Jhansi

Jhansi was built as a hilltop fortress of the Maratha kings, built above a town then known as Shankargarh. It may have gotten its name from jhain-si (blurred shadow) for its appearance from a distance. The massive fort still stands, but today "Jhansi" refers both to the city of around 8 million people at its base and to the surrounding region.

Far Jhansi's best-known inhabitant was Rani Lakshmi Bai, sometimes described as "India's Joan of Arc", who ruled it in the mid-19th century. She was the widow of the Rajah and, by Indian reckoning, on the old boy's demise their son inherited the throne and she became regent since the lad was quite young. However, the British authorities did not recognise the son's claim because he was adopted; by their rules the throne was vacant so the territory oh-so-conveniently fell to the East India Company.

Whatever the British thought, in practice Lakshmi Bai ruled the city. She resisted their disinheriting of her son in a variety of ways, including through the courts and by direct appeals to both the Viceroy and Queen Victoria, but without success. Then in 1857, during the mutiny of Britain's Indian troops, she went to war and had considerable success before finally being defeated; she was killed in a cavalry skirmish while fleeing her fallen city.

The historical novel Flashman and the Great Game gives an account of the mutiny, including much about Jhansi and Lakshmi Bai.

Jhansi is known for extreme climate. In winter, mercury may dip to 1 °C and on hottest summer day, it may rise to 50 °C. But normally, winter temperature ranges between 6 °C and 21 °C. While summer temperature hovers between 24 °C and 45 °C. Rainy season starts in the third week of June with Monsoon rains washing the central India. Monsoon rains gradually become weak in September and the season ends in the last week of September.

The best season to visit Jhansi is pre-winter and spring. The best months to visit this place are October, November, February, and March. From April to August, it is very hot and sightseeing in the sun is not advised.

Except winter, light cotton clothes are your best bet. In winter, one should carry woollen clothing, shawls, etc.

There is a tourist information centre at railway station. U.P. Tourism and M.P. Tourism, both have an office at railway station platform no.1, where you can get all the information about tourist sites of M.P.

U.P. Tourism also has an office at Hotel Rahi Veerangana which is 1 km from railway station and 4 km from Interstate bus stand.

Though Jhansi has an airport, it is not operational for civil flights as it is a base of Army Aviation. A new greenfield airport is in the pipeline which would enable excellent connectivity with major metros and other important cities. The nearest operational airport to Jhansi is Gwalior (98 km).

Jhansi is very well connected to major cities across India by direct train links. You can reach Jhansi from India's capital New Delhi, in 4½ hours by New Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express(India's fastest train). This city is directly connected to Jammu, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Dehradun, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kanyakumari, Visakhapatnam, Patna, Kolkata, etc. It is a big rail junction in central India. Jhansi is a Railway Division under North-Central Railway and its HQ is in Allahabad. Jhansi railway station is near Sipri Bazaar. Train ticket reservation is fully computerized and can be done at railway station. Another convenient way of getting reservation is online reservation facility provided by site of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation.

Auto rickshaw and tempos (shared auto rickshaw) are available from the station to most parts of the city 24 hours. There is a pre-paid booth at railway station for hiring auto-rickshaw. It is advised to negotiate fare before hiring one. Taxis are also available at railway station.

• 🌍 Jhansi Junction railway station. (updated Apr 2021)

Jhansi is at the intersection of thr North-South and East-West corridors (4-lane national superhighways). National Highways #25, #26, and #75 go through Jhansi. NH 25 connects to Lucknow at one side and Shivpuri at the other side. This is part of 4 lane East-West corridor. NH 26 connects to Lalitpur and is a part of 4 lane North-South corridor. Another NH 75 connects to Gwalior which is also a part of 4 lane North-South corridor.

From Delhi, by car it takes 8-9 hours with good road condition.

The main bus stand is at eastern side of the city, on Jhansi-Kanpur highway. Buses coming from Jaipur, Agra, Gwalior also stop between BKD chowk (square or crossroads) and Elite chowk.

Buses are available to visit nearby places as well as for travel to different cities. These buses are available from Railway Station, Elite Crossing and Main Bus Stand. Most buses start from Main Bus Stand. U.P. State Roadways Corporation and M.P. State Roadways Corporation have a number of Bus services connecting to cities and towns around Jhansi. Some private operators also have luxury bus services on selected routes.

Since Jhansi is the jumping off point for Khajuraho, most travellers arrive at Jhansi to catch a bus for Khajuraho. The luxury buses for Khajuraho, are available from Jhansi railway station.

