Incredible India | All Attractions

Bedse Caves

Bedse is situated in the Maval Taluka of Pune District and is situated about 45 km Northwest of Pune. It can be approached by taking a diversion at Kamshet. The caves date back to th 1st Century BC. There are two finished and two unfinished Buddhist caves at Bedse along with some rock–cut cisterns and a memorial stupa. The ‘chaityagriha’ (a Buddhist shrine) is carved with a stone screen and a verandah has tall pillars with beautifully carved images of animals and riders. The ‘vihara’ at Bedse is unique for its apsidal plan and vaulted roof. The inscription on the door frame of a cell in the courtyard of the chaityagriha records a donation of a person from Nashik. The caves at Bedse are considered an important stage in the development of Buddhist cave architecture in India

Bhandardara

Bhandardara in the western ghats is a village located in the Ahmednagar district about 185 kilometres from Mumbai. With the Pravara River, and natural environment, waterfalls, a mountain, Forts, Wilson Dam, Arthur Lake and Randha Falls Amruteshwar Temple etc Bhandardara is a huge tourist attraction. The highest peak in Maharashtra, Mount Kalsubai is 1646 m, and the starting point for this trek at Bari Village is located 12 km away from Bhandardara.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus- CSMT formerly known as Victoria Terminus in Mumbai is the city’s most exuberant Gothic building. A magnificent and huge structure, it was completed in 1887, and was named after Queen Victoria. Its remarkable stone dome, turrets, pointed arches are akin to traditional Indian palace architecture. It is now a designated World Heritage Site. The CSMT is the originating and terminating station for hundreds of express and suburban trains, in which around 30 Lakh people commute daily.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya

If ever a window was required to peep into the fascinating world of art and antiquities, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India is the right place to visit. This museum is most famous for having acquired a huge collection of Indian miniatures and other important antiquities, more particularly, the Maratha textiles, arms and armour from the collection of Seth Purshottam Mavji. This collection was once a part of the treasures of Nana Phadnavis, the most influential minister during the reign of the Peshwas. The importance of the museum has also been enhanced due to the donation of a fascinating art collection from the repository of Sir Ratan Tata and Sir Dorabji Tata. Built from a winning entry by architect George Wittet in 1909, the museum offers insights into the rich past of the country with its archaeological artefacts sourced from various excavated sites. The museum has a representative collection of various forms of art from the Indian subcontinent and also to a certain extent works of art from China, Japan and European countries. Additionally, it houses a study collection of natural history specimens.

Deolali

Beautiful, scenic and peaceful are the best words to describe Deolali, a hill town situated amidst the Sahyadri Hills. It is a well-maintained cantonment area with beautiful picnic spots, temples and lush greens environs. The place attracts a lot of visitors from adjoining cities, especially on weekends.

Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum

The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum opened to the public in 1857 and is Mumbai's oldest museum. It is the erstwhile Victoria and Albert Museum, Bombay, that showcases the city’s cultural heritage and history through a rare collection of fine and decorative arts that highlight early modern art practices as well as the craftsmanship of various communities of the Bombay Presidency. The permanent collection includes miniature clay models, dioramas, maps, lithographs, photographs, rare books, miniature paintings, early modern art, textiles and beautifully crafted objects that document the life of the people of Mumbai and the history of the city from the late eighteenth to early-twentieth centuries.The Museum, once in a derelict condition, underwent a comprehensive five-year restoration by INTACH supported by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation. The project won UNESCO’s international Award of Excellence for cultural conservation in 2005. The Museum re-opened in 2008 andhosts an extensive exhibitions programme which explores the importance of the collection and includes a strong focus on contemporary art and culture.The Museum has partnered with international institutions to showcase artists and exhibitions. From an intensive post-graduate diploma programme on modern and contemporary art, weekend family activites, festive fun, workshops for adult learners, to tours that link school curriculum with the Museum's collection and exhibitions, the Museum strives to offer something to everyone. The programmes and tours at the Museum are available in both English, Hindi and Marathi.The Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum is closed on all Wednesdays and certain public holidays.

Elephanta Caves

The Elephanta Caves are located on Elephanta Island (otherwise known as the Island of Gharapuri), which features two hillocks separated by a narrow valley. The rock-cut Elephanta Caves were constructed about the mid-5th to 6th centuries AD. The most important among the caves is the great Cave 1, which measures 39 metres from the front entrance to the back. The 7-metre-high masterpiece Sadashiva” dominates the entrance to Cave 1. The sculpture represents three aspects of Shiva: the Creator, the Preserver, and the Destroyer, identified, respectively, with Aghora or Bhairava (left half), Taptapurusha or Mahadeva (central full face), and Vamadeva or Uma (right half). The Elephanta Caves is a designated World Heritage Site. Regular ferries/launches are available from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Caves.

