – Ahmedabad/Bhuj (Overnight Stay) – Approximate distance 355 Kms
Local Sightseeing: Visited the ‘Hill Garden’ and a beautiful temple – Trimandir.

Day 4 – 21 Mar – Bhuj (Overnight Stay)
Local Sightseeing (using local transportation (Rickshaw): Prag Mahal, Kutch Museum, Ramkind Vav, Some shopping in Bhuj market, visited Sharad baug and finally walked along Hamirsar Lake before returning to the hotel.

Hotel Seven Sky, Website - http://www.sevensky.co.in/rooms.php
Post Box No. 30, Seven Sky Ring Road,
Bhuj-Kutch. 370001. Gujarat-INDIA.
Phone: +91 (2832) 307777
Mobile: +91 97277 62201 / 202

Tariff: Rs. 2200/- (Inclusive of taxes, on double Occupancy/night) – AC Delux room.
They have a beautiful Restaurant serving only Vegetarian food. Ample vehicle parking space available.
A 3 star hotel, located on the Airport road and out of the city, completely paisa vasool (Value for money).

MANDVI (1Night)
Bhuj/Mandvi road condition (State Highway): Very good.
Day 5 – 22 Mar – Bhuj/Mandvi (Overnight Stay) – Approximate distance – 67 Kms
Local Sightseeing (Bhuj): Aina Mahal (Closed on Thursday) and en-route Mandvi visited the Jain temple at Koday.

Local Sightseeing (Mandvi): The Ship building yard on the Rukmavati River, Mandvi Palace and finally watched sunset at the Mandvi Beach.

Hotel Kutch Inn, Website - http://www.hotelkutchinn.com/
Near Kashiwishvanath Beach, Haji Hassan Hospital Road, Mandvi – Kutch, Gujarat
Tel : +(91) - (2834)-224399 / 224400
Mobile : +91 98252 05317

Tariff: Rs. 1300/- (Inclusive of taxes, on double Occupancy/night) – AC Executive Delux room.
They have a good restaurant serving only Vegetarian food. Ample vehicle parking space available.

NARAYAN SAROVAR (1Night)
Mandvi/Narayan Sarovar road condition(Part National Highway & part State Highway): Very good.

Day 6 – 23 Mar – Mandvi/Narayan Sarovar (Overnight stay) – Approximate distance – 146 Kms
Local Sightseeing at Barayan Sarovar: The Temple at Narayan Sarovar & the lake, Koteshwar temple, Visit to Lakhpat fort (30 Kms away) and back in time at Sunset point in Narayan Sarovar to watch the Sunset.

Toran Resort (run by Tourism Corporation of Gujarat), Narayan Sarovar.
Contact preson: Mr. Vallabh Bhai - +91 9727723942

Tariff: Rs. 400/ (Inclusive of taxes, on double Occupancy/night), Non-AC rooms. Dormitory with 4 beds are also available. Reasonably good restaurant is there in the resort premises. The cook needs to be informed well in advance about the food requirements.

The resort is just about OK for a night’s stay. Hygiene & cleanliness is average in the rooms.
Ample vehicle parking space available.

DHORDO (1Night)
Narayan Sarovar/Dhordo via Bhuj road condition (State Highway): Very good.

Day 7 – 24 Mar – Narayan Sarovar/Dhordo (Overnight Stay) Approximate distance – 195 Kms
Local Sightseeing in and around Dhordo: White Rann, local village visits, Kalo Dunger (black Hill).

Hotel Gateway to Rann, Website - http://kutchrannresort.com/
Dhordo Village, Banni, Kutch, Gujarat.
Tel : +91.2803.296181, 91.9409475359

Tariff: Rs 3800/- (Inclusive of taxes and all 3 meals (L, D, B), on double Occupancy/night), Mud Bhungas with AC.

A beautiful resort with traditional Mud bhungas to stay. Very neat & clean and well maintained place. A good restaurant serving only Vegetarian food is located inside the resort premises. Ample vehicle parking space available. The resort is located quite close to the White Rann and the Toran Resort.

