Exploring the Best of Nagpur, the winter capital of Maharashtra, also a smart city and one of the best destinations to visit in Maharashtra during winters. Popular as the “Orange City”, there are many places to visit in Nagpur and several food delicacies to relish, including the Maharashtrian Saoji cuisine and the famous Tarri Poha.
In this blog, I will share my experience of exploring the Best of Nagpur, a few popular places that I visited in the second capital of Maharashtra. I visited the geographical center point of India aka Zero Mile, Narrow gauge rail museum, and Ganesh tekdi mandir. I missed the famous Ambazari Lake due to time constraints.
Mumbai to Nagpur
We reached Nagpur after a 12-hour train journey. From Thane Railway station we boarded 12105 Vidarbha Express, at 7.45 pm and reached Nagpur the next morning around 9 am. The journey by 2AC train was comfortable but the scare of coronavirus still loomed.
Check-in at Hotel Dwarkamai, Nagpur
From Nagpur railway station, we got into a local auto-rickshaw, as ola and uber kept on canceling our rides. Our stay for the night was Hotel Dwarkamai, located just 2 km from railway station. After a few hours of rest, we were ready to explore the Best of Nagpur.
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Hotel Dwarkamai, Nagpur -
Rooms at Dwarkamai hotel
Best of Nagpur – 3 Best Places to Visit
There are many popular tourist destinations to visit in Nagpur but we had just one day in hand before proceeding to our next destination, Kanha. So, in a day’s trip, we could comfortably pack these top three places.
1. Shree Ganesh Mandir Tekdi
We started by seeking blessings from Ganpati Bappa at this famous temple in Nagpur, which is one of the Swayambhu temples in the city. Located close to the railway station, the temple is under construction but you can still visit the main idol. We were right on time to attend the aarti, what a peaceful start to our journey!
Being a Sunday, it was crowded, still, we could get the darshan without any hassle as it’s a big temple. Ensure to wear masks and maintain social distance while visiting the Tekdi Ganesh Mandir. Bola Ganpati Bappa Morya!
2. Narrow Gauge Railway Museum
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Narrow Gauge Railway Museum -
Entry ticket at Narrow Gauge Rail Museum -
Inside the Rail Museum -
Well-maintained Narrow Gauge Rail Museum
Like Sheldon from Big Bang Theory, if you are fascinated with trains too, then you must visit the Narrow-Gauge Railway Museum for a wonderful experience. It’s a unique museum housing vintage models of trains, locomotives, and the likes. It’s a huge premise also housing an amusement park and toy trains, where even adults can enjoy a ride.
3. Zero Mile Marker – Best of Nagpur
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Zero-mile Centre of India -
Zero Mile in Nagpur -
At Zero Km
Zero-mile Centre of India is precisely the center of India, hence the name Zero mile as it is a geographical center of our country. Zero mile showcases a pillar, which was built by Britishers, to measure distances to several parts of the country.
Just a little walk further and we reached the newly built Freedom Park, inaugurated in 2021. This monument presents the history of India and has a garden where children can enjoy a memorable evening.
Food recommendations
Hungry Eyes, Sadar, Nagpur
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Hungry Eyes, Nagpur -
Chicken Malai Tikka -
Butter Chicken
We were just for a day in the city, so sadly we couldn’t gorge on the famous Maharashtrian Saoji cuisine. Besides, we are not much of a spice eater. But one place that we had our dinner and we all would remember for a lifetime was Hungry Eyes.
The food was delicious, the prices were decent too but the waiting period to get a table was a little long. Probably, being a Sunday, the rush was more but after we tasted the food, the wait was worth the while. Don’t forget to order the best butter chicken ever when you visit the Hungry Eyes in Nagpur.
Trivia
Did you know Nagpur is also famous as the Tiger capital of India? Yes, it is a city that is surrounded by several tiger reserves and acts as an entry point to forests, like Pench and Kanha.
Stay tuned for my next blog, where I share our experience of exploring the Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
If you are looking to explore more places in Maharashtra, check out the blog:
Strawberry picking at Mahabaleshwar – Where and when (bestofindiatravels.com)
Karjat – A perfect short getaway for Mumbaikars – Best of India Travels
