From My Eyes - Ahmedabad

I had been planning a trip to Ahmedabad for quite some time and it finally materialized this year during the Good Friday weekend. One of my relatives who works in a bank was transferred to Ahmedabad so the staying problem was solved. Being a IM’er I had already planned the places to see during my stay in Ahmedabad. I was keen on taking the heritage walk in the morning as well as the night. However it was closed during the time I was there. Once the dates were finalized the next challenge was booking the train tickets. We were a total of 5 adults and 1 child. Booked the tickets in Duronto to and fro. They are timed right for a weekend trip to Ahmedabad. No food is provided, mineral water is provided. Don’t go by the berth composition shown on the ticket since it tends to change. While going to Ahmedabad we had 2 SMB’s (side middle berth) however the coach did not have any SMB’s. On the return we were allotted 2 LB’s, 2 MB’s and 2 UB’s however we had 2 SMB’s.

After booking the tickets I informed junior that we will be going to Ahmedabad by train in few days. He asked me “papa blue train mein jayenge” (“would be going in the blue train”). I replied “nahi green train mein jayenge” (“No, we will be going on a green train”). He was surprised at the mention of the green train. He had seen the local trains and while our last trip to the Brij / Bundelkhand region he had seen the blue trains. My father has an habit of leaving early and most of the times we arrive at least 90-120 minutes before the actual departure time. When we reached the platform where the Duronto was to depart from an earlier train was already stationed there. Junior looking at the train said “papa mein yeh train mein nahi jaoonga. Yeh blue train hai. Mujhe green train mein jana hain” (“I will not go in this train. It is blue in color. I want to go in the green train”). After 20 minutes that train departed and then our wait started for the Duronto to arrive. Earlier waiting at the platform was not a problem since I would spend my time people watching and getting amazed at the amount of luggage they carry. However waiting at the platform with a 6 year old boy is a pain. Junior tends to become restless when he has to wait and is more restless if I am not in his sight especially when we are going out somewhere. At home it does not matter if the father is in or out of the home. At last the Duronto arrived and junior jumped up and said “Green train”. Once the train halted we boarded the coach, set our luggage and I went towards the door to check if our names are there on the chart. A practice that my father used to do every time we went out in my childhood days. After confirming that our names were present we waited for the journey to start. The train departed at the right time and reached Ahmedabad at the right time. Nothing to mention about the journey in the train since everybody went off to sleep once the train crossed Borivali.

Our relative was waiting for us at the platform. He had got his office car and had also asked a rickshaw to come to the station to take us home. My parents, sister, Mrs and Junior got in the car and left for home. Then we were waiting for the rickshaw to come to the place where we were standing. It was total chaos at the station at that time. The rickshaw took around 20 minutes to come from the parking lot which was less than a km away. We reached the house in around 30 minutes. My first impression after we crossed the crowded station area was that the roads are broad, clean and relatively traffic free. I then realized that it was early in the morning hence the reason for a traffic free road. We crossed a few landmarks on the way Ellis Bridge over Sabarmati river (from here we could see the riverfront).



I then re-discussed the plan with my relative and asked him to book a SUV for 2 days. For breakfast we had appam and stew. I can still recollect the taste of the stew. Sorry no snaps of the food consumed were taking during this trip except for the vanilla ice cream with mango topping. Then our plan was to see Kankaria Lake in the early afternoon.

The relative tried calling their regular rickshaw fellow to take us to the lake however he was already engaged somewhere else. So we decided to go on our own. We took 2 rickshaws and proceeded towards the lake. Majority of the crowd enters the lake from Gate no 3 which is also the closest to the station. So if someone does plan on visiting Ahmedabad for a week end they could visit the lake in the evening and take a night train to their destination. The rickshaws in Ahmedabad do ply by meters and more or less they take the correct fare. We reached the lake at 4:00 pm. We also entered the lake from Gate no 3, purchased the entry ticket and reached the lake. As soon as you enter the lake from Gate no 3 you reach the toy train starting point which is on the left hand side and on the right hand side is the Shree Dadu Dayal Dham.