DHOLAVIRA (1Night)
Dhordo/Dholavira via Bhuj road condition (State Highway): Partly good.
Dhordo to Bhuj, Good.
Bhuj to Rapar – Once off the Bhuj high way, the road condition worsens but from Rapar, it is very bad as the road laying work and the Kutch canal work is in progress. Just about 60 Kms before Dholavira, the road becomes beautiful.

Day 8 – 25 mar – Dhordo/Dholavira (Overnight Stay) Approximate distance – 320 Kms – SH 42)
Local Sightseeing: Dholavira Museum and the Excavated site at Dholavira.

Toran Resort (run by Tourism Corporation of Gujarat), Dholavira.
Contact preson: Mr. Gaurang Bhai - +91 9825026813, Land line no. 0283 7277395

Tariff: Rs. 1012/ (Inclusive of taxes, on double Occupancy/night), AC Mud Bhungas. Reasonably good restaurant is there in the resort premises. The cook needs to be informed well in advance about the food requirements.

Again Cleanliness and hygiene negligible. But just for a night's stay not bad at all. BTW, all the Bhungas are AC fitted and one should take care to check if all the gadgets are working in the bhungas - AC, Geyser, toilet flush & lights etc before occupying the room!! Ample vehicle parking space available.

DHOLAVIRA/MUMBAI
Via Rapar, Radhanpur, Mehsana, Ahmedabad & Borivali.
Road condition: From Rapar, the road is beautiful.

Day – 26 Mar – Drive to Borivali (Check out and drive to Mumbai) Distance - 913 Kms
Local Sightseeing: Re-visited the excavated site at Dholavira.

SOME NOTES FROM OUR TRIP:
Kutch is beautiful.
Roads are in top condition except in few places where the work is in progress.
Good vegetarian food is available in all parts of Kutch.
Presence of Border Security force (BSF) can be felt in every place in Kutch but that does not one bit interfere in one’s travel in anyway.
Though photography is not prohibited at all BSF outposts/check posts, it is advisable to take permission from the concerned authorities before photographing.
During the village visits, too, obtaining permission from the people being photographed is advisable. Women in their ethnic dresses look beautiful but they do take offense if one photographs them without seeking permission.
One needs to take the permit while visiting the ‘White Rann’. It is better to obtain it en-route to Dhordo or Hodko villages where the resorts are mostly located.
The permit is issued by the Assistant Police Subinspector at Bhirandiyara Check-Post. One will have to fill an application form and submit photocopies of ID/address proof with a fee of Rs. 100/ person and Rs. 50/- for a four-wheeler.
The permit is valid for a day. The BSF personnel will collect the counterfoil of the permit effectively stopping subsequent visits to the White Rann on the same permit. But one can politely request the staff to permit another visit, in case one intends to re-visit.
Generally a Pan Card or Passport copy or a Driving License is accepted but the original is to be shown for verification purpose. On an average this process takes about 15 minutes.
If one does not intend traveling all the way to Dhordo to experience the ‘White Rann’, one can do that while travelling to Dholavira – without any permit!! The road leading towards Dholavira cuts right through the Rann (White desert), and one can stop the vehicle and experience the White Rann easily.
At the time of travel to Dholavira, one can explore/check the road between Khavda & Dholavira which is presently under construction. This route reduces substantially the distance between Dhordo & Dholavira via Khavda.
Due to prohibition, liquor is not available in Gujarat and most of the resorts do not allow open consumption of alcoholic drinks.