It is the cheapest way to move inside the city, but you have to share it with other passengers. These are the bigger version of three-wheeled auto-rickshaws. The tempos have fixed routes and fixed fares. Tempos have a seating capacity of 8 passengers, but when you go to Orchha or Unnao-Balaji, by a tempo, you might see as many as 15 passengers crammed in a single tempo! So its better to have a reserve auto if you are going for Orchha with your loved ones and you should carry a long handkerchief to protect the head from suns heat during summers.

It is costlier than tempos but convenient for going to internal parts of city. Remember, auto rikshaws in Jhansi do not have fare meters. So, never forget to negotiate fare before hiring one.

Earlier, Jhansi had a mini bus service for commuting inside the city, but that has been discontinued for some time.

You can easily visit Jhansi by car. There are many car rental companies available.

Private taxis are available for hire at taxi stand opposite Sita Hotel. These include all sorts of cars, e.g., Toyota Innova, Chevrolet Tavera, Tata Indigo, Tata Indica, Maruti Esteem, Maruti Omni, etc. You can book a taxi with your travel agent. A taxi is a good choice to get around the city.

There are three cinema halls in the city, mostly showing Hindi flicks from Bollywood. Some halls show Hollywood movies also. The best theaters to watch a movie, is Khilona. From Jhansi railway station, one can reach to the cinema hub of Jhansi city, in 10 minutes by a tempo, where three theatres (Natraj, Khilona and Elite) are situated.

• Elite, Elite Square.
• Khilona, Elite-Sipri Road.
• Natraj, Elite-Sipri Road.

• Delhi Walla Chat store, Manik Chowk. Famous for panipuris and aloo tikki
• Geeta Bhojnalaya, Elite square. Across the Janack's, on Elite square, a pure veg. restaurant serving only north Indian dishes. Always crowded, no family section. Good value for money. Popular among working class and bachelors. Famous for paneer butter masala and specially Yummy Dal Butter Fry and Tandoori Paratha too.
• Holiday Restaurant, Sadar Bazaar. A nice place with dim lighting and low ceiling. Indian, some continental, and Chinese.
• Hot Bite, near Allahabad Bank Chouraha. A calm, and properly ventilated sitting area, offers snacks, soft drinks, etc. Mostly, students from the schools in surrounding area, come here for light sncaks. Good place for dating.
• Janack's, near Elite square. A restaurant for the masses. A crowded place all the time, it is adjacent to Dumroo cinema, very close to Elite square. Can boast the largest seating capacity in the city, it has a family section upstairs. Serves pure veg. Indian and Chinese food and has a sweets shop too. This is a very reasonably priced menu.
• Jodhpur Mithai Bhandar, Sadar Bazaar. Adjacent to SBI ATM in Sadar Bazaar, this shop sells Indian sweetmeats, milk shakes and snack items. Famous for special Jodhpuri kachori.
• Narayan Chaat Bhandar, Sadar Bazaar. In Sadar Bazaar, main market, famous shop selling chaat items like aloo-tikki(veg cutlet), dahi vada, paani puri, etc. A must to taste the real Indian chaat.
• Navbharat Bakery shop, Sadar Bazaar. A popular spot among the youth of the town. You can buy burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, ice creams, soft drinks, etc. No seating inside the shop, but few chairs outside, on the footpath, give the view of bustling Sadar Bazaar.
• Samrat Hotel, Chitra Chouraha. Merely 1 kilometer from railway station, the restaurant gives a fair value of your money. Food is ok.
• Shilpi Hotel, Elite square. Across the Janack's, on Elite square, a pure veg. restaurant serving only north Indian dishes. Always crowded, no family section. Good value for money. Popular among working class and bachelors. Famous for paneer butter masala.
• Shrinath Paav Bhaaji and Pulao Center, Sadar Bazaar. A small yet famous shop specializing in paav bhaaji, pulao, and milk shakes, it is in the area where most fast food kiosks are situated.
• Snacks Kiosks at Sadar Bazaar during evening. These small shops are crowded with people in the evening. They mostly sell Chinese and Indian fast foods.
• Snacks Kiosks near Arya Kanya Girls' College, Sipri Bazaar.
• Six Seasons Restaurant, 500/3, Pal Colony, Gwalior road (6 km from city centre), ☏ +91-85460-91456. North Indian food ₹180. (updated Oct 2019)

• Haveli Restaurant, near Elite Square. On your way to Jhansi fort, it is hardly 500 metres from Elite square. A new restaurant with copper plates, offers excellent veg. thaalis.
• Hotel Yatrik, Elite Square. A 2-minute walk from Elite theatre, towards south, a new restaurant has come up. Has air conditioning. Food is nice.
• Navbharat Restaurant, Sadar Bazaar. An upmarket restaurant with veg. and non veg. north Indian and some continental food.
• Raj Palace, Sadar Bazaar. Near GPO(General Post Office), Sadar Bazaar. A nice restaurant.
• Sagar Restaurant, Hotel Prakash Regency. This has a fine dining area with a variety of items in its menu. The hotel has a bar on the first floor.