The toy train takes you around the entire lake and you could see quite a few places along the periphery of the lake. There is an zoo, a butterfly park, a balvatika, an amusement park, a kids city, entry to Naginawadi, and a balloon safari. One can easily spend around 5-6 hours in the lake area. We booked the tickets for the toy train and waited for the train to arrive. The train is named ‘Atal Express’ after the former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

There are 2 engines out of which one is stationed in a shed near the butterfly park. While taking the train ride you can see the entry points for all the above mentioned zones. After the train ride we walked towards the Balloon safari called Ahmedabad Eye. This is dependent on the wind conditions and while we were there is was not operational. Next to it is the Hanging bridge.

Next to it is the butterfly park. There are models of different butterflies kept in the park. However we did not see any live butterfly.

Next is the Aquarium, Open Air Theatre and Kids city. We did not go beyond this since we wanted to visit Naginawadi which is opposite Kids city. Since we had to wait for sunset we utilized the time to see the sunset from Naginawadi.

One can see a few speed boats zooming around. We also saw the Ahmedabad Eye operational when we were there. An opportunity missed. A couple of days later it was raining in Ahmedabad and there was an accident with the balloon safari. Luckily no one was injured. There is a laser show and musical fountain inside Nagingawadi. The show starts just after sunset is for 15 minutes duration.

There are around 6-8 shows in a day. First is a laser show about a song which talks about Gujarat and Amdavad. The musical fountain follows this and the song played in the background was ‘Dola re’, ‘Balam Pichkari’ and ‘Mission Impossible Theme’. I enjoyed the 15 minutes that I spent there since it was the first time I was seeing something like that. Kids can also do water zorbing in the lake. Our relative had arranged for his car to pick us up from the lake to come back home. Right opposite the Naginawadi is Gate no. 5. We spent a good 4 hours in the garden and we could have spent a few more if junior and my mother would not have been there.

As requested the relative had booked a Xylo for us for seeing the sights planned for the day. It is a must to have an A/c vehicle since the climate in Ahmedabad was hot. First stop of the day was Modhera Sun Temple. The roads are in good condition in Gujarat and it helped that we left at 8:00 in the morning which helped us avoid the city traffic if it would have been there. One has to take the state highway 41 to reach Modhera Sun Temple. The route is well marked. We stopped for breakfast at Mehsana chowk. We had some dhokla’s (yellow and white), mini samosa’s, jalebi’s and kachori’s. We reached the Sun Temple at around 10:00 am. On the way to the temple complex towards the left is a museum which contains artifacts discovered in the region during the excavation. An attempt to destroy this temple was done by Allauddin Khilji. Inspite of that attempt there is enough to see in the structures present now. One can see bats inside the temple who have made it their permanent homes. I also saw the nest of a pigeon inside the Guda Mandap.

There are no idols inside the temples and prayers are not offered here. The temple was designed so that first rays of the sun fall on the idol of Surya during equinox. We did not see any guide inside the complex at that of the time of the day. We were lucky to see a couple of big groups who had their guides and we could over hear some information provided to them. After this we went to see the museum. One can use the washroom’s available here which are well maintained. There was some restoration work going in the temple complex. We spent around an hour in the temple and then we left for the next destination.

At around 12:00 noon we reached Rani ni Vav. This structure has been included in the UNSECO World Heritage Site recently. The complex is well maintained with a green cover right from the entrance of the complex right till the start of the step well. 

It is hard to believe that nobody knew it existed till late 1950’s since most of the levels were buried. ASI started excavations during 1958 and unearthed the extent of the step well.

We were not able to go beyond the 4th level which was barricaded and a few security guards were stationed there to prevent anyone from going beyond the 4th level. There is still some work going on there. I some time wonder why so much of effort was made to make a step well where animals and people used to come and drink water. I also saw a dog quenching its thirst at a small man made tank near the entrance of the step well.

 Again after spending an hour we left the place for the next place. The heat was making it difficult for my parents and junior, so they used the shade where ever they got an opportunity and were also constantly behind me and my sister to take the snaps as soon as possible so that they could return to the vehicle.

We stopped at a way side restaurant to have lunch at around 1:10. By 1:40 we left for Vadnagar at around 3:15. My family had a quick nap by the time we reached Vadnagar. Vadnagar was once upon a time the capital of Gujarat and is said to be a 2500 year old city. It is also the birth place of our current Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi who is said to have spent his younger days selling tea at the railway station. The first place that we saw in this place was the Tana Riri Memorial. There is an interesting legend associated to this place. You can read about the legend here.