इष्टि‍कापुरी यानि कामना की सिद्धि का रास्ता

इष्टि‍कापुरी यानि कामना की सिद्धि का रास्ता है इष्टापथ।
मानव जीवन का इष्ट है मोक्ष। मोक्ष मार्ग ही इष्टापथ है। इष्ट साधना का
माध्यम है इष्टि। इष्टि का तात्पर्य है यजन, जहाँ स्रष्टि के प्रारंभ से
ही निरंतर होते रहे यजन। चतुर्दिक वाहिनी कालिंदी का तट यज्ञाग्नि में -
स्वाहा सुगन्धित और पर्यावरणीय गंधवायु से सारा परिवेश प्रफ्फुलित रहता
था। इष्टापथ ही बाद में हुआ इष्टिकापुरी।
इष्टिका का अर्थ है ईंट। संसार में इष्टिका (ईंट) का सर्वप्रथम प्रयोग
यज्ञों में हुआ। इसीलिए गंगा-यमुना के दोआव स्थित ऋषि भूमि (इष्टापथ) के
जिस भाग में, यज्योपयोगी त्रिकोणीय, चतुषकोणीय, पन्चकोनीय, सप्तकोनीय,
नवग्रहीय, नक्षत्रिय आदि आकृतियो की-इष्टिका प्रयोग के वैदिक विधान का
जहाँ पालन करते हुए इष्टिकाओं का निर्माण व पकाने की प्रक्रिया अपनाई गई
वह भू-भाग इष्टिकापुरी कहलाया। आज इसे इटावा कहा जाता है ईंट+अवा
(भट्टा) का संयुक्त शब्द बना इटावा।
गंगा-यमुना के इस दोआब की श्रेष्ठ मिटटी का यह गुण सर्वविदित है - यहाँ
4-4 फसले होती हैं साथ ही इटावा में आज भी अन्य क्षेत्रों के मुकाबले
काफी अधिक ईंट-भट्टे हैं और यहाँ की अब्बल दर्जे की ईंट विश्व भर में अति
श्रेष्ठ है।यहाँ हिन्दू मंदिरों से घिरे 15वीं शताब्दी के एक क़िले के अवशेष भी हैं। इटावा का पुराना नाम इष्टिकापुर कहा जाता है।

See Translation

DELHI METRO @ GLANCE

Luggage
Apart from the Airport line you are not supposed to carry large items of luggage. In the busy periods it would be totally impractical to attempt to do so.

Accessibility 
Delhi metro claims to have full disabled access. Stations have escalators and lifts which in my experience are usually working. The train floors are level with the platforms although there can be a gap.

Rules 
There are scrillions of these with spot fines. No eating, drinking, singing, sitting on the floor, sitting on the roof, guns, ammunition, etc etc which help make the stations and trains pretty civilised.

.

More to come!

Also for newbies: count your change.

And keep careful track of the little plastic token you've been given to swipe over a scanner to get past the entrance gate. As Dave W says, you have to insert the token into a slot to get out. But the tokens have the most amazing way of getting lost amongst your pocket stuff.

I thought I would pitch in:

For Women: The first coach in most trains is reserved for women and women may want to use that when traveling

Travel light in Delhi when using the Metro. There are separate baggage check lines which are often longer than the regular checking line.

Having a Metro Prepaid Card is a much better than thing buying tokens each time. You save around 10% fare, and 50% time.

Recharge the metro prepaid card at small stations and avoid time.

What may appear as close on the metro may not necessarily mean you save time and money.

Case is Point is if you live in South Delhi (GK, Kalkaji, South Ex) and need to goto Gurgaon, its better to get to the AIIMS, Hauz Khas / Saket / Green Park metro stations in an auto rickshaw or by bus or walk than take the metro nearest to your origin to first Central Secretariat.

Carry hand sanitizer as you will have to hold rails, pillars, and use support in an overcrowded system.

Minimum purchase is Rs100/- which will give you a card with a 50/- refundable deposit and 50/- of travel. Using a travel card gives you a small discount on the single fare. These cards can be topped up in multiples of Rs 100/- although at some stations this can only be done at machines.
There are also 1-day and 3-day Tourist Cards which allow unlimited travel and cost rs 100/- or 250/- plus a 50/- refundable deposit. Each traveller must have their own card. Delhi Metro Travel cards are also valid on the Gurgaon Rapid metro.
A single journey can include changing lines as long as you do not exit the ticketed area. Both tokens and cards are held against a reader pad to open the in gates. At the end of the journey tokens are inserted into a slot and cards are touched against a reader to open the out gates.


Airport Metro Express.
Has had a bit of a chequered history but is currently running again, connecting the Airport and NDLS. The fare structure is separate and higher than the main metro system. Tickets and travel cards are not interchangeable. There is more about Airport metro fares at #24 below.

Delhi Metro Museum
This is located at Patel Chowk station. More details in this link. http://www.delhionline.in/City-Guide/Metro-Museum-in-Delhi 

This post is based on our usage of the system during 4 visits to Delhi in recent years. Please respond if you see any errors or have information to add.

