Long
Central India Tour
Duration:
11 Nights/12 Days
Destination: Delhi, Jaipur, Fathepursikri,
Agra, Gwalior, Orchha, Khajuraho & Varanasi
Day 01:
Arrive Delhi
Arrive
Delhi airport. After clearing your custom & immigrations you
shall be met by our representative outside the exit gate of
the arrival hall. After meeting/assistance and traditional
welcome at the airport transfer to hotel. Rest of the
day/night at leisure to overcome jet-leg of the long flight
& to recuperate to our weather conditions. Overnight stay at
hotel.
Delhi
The capital of kingdoms and empires is now a
sprawling metropolis with a fascinating blend of the past
and the present. It is a perfect introduction to the
composite culture of an ancient land. A window to the
kaleidoscope - that is India. Don't let your first
impressions of Delhi stick like a sacred cow in a traffic
jam: get behind the madcap façade and discover the inner
peace of a city rich with culture, architecture and human
diversity, deep with history and totally addictive to
epicureans. Both Old and New Delhi exert a beguiling charm
on visitors. Lose yourself unwinding the secrets of the
city's Mughal past in the labyrinthine streets of Old Delhi
before emerging into the wide open spaces of imperial New
Delhi, with its ordered governmental vistas and generous
leafy avenues.
Day 02: Delhi
Morning breakfast at hotel and at 0900 hrs leave for
combined city tour of old and new Delhi.
New Delhi
An extensive sightseeing tour of New Delhi would include a
visit to the Humayun's Tomb, 12th century Minaret- Qutub
Minar graceful and well sculptured and stands 75 meters,
Lotus Temple, a drive along the ceremonial avenue - Rajpath,
past the imposing India Gate, Parliament House, The
President House, once the House of British viceroys and
would end with a drive through the Diplomatic Enclave.
Old 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 Mughal Empire. Overnight stay at hotel.
Day 03: Delhi/Jaipur (265 Kms)
Morning
breakfast at hotel and at 0900 hrs drive to Jaipur - The
picturesque capital of Rajasthan, built by the
warrior-astronomer Raja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727, it is
full of formidable Forts, enchanting Palaces and lovely
temples.
Jaipur
The origins of the beautiful city of Jaipur can be
traced back to the eighteenth century, during the reign of
Jai Singh II who ascended the Amber throne in 1699. Jaipur
today, epitomizes the spirit of Rajputana. In-spite of
growing into a bustling metropolis, it still retains it's
character and history - A beautiful fusion of the
yesteryears and modernity. Popularly known as the Pink City
because of the extensive use of the locally abundant pink
plastered stone, painted so in honor of the visit of the
royal consort of Queen Victoria. Jaipur thrills the soul
with its massive forts, magnificent palaces, exquisite
temples and lush gardens.
Upone arrival in Jaipur check in at hotel.
Evening optional visit to Rajmandir cinema hall famous for
its beautiful interiors or "Chokhi Dhani" -
A five star ethnic village resort for dinner on direct
payment basis. Overnight stay at hotel.
Day 04: Jaipur
Morning breakfast at hotel and at 0800 hrs proceed to city
tour of Jaipur.
Amber Fort Palace - Amber is the classic
romantic Rajasthani fort palace. Enjoy ride the hill on the
back of decorated elephant ascent to the fort and feel like
Maharaja. Its construction was started by Man Singh I in
1592, and completed by his descendent Jai Singh I. Its
forbidding exterior belies an inner paradise where a
beautiful fusion of Mughal and Hindu styles finds it's
ultimate expression.
City
Palace
A delightful blend of Mughal and traditional Rajasthani
architecture, the City Palace sprawls over one-seventh of
the area in the walled city. It houses the Chandra Mahal,
Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum. Complex
which houses the rare and rich colection of ornaments, arms,
royal costumes, carpets and decorative art objects of
traditional Rajasthani and Mughal art and architecture
Jantar Mantar
A 18th century Observatory. This is the largest and the best
preserved of the five observatories built by Jai Singh II in
different parts of the country. This observatory consisting
of outsized astronomical instruments is still in use.