 Right next to this memorial is Omkareshwar Temple. Opposite is a small lake and we saw a few painted storks there.



Right at the centre of the city is Sharmishta Lake. This spot is being developed by the state in order to promote more tourism here. There are boating facilities available here. On the border of the lake one can see a bathing ghats which are currently in use.

 From the walk way of the lake one can also see the Torans. Then we moved to Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple, an 1800 year old temple. Read more about the temple here.

The last stop was the Torans. They belong to the 12th century and are supposed to be standing at the northern and eastern entrances of a non-existing temple. It is said to have been built in red and yellow sandstone without mortar and cementing material. The base of each pillar occupies a square of more than 2.5 meters giving it stability. Read more about Vadnagar here.

In my list there were 2 more places to be covered for the day, Swaminarayan Temple and Adalaj ni Vav. By the time we left Vadnagar it was already 5:10. We stopped in between for a glass of sugar cane juice and then proceeded towards Swaminarayan Temple. No leather stuff, camera, mobile are allowed inside the premises. This is a huge complex which also has a musical fountain which is operational in the evenings. When we returned to the vehicle my relative informed about a Tiruapti Balaji temple in Ahmedabad. That was our last stop for the day. Thus ended our second day of sightseeing for around 13 hours.

 The second day started at the same time as the first. Our first stop was Adalaj ni Vav where we reached at 8:45. There is a small temple outside the vav. We first visited the temple and then went towards the vav. This is a small vav when you compare it to Rani ni Vav. This is a 4 storeyed step well. There was some photo shoot going on. Here one is allowed to go till the actual well.

After this the next stop was Sabarmati Ashram. What a peaceful place even though outside it is a busy main road. There are quite a few interesting stuff put up on display regarding about Gandhiji. There is a small library, the house where Gandhiji, Kasturba, Vinoba Bhave, Mirabai etc used to stay.



One can also see the work being done on beautifying the Sabarmati riverfront. Some part of the riverfront elsewhere is visited by the locals for their evening walk. If one wants to get away from the hectic city life come here and spend a quite hour or two and rejuvenate your selves. We were lucky enough to see a lady operating the charka. I wonder how do they spin a yarn using that device.

It was time for breakfast and we stopped at a restaurant to have something for the stomach. After the stomach was satiated we moved on to Hutheesing Jain Temple. As in most Jain temples here also photography is not allowed. Again as in most Jain temple there are some excellent sculptures / carvings inside the temple. The outside of the temple reminds one of the Ranakpur temple. There is also a copy of the Victory Tower that one can see in Chittorgarh. After this I had planned to see Dadahari ni Vav, however the driver was not keen on going there. He said that it is not a good area to visit.

While going on to the next spot we saw the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque whose jali is the logo of IIM Ahmedabad one of the prestigious educational institutes of India. Almost all the windows have some intricate jali work on them.

 Then we moved on to Sarkhej Roza. This part of the city is not that developed and one can see the stark difference in the standard of living. This is a big complex with quite a few tombs and a Jama Masjid. There is also a small museum which talks about the history of Sarkhej Roza. If one is not too much of an architecture buff one can skip the place. There are certain parts painted in white inside the complex. These parts help one to walk barefoot inside the complex. The parts which are not painted white are hot enough to burn one’s feet.

 The next stop was lunch. My plan was to have lunch at Vishalla and see the utensil museum. I was cursing myself for misunderstanding what was mentioned on their website. On their website it is written

"Lunch bookings are accepted only on orders for 100 persons and more. The timings for lunch are from 11:00 to 15:00"

My understanding was after 100 people they would not accept anymore. Till now everything was as per plan and I could get indications from my father that he was happy with his son’s planning and then comes this. The first problem in a till now fine plan. The person at the counter was kind enough to let us spend some time inside the hotel. I asked if we could at least visit the utensil museum to which the answer was that the museum opens at 3:00 in the afternoon. At that time 1:20, so another 1:40 minutes to go. So we spent some time inside the complex and then left and had a Gujarati Thali on the way.

