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If the regality of
the mighty Rajput unfolds itself on board the Palace on
Wheels, can the royalty of the Marathas be far behind? The
Deccan Odyssey takes tourists on a trip to the land of
Marathas, complete with the royal splendour that
characterised their lives. It is one journey that will not
come down from the minds of the tourists for a long time.
The comforts offered on board matches with the best in the
Five star hotel industry. And, amidst all the luxury and
comforts, tourists are taken to enjoy some magnificent as
well as soothing sights.
The Deccan Odyssey came into being after an MOU was signed
between the Railway Ministry and the MTDC in Feb 2001. After
a green signal was obtained from the Railway board, the ICF
(Integral Coach Factory) took nearly ten months to finally
constrct the Deccan Odyssey. The train made its trial run in
the year 2003, and finally on 16th January, 2004, the train
rolled out on its very first journey.
The train
begins its journey every Wednesday from the Chhatrapati
Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai.
Destinations Covered
Mumbai - Ganapatiphule- Sindhudurg - Tarkarli Backwaters -
Sawantwadi - Goa - Kolhapur - Pune - Aurangabad - Ellora
Caves - Jalgaon - Ajanta Caves - Nasik- Mumbai.
Facilities Offered
There are all together 21 coaches in the Deccan Odyssey
Train. Out of these, 13 are meant for passengers. 11 of
these have 4 twin bedded chambers, while the rest two, the
Presidential Suite have two twin bedded coupe. Each of the
saloons have attached bathroom with running hot and cold
water and shower. There are also channel music, intercom and
CD/MP3 player in every saloon. The saloons are all
tastefully designed with wall to wall carpeting. At the end
of every saloon, there is a lounge where passengers can sit,
relax, watch television and interact with fellow passengers.
The train has two restaurant, Peshwa I and Peshwa II,
serving delicious dishes. There is also a well stocked bar
for the passengers.
Apart from these facilities, there is a
conference-cum-business center, which can accommodate nearly
30 people. It is equipped with television sets, DVD players
and Computers with Internet connectivity. This section is
highly useful for the business class. Quiet a few faclities
are also provided on board Deccan Odyssey like an Ayurvedic
Body Massage center, A Gymnasium, A beauty Parlor, Exclusive
smoking and non-smoking suite cars, a well maintained
Library, Money exchange facility/credit cards and wide
collection of CD's/MP3.
Day 01 (Wed) :
Depart Bombay – Deccan Odyssey Luxury Train
Day 02 (Thu) :
Ratnagiri – Ganapatiphule – Jaigadh
-
Morning - Alight
at Ratnagiri Railway Station.
-
Departure by AC
bus for Ratnagiri Town excursion.
-
Over view of
Thibaw Palace.
-
he next stop is
Bhatye view point to watch scenic beauty of Bhatye coast.
-
Pass through the
landmarks of town, local markets.
-
Proceed to
Ganapatipule Beach.
-
Ratnagiri is a
land of Alphonso mango. On way visit to see Mango, Cashew
Nut, Mud Apple and Coconut plantation.
-
Lunch & free
time at Ganapatiphule beach resort.
-
Noon (Optional):
Tuk-Tuk ride in and around Malgund a small typical coastal
village and the native place of the famous poet, Keshav
Sut.
-
Visit to
memorial of poet; see traditional houses.
-
Late in the
afternoon proceed to Jaigadh Jetty for backwater cruise
around the 17th century historical fort Jaigadh and Konkan
villages alongside of the fort.
-
Board the bus
for Ratnagiri railway station.
-
Arrive in Train.
Dinner onboard.
Day 03 (Fri) :
Sindhudurg – Tarkarli Backwaters – Sawantwadi
-
Morning - Alight
at the Sindhudurg Nagari Railway station.
-
Departure by AC
Bus to Malvan Jetty to witness Sindhudurg the Ocean Fort &
one time naval base of Maratha empire.
-
From jetty
proceed to Tarkarli beach resort.
-
Lunch & free
time at Tarkarli beach resort.
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Next, romantic
Back Water Cruise through the Tarkarli creek up to Walaval
Jetty.
-
Visit to ancient
village temple of Laxmi Narayana, followed by visit to
Sawantwadi town by A.C bus to witness fabulous lacquer
handicrafts, paintings and furniture at the "Shilpagrama"
the art & craft centre in the town.
-
Watch
cultural programme performed by local artist. Late in the
evening board the train at Sawantwadi railway station.
Dinner on board.
Day 04 (Sat) :
Goa
-
Morning arrival
at Karmali - Goa. The most frequented tourist spots in
India.
-
Board the bus to
reach Old Goa to witness; the ruins of St. Augustine
Church once largest cathedral in Goa.
-
Basilica of Bom
Jesus, this is 16th Century Church, the mortal remains of
St. Francis Xavier is enshrined here.
-
Se Cathedral and
the Church of St. Francis of Assissi that began as a
mosque but now is an archaeological museum for Goan
antiques.
-
Visit to
Fontanhas the Latin quarters at Panjim.
-
Departure to
Hotel. Lunch & Free time on the beach.
-
Evening board
the train from Madgaon railway station.
-
Dinner on board.
Day 05 (Sun) :
Kolhapur – Pune
-
Morning -
Arrival at Kolhapur City, known as Karveer or Dakshin
Kashi of Maharashtra.
-
Board the bus to
visit;
-
New Palace, a
royal palace partly converted into museum.
-
Leisure time
till evening.
-
Evening arrive
at Pune.
-
Board the bus to
visit Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, houses variety of
artifacts of the 17th, 18th & 19th Centuries.
-
Board the train
from Pune railway station.
-
Dinner on board.
Day 06 (Mon) :
Aurangabad – Ellora Caves
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Morning Arrival
at Daulatabad station.
-
Proceed by road
to visit; Majestic fort Daulatabad.
-
Next stop is
Ellora caves, a World Heritage site, having 34 cave
temples dedicated to three different religion - Hinduism,
Buddhism & Jainism.
-
Lunch & free
time.
-
After lunch move
on to see; Bibi-ka-Maqbara, a replica of Taj Mahal is a
grand piece of Moghul architecture.
-
Optional: Back
to train. Free time for shopping Paithani, Himroo,
Bidriwork from showrooms for a perfect memorabilia.
-
Evening board
the train from Aurangabad railway station. Dinner on
board.
Day 07 (Tue) :
Jalgaon – Ajanta Caves – Nasik
-
\Morning
- Arrival at Jalgaon railway station.
-
Board the bus to
reach Ajanta Caves.
-
At noon board
train at Jalgaon railway station. Proceed to Nashik.
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Lunch on –
board. Leisure Time onboard till evening.
-
Alight at Nashik
Road railway station to board the bus for departure to
Panchawati Ghat a holy place known for Kumbh Mela.
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Next, visit to
Kala Ram Temple built in 1794.
-
Evening board
the train at Nasik railway station.
-
Farewell dinner
on-board.
Day 08 (Wed) :
Mumbai
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