Cultural India
Duration: 14 Nights / 15 Days
Places to Visit: Delhi - Varanasi –Khajuraho – Orchha – Gwalior - Agra
- Jaipur - Bikaner - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Udaipur
Day
01: Arrive Delhi
Upon arrival you will be met by representative of Voyageurs’ India office
and transferred to your hotel in the heart of the city.
Day 02: Delhi
A sightseeing tour of Old Delhi would entail visiting the Raj Ghat - the memorial
site where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated; Jama Masjid - the largest mosque in
India and the Red Fort - once the most opulent fort and palace of the Moghul
Empire.
Enjoy the cycle rickshaw ride from Jama Masjid to Chandni Chowk.
Day 03: Delhi – Varanasi
After breakfast at your hotel transfer to the airport for your flight to Varanasi.
En route to your hotel visit Sarnath – the sacred Buddhist city where Gautama
Buddha preached his first sermon to his 5 disciples under the bodhi tree. Visit
the site and the temple attached to it. See the frescoes related to the life
of Buddha inside the temple. Also visit the archaeological museum that houses
artifacts from the 3rd century BC. Most interesting is the lion capital of Ashoka
Maurya from 272 BC. Adjacent to the museum is the ancient seat of learning from
the 2nd century BC now completely in ruins. Also see the Dhamek stupa and the
Dharmarajika Stupa where hundreds of Buddhist pilgrims offer there prayers.
Continue to Varanasi just 11 km away and check in to your hotel.
Day 04: Varanasi – Khajuraho
(By flight 9W 333) 1220 / 1300
Early in the morning (0500hrs) we take you to banks of the river Ganges where
we board a boat to see the morning ablutions of the Hindus from the security
of our boat. The boat ride starts from Dasashwamedh Ghat and ends at Manikarnika
Ghat along the sacred Ganges. Don’t forget to see the sun rise along the
Ganges. See the Kashi Vishwanath temple and the Gyanvyapi kund and the mosque
attached to it. Also visit the Benares Hindu University the largest residential
university in India with more than 3000 residential students. Also worth a visit
is the Bharat Mata Mandir (Mother India temple) where you see the undivided
India – Mahatma Gandhi’s Dream.
Return to your hotel for breakfast. In time transfer to the airport to catch
your flight to Khajuraho.
The
sight seeing shows us the temples built during the 9th to the 11th centuries
by the powerful dynasty of Chandela rajputs. The temples with their erotic sculptures
are a feast to the eyes. The Chandelas built 85 temples in all but today only
20 temples stand intact. Visit the Kandariya Maheshwar temple and the Laxmana
Temple along with Varaha temple and then onto the Jain group of temples.
Day 05: Khajuraho - Orchha
After breakfast in Khajuraho carry on towards Orchha.
Visit Orchha with its imposing Jehangiri Mehal and the cenotaphs of the Bundela
Rajput warriors. Orchcha a medieval village where time has stopped. You feel
the timelessness of this spot. Orchha is a medieval city founded by Bundela
rulers with palaces and temples of the 16th and 17th century – which have
remarkably withstood the onslaught of time. The river Betwa picturesquely flanks
the city. See the beautiful Palace Complex – Jahangiri Mahal and the Raja
Mahal. Closely study the intricacies of the mural paintings in the Raja Mahal
. Visit the visit the laxmi Narayan temple during the prayer time in the evening
to witness the Hindu devotees offering prayers in the temple.
Day 06: Orchha – Gwalior – Agra (250km 5hrs)
After breakfast at your hotel leave for Agra enroute visiting the Scindia capital
of Gwalior. A trip to Gwalior is incomplete without a visit to the fort, Scindia
Palace and the tombs of Ghaus Mohammed and Tansen. Also visit the Gurjari Mahal
the palace of the Gurjar queen Mrignayani today housing an archaeological museum.
Also see the Teli ka mandir and the Saas bahu ka mandir inside the fort.
Continue towards Agra a short distance away.
Day 07: Agra
Taj Mahal is awaiting your arrival today morning. A must see with the rising
sun as the Taj Mahal is bathed in the golden rays of the morning sun. Built
by Shah Jahan, the Taj is a white marble memorial that houses the tomb of his
beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal. This monument took 22 years to be completed and
was designed, and planned by Persian architect Ustad Isa. Apart from its stunning
design, balance and perfect symmetry, the Taj is also noted particularly for
its elegant domes, intricately carved screens and some of the best inlay work
ever seen anywhere in the world.
Then
see the Agra Fort built by Akbar that houses many fabulous palaces built in
Indo Islamic style. See the marble palace of Shahjehan that was built with the
remaining and rejected stones from the Taj Mahal –Mussamman Burj.
Post lunch visit Itmad ud Daulah – it is the first mughal building built
out completely of marble. In many contexts it is referred to being the predecessor
of the Taj Mahal. Then visit Sikandara the tomb of the great emperor Akbar.
Day 08: Agra – Fatehpur Sikri – Jaipur 230km
Leave early morning for Jaipur and enroute visiting the phantom city of Fatehpur
Sikri : the erstwhile capital of the Mughal emperor Akbar the Great.
Visit the diwan-i-am - the hall of public audiences where the emperor used to
give justice to the oppressed subject of his. See Jodhabai’s palace (Akbar’s
Hindu wife) that is even bigger than his own private palace. Later visit Salim
Chisti’s tomb at the nearby mosque. Salim chisti was a sufi saint who blessed
Akbar and his Hindu wife with a long awaited son. Akbar was so overwhelmed that
he built a mosque in his remembrance to thank the Sufi saint.
Continue towards the Pink City - Jaipur.