Safety
First time visitors to Delhi often ask whether the system is safe. There is a very high presence of security personnel and police. Everybody entering the stations must go through an airport type scanner and their bags are also scanned. There are separate security queues for males and females. Vigilance does not end at these checks. Try taking a photo on the platform and you will soon hear a whistle and a shout. We may think this to be oversensitive but the “No photography” rule is strictly enforced which accounts for the dodgy quality of the illustrations here.
Every train has a “Ladies Only” coach at one end, which is clearly marked on the platform. Ladies may take boys up to the age of 12 in this coach with them. There are seats in each coach marked as reserved for Ladies and the “Aged & Infirm”. When the trains are not too busy young men quite often give these seats up if they think that you fit one of the above categories.
The trains can get very busy and crowded but no more uncomfortable than London’s Piccadilly line in the rush hour. The air conditioning is more effective in Delhi. On train announcements are made in Hindi and English and also displayed in both languages on magic message boards. Some stations, such as Rajiv Chowk, have barriers and crowd marshals on the platforms. Not all users of the system subscribe to the view that it is best to let people off the train before they try to get on. There can be some jostling when boarding and leaving trains.
You need to take normal precautions against petty crime such as pick pocketing which thrive in crowded places. Just as with most Mass Rapid Transport systems there are occasional breakdowns and power outages but the system seems to cope quite well with these.

When can I travel? 
Trains start running at around 6 a.m. and run until around 11 p.m. Frequencies are every 12 minutes or better – at peak periods there are only 2 or 3 minute gaps between trains. There are boards over each platform which display the destination of the next train and how long it will be before it arrives.

Links to other transport.
Three of Delhi’s more important railway stations can be accessed by metro. New Delhi ( NDLS) and Anand Vihar Terminus (ANVT) have their own stations, Old Delhi (DLI) is accessible from Chandi Chowk metro by underground walkway. Likewise bus terminals at Kashmere Gate and Anand Vihar can be accessed from their respective metro stations. The Airport is linked to NDLS by an express line. See below.

Where can I go?
I can’t pretend to have been everywhere that the metro covers but here are a few starters. The North – South Yellow line will take you to Chandni Chowk, Rajiv Chowk (CP), Central Secretariat for Lutyens Delhi, INA for the INA market and Dilli Haat and Qutab Minar. For the latter get off the train at Saket station and take an auto. This line will even take you out to Gurgaon. At Sikanderpur there is an interchange with the Gurgaon Rapid Metro which opened in November 2013.
The Lilac line from Central Secretariat will take you to Khan Market or Lajpat Nagar where the market is a short trip on a cycle rickshaw. The East-West Blue line will take you out to Noida.
There is a useful link here New Metro lines and tourist destinations Outside the city centre much of the track is elevated and gives you some great views.

How do I get tickets?
Booking windows are before the security scanners. You can buy a token for a single trip which currently costs between Rs 8/- and 30/- depending on distance travelled. Major stations have information desks where you can buy Travel Cards.

All major tourist destinations and markets will be connected by Metro from August/Sept

TOURIST SPOTS
=============
Akshardham Temple - 100 m from Akshardham metro station
Qutub Minar - 100 m from Qutub Minar metro station
Red fort - 100 m from Chandni Chowk metro station
Jama Masjid - 500 m from Chandni Chowk metro station
Old Fort(Purana Qila)- 300 m from Pragati Maidan metro station
Humayun's Tomb - 3 km from Pragati Maidan Metro station
Lotus (Bahai) Temple - 50 m from Kalkaji metro station
Safdarjung Tomb - 50 m from Jor Bagh metro station
Lodhi Gardens - 100m from Lodhi Colony metro station

MARKETS
=======
Connaught Place - 0 km from Rajiv Chowk metro station
Janpath/Cottage Industries Emporium - 100 m from pallika Bazaar exit of Rajiv Chowk station.
INA /Dilli Haat - 0 km from INA metro station
Khan Market - 0 km from Khan Market metro station
Chandni Chowk - Chandni Chowk metro station
Sarojini Nagar Market - 2 km from INA metro station
Lajpat Nagar Market - 500 m from Lajpat Nagar Metro station
Defence Colony Market - 200m from Lajpat nagar market
Nehru Place - 0 km from Nehru Place station.
Greater Kailash N- Block market - 500 m from Moolchand Metro station.
South Extension Market - 200 m from AIIMS /INA metro station
Hauz Khas Village - 200 m from Hauz Khas station
Mall clusters of Gurgaon / Noida and Shivaji district centres fed by DT City Centre / Sec 18 / Rajouri Garden metro stations respectively.