Ganeshpuri Temple

Ganeshpuri once a dense forestland inhabited by a few tribal communities, Ganeshpuri was transformed into a spiritual centre by a spiritual leader Nityanand Swami. The place has a Shiva temple, a few natural hot-water springs and several other temples. Of the many hot springs, a few are open to the public with bathhouses built around them.The Vajreshwari Temple is dedicated to goddess Vajreshwari, who is an incarnation of goddess Parvati. The temple was built by the Peshwas after winning back the Vasai Fort from the Portuguese. The temple is situated at the foothills of the Mandakini hills. The Mandakini hills were formed out of volcanic eruption, which also explains the numerous mineral-rich springs in the area. A flight of fifty odd steps leads to the temple perched on the top of a small hillock.

Gateway Of India

This colossal structure was constructed in 1924 and is located at the tip of Apollo Bunder, and overlooks the Mumbai harbour, bordered by the Arabian Sea.The Gateway of India was constructed to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay (Mumbai) facing the majestic Hotel Taj Mahal. It is also the departing point for ferries plying to Elephanta Island famed for the cave temple sculpted out of rocks and a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site.

Global Vipassana Pagoda

The Global Vipassana Pagoda has been the inspiration of the well-known Vipassana meditation master Acharya S N Goenka and is representative of the teachings of Gautama Buddha. It is located in Gorai, in the suburban area of Borivali. Built on the lines of famous Shwedagon Pagoda of Yangon, where the hair relic of the Buddha is enshrined the Global Vipassana Pagoda houses genuine bone relics of Buddha. The monument is a three-storied huge hollow stone structure painted in a shining Thai golden paint. It is the world’s largest pillar-less dome especially designed for meditation. The relics are enshrined in the centre of the middle dome on a revolving stage. It has the capacity to accommodate over 8,000 meditators at a time.

Haji Ali Mosque

Haji Ali Dargah is a Mosque and a Tomb located in the Mahim Bay overlooking the Arabian Sea. The Haji Ali Dargah was constructed in 1431 in memory of a wealthy Muslim merchant, Sayyed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who renounced all his worldly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca. The tomb in itself is simple in design. The main structure with a white dome. The main hall has marble pillars embellished with artistic mirror work with blue, green, yellow chips of glass arranged in kaleidoscopic patterns interspersed with Arabic patterns which spell the 99 names of Allah.

Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat & Spa

Designed for healing, the all-villa retreat is a sanctuary for the body, mind and spirit. This 320-acre unspoiled sylvan setting complements our organic, local cuisine, yoga and meditation, individualized spa treatments, Shillim Institute courses and local activities and excursions. Only a 1.5-hour drive from Pune and just under a 3-hour drive from Mumbai, the hotel is nestled in the Sahyadri mountain range, a 5-minute walk from the small village of Shillim. This Indian spa retreat integrates the ancient philosophic, spiritual and artistic wisdom of South Asia with modern international practicesWebsite: www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/india/hilton-shillim-estate-retreat-and-spa.../index.html

Karnala Bird Sanctuary

A popular destination for amateur bird-watchers and ornithologists, the sanctuary is also visited by avid hikers, and is a favourite for picnickers, especially families from Mumbai and its surrounding regions. Karnala was declared a bird sanctuary in 1968 as the first one of its kind in Maharashtra by the state government in recognition of the remarkable efforts of Dr Salim Ali who pioneered the mission of bird preservation in the country.

Lonavala And Khandala

Lonavala and Khandala are twin hill stations about 64 kilometres away from Pune and 100 kilometres from Mumbai and offer breathtaking sights of the valley and the hills with tiny villages tucked in the folds. One of the best points, about 6.5 kilometers from Lonavala, is the Rajmachi Point which commands a view of the surrounding valley. Another hotspot with tourists is the Valvan Dam, Duke’s Nose, Kune Falls, Bushi Dam, and the nearby Bhaja and Karla caves ancient, Buddhist rock-cut shrines featuring intricate carvings and pillars.

