ferries to san juan islands About 75km from Puttaparthi is Lepakshi, site of the Veerbhadra Temple (admission free). The town ge

About 75km from Puttaparthi is Lepakshi, site of the Veerbhadra Temple (admission free). The town gets its name from the Ramayana: when demon Ravana kidnapped Rama s wife, Sita, the bird Jatayu fought him and fell, injured, at the temple site. Rama then called him to get up; Lepakshi derives from the Sanskrit for Get up, bird.

6 Mecca Masjid. A4 Transport 7 Osmania General Hospital. A2 13 Afzal Gunj Bus Stop.B2 ferries to san juan islands 8 Salar Jung Museum. B2 14 Koti Bus Station. B1 15 Mahatma Gandhi ferries to san juan islands (Imlibun) Bus Eating Station. C1 9 Hotel Shadab. B3 Hotel Suhail ferries to san juan islands HOTEL $ (Map p898; %24610299; www.hotel suhail.in; Troop Bazaar; s/d/tr from 475/620/900; ai) If all budget hotels were like the Suhail, we d all be much better off. Staff are friendly and on top of it, the rooms are large and quiet, have balconies and constant hot water. It s tucked away on an alley behind the main post offi ce and the Grand Hotel away from the Hyderabad bustle, but it s also unlit at night; some readers find it sketchy.

Angeethi PUNJABI $$ (Map p902; 7th fl, Reliance Classic Bldg, Rd No 1; mains 180-290; hnoon-3.30pm & 7-11pm) Designed to resemble an old Punjabi dhaba (snack bar), jazzed up with vintage Bollywood posters on the walls, Angeethi ferries to san juan islands does outstanding North Indian and Punjabi dishes, such as corn methi malai (sweet-corn stew with fenugreek leaves; 185).

The bus station has a train reservation booth (h8am-noon & 5-7pm Mon-Sat, 8am-2pm Sun). For Hyderabad, an overnight train goes daily to Kacheguda (7604; sleeper/3AC/2AC 240/650/870, 10 hours). Overnight ferries to san juan islands train 8564 runs to Visakhapatnam (sleeper/3AC/2AC 340/940/1300, 20 hours), stopping at Vijayawada. The daily Udyan Express (6530) heads to Mumbai (sleeper/3AC/2AC 350/950/1300, 21 hours).