Hi all, I need to know more about train, bus, taxi, etc around Bihar, which is Gaya and Bodhgaya. I want to travel this April or May from Delhi to Agra to Varanasi to Gaya and last to Calcutta. Overland trip.

somebody help me please, thank you.

Mary Yan

Gaya is main city,Bodhgaya is nearest place,(around 15 km from Gaya)its famous for Bodhi tree and its one of the main sacred Buddhist pilgrim centre.
You can visit all places by train,can book online.
Plz go through Indian railways,website.
http://www.indianrail.gov.in/
Bihar is safe place only,but when you travel by trian you should be extra careful :).

If you can offord taxi,you can hire car also.It will be more convinent .

May wil be very hot month in India.

Radz

I wsa there about 10 years ago, but I presumelittle has changed.

Your best bet to visting Bodhgaya is to get off the mainland train at Gaya (nothing much there) and get a taxi / bus (depending on budget) to the place of enlightenment - Bodhgaya.

Get down from Train or bus at Gaya station. make it a pint to reach there in the day time. If you have to reach only in the night see to that some known person picks up youfrom station/bus stand.

Gaya is a popular religious place for hindus who perform a kind of a religious ceremony to their dead parents.

Near to Gaya , about 20kms there is a Budhgaya whichis a place to be seen. You can reach by auto or taxi. The Buddha temple and the Bodhi tree are worth visiting. Main Buddha idol radiating with cloth made of gold is a feast to the eyes.. A few countries have built some kind of domes(gompas?) and are worth seeing. One day is good enough to visit this place.
When visitng Bihar, never have tight schedules to reach elswhere as you have to put up with lot of delays.
But time of travel you have chosen for all the places listed is not good as temperatures go up easily around 43-45Deg C!!! So take care.

From Delhi to Agra you can have the option of either by Bus or Train as these 2 places are comparatively near compared to Delhi to Varanasi. But from Agra to Varanasi, you have to take the train. I took train from Delhi to Varanasi and it took about 12 hours or so. So from Agra to Varanasi should be around that timing or more. I'd suggest you take the overnight train so that you can sleep on your way there, thereby saving a nite's accomodation fees. You can choose the 2-tier or 3-tier Aircon sleepers. One of the most reputable and reliable train company/service is the Rajasthan Express. Although they charge more expensive than the rest, I think its worth it. I was cheated by a tourist office who booked my ticket for me at a commission of Rs.500. The boss told me it was a good train and not to worry. But sad to say, this train that I believed should be the best by having to pay extra (Rs500) ended up in delay for more than 16 hours!!! I had to waste money to go back hotel and sleep for another night. And when I showed my ticket to a local undergraduate whom I met at the station, he said this train company was one of the lousiest in terms of service, reliability and punctuality. I learnt a hard lesson that round and I decided to get tickets myself at ITB for the coming trips. And do book more than one day(at least) in advance at the International Tourist Bureau (or ITB) which is located in train stations to server foreigners in their train tickets. But do take note that not all Train stations have ITB. While making your way to the ITB in train stations, please be firm and sharp. Do not be conned by touts trying to lie to you that ITB has been moved or in renovation etc...You have to ignore them and just head to the ITB and see for yourself. These touts are hoping to distract and divert you to their ticketing office.(So take note!!!)

From Varanasi to Bihar is not that long journey, just about 5-6 hours or so. I remember my train was delayed for 6 hours and by the time it reached Gaya, it was 2am in the morning. Luckily I met a spanish tourist who had arranged a reliable transport guy to pick her up at Gaya station. If not I would have to sleep in the station until morning before moving out. Gaya in the state of Bihar is not safe at night. So do plan your journey into Bihar, or Gaya such that you can still see daylight when you reach there. I suggest you book this Varanasi-Gaya sector to set off early in the morning so that you have a bigger window to tolerate any train delays. I do not know where you will be heading to once you rerach Gaya. If you are heading to Bodhgaya, then there are accomodations in those guesthouses run by Buddhist societies or monasteries.

Train delays are common and 1 hours or so of delay is considered OK. So do look up to those train Information board in the stations for your train number incase they are delayed.

Hope what I share with you helps.

Hi Mary

I welcome you proposal to visit Bihar, one of the best places in India with regards to natural beauty & endowment & places of religious interests. But it has a negative part(I am not trying to dissaude you but the idea is to help you be prepared for the things that you MIGHT come across.)Bihar is one of the backward states of India Economically & you have to be extra aware when it comes to being a tourist out here :)
Now coming to your trip, As you plan to be in India in April May, I suggest that you try to make it in the earlier part of April so as to avoid the infamous summer heat.
In India there is only one rail company & that is The Indian Railways & the timeliness & reliability of trains are dependent on which part of country you travel. Apart from Delhi you would be in Uttar Pradesh(Agra & Varanasi), Bihar(Gaya) & West Bengal(Calcutta)
Train is the best mode of travel & safe too.You can plan your train trip using the following 2 sites:
http://www.indianrail.gov.in
http://ww.irctc.co.in(this sites rquires registration)
Once you reach Bihar(Gaya is the Railway station that you detrain) make it a point that you reach before the evening sets in & do your travelling during day times only.Bodhgaya is just 16 kms from Gaya, try to travel in group.
I hope that you have a good & peaceful time visiting the place of Enlightenment of Gautam Buddha.

Mary,

I would like suggest you suggest log in to india railway website. book you ticket . Take taxis for sightseeing which are easily available at hotel .

Rgds,
Amrendra kumar