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Day 01 : Arrive Delhi
On arrival meet and assist at the airport and transfer to your
prebooked hotel. Delhi : India’s capital & a major gateway to
the country, contemporary Delhi is a bustling metropolis which
successfully combines in its fold the ancient & the modern. Its
strategic location was one of the prime reasons why successive
dynasties chose it as their seat of power. New Delhi also
reflects the legacy the British left behind . The division
between New & Old Delhi is the distinction between the capitals
of the British & the Moghuls respectively. So, wherever the
visitor goes, he will invariably confront the citys’ past.
Overnight Stay in Hotel.
Day 02 : Delhi
After breakfast, full day city tour of Old & New Delhi. Visit
Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India - Built by Shah Jahan,
the construction was started in 1844 and was not completed until
1658 ; witness the Red Fort; Visit Humayun's Tomb : built in mid
16th century this is an early example of Mughal architecture ;
Visit Qutab Minar, witness the India Gate, President House.. The
city tour ends with a visit to Laxmi Narayan Temple (Birla
Mandir). Overnight Stay in Hotel.
Day 03 : Delhi - Jaipur
Afternoon, leave for Jaipur : The city owes its names,
foundation and its careful planning to the great warrior -
astronomer Maharaja Jai Singh II. In 1727, with Mughal power on
the wane, Jai Singh decided to move down from his hillside
fortress at nearby Amber to a new site on the plains. He laid
out the city, with its surrounding walls and six rectangular
blocks, according to the principles of town planning set down in
Shilpa Shastra, an ancient Hindu treatise on architecture.
Arrive Jaipur and check in at prebooked hotel. Rest of the Day
free for individual activities.
Overnight Stay in Hotel.
Day 04 : Jaipur
After breakfast, excursion to Amber Fort : At a distance of 11
kms from Jaipur, Amber was the ancient capital of Jaipur state.
Construction of the fort began in 1592 by Raja Man Singh, the
Rajput commander of Akbar's army and is a superb example of
Rajput architecture. Elephant ride from the foothills of the
Aravallis to the fort entrance Afternoon, city tour of Jaipur.
Visit the City Palace which has museum having an extensive
collection of art, carpets, enamel ware and weapons; Jantar
Mantar - the observatory built my Maharaja Jai Singh in 1728 and
the façade of Hawa Mahal. Overnight Stay in Hotel.
Day 05 : Jaipur - Fatehpur Sikri
- Agra
After breakfast, leave for Agra, enroute visit the abandoned
Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri : built by Emperor Akbar in 1569,
was the old capital of the Moghuls, which was abandoned after 15
years due to scarcity of water. See the graceful buildings
including the Jama Masjid, Tomb of Salim Chisti, Panch Mahal &
other Palaces which are still preserved in its original glory.
Continue drive to Agra.
Overnight Stay in Hotel.
Day 06 : Agra
After breakfast, city tour of Agra. Visit Red fort, which was
built by Emperor Akbar in 1565, and additions were made up until
the time of his grandson, Shah Jahan. It contains the hall of
public and private audiences amongst many other beautiful
structues; Itmad-ud-daulah, which was contructed by Nur Jahan
between 1622 and 1628 and is very similar to the tomb she
constructed for her husband, Jehangir, near Lahore in Pakistan;
the highlight of the Day - The Taj Mahal, which was constructed
by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Contruction of
the Taj began in 1631 and was not completed until 1653.
Afternoon, free for individual activities.
Overnight Stay in Hotel.
Day 07 : Agra - Jhansi - Orchha - Khajuraho
After breakfast, proceed your journey to khajuraho , enroute
visit Orchha : A medieval city founded by Bundela rulers with
palaces & temples of the 16th & 17th century – which have
remarkably withstood the onslaught of time. The city is
picturesquely flanked by the river Betwa. Visit of the
surrounding fortress & local Ram Raja temple. Continue drive to
Khajuraho, upon arrival, check in at hotel.
Day 08 : Khajuraho
After brekfast, visit Khajuraho : Built by the warrior Chandela
dynasty that rose to power in Central India between 10th & 11th
centuries, the 25 odd surving temples display different facets
of life, including the sensual. These erotic carvings on some
panels have given rise to much speculation since Khajuraho’s
re-discovery by a British officer in 1838. To preserve it for
posterity, Khajuraho has been declared a World Heritage Site.
Visit the eastern & western group of temples famous for their
erotic scultpures. Evening at leisure and overnight stay.
Day 09 : Khajuraho - Varanasi
Aftter breakfast proceed for your journey to Varanasi approx. 8
hrs. drive. In evening check-in to your pre-booked the hotel at
Varanasi. Evening at leisure and overnight stay.
Day 10 : Varanasi
Varanasi : formerly known as Kashi – the city that illuminates.
The religious capital of Hinduism , Varanasi is the oldest
living city of India & one of the worlds’ most ancient. The
present name is derived from the fact that the city is at the
confluence of the rivers Varuna & Asi. After breakfast,
excursion to Sarnath - the buried Buddhist city where Buddha
preached his first sermon. After attaining enlightenment at Bodh
Gaya the Buddha went to Sarnath; and it was here that he
preached his first discourse in the deer park to set in motion
the 'Wheel of the Dharma'. It is one of the most holy sites as
in this place the stream of the Buddha's teaching first flowed.
Sarnath was a renowned school of learning from 16th century BC
to 12th century AD. Visit the ruins, the stupa, the Buddhist
temple & the museum (closed on FriDays). At the museum is the
Ashok Pillar with its four guardian lions, used as independent
Indias’ national emblem.
Overnight Stay in
Hotel.
Day 11 : Varanasi
Early morning, leave for boat ride on the Ganges to see the
bathing Ghats (river bank) & cremation site. Sunrise on the
riverfront, as seen from a boat, can be a spiritually uplifting
sight. The life on the Ghats bound in an endless string of
rituals, ever-changing aspects of the river & the wide landscape
across have fascinated visitors from all over the world. Return
to hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, city tour of Varanasi -
Visit the Bharat Mata temple with a big relief map of India in
Marble, Durga temple, Tulsi Manas Mandir, Benaras Hindu
University which has an art gallery & the mosque of Moghul
Emperor Aurangzeb. Afternoon, excursion to Ramnagar.
Return by boat in the evening, enroute witness the religious
ceremonies along the banks of river Ganges.
Overnight Stay in Hotel.
Day 12 : Varanasi - Delhi
Morning, free for individual activities. Afternoon, transfer to
the airport to board flight scheduled to depart to Delhi
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