Hawa Mahal
The ornamental facade of this "Palace of Winds" is
a prominent landmark in Jaipur. Its five-storey structure of
sandstone plastered pink encrusted with fine trelliswork and
elaborate balconies. The palace has 953 niches and windows.
Built in 1799 by Pratap Singh, the Mahal was a royal
grandstand for the palace women.
Visit a rug factory and see the ladies at the intricate work
or a gem factory and see the gem cutting and polishing
process. Also visit Birla Temple.Overnight stay at hotel.
Day 05: Jaipur/Fathepursikri/Agra (250 KMS)
Morning
breakfast at hotel and 0800 hrs drive to Agra - The Royal
seat and capital of the province of yesteryears, Agra the
City of Mughals. Upon arrival check in at hotel.
Agra - Two great Mughal monarchs, Akbar and
Shah Jahan, transformed the little village of Agra into a
befitting second capital of the Mughal Empire - giving it
the name Dar-ul-Khilafat {seat of the Emperor}. Today a
visitor to Agra is caught up in a world of contrasting
edifices, of red sandstone and white marble, narrow galleys
and quaint buggies, and that irresistible charm that this
favorite city of the Mughals still retains. It is not
surprising, that modern Agra still reflects its Mughal
heritage most
conspicuously. A walk down the narrow bustling streets of
the city will introduce the visitor to the wafting aroma of
Mughlai Cuisine.
Fatehpur Sikri
The city of victory beautifully preserved. The
sandstone mansions of Sikri are experiments in art and
architecture and to a great extent uphold Akbar's ideals and
visions. The deserted, red Sandstone City, Emperor Akbar
built that as his capital and palace in the late 16th
century is an exhilarating experience. It a veritable
fairytale city and its "ruins" are in pristine condition ...
it's not hard to imagine what the court life must have been
like in the days of it's grandeur. Also visit the Bulund
Darwaza, the largest gateway in the world.
Enroute visit Fatehpur Sikri - The city of victory
beautifully preserved. The sandstone mansions of Sikri are
experiments in art and architecture and to a great extent
uphold Akbar's ideals and visions. Thereafter continue your
drive to Jaipur. upon arrival check in at hotel. Afternoon
leave for city tour of Agra. Enjoy battery van ride to the
Taj.
Taj Mahal
One
of the seven wonder of the world. A pristine monument of
undying love. Little needs to be said about this
architectural wonder, which is always the soul raison-de-etre
for every tourist's visit to Agra. Built by Shah Jahan, the
Taj is a white marble memorial to 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 it's 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.
Agra Fort
The first of the great mughal buildings where three Mughal
emperor left there foot prints. Built by the famed Mughal
emperor Akbar in 1565 AD, the fort is predominantly of red
sandstone. Ensconced within is the picture perfect Pearl
Mosque, which is a major tourist attraction.
Itmadullah's Tomb - Built by Empress Noor Jahan in memory of
her father (The interiors of which are considered better
than the Taj).
Overnight stay at hotel.
Day 06: Agra/Gwalior (125 kms)
Morning breakfast at hotel and at 0900 hrs drive to Gwalior.
Gwalior
Gwalior was a former state, India, now part of Madhya
Pradesh state; 26,367 square miles; capital Lashkar; one of
the five chief Indian states, the dominion of the Sindhia
family of Marathas; larger part between Rajputana on W and
United Provinces and Central India on E, with Chambal river
forming its N and NW boundary; other smaller sections in SW
Central India. Gwalior was probably founded in the 3rd
century AD, captured by the English in 1817, and measured
68.000 sq. km., where 3.000.000 inhabitants lived. The king
of Gwalior had as title "maharaja". Presently it belongs to
Madhya Pradesh.
Upon arrival transfer to hotel. Afternoon leave for city
tour of Gwalior visiting Fort built by Tomar Raja Man Singh
symbolises the grandeur of Gwalior within the fort is the
Gujari Mahal, a magnificent Palace in stone which was built
by Raja Man Singh for his favorite wife Mirgnayani The
Palaces now houses a museum with fine sculptures and replica
of the Bagh Cave murals. Near by is six towered Palace
crowned with domes the Man Mandir with its lattice work
windows and vivid colours, Other spots in the Fort worth
visiting are Chaturbhuj Temple, Sas - Bahu Ka Mandir and
Teli Ka Mnadir and outside the Fort is Scindia's Jai Vilas
Palace. Overnight at hotel.