• Hotel Chanda, opposite Lakshmi Bai Park. Another upper range restaurant certainly not a good value for your money.
• Hotel Shrinath Palace, Station road. A large menu with all varieties. Air conditioned.
• Hotel Sita, Shivpuri road. The best restaurant in town. Air conditioned dining hall with good ambience and light music. Serves veg. and non veg. Indian, continental, Chinese, south Indian food and ice creams. It also has a separate bar. Efficient service.
• Jhansi Hotel, Sadar Bazaar. One of the oldests, still maintaining its Colonial charm with high ceiling restaurant and bar.

There are many budget hotels and lodges in the old city area too. If you want to get a glimpse of daily life of Jhansi, then you can stay in a hotel in old city area which is noisy all the time.

• Apna Guest House, Near Nandini Theatre. Reasonably priced rooms in the heart of the city.
• Central Hotel(nearest hotel from railway station), Chitra chouraha. This is at walking distance from railway station if you do not have heavy luggage. Old building and laid back feel in the rooms.
• Hotel Bhavna, New Road. Popular among middle class business travelers. Basic, but situated in the business district, so offers convenience for travelers.
• Hotel P. D. Palace Nera Govind Chauraha, this is reasonably priced, A.C. and Non A.C. rooms, with dining and every facility you require.
• Hotel Panchali, New Road. Mostly business travelers from nearby towns and cities prefer this, as this is also in the crowded business district.
• Hotel Pujan, Gwalior road, civil lines. A budget hotel near city centre(Elite crossing, towards Gwalior road).
• Hotel Shrinath Inn, station road. A new hotel for budget travelers, this is reasonably priced, and very close to city centre.
• Sahara Lodge, Sipri bazaar. Basic lodging at reasonable rates.
• Samrat Hotel, Chitra chouraha. Some rooms are very small and without proper ventilation. But very close to railway station. Has a restaurant also.

Some mid-range hotels in Jhansi have their own restaurant and some even have a bar.

• Ashok Hotel, Elite-Sipri road. Ashok hotel has a well stocked bar also and is in the city centre.
• Dreamland Hotel, Station road. This hotel has been renovated and renamed but the atmosphere is cool and offers good accommodation.
• Hotel Highway, Sipri bazaar. A good place to stay in Sipri bazaar area, near railway station. Restaurant and bar. Rooms are good value for money.
• Hotel Rahi Veerangana, Elite-Sipri road. A mid-range hotel run by U.P. tourism department. The atmosphere is calm but rooms are basic, though some with balcony. Some rooms are air conditioned. Room service is available. The hotel has a bar and restaurant too.
• Hotel Tulsi, Chitra crossing. A new hotel in the north of the railway station, with good rooms.

Nearly all the high-end hotels in Jhansi have multi-cuisine restaurants offering veg. and non veg. food. The rooms are mostly air conditioned and 24-hour room service is a norm, but most of them have check out time at noon.

• Chanda Hotel, near SPI Inter College. Another three star hotel with a view to Jhansi fort. Air conditioned rooms with room service and there is a restaurant too.
• Hotel Prakash Regency, near Nandini Theatre. Situated in the city centre, the hotel offers air conditioned rooms with modern amenities, 24-hour room service. It has a swimming pool also to beat the heat during summer months. There is a simple bar and a multi cuisine restaurant too.
• Hotel Raj Palace, Sadar Bazaar. This hotel offers good value for your money with air conditioned rooms and efficient room service.
• Hotel Shrinath Palace, Station road. This hotel offers deluxe rooms with air conditioning, 24-hour room service, and an air conditioned restaurant with a large, multi cuisine menu.
• Hotel Sita, Elite-Sipri road. This is a hotel with three star facilities, including foreign exchange counter, travel counter, safe deposit boxes, multi channel TV, and phone. Good air conditioning and 24-hour room service. The hotel has a small souvenir shop and a cozy, well stocked, air conditioned bar and a multi cuisine, air conditioned restaurant. The pick of the bunch, if you are looking for modern comfort.
• Hotel Yatrik, near Elite crossing. A hotel in city centre area, the rooms are loaded with air conditioning and other amenities. Air conditioned restaurant with multi cuisine menu serving good food at reasonable prices.
• Jhansi Hotel, Sadar Bazaar. This single story hotel with high ceiling rooms and verandah, takes you to old British days of 'Raj'. You can expect excellent room service and comfort here.