Bhitargaon
India's oldest standing brick temple, Gupta terracotta and all
Best time to visit Bhitargaon
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, best avoided
- May, best avoided
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, off-season
- Aug, off-season
- Sep, off-season
- Oct, shoulder season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: November to February
- Shoulder: March and October, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: April to June
Bhitargaon season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Nov-Feb at 8-25 C is the time to read the terracotta panels on the 5th-century brick tower in low raking light.
Summer March to May Shoulder
Apr-Jun hits 45 C in a village with one tea stall and no shade; the brick throws heat back at you all afternoon.
Monsoon June to September Mixed, read the detail
Jul-Sep the lanes off the Ghatampur road turn to mud and the brickwork stays dark and streaked with damp.
Autumn October to November Prime time
October and November are dry and clear, the fields around are green after the rains, and you will be alone.
What Bhitargaon is actually like
An ASI enclosure in a farming village with a caretaker and no facilities; you sleep back in Kanpur
Getting to Bhitargaon
35 km south of Kanpur off the Ghatampur road; buses from Kanpur, then a shared auto out to the village
Practical ways in: trainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 1 day
- Budget
- Shoestring
- How busy
- Quiet at its peak
- Solo travel
- Fine solo
- Altitude
- 130 m
- State
- Uttar Pradesh
- Coordinates
- 26.2106, 80.2761
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Bhitargaon?
November to February is peak season in Bhitargaon. March and October is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid April to June. October and November are dry and clear, the fields around are green after the rains, and you will be alone.
How many days do you need in Bhitargaon?
1 day is the usual stay. An ASI enclosure in a farming village with a caretaker and no facilities; you sleep back in Kanpur.
How do you get to Bhitargaon?
35 km south of Kanpur off the Ghatampur road; buses from Kanpur, then a shared auto out to the village. Practical ways in: train and road.
Is Bhitargaon expensive, and does it get crowded?
Shoestring by Indian travel standards, and it runs quiet at the busiest time of year. Fine solo.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Bithoor
Uttar Pradesh
Quiet Ganga ghats and Nana Saheb's 1857 base above Kanpur
60 km from Bhitargaon, roughly about 1 h by road
-
Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao)
Uttar Pradesh
Shallow migratory-bird lake halfway between Lucknow and Kanpur
80 km from Bhitargaon, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
Nawabi capital of grand Imambaras and kebabs
130 km from Bhitargaon, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Naimisharanya (Nimsar)
Uttar Pradesh
Forest where the Puranas were told: Chakra Tirth and Gomti
170 km from Bhitargaon, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Chitrakoot (Ramghat)
Uttar Pradesh
Mandakini ghats and wooded hills where Ram spent his exile years
170 km from Bhitargaon, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Kalinjar Fort
Uttar Pradesh
Chandela cliff fort that killed Sher Shah Suri in 1545
180 km from Bhitargaon, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Kaushambi (Kosam)
Uttar Pradesh
Buddha-era Vatsa capital, earth ramparts above the Yamuna
190 km from Bhitargaon, roughly about 4 h by road
-
Khajuraho
Madhya Pradesh
UNESCO temple town famous for its erotic sculpture friezes
210 km from Bhitargaon, roughly about 4 h by road
More places to visit in Uttar Pradesh
- Agra Uttar Pradesh
- Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh
- Barsana & Nandgaon Uttar Pradesh
- Bateshwar & Chambal Safari (Bah) Uttar Pradesh
- Bithoor Uttar Pradesh
- Chitrakoot (Ramghat) Uttar Pradesh
- Deogarh (Lalitpur) Uttar Pradesh
- Dudhwa National Park Uttar Pradesh
- Fatehpur Sikri Uttar Pradesh
- Hastinapur Uttar Pradesh
- Jaunpur Uttar Pradesh
- Jhansi Uttar Pradesh
- Kalinjar Fort Uttar Pradesh
- Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh
- Kaushambi (Kosam) Uttar Pradesh
- Kushinagar Uttar Pradesh
- Lucknow Uttar Pradesh
- Naimisharanya (Nimsar) Uttar Pradesh
- Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (Unnao) Uttar Pradesh
- Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (Chuka) Uttar Pradesh
- Prayagraj (Triveni Sangam) Uttar Pradesh
- Salkhan Fossils Park (Sonbhadra) Uttar Pradesh
- Shravasti (Sahet-Mahet) Uttar Pradesh
- Varanasi Uttar Pradesh
- Vrindavan-Mathura Uttar Pradesh