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Haifa B-1/107 Asi Rd  0542 231 2960; map. Laidback place serving approximations of Middle Eastern dishes ? including hummus, fresh-baked pittas and falafel ? as well as the more usual Indian fare. The ?Middle Eastern thali? (a selection of mezze with pitta) is a great deal at Rs150. Daily 7.30am?10pm.

Bread of Life B-3/322 Sonapura Rd  0542 227 5012; map. Bakery providing brown bread, cinnamon rolls (Rs35) and confectionery, with a small, clean restaurant serving Western food such as minestrone (Rs80) and veg moussaka (Rs100), plus a few Chinese options. Profits go to charity, but service is slow. Daily

Madhur Milan Dashaswamedh Rd, just past Vishwanatha Lane  95650 63977; map. Cheap and very popular café, great for dosas, sweets, kachoris and samosas (Rs10; watch them being fried out front, and grab them while they?re piping hot). Thalis Rs60?150.

Manikarnika Ghat North of Lalita lies Varanasi?s pre-eminent cremation ground, Manikarnika Ghat.

Dashaswamedh Ghat Dashaswamedh Ghat is Varanasi?s most popular and accessible bathing ghat, with rows of pandas sitting on wooden platforms under bamboo umbrellas, masseurs plying their trade and boatmen jostling for custom. It?s the second and busiest of the five tirthas on the Panchatirthi Yatra. Its Brahmeshvara lingam is supposed to have been planted by the god Brahma. South of here, a flat-roofed building houses the shrine of Shitala, which is likewise extremely popular, even in the rainy season when devotees have to wade to the temple or take a boat. Man Mandir Ghat to Lalita Ghat

Tulsi Manas Temple Durga Kund Rd ? Daily 5.30am?noon & 3.30?9pm The Tulsi Manas Temple is open to all. Built in 1964 of white-streaked marble, its walls are inscribed with verses by Goswami Tulsidas, the poet and author of the Ramcharitmanas, the Hindi equivalent of the great Sanskrit epic Ramayana.

Scindia Ghat Bordering Manikarnika to the north is the picturesque Scindia Ghat, its tilted Shiva temple lying partially submerged in the river, after falling in as a result of the sheer weight of the ghat?s construction in the mid-nineteenth century. Above the ghat, several of Varanasi?s most influential shrines are hidden within the tight maze of alleyways of the area known as Siddha Kshetra (the ?Field of Fulfilment?).

Bharat Mata Vidyapeeth Rd About 3km northwest of Godaulia, outside the Old City, the modern temple of Bharat Mata (?Mother India?), inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi, is unusual in that it has a huge relief map in marble of the whole of the Indian Subcontinent and the Tibetan plateau, with mountains, rivers and the holy tirthas all clearly visible. Pilgrims circumambulate the map before viewing it in its entirety from the second floor. The temple can be reached by rickshaw from Godaulia for around Rs50.

Ramnagar Fort Ramnagar (south bank of the river) ? Museum Daily 10am?5pm ? Rs150 (Rs20)

Bharat Kala Bhawan Museum

At Cantonment railway station, you can phone your hotel of choice, who will send someone to pick you up (the tourist office will even do this for you). If you want to make your own way to the hotels of the old town, walk away from the bus or railway station to the main road, find a non-English-speaking cycle rickshaw driver, and ask to be taken to Godaulia, 3km southeast ? a Rs50 ride.

Seeing bodies being cremated so publicly has always exerted a great fascination for visitors to the city, but photography is strictly taboo; even having a camera visible may be construed as intent, and provoke hostility.

Seeing bodies being cremated so publicly has always exerted a great fascination for visitors to the city, but photography is strictly taboo; even having a camera

To the north is Lalita Ghat, renowned for its Ganga Keshava shrine to Vishnu and the Nepali Temple (daily 5am?8pm; Rs15), a Kathmandu-style wooden structure which houses an image of Pashupateshvara ? Shiva?s manifestation at Pashupatinath, in the Kathmandu Valley ? and sporting a small selection of erotic carvings.

Saket Museum of Ramayana Correlogram Tues?Sun 10am?5pm ? Free A short walk south of the Raj Mahal, the small Saket Museum of Ramayana Correlogram has an intriguing collection of Hindu folk art from across India. Highlights include Mithila paintings (produced using paint made from cow?s milk) from Bihar and colourful masks from Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.

Money You can change travellers? cheques at Canara Bank on Jhansi Rd, just off the main square, and there is a State Bank of India ATM on Tikamgarh Rd, close to the bus stand.

