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               NAGPUR TRAVEL GUIDE

Nagpur is a city in Maharashtra State famous for its Nagpur oranges. It is the
headquarters of the Vidarbha division. It is also the "second capital" of Maharashtra
state, which means that some administrative functions are carried out here, and one
of three sessions of the Legislative Assembly in a year occur here.

The first reference to the name Nagpur is found in a 10th century copper-plate
inscription discovered at Devali in the neighbouring Wardha district. The inscription
is a record of grant of a village situated in the visaya (district) of
Nagpura-Nandivardhana during time of Rastrakuta king Krsna III in the Saka year
862 (940 CE).  However, tradition ascribes the founding of Nagpur to Bakht Buland, a
prince of the Gond kingdom of Deogarh in the Chhindwara district. In 1743, the
Maratha leader Raghoji Bhonsle of Vidarbha established himself at Nagpur, after
conquering the territories of Deogarh, Chanda and Chhattisgarh by 1751. After
Raghoji's death in 1755, his son and successor Janoji was forced to acknowledge
the effective supremacy of the Maratha Peshwa of Pune in 1769. Regardless, the
Nagpur state continued to grow. Janoji's successor Mudhoji I (d. 1788) came to
power in 1785 and bought Mandla and the upper Narmada valley from the Peshwa
between 1796 and 1798, after which Raghoji II (d. 1816) acquired Hoshangabad, the
larger part of Saugor and Damoh. Under Raghoji II, Nagpur covered what is now the
east of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, and parts of Madhya Pradesh and
Jharkhand.

In 1803 Raghoji II joined the Peshwas against the British in the Second
Anglo-Maratha War. The British prevailed, and Raghoji was forced to cede Cuttack,
Sambalpur, and part of Berar. After Raghoji II's death in 1816, his son Parsaji was
deposed and murdered by Mudhoji II. Despite the fact that he had entered into a
treaty with the British in the same year, Mudhoji joined the Peshwa in the Third
Anglo-Maratha War in 1817 against the British, but was forced to cede the rest of
Berar to the Nizam of Hyderabad, and parts of Saugor and Damoh, Mandla, Betul,
Seoni and the Narmada valley to the British after suffering a defeat at Sitabuldi in
modern-day Nagpur city. Mudhoji was deposed after a temporary restoration to the
throne, after which the British placed Raghoji III the grandchild of Raghoji II, on the
throne. During the rule of Raghoji III (which lasted till 1840), the region was
administered by a British resident. In 1853, the British took control of Nagpur after
Raghoji III died without leaving an heir. From 1853 to 1861, the Nagpur Province
(which consisted of the present Nagpur region, Chhindwara, and Chhatisgarh)
became part of the Central Provinces and Berar and came under the administration
of a commissioner under the British central government, with Nagpur as its capital.
Berar was added in 1903.


GENERAL INFORMATION

Time zone         IST (UTC+5:30)
Area                   218 kmē (84 sq mi)
Elevation           310 m (1,017 ft)
District(s)          Nagpur
Population        2,420,000[1] (2006)
Density              11,101/kmē
                      (28,751/sq mi)


PLACE TO VISIT

Deekshabhoomi is famous throughout India as the site where Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
embraced Buddhism to promote his efforts to overcome discrimination against
lower-caste and untouchable Hindus, and is also the largest hollow stupa in the
world.  Dalits and Buddhists from all over the country converge to Deekshabhoomi
every year on Ashoka Dashmi.

The Sitabuldi fort situated near Kasturchand Park was the site of a fierce battle
between the British and the Bhonsle Empire in 1817. The battle was a turning point
as it laid the foundations of the downfall of the Bhonsles and paved the way for the
British acquisition of Nagpur city

Almost every part of the city has at least one major Hindu temple. The Sri
Poddareshwar Ram Mandir on Central Avenue Road (CA Rd) is arguably the most
popular religious spot in the city. The ancient Shri Mahalaxmi Devi temple 17km from
the city is the town of Koradi draws devotees to its doors throughout the year,
especially during annual Navratri festival. Other famous temples are the Telangkhedi
temple near the lake (which houses all main deities of the Hindu religion), a temple
dedicated to Lord Shiva in the same locality, which is reputed to be over one hundred
years old and the Ramdeobaba temple near the college. Prominent places of
worship for other religions are also situated in the city. The Catholic Seminary
located at Seminary Hills is one of the finest in the state. A Buddhist Dragon Palace
Temple located on the outskirts of the city has become popular tourist spot in recent
times due to its exquisite architecture and serene environment.

The city also contains a number of lakes that are popular recreation spots-
Ambazari, Telangkhedi (which underwent major renovation recently), Gandhisagar,
Gorewada, and Sonegaon to name a few. With its scenic gardens and recreation
facilities, the Ambazari Lake has historically been one of the most popular spots in
Nagpur, a status that it retains to this day. Another popular spot is the Maharajbag
Zoo, originally a garden developed by the Bhonsle rulers. The Zoo contains several
rare species of birds and animals. Pench forest reserve, which is the setting for
Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, is 45 miles to the north of Nagpur.

HOW TO REACH

Train - Nagpur is the center of India. zero milestone of India is located in the city. It
is almost equidistant from all the major metros. Nagpur is connected with all major
cities with trains several times a day. Trains run throught the day to all parts of the
country. All metros are more or less an overnight journey.

Air - The airport is just 7 km from the city-centre. http://www.nagpurairport.com/
Nagpur is connected to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Raipur, Nashik,
Bangalore, Ahemadabad, Indore, Pune, Bangkok (Thailand), Sharjah (UAE),
Doha(Qatar) and Dubai(UAE). Host of airlines fly in and out of Nagpur.

Indian Airlines operates twice daily to Mumbai, Delhi and thrice-weekly to Kolkata
and Hyderabad. Jet Airways has two daily flights to Mumbai and one every evening to
Delhi. Air Deccan operates daily a direct flight from Mumbai with the Airbus A320
flight. Also there are flights from Mumbai to Kolkata which has a stop at Nagpur.

Many new Airlines, namely Indigo Airlines, Kingfisher Airlines have started
operations recently (Aug 2006).

Air Arabia has started flying to Nagpur. They operate five times a week, slated to
become daily soon. Indian Airlines also has started a direct Nagpur-Bangkok flight
twice a week. Direct flights to Singapore are slated to start in June 2006 on Silk Air.

Nagpur is also a Haj terminal and in season Air India operates 747's direct to
Jeddah.

Recently Qatar Airways have announced launching of Nagpur - Doha bi-weekly
flights.