Day 09: Jaipur
Visit the Amber forts and palaces in the morning; included is an elephant ride
at the Amber fort. See the marvelous Sheesh mahal built in the 17th century
in a fusion style of Hindu and Islamic art. Also see the hall of public audiences
and Maharaja Man Singh’s Palace who had twelve queens. Also visit the carpet
manufacturing factory in the city of Amber.
After lunch set off to see the Pink city visiting the observatory Jantar Mantar
built in 1727 by Sawai Maharaja Jai Singh II who was a mathematician, an astronomer
an astrologer and a great musician of his era. Then visit the City Palace of
the Maharaja of Jaipur with a fabulous collection of robes and saris in cotton
and silk with gold latticed work. The city palace houses a collection of paintings
also in the painting gallery and of course a collection of arms and ammunitions
in the ammunition gallery. This evening after the visit discover the art of
cutting and polishing of gems for which Jaipur is world renouned. Visit the
gems cutting and polishing atelier in the city of Jaipur.
Day 10: Jaipur – Mandawa - Bikaner (320km)
In the morning leave for Bikaner and on the way stop at Mandawa to see this
beautiful village of Shekhawati that used to be an important caravanserai of
the yesteryears. See the many havelis of this quaint little town built by the
rich and the famous merchants of the 18th and 19th centuries. These havelis
have been painted with activities of daily life and of deities to break the
monotony of the desert life. Then proceed towards Bikaner en route stop at Fatehpur
to see the splendid havelis of the local merchants of Shekhawati. Reach Bikaner
by early evening.
Day 11: Bikaner – Pokaran – Jaisalmer (330km)
After breakfast see the Junagarh Fort, a royal museum that encompasses history
of Bikaner from its days of construction that dates back to the 16th century.
Then we take our road across the Thar Desert to reach Pokaran. Visit the 15th
century fortress where the 3rd Mughal emperor, Akbar the Great, was born in
1543. The bazaar in the middle of this village is very colourful and full of
local flavours. Continue towards Jaisalmer and arrive by evening in to your
hotel.
Day 12: Jaisalmer
Morning an exclusive visit of the Jain temples inside the Sonar Kila.. The Jains
are a community that respects life and are pure vegetarians by religion. Visit
the citadel’s palace that houses a museum with a huge collection of robes
and artifacts from the royal family of Jaisalmer. Visit the Patwaon ki haveli
with intricately designed latticed windows used by the ladies to view the external
world. Also see the Gadisar lake.
Later, we go to Sam or Khuri village. Here we have loads of excitement in store
for you. Upon arrival in the village you will be taken to the nearby sunset
point on the dunes to see the sunset by camel carts. After the sunset return
to the village where your stay is arranged in mud huts. Evening listen to the
haunted tunes of the desert by the local artists and musicians. Dinner in the
desert mud huts.
Day 13: Jaisalmer – Jodhpur (280km)
Today we reach Jodhpur the blue city by early afternoon and drive up to the
majestic Mehrangarh fort museum. The Mehrangarh fort has been the stronghold
of the Rathore princes from 1453AD. We see the superb collection of paintings
and arms and ammunitions. The view of the city from the rampart walls is breath
taking.
Post lunch session introduces you to the fabulous spice market of Jodhpur the
2nd largest city in Rajasthan. Walk along the market to feel the odours of the
spices filling the air around you
Then go to Mandore gardens the then capital of Marwar to view some of the fabulous
cenotaphs and the hall of local heroes of the wars. Drive back to Jodhpur and
see the Umaid Bhawan Palace, the present residence of the king of Jodhpur.
Later an hours drive brings us to the world of animals – Luni, the palace
amidst the more rustic life of Rajasthan.
Retire to your hotel and relax
Day 14: Jodhpur – Udaipur
Leave Jodhpur and reach Ranakpur another big pilgrimage centre for the Jains.
Just four hours drive from Mount Abu is the eternal Jain pilgrimage centre of
Ranakpur. Admire the workmanship from the 16th century. The temples are built
out of marble and the main shrine of Adinath with 1444 columns is awe inspiring
and none of these are similar. Also see the sun temple and the other temples
in the campus. Proceed towards Udaipur and on the way stop by the fields to
see the local way of farming and irrigation. Walk into the villages to mingle
with the locals around to know more about their lifestyle.
Reach Udaipur by late evening and check into your hotel
Day 15: Udaipur - Delhi
Visit the City Palace the richest palace museum in the entire Rajasthan. See
the peacock square and the miniature painting school inside the palace premises.
Udaipur has the prestige of housing the best miniature schools in the country
under the royal patronage of the king of Udaipur. Later see the temples of Nagda
and Eklingji.
The
temple at Eklingji is a temple that belongs to the Maharana of Mewar (royal
family) and he is often there to pray. The temple complexe of Nagda is a group
of temples of which only two remain intact and those are that of Saas and Bahu;
temples of Shiva and of Vishnu both from the 15th century. Then proceed for
the airport to catch your flight back to Delhi.
Upon arrival in Delhi you shall be escorted to a local restaurant for your farewell
dinner and then to the international airport for your connecting flight back
home.
TOUR ENDS
Tour includes:
1. Daily breakfasts
2. All sight seeing and tours mentioned in the itinerary
3. English speaking local guide for every city
4. Elephant ride at Amber Fort in Jaipur
5. Overnight stay in the hotels mentioned
6. One night dinner in mud huts in the dunes in Jaisalmer
7. Air conditioned car with chauffeur
8. All applicable taxes
9. Early morning boat rides on river Ganges in Varanasi
10. Airfare for sectors: Delhi – Varanasi – Khajuraho and Udaipur
- Delhi
11. Camel rides on the dunes in the desert.
12. Magic show in Agra
13. Local music and dance by local village artists on the dunes in Jaisalmer
14. Farewell dinner on the last day in Delhi before departure to international
airport.