the "Nehru Place Bus Terminal" is much closer to the "Kalkaji Mandir" station than to the "Nehru Place" station. The Qutb Minar is more easily accessible from "Saket" station than from the station carrying its name. Getting from "Hauz Khas" station to Hauz Khas village entailsCrossing an Indian Road

importent web link of the Indian tourism

A compilation of the official sites of the Indian tourism landscape is listed here. 

www.tourismofindia.com (The official site by the Ministry of Tourism, India) is presented in English, Spanish, Dutch and French. It is a wealth of information on India tourism. It is the best place to know India tourism in a nutshell. Different kind of tour ideas and typical circuits are listed based on your interest (beach, heritage, wildlife etc). A good place for self-learning. Also it lists a number of tour operators in your countries.

The following are the official (government run) sites of different state tourism departments and related organizations. Each state has its own policy on tourism and practically competes with the each others to lure people into it. 

For example Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Rajastan encourages large number of (low or high spending) tourists. Kerala and A&N encourages small but high spending tourists. Mostly these state policies are made to suite to many local factors like the ecology, infrastructure, kind of themes to offer etc. But there is something for everyone everywhere. 

Going through each site itself is a sort of virtual tourism. You can feel the difference in the offering at the sites itself. And you’ll be more confused than convinced about what is right place for you. In simple terms you’ll understand why you need a long vacation in India. 

www.wbtourism.com (The Bengali speaking West Bengal is located at the east of India. Exotic in its own way)

www.up-tourism.com (The land of the mythical India. Uttar Pradesh is the home to Taj and the oldest living city in the world, Varanasi)

www.rajasthantourism.gov.in (The seat of Maharajas. Rajastan can be described as a kaleidoscope of culture and customs )

www.rajasthantourismindia.com (The site of Rajastan Tourism Promotion Corporation)

www.tourisminpondicherry.com (Pondicherry, a small but historic place nursing the French nostalgia)

www.orissatourism.gov.in (The Oria speaking land of classical Indian dances. A temple enthu will never be disappointed at Orissa)

www.konark.nic.in (Where the chariot of Sun God rests)

www.nagalandtourism.com (The land of Nagas. Wild, Exotic and buried deep in the beauty of nature, Nagaland is special)

www.keralatourism.org (God’s own country. The backwaters awaits you at the Malayalam speaking Kerala )

www.ktdc.com (The site of Kerala State Tourism Development corporation )

www.jktourism.org (If there is a heaven on earth…..The Jammu & Kashmir is the Mecca & Medina of Indian tourism )

www.patnitop.nic.in (The site of The Patnitop Development Authority)

www.htc.nic.in (Haryana, the land of green have it all for both the adrenalin driven and the lazy )

www.gujarattourism.com (The Gujarati & Sindhi speaking Gujrathis the home of Mohandas Karamchand GANDHI. The land of lions)

www.goatourism.org (Goa,where the east merge with the west, the beach state of India )

www.cgtourism.nic.in (Lost in the wildness of culture, heritage and history Chhattisgarh stands at the heart of India)

www.arunachaltourism.com (Arunachal Pradesh beams at the corner of India where the countless rivers makes jewels for the Himalayas)

www.aptourism.com (The land of Nizams and spicy Biriyani. The Telugu speaking south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh )


www.himachaltourism.nic.in ( Himachal, the mother of all hill stations in India)

www.hptdc.nic.in (Site of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation)

www.tamilnadutourism.org (Tamilnadu,the Indus valley of Dravidian civilization has it all )


www.ptdc.nic.in (The land of the Sikhs, the Punjabi speaking Punjab glitters around the Golden Temple )
www.citco.nic.in (The site of Chandigarh Tourism Development Corporation)

www.meghalayatourism.com (Meghalaya , home of clouds. The name says it all)

www.maharashtratourism.gov.in (Maharastra,the land of the Great Maratas has every thing from the puzzling Mumbai to the dark cave complexes of Ajanta) 

