I have been traveling a lot for the last one-month or so and the places are remote areas of Chhattishgarh state, hence getting access to Internet or computer has become a rarity. And believe me, I am bursting with matters to be keyed in blog.

Where do I start? As I am traveling I thing the ideal way will be to start with traveling.

Today let me take you to one of the most picturesque train journeys in India. The train journey from Visakhapatnam to Kirandul. This is in South Coast Railways.

Should I tell you something about Visakhapatnam? I think I should. Visakhapatnam is the second most important city of Andhra Pradesh. Being a new city, it is well planned and clean. Visakhapatnam is called vizag or waltair. So let me call it Vizag. Vizag is a developing city on Bay of Bengal. This is also a fast developing industrial city. The city has lots to offer for the tourists. Being on Bay of Bengal beach should be one of the attractions. The city itself has its beach as Ramkrishna Beach. The beach is well maintained and is full with visitors during evening time. There is a submarine marooned and used as a museum. You can have a tour of the submarine from inside.

The picturesque Kailash Parbat is a beautiful picnic spot. The panoramic view of Vizag city cradled by Bay of Bengal is enchanting. One can visit Simhachalam, a very famous temple situated on a small hillock, from here. For the gastronomes, dont miss the seafood here.

The train journey from Vizag to Kirandul is an experience of its own. This is the highest Broad gauge train line in India. Semilipal is the Highest Railway station in BG line in India. Unfortunately there is only one passenger train runs on this line. Actually this line is mainly constructed to transport iron and manganese ore from Kirandul mines to Vizag port.

The train started from Vizag around 7-45 AM.  After a journey of 2 hours we started climbing on ghat route. On the way there are n no. of tunnels. After an hour or so climbing we stopped at Tyada railway station. I have very fond memory of Tyada. On my earlier visit (3/4 years back) I stayed here in the jungle Bell the tourist resort maintained by Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corpn. This is one of the finest forest resorts I have stayed in my life. The individual huts are spread over a forest area of approx. 10/12 acres. Last time we drove up from Vizag on our way to Borra Cave and Araku valley. We were supposed to spend the night at Araku valley, but the beauty of the resort made us change our plan and we camped there. At morning you get up with the chirping of birds. After a healthy breakfast (there is a good restaurant over there) you spend the day exploring thick jungles around the resort (there are designated trekking routes). The jungle trek will make you hungry enough to a hearty lunch and off course followed by a nice nap. Evening campfires can be arranged. How do you like it? Isnt wonderful for a couple of days of lazying holiday? But I understand, now-a-days demand is so high that one has to book well in advance to stay there.

 Anyway let us continue with our train journey. Maybe after an hour or so we reach Borra cave railway station.

Lets detour once again to my earlier visit. Borra caves are a must see for any nature lover. The caves are breathtakingly beautiful and the natural formation of these caves is also unique. The limestone caves are formed as a result of the action of Gosthami River. The river Gosthami that now flows through the caves to Orissa was once upon a time flowing over the limestone area. Due to the pressure of the water over the limestone, the cave was formed. The dissolved limestone trickled down drop by drop thus forming different shapes. Simultaneously, some of the water drops from the roof solidified to form stalactites. Over a period of time, these calcium deposits of stalagmites and stalactites grew upwards and downwards respectively, and at some points formed different shapes in different parts of the caves. While some of the deposits are in weird shapes, others have formed into fantastic structures, which have acquired a religious significance over a period of time.

The official description of this cave tells us a rather impressive story: deep in the caves there is a Shiva lingam above which is an idol of a cow (Kamadhenu) and the river Gosthani springs from the udder of this cow.

The landscape around the cave is wild and mountainous. The geology is complicated, and the limestone where the cave is located is surrounded by mica. Several mines in this mica are prospected for precious stones like rubies.

According to a popular legend, a cowherd lost his cow while it was grazing. He soon realized that the cow had fallen into a 60 feet deep hole. Assuming the cow to be dead, he peeped into the cavity. To his utter disbelief, he found the cow alive and feeding on the grass deep below. This was the first time that the tribals discovered the existence of the caves.

When the cowherd went into the caves to retrieve his cow, he found the calcium deposit in the shape of a Siva linga. He immediately attributed the survival of the cow to the presence of God. From then on, people started worshiping the linga. Later a small temple was built outside the caves where pujas are performed regularly.

There are several interesting structures inside the caves. These include a mushroom formation, a temple, a mosque, a church and many more. Along with the calcium deposits, there are traces of yellow-colored sulphur deposits on the ground. Flowing between the solidified stalagmites and stalactites is the Gosthani River, which heads towards Orissa, once out of the caves.

Courtesy APTDC, the caves are brightly illuminated by sixty-three lamps of mercury, sodium vapor and halogen lamps, which make the interior of the caves colorful and spectacular!

Well enough of Borra caves. Lets continue our journey. The train continues its winding way. Sometime you can view the full train from the window of your compartment as the train passes through curves. Your eyes are feasted with vast expanse of greenery, mountains of different sizes and shapes, small villages with a few huts far below down here and there, small springs rolling down sometimes only trickling down (These scene is only for rainy season). All the stations are crowded with tribal populace with their usual noisy, head loads, all sorts of accompaniments like goats, cycles, jackfruits, all kinds of vegetables, a few cocks, one or two bow and arrows.

We reach to Araku valley. If I am not mistaken, Andhra Pradesh has only two hill stations, Horsley Hills and Araku valley

Again a detour to my earlier visit. This is also a nice small hill station to spend a couple of days. There is a tribal museum and sometime they arrange tribal dance for the visitors. A beautifully maintained botanical garden is worth visiting. There is a small artificial lake for boating. The valley with its wide meadows is beautiful place to spend some leisure time in wilderness.

After Araku, we enter the state of Orissa. The scenic beauty does not change with the change of state. One by one picturesque small railway stations passes by, one I really liked is Padua. After sometime we start encountering valleys. Vast green fields surrounded by mountains in between dotted by a few red tiled or thatched houses forming small villages. Common scenes like shepherds looking after a small contingent of goats and cows, village women fetching water etc. etc.

The biggest town enroute is Koraput. From the railway station itself the surroundings of the town looked so beautiful I started longing for settling down here somewhere. How beautifully inconvenient it will be for a city dweller like me to settle down here. After Jeypore, the station board specifically mentioned Jeypore (Orissa), we started to descend. The mountain forests gave away for vast fields, small rivers.

This time my destination is Jagdalpur, the headquarter of Bastar district of Chhattishgarh state. Chhattishgarh state is carved out of erstwhile Madhya Pradesh state. And Bastar is the southmost point of Chhattishgarh. Bastar district is predominantly tribal area. It is mainly forest area. The famous Kanker valley is situated here. Presently this area has become a source of headline for the naxalite activities. The forest areas are fully infested by naxalites.

The passenger train after a journey of 324 kms and 10 hours reached Jagdalpur at 6 P.M. Jagdalpur station is in the midst of Shal trees and has its own charm. The station comes to life only at evening 6 P.M. and morning 9-45 P.M. when the train on its return journey from Kirandul to Vizag stops here for 5 minutes.

All descriptions will look pale in comparison of the photos I have taken. I am not familiar of loading images in Sulekha, hence I will try to load them in my travel blog. You are welcome to visit it.

I shall tell about Jagdalpur and its surroundings at some future date. Do any of you know that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj supposed to have visited Ratangarh, some 300 kms from here in Bilaspur district? Well I will tell you about that in future.