 Next stop was the Vaishno Devi temple in Ahmedabad. Just like the actual Vaishno Devi temple this temple gives you an impression of being on top of a hill. This also has a cave which one has to crawl through to reach the temple. This is not necessary for senior citizens and they can skip the crawling part and directly reach the next level. Junior does not like to get his feet dirty. Even if he finds some dirt on the sole of the footwear he could ask either parent to clean it and only when it looks clean to his satisfaction he will wear the footwear. When we were crawling in the temple there was a part where the cave was a bit wet. I was last in my group, before me was junior who was following the Mrs. Seeing the wet floor junior stopped and asked me to lift him since he did not want to dirty his feet. I could not lift him so asked him to crawl as it was impossible for me to lift him. After we came out of the cave junior said “papa bahut majha aaya tunnel mein. Chalo phir se karte hain”. (I enjoyed a lot in the tunnel. Let’s do it again). I spent 15 minutes explaining why we could not repeat the crawling exercise.


After this the next and last stop of the day was Trimandir. We reached home at 5:15 on the 3rd day since all were local sights.





Most of the main roads in the town are reserved for Bus Rapid Transport System. These are AC buses and run only in those roads. No other vehicles are allowed on that road. After 2 days of being continuously on the vehicle, the 4th day did not involve any sightseeing. My relative informed father of a Kartikeya Temple and a Devi Temple in the Maninagar region. He arranged for his vehicle to pick us up at 5:00 in the evening. The driver took this opportunity to show us a few sights from the vehicle. These included the shaking minarets, Ahmad Shah Mosque, Bhadra Fort, Town Hall, Law Garden Road etc. Junior asked “papa green train mein hi jaana hai na?” (We have to go in the green train right). We reached home at 7:30, started packing, had dinner and reached the station as usual 90 minutes before the scheduled departure of the train. Again the parents had a tough time with their 6 year old son.
 

From My Eyes - Satara and around

Having heard a lot about the Kaas Plateau in Indiamike and other sources, I decided to visit Satara during the Ganesh Festival in 2013. The trip was for 2 days on a Sunday and Monday (the first day of the Ganesh festival).

The route is the Mumbai Satara highway through the Mumbai Pune Expressway.

Our first stop was for breakfast near Shirval at Shri Ram Wada. It is well known for its Misal Pav and Wada Pav as the name suggests.

After breakfast we took the road leading to Wai. Wai is a town on the banks of river Krishna and many temples are located on the ghats along the river in the town. Wai is also on the foot hills of Panchgani / Mahabaleshwar. On the way we could see villagers selling turmeric at road side stalls among other things. The first stop at Wai was the Mahaganpati temple. There is a huge Ganesh Idol inside the temple. Photography inside the temple is not allowed. The temple looks like a inverted ice cream cone. Right next to the Mahaganpati temple is the Kashi Vishweshwar Temple. There are a couple more temples in the same compound both dedicated to Shiva.

Mahaganpati Temple

 

Kashi Vishveshwar Temple

 

The next stop was Dhom Dam. Inspite of the monsoon season there was not enough water in the reservoir. We could not go on top of the dam and had to see it from the base. However we saw a couple of vehicles on the dam which probably were of the staff working on the dam. 

 The next stop was Menavli. This place is a well known place where quite a few movie scenes have been shot. Swades, Bol Bachchan, Gangajal, Kaksparsh are some of them. There are two temples located in this ghat, one for Shiva and the other for Vishnu. The Vishnu temple is mostly closed and it open for some particular period. The Shiva temple is open however there was no priest in the temple.

One can also see a bell outside the Shiva Temple which was from the Cathedral of Fort Bassein under the Portugese. This is a five alloy bell dated 1707 and has a bas relief of cast of Mother Mary and Infant Jesus.

 

Right on the banks of the river Krishna there is a mansion of Nana Phadnavis who was one of the ministers of the Peshwas of Pune.

One can see villagers washing clothes and utensils in the banks of the river.











After Wai the next stop was in Satara. We saw the rooms in Radhika Palace and Rajtara and decided to stay in Rajtara. Both these hotels are located in New Radhika Road near the bus depot. After having lunch we moved on to see the other spots of Satara.

In Satara most of the spots that I chose to see are divided in a ‘V’. There is a common road which is divided by a tunnel. To go to Kaas one has to go straight and to go to Thoseghar one has to cross the tunnel.

The first set of places on the menu on the first day was Kurneshwar Temple, Thoseghar, Chalkewadi and Sajjangad.