www.mptourism.com (Madhya Pradesh, the landlocked capital of tribal India. Home to the erotic temples of Khajuraho)

www.kstdc.nic.in (The Chalukyas, Hoysalas, the mighty Vijayanagara Empire all ruled here. The poetry of history marvelously carved on stones are standing mighty at all over the Kannada speaking Karnatadaka)

www.andaman.nic.in (Andaman & Nicobar Islands, lost in the middle of the ocean with exotic beaches and Scuba diving )


www.meadev.nic.in/states/dnh/dnh.htm (Dadra & Nagar Haveli, the tribal beauty at the Arabian sea coast)

www.daman.nic.in (Daman & Diu presents a bizarre mix of the east & the west)

www.lakshadweep.nic.in (Lakshadweep where the blue coral sea fallen in love with the emerald islands)

www.ua.nic.in/site/index.html (Nature's masterpiece at its best. The snowy peaks rises above the valley of flowers.Uttaranchal is a pilgrims paradise & nature lovers dream )

www.assamgovt.nic.in (God painted Assam with green and blue before sending the smiling people there)

www.bihar.nic.in/Depts/Tourism/Tourism.htm (The seat of Buddhism.Bihar is the land of contradictions ) 

http://delhitourism.nic.in (Delhi can assault all your senses. The epicenter of Indian history)

www.manipur.nic.in (Literally Manipur is a tiny jewel of India)

www.sikkim.nic.in , http://sikkim.nic.in/sws/tour_off.htm (Sikkim,the gate way to the silk route) 

www.tripura.nic.in (Thripura is the less known beauty queen of the north east)

www.mizoram.nic.in (Mizoram is the land of Mizos, the friendliest people in India)

http://www.kmvn.org/ ( The website of Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam, Uttaranchal state, an area that includes the hill-stations of Nainital, Almora, Ranikhet, Kausani and Pithoragarh, among others )


http://www.gmvnl.com/index.asp ( The website of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, Uttaranchal state, an area that includes Dehradun, Mussoorie, Haridwar and Rishikesh, among others )

Whoever said money can't buy happiness didn't know where to shop !

#3

Here's another way of finding the state by state tourist info you you are looking for!!
Get clicking!!

Clickable tourism

Here is another one for the eastern himalaya
http://www.east-himalaya.com

What about Indian Railway? 
http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ It is also very important site for tourist.

Just came accross this site while surfing seems useful to me thought of sharing with you guys 
http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.ne...uide/India.htm 
Lot of information is avilable "state wise".

Some additions 
http://bstdc.bih.nic.in/ (Bihar tourism) 
http://www.chandigarhtourism.gov.in/ (Chandigarh Tourism) 
http://www.jharkhandtourism.org.in/

Just came across this old thread.
But the very first line has wrong information.
"www.tourismofindia.com (The official site by the Ministry of Tourism, India)"
The offical website is http://incredibleindia.org

www.tourismofindia.com (The official site by the Ministry of Tourism, India) is presented in English, Spanish, Dutch and French. It is a wealth of information on India tourism.

Great list Beach. Has this site been changed? Anyway, I find this Ministry of Tourism website http://tourism.gov.in/ , has a wealth of links to regional tourism boards, as well as this handy link that one Steve just came up with  : GOI Directory (Directory of Indian Government Websites) Tourism & Hospitality links.

