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Fast Facts

It is a two day trip to Bombay from Madras and the train traverses 1,279 km across the flat Tamil heartland and descends through the Western Ghats to the coastal city of Bombay. A number of trains link Bombay with Madras.

• Dadar-Madras Chennai Express that departs daily from both Bombay and Madras.
• Mumbai-Madras Express that departs daily from both Bombay and Madras.
• Mumbai-Madras Mail that departs daily from both Bombay and Madras.
• Mumbai-Kanyakumari Mumbai Express that departs daily from both Bombay and Madras.

The fare between Bombay and Madars by

• A C first class sleeper is about Rs 2297.
• by AC two-tier sleeper it is Rs 1305.
• by first class it is Rs 1009.
• by AC three-tier it is Rs 701.
• by AC chair car it is Rs 560.
• by 2nd class it is Rs 191.

The trains connecting Madras and Bombay and subsequently Madras and Kurumbur halt at about 20-30 stations. Here's a quick round up:

Kalyan, a misty town at the foot of the Western ghats is almost a suburb of Bombay, albeit a far-flung one, and an important rail junction just outside Bombay in Thane district. The Malangarh fort is nearby but it is in ruins. Kalyan in fact is a very old town dating from 2nd century and was an important market town right through the centuries and there are monumnets to testify this.

Lonavala, a pretty hill station in the Sahyadri hills, is famous for its chikki or nut candy and its foggy, cool weather. The town can serve as good jumping off point for seeing the nearby Bhaja and Karla caves.

Pune, once the capital of the Maratha empire and the summer capital for the Bombay Presidency, is a lively, typically Maharashtrian town.

Sholapur, an industrial city is the centre of Maharshtra's cotton growing industry.

Gulbarga , three hours north of Bijapur was once the capital of the Bahamani sultans in the 14th century and is a Muslim town packed with mosques. It is also the hometown of Hazrat Bandah Nawaz Gesu Daraz, a Sufi saint, responsible for promoting Islam in this neighbourhood and the priest to the Bahamani rulers. The town's urs festival at the magnificent Dargah and tomb (built by him) attracts pilgrims by the thousands. However women are not allowed inside the mausoleum. Gulbarga's fort and masjid are of interest too.

Raichur is an interesting border town that has had Andhra, Karanatakan and Maharashtrian influences through history. Today it is an important cotton growing centre. The ruins of Raichur's fort are quite something.

Adoni is another major cotton town. It is located very close to the tomb of Malik Rahman Khan, which is a special target for pilgrimages.

Guntakal, a town with a population of about 100,000 and an important rail head.

Gooty, the town of the impressive Vijayanagar Fort and definitely worth a visit. Interestingly one of the governors of Madras, Thomas Munro died here.

Tenkasi, means Kashi and Tenkasi is considered the Varanasi of the South and its temple is about 400 years old. The famous Kuttalam or Courtallam falls, which are said to have therapeutic powers, are six km away from Tenkasi. The falls are nearly 100 metres high and are formed when the Chittar river tumbles over a bluff close to the Chitra Sabha temple in a very tranquil area at the foothilll of forested hills.

Rajapalayam is famous for its wild elephants and is bordered by the steep Western Ghats.

Sivakasi is the centre of the Indian firecracker industry. The town is notorious too for the use of child labour in the manufacture of crackers and matches. Some 70-100 firework factories are located in this town of 100,000. The town is famous too for its intercaste battles between the Nadar toddy tapper community and members of the higher castes.

Virudhunagar is a city of the Nadars, the metropolis' most populous caste. A number of famous temples are situated close to Virudhunagar.

Chengalpattu, on the banks of the Palar river and near a gigantic tank or artificial lake, is noted for its ruined fort which was built by Vijaynagar monarch, Thimmu Raya. In fact the rail track passes right through the tumbled down remains. The town has an interesting history and has passed through Hindu, Muslim, British and French hands.

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