Once you cross the tunnel take a left to reach Kurneshwar Temple. This is located around 100 meters on the left hand side from the tunnel. There are 3 shrines in this complex dedicated to Ganpati, Dattatreya and Shiva. Once you park your vehicle and enter the gateway one has to climb down around 30 steps to reach the temple complex. The Ganpati temple is also known as Khinditala Ganpati. This is the “Gram Daivat” (Town Diety) of Satara. The first shrine is for Ganpati, followed by Dattatreya and then Shiva.

Khindatal Ganpati                                                                                     Kurneshwar Temple
 

 

 

Then we went towards the tunnel and drove straight towards Thoseghar. Once you park your vehicle in the parking lot, one will have to take a ticket for the person, camera and pay for parking your car. Then there is a descent to reach the gallery from which you can view the waterfalls. One will also see the road forking towards “Small Waterfall” and “Big Waterfall”. Take a right from the division to see the “Small Waterfall” and go straight to see the “Big Waterfall”.

The next stop was the windmill farm at Chalkewadi. The road is in a pretty bad condition in the last 200 meters to reach the place. When we reached Chalkewadi the windmills were playing hide and seek with us due to fog. We could see them and then they would disappear. Junior was enjoying to see them appear and disappear. My son asked me "Papa why are we waiting here. I can not see any thing". Just then the fog moved and he saw the windmill. He shouted "Papa kitna bada fan (what a big fan). I also want one in my house). There were around 4 vehicles there and I could hear one of the group say this place was better than Kaas.






After this we were on to the last spot of the day Sajjangad. This was the final resting place of Swami Ramdas the spiritual guru of Shivaji Maharaj. One has to climb around 800 steps to reach the main entrance of the fort. You can see quite a few Hanuman idols while you are climbing. We were just in time to see the sun set from the fort. You can still find people living in this fort and the main doors are closed after 10:00 pm. The sun had already set while we were in the fort. While climbing down it was dark and thanks to the street lights on the way we were able to climb down and board the cab to retire for the day.

The next day we set out early in the morning at 6:30 to go to Kaas Plateau. It was around a 45 minute drive through beautiful scenery to reach the plateau. We reached the ticket counter which was closed during the time. Without taking the ticket we spent some time in the plateau. The flowers were in bloom however we came to know later that this was start of the blooming season. More flowers would have been seen in the next few days.

We thought of returning back to plateau later in the day. We then moved towards Bamnoli lake. On the way to Bamnoli we saw a board for Vajrai Waterfall. It is said to be one of the tallest falls in India. We inquired with the locals and they informed that there in no point in going there since there is no water at the falls. One can avail boating at Bamnoli lake here. When we reached there the boating was also closed. We spent some time soaking in the tranquility. There is a Bhairav temple near by. One would find numerous bats on the trees at Bamnoli.



Bats on tree

A few views enroute to Kaas and Bamnoli

 

We returned to the plateau after visiting Bamnoli. The ticket counter was open now. So we purchased tickets for the people and camera. The entire plateau is fenced and they are gates at certain intervals which are open so that the visitors can have a closer look at the flowers. The car has to be parked at Kaas river and then one has to walk around a kilometer to reach the plateau. It was not crowded as we were there on the first day of the Ganpati festival. I had specifically chosen that day to avoid the crowds. I was told it was too crowded on Saturday and Sunday.

The Mrs was a bit upset since I and my sister were busy taking photos in the plateau and she was left alone with junior who would not understand why his father was taking snaps of flowers every now and then. The Mrs said that next time if she sees me leaving them unattended she would not come to any trips. In order to avoid that scenario when we went to Kalaghoda festival I handed over my old Cannon to junior and he was happy that he could imitate his papa. Seeing junior taking snaps the Mrs was with him telling him which snaps to take.

On the way back we halted at Pisani village to have breakfast and tea. We had freshly made poha and tea. While the poha was being prepared I saw a temple across the road.

On the way back to Satara one can also see Yavateshwar temple. They are 2 nandi statues in front of the Shiva idol here. In the same complex there is a Bhairav temple also.

This was a morning well spent. We were in time for lunch at the hotel. Near the bus depot we purchased Kandi Pedha, famous in Satara. Before leaving for Mumbai our last stop was the Natraj Temple. We could not take the vehicle there since the area was cordoned off. The temple was closed as is the case with most South Indian temples in the afternoon. We took a parikrama of the boundary walls and then spent time in the market.

