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Day 01: Arrive Delhi
Namaste! We are welcomed the traditional Indian way with hands
clapped together. After immigration and custom formalities, we
are assisted and driven through the city to our hotel.
Overnight: Hotel in Delhi.
Day 02: Delhi: -
The capital of India is a true reflection of the old and new of
India. We start our morning tour with New Delhi and visit first
the famous India Gate followed by the Houses of Parliament,
Connaught Place and the Qutb Minar - a perfect minaret towering
102 meters into the sky. New Delhi is a blend of Mughal India,
Hindu India, British India and, certainly, modern independent
India. Rest of the day free to explore the city of Delhi. Our
spiritual experience begins as we visit in the afternoon the
famous Lotus and Iskcon Temples. Overnight: Hotel in Delhi.
Day 03: Delhi: -
Today we look at another part of Delhi. Old Delhi houses the
famous Red Fort. Built by Shah Jehan, this was once the most
opulent fort of the Mughal Empire. Next we visit another Mughal
majesty, the Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque, followed by
the Raj Ghat, the cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi. We end our
tour with a bazaar experience at Chandni Chawlk, the street of
silver and goldsmiths. Afternoon is free. Evening we enjoy
dinner at a typical restaurant. Overnight: Hotel in Delhi.
Day 04: Delhi / Haridwar / Rishikesh: (by Deluxe Train)
Train travel is one of the most preferred way to experience
culture and today we take an early morning deluxe train to
Haridwar where we change to our vehicle for Rishikesh - a very
important Hindu pilgrimage site. Rishikesh is clustered with
Ashrams and temples located on the banks of the goddess Ganga
(Ganges) adding to the beauty and purity of the place. Along the
river, the area is filled with thick green forests in the
all-mountainous region. Rishikesh is famous for yoga. Besides
the sadhus and saints, a mass of tourists too visits this place
every year. Rishikesh is also popular adventure sport
destinations, River rafting, trekking, rock climbing, hiking etc
are some of the activities one can easily opt for here. Evening
we stroll the town and visit the many temples meeting the
pundits and fortune tellers.
Overnight: Ananda In The Himalayas
Day 05: Rishikesh:
Day free at Rishikesh to enjoy Ayurvedic Treatment and Yoga or
join the believers at the temples.
Ananda In The Himalayas
Day 06: Rishikesh / Haridwar / Delhi:
Haridwar is an important pilgrimage site for the Hindus.
Haridwar is the first major town on the plains here the Ganges
leaves the mountains and enters the plains. According to Hindus
Haridwar is the place, which has been blessed by the trinity of
the Lords Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. It is also one of the major
Shaktipeeths. Down the ages, Haridwar has purified the mind, the
body and the soul of people not only in spiritual or religious
terms but also as a major learning centre for arts, science and
culture. In evening we attend Aarti Ceremony on Ghats of Ganges
at Haridwar before taking the overnight train to Delhi.
Overnight: Train
Day 07: Delhi / Mathura / Agra: (Drive 220 km)
Arrive Delhi. After breakfast we drive to Agra. En-route we
visit Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna located on the
western bank of river Yamuna. Mathura is the Athens of India.
The great school of sculpture known as Mathura school of Art
flourished here for 1200 Years. Such prolific creativity and
gushing devotion to novel Art Forms and experiment in sculptures
and clay figurines as found in this school are rare in the
annals of Indian Art History. A survey of this glorious School
of Art can be made in the Government Museum, Mathura.
Overnight: Hotel in Agra
Day 08: Agra:
Morning we visit historic monument Taj Mahal, best described as
'poetry in marble' because of its beauty, grace and exquisite
workmanship, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Johan in 1630 as a
memorial to his beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal. Surely it is the
greatest monument of love, and THE wonder of the world. Next we
visit Agra Fort, where Shah Jehan, in the later years of his
life, was imprisoned by his son to prevent him from spending the
family fortunes on a black echo of the Taj Mahal. Later we drive
to Fatehpur Sikri, the beautiful capital built in 1640 by the
Mughal King, Akbar the Great. The city was later abandoned for
lack of water. A superb example of Mughal architecture, it
stands perfectly preserved in the desert. We also visit the
artistically designed mausoleum of Salim Chisty who is reputed
to have prayed for a son for Akbar leading to the birth of Salim
Jehangir, builder of the Taj.