Last edited by machadinha; Jul 6th, 2007 at 16:50

around sri nagar-ii

Seventh day , 3rd August 2012
Our day started at 4:30 am in the morning, Last night we contacted ghulam chacha who got around 10 shikara under his name, he got ready for my morning requirement which include early morning wholesale market, lotus garden, char chinaar, kabootar khana, vegetable farming in dal lake, Village in dal lake, floating market etc etc
After negotiating with him he got ready for 700/- ( if you go differently for both option you have to give around 500/- for vegetable market in morning & same for rest of the places to see)
We gave him advance Rs.200, because he especially have to send one shikara guy in the morning to make us see the market. We exchange the numbers for communication, & he told me to come to ghat no 10 for shikara (this is important please confirm the ghat to reach Early morning, I got a deal in 650 also but he was asking to come to ghat no 16 in early morning for saving 50 bucks you have to travel so much is not good in my view)
We got a call @ 4:30 from shikara guy that are you coming or not, I said we will reach at 5:30 we got ready and reached around 5:20 where our shikara guy was waiting.
Vegetable market starts around 4:00 in Dal lake but as a tourist I recommend 5 to 7 is best time to go there, more you get late less attraction you will see… 
Early morning it was lovely experience, hearing the gentle splosh as my Shikara’s oars went in and out of the water. We saw many shikara guys with variety of vegetable while passing by, After 25 min of memorable wait we saw buyers and sellers in their Shikaras, all was just like an artistic picture
But as you will come close to them they start trading like any other indian market shouting & bargaining the prices, but seeing all this on lake over the water was a memorable thing, Don’t miss it you will not see this thing anywhere else .
Sellers were farmers or traders. And buyers included houseboat owners, shopkeepers in town, other traders and consumers. Mostly men, a handful of women. Trading in vegetables, fruits, flowers and seeds..
Some shikara guys also selling great chocolate pudding at price of 800 per kg.
Seed rates as per the item you choose
Artificial jewellery was also available there … don’t forget to bargain everywhere
Mostly I saw foreign tourist there with big cameras in their hand, Indian tourists were very less 
We stayed there for more than 45 minutes. Then we move towards char chinar , on the way we saw lots of Lotus flowers (this is multipurpose flower it is used in decoration + it gives us makhane & lotus stem (sea food for vegetarian) 
There were in plenty there during my visit with white/red water lilies 
Around 7:00 we reached char chinar, I asked my shikara guy to check if i can get something in floating houseboat type restaurant on char chinar, Meanwhile I clicked pictures there, it was lovely experience standing in garden in centre of lake surrounded by water, till that we got the signal that restaurant is open & you can have breakfast there. We had kahwa there it was lovely drinking it early morning.
Around 8:15 we moved from that place on the way we saw village children with their small shikara going for school, it is tough call, as compared to us who wants bus stop next to our home, I even enquired about how relatives come to their home, he replied that they give a call to the owner he goes with his shikara to bring them to their house. Its looks good in hearing but how much tough in real life
Then we saw Kabootar khana which is under BSF now so you can’t visit it just see it from outside with surrounding covered with lilies,
Then we move forward then we saw vegetable farming in dal lake, actually where water level is less farmers has put an excess sand so that they can grow vegetable next to their home, but he did not allow me to go inside the farms. Then it comes floating garden, there are bunch of trees inside dal lake which are now tied up & they keep on floating inside dal lake, You can see many plants grown inside dal lake where ever you go in dal lake just check them under your shikara.
Then we saw floating market following meena bazar , & back to my ghat where we got the pictures clicked in Kashmiri dress for both of us he has taken 100, pictures were clicked from my camera.
You can get Kashmiri dress in every tourist place, for dress only you have to give Rs.20 rent & you can click pictures from your camera
Around 9:30 we are back, this time our shikara guy was asking for tip I give Rs.50 to him because he did not owned that shikara otherwise I would have avoided it ..
Then we had breakfast & as we were sure will not wake up before 1:00 pm
At 3:00 pm we were again ready to explore little Srinagar. We hired one auto – requirement 1.shankaracharya 2.Nagin valley 3.SPS museum 3. Lal chowk market + Gurdwara
He agreed for Rs.300…. 
Firstly we have gone to shankaracharya temple but because of 33 degree temperature it was tough call to climb up 243 stairs. It took 1 hour there 10 min temple rest in walking….. View was very good but you cannot click pictures there.You have to leave camera phone with your taxi/auto guy.
While going down auto guy don’t even switch on their auto, gravity works for them alot, so they save alot that way. 