 

Thus ended our 2 day trip to Satara. Satara should not be missed during the monsoon and specifically during the Ganesh festival when the flowers are in bloom at the plateau. It was an easy paced trip with enough time for relaxation and for seeing the sights.

This trip can be done either with Mumbai / Pune or Satara as your base. An overnight stay is a good idea. Also if you have a car is will be helpful since there are quite a few photo ops on the way to Kaas and Bamnoli like the one's posted here. One could also combine Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani along with Satara. So if one wants to plan only the place that I have mentioned here then 2 days is needed. If one wants to club Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani then at least 4 days are needed.

From My Eyes - Bharatpur and around

This is a part of my larger trip to Bundelkhand region.

The vehicle was waiting for us at Bharatpur station. The first destination was the guest house at Bharatpur. Saw the rooms and chose a Non A/c double room. That was a big mistake. I did not anticipate the weather to be hot in the month of September. After spending around half an hour in the room I felt that I should have chosen an A/c room. After having a bath and a cup of tea, we left for Deeg Palace at around 10:30. When we informed the driver about our visit to Deeg Palace, he mentioned about the recent riots in Bharatpur and asked Mr. Arun Singh if it would be okay to go to Deeg. Mr. Singh informed that the route to Deeg was free of trouble.

The road was Deeg goes through Kumher Gate and that part of the route was bad. After that the road was bad in parts. We reached Deeg just at around 11:20 at the first gate. This gate is normally closed and the

Deeg Palace

visitors have to go to the second gate which is about 2 minutes drive from the 1st gate. You have to take a right from the circle and go straight till you see the 2nd gate. Here is the ticket counter for Deeg Palace. Entry fee is Rs 5/- per person, no camera charges. The palace was/is famous for its fountains. These fountains are rarely used nowadays. As per the guide these fountains are used during a fair which is held in the month of September. There are quite a few Bhawans inside the palace complex. One of them is Gopal Bhawan which has quite a few artifacts. There is also a Diwan-I-Khaas here. We paid the guide Rs 50/- for showing around the palace. Deeg Palace also has a well maintained garden and two lakes which are used by locals for washing their clothes. Photograpny is not allowed in Gopal Bhawan and Diwan-I-Khaas.

After visiting Deeg Palace we again came back to Bharatpur, had our lunch around 2:00 and then went to see Ganga Temple. The temple was closed and I was informed that it would open at 16:00 pm. Next stop  was Lohagarh fort. Entry fee is Rs 5/- per person, no camera charges. Inside the fort complex there are several residences of public now. The actual fort has been converted to a hospital. You can see the Museum here which is a bit far from the hospital. The museum has a hamam and quite a few artifacts on the ground floor. There is also some more artifacts on the first floor and you get a good view of Bharatpur city from the roof of the museum. After spending around 45 minutes we left for the bird sanctuary.

We reached the sanctuary around 4:00 pm. The migratory birds are seen during the winter months of November, December, January and February. We could see only a few local birds. We hired a cycle rickshaw and a guide to show us around the bird sanctuary. During the off season the tour is till the Keoladeo Temple. Apart from the birds we were able to see a few Nilgai’s, a fox and a monitor lizard. I personally

Painted Storks

thought the visit to the sanctuary was a waste of money. The cycle rickshaw charges Rs 70/- per hour and the guide charges Rs 100/- per hour. Our tour inside the sanctuary was for around 2 ½ hours, so we had to shell Rs 400/- apart from the entry fees to the sanctuary which is Rs 50/- per person, no camera charges but charges for video shooting. There are quite a few cycle rickshaw-wallas who double up as guides also. All the guides carry a binocular with them. I saw a few foreigners who were using the best medium of transport inside the sanctuary, bicycles. They are available for about Rs 50/- for the entire day. Good time to visit the sanctuary is early in the morning or later in the evening. The park is open from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. There is an ITDC Ashok inside the park. Private vehicles are not allowed beyond the check post inside the park and for using the vehicle till here you have to pay Rs 100/-. After this there are only 3 modes of transport walking, cycle rickshawas or cycles. There were a couple of battery operated buses which were under repair. These buses can also be used by tourists.