Ajanta  Aurangabad Lonavala Mahabaleshwar  Mumbai  Pune Shirdi & Shani Shingnapur

Mumbai is the fast paced commercial, financial, industrial and celluloid capital of India. Lured by its glamour and the prospects of ’streets paved with gold’, a large number of people from different parts of the country come to settle in this city every year. And Mumbai continues to grow, to absorb and most importantly to prosper. Just when you begin to wonder how you’re ever going to cope with Mumbai, you arrive at Worli and see Haji Ali Mosque standing proudly on a raised walkway in the middle of the sea giving you the feeling that the Gods are there if everything else fails. If

you arrive at night, there will be a backdrop of twinkling lights from the skyscrapers that are so much a feature of Mumbai’s skyline. The scenes change as you drive past Chowpatty Beach, ablaze with the lights of stalls selling fruit-juice, ice-cream and snacks to the crowds thronging the beach. By the time you reach Marine Drive, your spirits will be restored and the rush of traffic won’t seem half so daunting as it might have been earlier, and the sedate horse-drawn landau will seem a charming anachronism. Once a tiny island overrun by swaying palm trees, Mumbai used to belong to the native Koli fisher-folk, who still live here in their little villages surrounded by soaring skyscrapers. Portuguese came here in the seventeenth century and dotted the place with several forts, which stand even today. Later Mumbai came under the British rule and eventually became one of the largest ports in the British Empire. Sightseeing Once you are in Mumbai, the list of sites to visit is endless. First of all the twinkling lights from the skyscrapers itself will keep your eyes wide open with excitement and wonder. And to add up to your excitement you have a number of sites to visit that could be teamed up as historical sites, contemporary wonders, archaeological sites, religious sites and natural wonders. The Gateway of India is the main attraction of Mumbai city. Built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary for the Delhi Durbar in the year 1911, this massive historical monument makes a must visit during your Mumbai sightseeing. Moreover, there are sites like the Mani Bhawan or the Gandhi memorial, Prince of Wales Museum, Marine Drive and Juhu that give you the feeling of being in the commercial capital of India. The gardens like the Hanging Garden and the Kamla Nehru Garden will provide you the much needed rest between your sightseeing trips and the Chowpatty gives you the view of one of the most happening beaches of Mumbai. Excursions And if you get tired of visiting sites in Mumbai and want to get away from the city to spend some time in tranquility, move out to visit the many cool and calm destinations around the city. This would include the thrilling caves of Elephanta, the Karla caves, the unique Kanheri caves and the best known hill stations of Mumbai, Matheran and Lonavla. All these places make the favourite destination not only for the tourists who visit Mumbai but also for the local people who come here on holidays and vacations. GATEWAY OF INDIA

The Gateway of India is the main attraction of Mumbai city. It was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary for the Delhi Durbar in 1911. Situated at the Apollo Bunder, the gateway holds greater historical significance as the last of the British troops that left India by sea, marched through its portals. The monument is complete with four turrets and intricate latticework carved into the yellow basalt stone. You can also go for a short cruise through Mumbai's natural harbour in one of the little motor launches that are stationed here.

Mani Bhawan Mani Bhawan is one of the important places to visit in Mumbai. Presently functioning as a Gandhi memorial, it used to be the Mumbai residence of Mahatma Gandhi. It is from this famous house No. 19, called Mani Bhawan, that Gandhiji was arrested in 1932. This two storied building houses a reference library with over 2000 books, a photo feature on the Mahatma's life, some memorabilia, an old Gandhiji's charkha and a film and recording archive. A minimum entry fee is required to get into the Mani Bhawan. PRINCE OF WALES MUSEUM

The Prince of Wales museum is another major attraction of Mumbai. Built in the year 1914, it is surrounded by a beautiful landscape forming an ideal getaway for the people of Mumbai. The museum houses art, sculpture, rare coins, and old firearms and a priceless collection of miniature paintings. The Prince of Wales museum is regarded as one of the best museums in the country.

MARINE DRIVE A stroll down the Marine Drive is the best way to discover Mumbai. This winding stretch of road with tall buildings on one side and sea on the other extends from Nariman Point to Malabar Hills. Due to its curved shape and many street lights, it was once called the Queen's Necklace. A popular sea front, Marine Drive is also the main thoroughfare linking Malabar Hills to the southernmost points of Colaba, Cuffe Parade, Nariman Point, and Fort. JUHU

Nicknamed as the uptown bourgeois paradise, Juhu Beach is a place that attracts a large number of visitors throughout the year. Characterised by walkers, screaming children and courting couples, the beach covers an area of about 5 kilometres. Juhu beach is attractively studded with many five star hotels offering the customers a splendid view of the coast. The beach remains noticeably crowded on weekends. Moreover, the beach activities like camel rides, pony rides, acrobats, performing monkeys and entertainers will keep you enthralled all the time. Keep away from hawkers.