Overnight: Hotel in Agra
Day 09: Agra / Khajuraho (Train) Orrcha / Khajuraho (Drive
172Kms/3 hours)
Today we board the famous Shatabdi Express Train to Jhansi then
continue by coach to visit Orchha, an amazing medieval
fortress-city located on the shores of the Betwa River. After
our exploration of Orchha, we proceed to Khajuraho, home of
splendid temples.
Overnight: Hotel in Khajuraho
Day 10: Khajuraho / Varanasi (Flight)
Our Khajuraho visit starts with the temples a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. The temples were built during the apogee of the
Chandella dynasty between 950 and 1050 AD. Today only 20 temples
remain and they fall into three distinct groups belonging to two
different religions - Hinduism and Jainism. Theses beautiful
temples strike a perfect balance between architecture and
sculpture. The Kandariya is decorated with a profusion of
sculptures that are among the greatest masterpieces of Indian
art. Later we take a flight to the mecca of spiritual experience
in India - Varanasi. Evening, an interesting cultural experience
as we witness the Aarti Ceremony on Ghats of the Ganges.
Overnight: Hotel in Varanasi
Day 11: Varanasi:
Early morning a serene experience begins as we take a sunrise
cruise on the River Ganges. One of the cardinal principles of
Hinduism is the belief in the holiness of the Ganges. Every
morning, scores of pilgrim and priests fill the riverbanks
performing the holy dip and various other rituals. This is a
site that has to be seen and experienced as it is so different
from anything else seen anywhere in the world. Later we leave
for Sarnath the site of Lord Buddha's first sermon after
attaining enlightenment where we meet many Buddhist monks and
followers followed by a visit of the Bharat Mata Temple which
houses a big relief map of India made from marble. Varanasi is
famous for its many temples and we proceed to the Durga temple,
the Tulsi Manas Mandir, the Banaras Hindu University and the
Mosque of Moghul Emperor, Aurangazeb. The city is famous also
for its Banarasi silk sarees and we visit some of the houses
where such silk sarees are still being weaved. Overnight: Hotel
in Varanasi
Day 12: Varanasi / Allahabad (Drive: - 160 km)
A scenic drive gets us to Allahabad. On arrival, we check in to
hotel. Later we take a city tour of Allahabad, in which we visit
the Allahabad Fort, Allahabad Museum, Anand Bhawan and the
Swaraj Bhawan. We also visit the Sangam the place where the
muddy brown Ganga meets the blue Yamuna and the mystical
Saraswati confluence. Devotees come for ritual bathing in the
holy waters at the Sangam and priests or pandas perform special
rites of worship to help them in their quest for salvation. The
old name of the city is Prayag and this is where the famous
Kumbh Mela is held. Overnight: Hotel in Allahabad
Day 13: Allahabad / Lucknow (Drive)
Another highlight today as we reach to the romantic of capital
India, Lucknow. Lucknow is also famous for its gold and silver
brocades, silverware, clay figurines and pottery. We visit Bara
Imambara - built in the year 1784 by the champion of charity
Nawab Asaf ud Daula. We visit the beautiful clock tower,
constructed in 1887, is the tallest Clock Tower in India and one
of the finest examples of British Architecture in India. This is
followed by the Jama Masjid. This splendid mosque built in the
typical Mughal style lies to the west of the Hussainabad
Imambara.
Overnight: Hotel in Lucknow
Day 14: Lucknow / Kolkata (Calcutta): - Flight
Free time at Lucknow till our departure by air to Calcutta – or
as its now known as Kolkata – the capital city of Bengal..
Arrive Kolkata the final destination of Ganges before it merges
into the Bay of Bangle.
Overnight: Hotel in Calcutta
Day 15: Kolkata:
A city of love and warmth, sorrow and despair, dreams and hopes,
poverty and squalor, grandeur and glory, Kolkata is compelling,
effervescent, teeming with life and traditions a medley of
moods, styles, cultures, politics, industry and commerce. For
250 years British Calcutta was part of the British Empire. The
Victoria Memorial, St. Paul's Cathedral, Fort William, Raj
Bhawan and the High Court are Highlight's of the tour. We also
see the famous teahouses where Bengali academics sit debate and
discuss.
Day 16: Kolkata / Home:
After what will have been an interesting and revere spiritual
experience, we are transferred to the airport for our departure
flight. |