Then we move to SPS museum, lal mandi, around 4:30 but of our hard luck museum timings were 10- 4:00 only, so we didn’t see anything there, Then we have gone to lal chowk Gurdwara which is in main market only , checked few shops there also, with all brands you can expect (but I don’t see any KFC –Mcdonald-Pizzat hut) where ever I have gone all banks branches are there,then my auto guy kept on insisting to go to market with him , he took us to one underground market (which is expensive we stayed there for 10 minutes , so don’t want to dishearten my autodriver) then he said he will take us to another meena bazaar on gulmarg road, the actual road was closed , I told him that we really don’t want to go to any market but he said please go there once you will get good deal there. The shop was big and nice but no bargaining option but price was good as compare to other shops we have seen in between with lots of variety to offer, we bought few things from there. Then we moved on & after few minutes I saw dal lake , I was surprised to see because nagin lake was opposite to hazarat bal dargah & we are on dal lake, I stopped my driver asking why he hve not taken us to nagin lake, he said we refused him, I said when? ( and he said the time I said no to meena market was actually I am saying no to nagin lake) , So I came across a bad driver for the first time in my trip. I asked him stop my auto next to police man & I started talking with him in loud voice , he must understand that he cannot make fool of us & finally he has taken 100 for the whole trip.( I am sure he will get cut from purchasing we have done so he wasn’t interested in us anymore)
Then I hired another auto for 200, Shalimar garden ( I want to check in night f I can see anything different ) + nagin lake + Krishna dhaba for dinner,
But I did not find anything special at Shalimar garden in night, nothing has lighten up. Even little showers have started at that time, so we started moving for nagin lake, so that i can personally see what a view is at nagin lake, you can opt to see nagin lake while going to sight seeing Srinagar it is opposite to hazratbal …
But Ididl not see anything there, only houseboats are there with shikara nothing else, I even asked anything special here they said nothing this is part of dal lake only with two names ( you can even come from dal to nagin lake through shikara)
The difference here is that you can go to houseboat without using shikara… but no market is there, so if you just want to relax in houseboat nothing else go for nagin lake, I only saw few foreign tourists there.
The starting price we found here was Rs.1800 with food, but I didn’t bargain so try your luck…
We stayed there for less than 30 minutes there, then we moved to Krishna dhaba, which was closed that day, so we are back to Lahsa for dinner.
Last day 4th august 
Since last night till next day it was raining heavenly in Srinagar, we thank god that we have already done Dal lake market otherwise we would have missed it.
We could not go anywhere this morning because you can do nothing if it is raining, but temperature changed drastically today, we took little walk under umbrella around dal lake for our final good bye.
I called again Khurshid for my airport drop, because local taxi was asking for 700 and I gave Khurshid 500. Don’t go for auto it cannot enter airport premises.
I even told him to show me SPS museum today, it was a nice museum with history sculpture inside it, my driver told me that there are moving sculpture inside but it was not moving that day, camera is allowed inside but you can click pictures
Security Check At Airport,
Before entering airport premises there is full security check for you + your luggage & even taxi taking you, then again entering the airport, then at check counter, No hand baggage is allowed to be taken inside aircraft only camera, laptop & ladies purse are allowed , they allowed my bakery products as requested, then after check in baggage you have to go again inside to verify the luggage you submitted earlier, then we went for camera checking with my wife with her purse, they check each & every corner, they even checked few of my pictures in camera, They even make me taste by bakery products which I am carrying. But all things look nice because they are doing it for us only.
Our flight started roughly around 4:00 & we reach back safely around 5 back to Delhi.

hotel Marjan 6 nights X 800 = 4800
Hotel highland 1 X 1000 = 1000
JKSRTC first day bus = 620
Auto Charges approx = 650 + 100 + 200 + 200 here & there
Shiakar all together = 850 (700 + 150)
yusmarg sumo shared = 720 ( 1800 all together)
Sonmarg = 800 (2000 all together)
Pahalgam = 3800 ( including night halt + verinag + kokernag + abchal )
Pahalgam Maruti van = 1000 (aru Vallye + betab valley)
Pony in khilanmarg = 500
pony in yusmarg = 240
pony in baisaran = 500
Food charges average per day Tea - lunch -dinner = 700 X 8 = 5600 (1 non veg + 1 veg member)
Entry charges eevrywhere 10/- per head

i know many things i skip but i already mention in my trip report please cheack it , approx 25000 i have spend there, rest is all depend on shopping

But i always say go there Tansport / hotel charges may vary accoring to tourist, this is just an idea,

Marjan Guest House , Mr Ali 09796181918
Shikara Guy : Ghulam Chacha : 9906634762 
Sumo Driver : Khurshid 09796961245 
hotel high land pahalgam -- Tele: 019 - 36243492 Cell:: 9419487930 , 9797050354

Trip Reports End