Mahalaxmi Temple

The Mahalaxmi Temple is an ancient shrine dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Mahakali and Goddess Mahasaraswati, who are adorned with resplendent jewellery. This beautiful temple overlooking the Arabian Sea at one end of Breach Candy, now known as Bhulabhai Desai Road, is in a trendy residential and shopping area.The Mahalaxmi Temple is renowned for its exquisite architecture and intricate designs with the main doorway leading to the temple complex luxuriously ornamented attracting not only pilgrims but also avid photographers.

National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA)

If you wish to attend lectures, seminars and conferences, and to encourage higher studies and research in the field of art history, art criticism, art appreciation, musicology and the inter-relations on visual and performing arts then NGMA is the place for you. The idea of a national art gallery to germinate and bear fruit was first mooted in 1949. It was nurtured carefully by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Azad, sensitive bureaucrats like Humayun Kabir and an active art community. The Gallery is the premier institution of its kind in India. The gallery is a repository of the cultural ethos of the country and showcases the changing art forms through the passage of the last 150 years. Notwithstanding some gaps, the NGMA collection today is undeniably the most significant collection of modern and contemporary art in the country today.

Sanjay Gandhi National Park And Kanheri Caves

The caves date back to 1st century BC and are believed to be one of the oldest cave formations of the country. The Kanheri Caves are renowned for their natural Basalt formations, ancient Indian styled architecture and the 109 special entrances to the caves. The word Kanheri originates from the Sanskrit term 'Krishnagiri'. Each cave here, unlike the other caves in the country, is adorned with a 'splinth' or a rock bed. Congregation halls with large stupas also indicate that the caves were Buddhist shrines and a focal point during the Buddhist settlement in the 3rd century. The Kanheri Caves became a distinctive Buddhist institution for congregational worship, study and meditation.Spanning from the 1st century BC to 11th century AD, an era that saw the rise and decline of Buddhism, these caves present an insight into its evolution and also have the distinction of having the largest number of cave excavations from a single hill.

Siddhivinayak Temple

Located at Prabhadevi in central Mumbai, the idol of Shree Siddhivinayak was carved out of a single black stone with the trunk on the right which is rather an unusual appearance of Lord Ganesh. The upper right and left hands hold a lotus and an axe respectively while the lower right and left hands hold a rosary (japmala) and a bowl full of ‘modak’. On the forehead of the deity is an eye, which is like the third eye of Lord Shiva. On both sides of Lord Ganesh are placed one idol each of goddesses Riddhi and Siddhi. It is because of this that the temple is called the Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple. These goddesses signify sanctity, success, wealth and prosperity. Tuesday is the main day of Darshan and Puja, but this temple is frequented by hundreds of devotees every day.

The Yoga Institute

The Yoga Institute, world’s oldest and first organized centre for Holistic Classical Yoga, was founded in 1918 by Shri Yogendraji (Father of Modern Yoga Renaissance). Three generations of Yogendra family, have been unrelentingly transforming lives of millions of householders and spread yogic wisdom for 100 years. Led by Dr. Hansaji Yogendra, Director of The Yoga Institute, this NPO has independently propagating practical applications of yogic ideas. With the belief 'Yoga is a way of life', it empowers people in creating a balanced healthy body and mind, improve interpersonal relationships, derive purpose to reach the highest duty consciousness.The pristine and peaceful grounds of the ashram induce positivity in the thousands who visit daily. Most of who enroll in special courses, health camps, regular classes, workshops and teacher training courses. Today more than 50,000 of their Yoga teachers make a huge impact on lives of millions, locally and globally. The headquarter of the Institute is in Mumbai. Its immense contribution to the benefaction of Yoga education, research, experiential learning, standardisation of practices and social service initiatives has made it the first QCI (QUALITY COUNCIL OF INDIA) certified Yoga Teacher Training School in India. It is also certified as the first authorized Yoga School to conduct government certified courses by Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. Housing world's first museum of Yoga, Shri Yogendra Museum of Classical Yoga, presents a historically balanced view of Yoga. Esteemed as a Life School, the Institute has received many awards and accolades, for diligent efforts towards Yoga education and societal development. More Details:Address: Shri. Yogendra Marg, Prabhat Colony, Santacruz-East, Mumbai, 400055, Phone: +91-22-26122185, 26110506E-Mail: info@theyogainstitute

Vasai

It is famous for the Vasai Fort, which was built by the Portuguese with an intention to keep a watch over the region of Vasai, Thane earlier known as Saashti. The fort witnessed the victory of the Marathas under the leadership of Chimaji Appa from 1737 to 1739, against the Portuguese.