HANGING GARDENS The Hanging Gardens makes another must see site in Mumbai. The park was built during the early 1880s over Mumbai's main reservoir at the top of the Malabar Hills. The reason of its location being to cover the water from the potentially contaminating activity of the nearby Towers of Silence. Located just opposite the Kamala Nehru Park, this terraced garden, also known as Ferozeshah Mehta Garden, is famous among the locals as well as tourists. The garden provides lovely sunset views over the Arabian Sea. KAMLA NEHRU PARK Kamla Nehru park, located at the top of Malabar Hills is another site to visit in Mumbai. Overlooking the Marine Drive, the park houses "Old Woman's Shoe", wonderfully cut hazes and roomy walkaways. Moreover, the park also provides you a spectacular view of the city and the sunset. The Kamla Nehru park also makes a favourite gateway for the locals here. CHOWPATTY Another sandy gateway of Mumbai is the Chowpatty beach in the suburbs of the city. Chowpatty is perhaps the most famous beach of Mumbai, characterised by the usual hustle and bustle of stallwalahs, people snoozing under the shade of its stunted trees, screaming kids, Ferris wheels, pony rides, wayside astrologers, monkey shows, and even the odd self-styled gymnast demonstrating their skill for a fee. Moreover, the bhelpuri shops and sometimes the film shoot or a street play also adds to the festive atmosphere of the beach. A beach of action, Chowpatty makes a must visit in Mumbai. AAREY MILK COLONY One of the most modern milk colonies in the world is Aarey Milk colony of Mumbai. Located at a distance of 32 kilometres from main Mumbai city, it falls on the main Ghodbunder Road. Aarey makes a must visit in Mumbai not only for its sophisticated dairy and the many well fed cows but also for its surrounding natural beauty. A visit to the observation pavilion here on a hill near the colony\'s entrance also gives you an enchanting view of the surrounding areas. But the main feature of the colony is the 4000 acres of parkland with fine gardens. You can also try the fresh milk and snacks in the colony\'s canteen here. TOWER OF SILENCE A peculiar site to visit in Mumbai is the Tower of Silence. Mumbai has a large number of Parsi population. The Parsis have the custom of leaving their dead in the open. These particular places are called "Towers of Silence", where the vultures come to eat the dead. For the Parsis, this is regarded as the final act of charity. Mumbai's Towers of Silence, have virtually disappeared today. Only a handful remain that attract a considerable number of tourists every year. JAIN TEMPLE Jain temple of Mumbai also makes the interesting place to visit in the city. Located on the Malabar Hill, the Jain temple houses frescoes depicting various events in the lives of the 24 Jain Tirthankaras. It also has a black marble shrine decorated with celestial personifications of the planets painted onto the ceiling. A large number of devotees as well as tourists come here every day. Excursions for Mumbai Elephanta Caves

Located nine kilometres by sea from the Gateway of India, are the Elephanta Caves, a place you must include in your excursion itinerary. The Elephanta Caves are characterised by rock temples carved out of two hills that emerge from the centre of the island. It is said that the Portuguese named this island after the stone elephant they found here. At Elephanta you can see the cave shrine to Lord Shiva, which belongs to the sixth century, and a massive three-headed sculpture representing Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. You can also find the other interesting sculptures here include those that depict the marriage of Shiva and Parvati.

Kanheri Caves A small trip of about four miles will take you to the famous Kanheri Caves a must visit excursion spot of Mumbai. The caves are believed to have been carved out by Buddhist monks between the 2nd and 9th centuries and have many interesting facts related to them. Situated in the centre of Mumbai's Borivili National Park, the Kanheri caves are also regarded as one of the biggest Buddhist monastic establishment on the Konkan coast. An unusual feature at Kanheri is the number of open benches cut out of rocks. Almost all the caves have benches in their verandahs or front courts. Sit down on one of these. And with the evening breeze that comes from the sea refreshing you, you realise their purpose at once. Karla Caves Rock-cut structures are one of the most primitive forms of architecture found in several parts of India. The Karla Caves in Maharashtra are one of the finest examples of this architectural style. The Caves are located high in the surrounding hills. A narrow winding path, leads up to them. Built by Buddhist monks, the caves are in keeping with the Buddhist ideas of simplicity. The caves are characterised by many halls and a huge stone stupa along with the 2000-year-old teak wood ceiling which is still intact. Outside the cave is a pillar crowned with lions. This was an emblem of the Buddhist King Ashoka, now adopted by the Indian Government as the state emblem. Lonavla Located at a distance of 120 kilometres from Mumbai, Lonavla is a favourite hilly destination around Mumbai. Ideal for a day or weekend trip, Lonavla is beautiful and cool hill station decorated with gurgling streams and quiet glided walks. The waterfalls of Tungarly or trek up to the Duke's Nose (a gigantic hillock )will also give you the complete feeling of being close to mother nature. A must visit to be included in your excursion itinerary. Matheran Matheran is one of the nearest hill stations of Mumbai. Calm and undisturbed, Matheran makes a favourite getaway for the city dwellers who want to take a break from the city hustle and bustle. Discovered in 1850, Matheran provides very nice view of the nearby places from the Hart point. A human buggy is the main mode of transport in Matheran. Interestingly one thing that dominates the market is chikki, a confection made of gram flour, jaggery and cashew nut. You can also buy this universally popular sweetmeat in large quantity to carry back home. Matheran has retained the tranquility and peace of a hill station by not allowing any kind of motor vehicle into the town.

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