Lakshmi Narayan Mandir

Chatturbuj Mandir

Hardaul ka Baithak

Ram Raja Mandir

Jharokha Hotel Sheesh Mahal  07680 252624. If you?re not staying here, soak up the palace?s evocative surroundings in the colonnaded dining hall, which has tasty veg and non-veg food (standouts include the fish, chicken and mutton curries), and live music and dancing in the evenings. Mains Rs70?310. Daily 8?10am, noon?3pm & 7?10.30pm.

The delicious local delicacy, kalakand (milk cake), can be bought from the small stalls in the market.

The monuments Across the bridge, just east of the market ? Daily 8am?6pm ? ?Day passport? for all the monuments Rs250 (Rs10), camera Rs25, video Rs200 English-language sound-and-light show Daily: Nov?Feb 6.30pm; March?Oct 7.30pm ? Rs250 (Rs75), children Rs150 (Rs40)

07680 252624)

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: KHAJURAHO

GODAULIA Alka D-3/23 Mir Ghat  0542 239 8445,  hotelalkavns.com; map. You?ll need to book well ahead in high season (Oct?March), but this is a good mid-range riverside choice, with a variety of well-maintained quality rooms, plus a terrace and a pleasant little lawn overlooking the river. Rs500/Rs600

There is one daily bus direct from Jhansi to Khajuraho (the departure time fluctuates, so ask locally; 5hr), as well as numerous ones between Jhansi and Bamitha, a 15min auto-rickshaw ride from Khajuraho.

Surya Jain Temples Rd  07686 274144,  hotelsuryakhajuraho.com. This popular and efficiently run hotel has clean and comfortable rooms (though annoyingly hot water isn?t available all day), a lush garden, 24hr internet/wi-fi access, a book exchange, yoga and massage sessions and an alfresco eating area. Rs650

Harmony Jain Temples Rd  07686 274135,  hotelharmonyonline.com. The Mediterranean influence in the design lends an air of spaciousness to this long-established hotel, which has a range of budget and mid-range attached rooms ? each airy, clean and complete with a flatscreen TV ? and a bird-filled courtyard. The food?s pretty good too. If you?re interested in finding out about the future, ask the hotel can put you in touch with face- and palm readers. Rs600

Guides Guide rates are set by the government: Rs750 for one to five people for half a-day, Rs950 for a full day; there?s a surcharge (Rs300 for a half day, Rs400 for a full day) for tours in languages other than Hindi and English. There are several recommended, highly experienced guides including Ganga, owner of the Harmony hotel and a Tantra expert, Mr D.S. Rajput, Mr Mama and Mr Chandel, all three of whom can be contacted through the Raja Café, and Anurag Sukla ( 9425 143963).

Ganpati Jhansi Rd  07680 252765. Welcoming, family-run hotel with a range of rooms set around a small garden, from where there are spectacular views of the old fortifications. All the rooms are clean and have attached bathrooms; the more expensive have a/c and some (notably no.21) boast vistas of their own. Rs800

ACCOMMODATION Most of the smarter hotels will allow non-guests to use their pools for around Rs150?300.

By train Orchha?s small railway station is 3.5km from the centre of the village (around Rs50 by auto-rickshaw). A local train (1 daily; 5?6hr) trundles between Orchha and Khajuraho. It generally departs from Orchha in the morning, and returns from Khajuraho in the early afternoon ? exact times fluctuate, so check locally. You can?t book tickets in advance, but there?s usually no shortage of seats. Jhansi station has a far wider range of train services, including those running to and from Khajuraho (1?2 daily; 4hr 10min?4hr 55min).

By auto-rickshaw An auto-rickshaw between Jhansi and Orchha costs about Rs200?250 (more at night).

Ranthambhore Palace Ranthambore Rd, 2.5km from town  0746 222 0383,  hotelranthambhorepalace.com. This brand-new high rise is home to a selection of smart, well-furnished and good value rooms with a/c, TVs and private modern bathrooms, plus wi-fi and a pleasant roof restaurant. Great value at current rates. Rs800

By tempo Shared tempos for Orchha (45min; Rs20) wait alongside the bus stand, but they tend to dry up around 5pm. There are also shared tempos from the bus stand to the train station. An auto from Jhansi to Orchha will cost around Rs200.

Vikram Seth A Suitable Boy. Vast, all-embracing tome set in UP shortly after Independence; wonderful characterization and an impeccable sense of place and time make this an essential read for long train journeys.

William Sutcliffe Are You Experienced? Hilarious novel sending up the backpacker scene in India. Wickedly perceptive and very readable.

Salman Rushdie Midnight?s Children. This story of a man born at the very moment of Independence, whose life mirrors that of modern India itself, won Rushdie the Booker Prize and the enmity of Indira Gandhi, who had it banned in India. Set in Kerala and Mumbai, The Moor?s Last Sigh was the subject of a defamation case brought by Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray.