Solo Tripping through Northern Madhya Pradesh #TheFirstOne

So, when I first began planning for my solo trip through Madhya Pradesh, I was a bit sceptical about the travel and accomodation options, but after a bit of digging into internet and various travel forums, got my answer. I visited Gwalior, Orchha, Khajuraho and Panna on a 5 day trip.

Now, travelling is easy if you have your own vehicle, but travelling on a budget through this part of India is a bit tricky and needs some prior planning.

I began my journey from Mumbai to Gwalior in the Mangala Lakshadweep Express, which runs daily and is the train that takes the least time to reach Gwalior from Mumbai.

Reaching Gwalior at around 09:00 am the next day, I checked into my hotel and started my sightseeing trip. The weather was perfect - breezy and sunny.

My first stop of course the Gwalior fort.

The magnificent Gwalior fort and the archaeological museum within the fort premises is a must visit for all travellers. The Man Mandir palace is the largest among all the palaces on the fort and boasts of some beautiful art work from of the iconic blue color which Gwalior fort is famous for.

Also along side are some other palaces and the surrounding area offers a view of the Gwalior city.

A kilometre away from these palaces is the Sahastrabahu temple or the SaasBahu temple as they are locally known. These are twin temples adorned with highly decorative craftsmanship.

A bit ahead (approx 800 mts) is the Teli ka Mandir.

It is the tallest and the most impressive temple in the Gwalior Fort, carved intricately

You can either walk to these places, or rent a cycle-auto if you don't want to walk.

Since I was travelling strictly on a budget, my travelling options were quite limited.

I took an unreserved ticket for the Chambal Express from Gwalior to Jhansi, which took around 1.5 hour. The train departs from Gwalior railway station at 07:15 am and is not very crowded.

Reaching Jhansi railway station, I took a share rickshaw to the Jhansi bus stand (INR 15) and from there a 30-35 minutes shared Vikram auto ride to Orchha (INR 20). A private rickshaw directly from the railway station to Orchha would cost you around INR 300 if you decide to take it.

Now I was staying at the Shri Mahant guest house which was right at the entrance to the Raja Ram mandir, offering spectacular view of the Chaturbhuj Temple and the Orchha Palace.

After freshening up, I began my Orchha travel experience. The town is really very small and can be fully explored on foot.

Started off with the magnificent Orchha Palace and fort complex. Sadly the fort does not offer audio guide, so it is advisable you take a guide to take you through the enormous complex.

The Raja Mahal was once the housing quarters of the Orchha ruler and has some really pretty paintings from the Ramayana, all painted with natural colors.

The Jahangir Mahal is the most impressive of all the palaces. Built by the Orchha ruler Bir Sing for his good friend, the Mughal emperor Jahangir; apparently it took 16 years to build this one, and was used as a residence by Jahangir for just a week.

Its Indo-Islamic style architecture and the beautifully adorned domes gives it an artistic look and feel.

There are other impressive buildings within the fort complex, like the Parveen Rai ki Kothi, the camel stables and the Sheesh Mahal, which is now converted into a residential property and restaurant.

An inside road, not known by many takes you straight to the banks of river Betwa. The views from this point are incomparable.

After having a moment of peace I decided to have lunch. Now there are quite a few restaurants here which also serve Italian and Continental cuisine owing to the large footfall of foreign tourists in Orchha, but you still have a limited options.

My next destination on this trip - Khajuraho.

An early morning passenger train from Orchha (departing Orchha at 07:20AM and ticket INR 45) takes you to Khajuraho in 5-6 hours. You can also opt for private vehicles since there are no other direct trains or even buses from Orchha/Jhansi to Khajuraho.

So after a 2 hour delay I reached Khajuraho at around 2pm and took a shared auto to my Zostel Khajuraho.

This place is really great and right next to the main set of monument in Khajuraho so you don't have to worry about commute while sightseeing.

I started off with the Western Group of temples, which are the main and most artistic of the three - Western, Eastern and Southern group.

Words fall short to describe the beauty of the Khajuraho group of temples. There are very vivid and detailed positions from the Kamasutra carved on the temple walls, but contrary to public belief these temple carvings are not just eroticism but much. There are scenes from prehistoric activities like men going on a war women performing household chores etc. It is simply love and life on stones!!!

I had a prebooked seat in the gypsy for this early morning tiger Safari.

The Safari starts at 06:30AM and you are taken in the gypsy ride until 11:30AM.

You can book a seat/entire jeep online using the Panna Tiger reserve online booking facility. The permit costs INR 250 and the tourist guide fee of INR 2300 is to be shared by the number of seats occupied per jeep. Distance between Khajuraho and Safari Gate in Madla, Panna is around 25kms.

So, moving onto the actual Safari, I had very enthusiastic fellow tourist; Irina from Czech Republic who was in India on a 10 weeks trip, a 55 year old bird watching enthusiastic from Pune, and a couple from Delhi.

Our forest guide got a message right in the beginning about a tiger spotting, but by the time we reached the spot, to our disappointment the tiger has already moved to another zone. 😔

We saw fresh pug marks of the Big Cat, wild forest cat, wild boar, Nilgai or Blue Bull, Sambar deer, Chinkara or the Indian Gazelle and a variety of native including the Indian treepie also known as Tiger Toothpick bird.

A few jeeps which did have luck on their sides in sporting the majestic Indian Tiger, ours however fell short!

But the Safari is a must do one to experience wild life and some fresh air!