Day 07: Gwalior/Orchha (125 kms)
Morning breakfast at hotel and drive to Orchha - The Kingdom
of nowhere, once the capital city of the mighty Bundelkhand
Empire. Upon arrival check in at hotel.
Orchha
Orchha was founded in the 16th century by the
Bundela chief Rudra Pratap, who became the first Raja of
Orchha. In the early 17th century, Raja Jujhar Singh
rebelled against the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, whose armies
devastated the state and occupied Orchha from 1635 to 1641.
Orchha was the only Bundela state not subjugated by the
Marathas in the 18th century. The town of Tehri, presently
Tikamgarh, about 40 miles south of Orchha, became the
capital of Orchha state in 1783, and is presently the
district town. Tehri was the site of the fort of Tikamgarh,
and the town eventually took the name of the fort.
Afternoon leave for city tour of Orchha visiting various
temple and Palaces such as Raja Ram temple, Chaturbhuj
Temple, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Shiva Mandir, Panch Mukhi
Mahadev Mandir and other cenotaphs " Chhatries" on the bank
of river Betwa and also visit Fort Palace of Raj Mahal,
Jahangir Mahal, Diwan -I- Khas and Rai Praveen Mahal.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 08: Orchha/Khajuraho (175 kms)
Morning
after leisure breakfast drive to Khajuraho - The many
Explanations of Love. Khajuraho was the first capital of the
Chandelas, who rose to rule the region in the 9th century.
The Creators of Khajuraho claimed descent from the moon and
the legend behind the founding of this great dynasty and the
temples is a fascinating one. Hemwati, the lovely young
daughter of a Brahmin priest, was seduced by the moon-god
while bathing in a forest pool. The child born of this union
was Chandravarman, founder of the Chandela dynasty. Ethereal
enchanting and erotic Khajuraho conjures up images of a
society that celebrated life and was not abshed by sex. Upon
arrival check in at hotel. Overnight at hotel.
Day 09: Khajuraho
Morning breakfast at hotel and leave for city tour of
Khajuraho discovered the great erotic temple complex of
western and eastern group.The temples in the western group
complex are large and lavishly decorated, displaying the
wealth and power of its rulers, these are dedicated to
either Lord Vishnu or Shiva. and the eastern group temples
dived into two rough clusters. Rest of the day free to
stroll the city. Evening optional visit to cultural dance
show (ticket on direct payment basis). Overnight at hotel.
Day 10: Khajuraho/Varanasi by flight
Morning after breakfast. Meeting /assistance at hotel and
transfer to airport to board a flight to Varanasi
Varanasi
The holiest of Indian cities. Also known as Kashi or the
city of light, the abode of Lord Shiva where, according to
Hindu religious legends, the first rays of light fell after
creation. It is here, in Varanasi, that the Hindu world
converges to partake in an endless cycle of birth and death,
life and salvation. One of the oldest continuously inhabited
cities in the world, Varanasi is paralleled only by Damascus
in terms of antiquity.
Upon arrival in Varanasi meeting/assistance at hotel and
transfer to hotel. Rest of the day free for independent
activities. Overnight at hotel.
Day 11: Varanasi
Early morning boat ride in the river Ganges to apprise you
of the various Hindu rituals taking place at the bathing
ghats, also witness the wonderful sunrise from the river
Ganges. After breakfast leave for temple/city tour of
Varanasi, about 2,000 odd temples along the banks of the
Ganges at Varanasi and bathe in the river. The temples in
Benares is the goal of the thousands of pilgrims that visit
this ancient pilgrimage site. Visit the Bharat Mata temple,
the exteriors of Vishwanath temple and the Durga temple in
the holy city of Varanasi. Overnight at hotel.
Day 12: Varanasi/Delhi by flight or overnight AC sleeper
train
Morning breakfast at hotel. Intime meeting assistance at
hotel and transfer to airport to board your flight to Delhi.
Upon arrival at Delhi meeting assistance at hotel and direct
transfer to International airport to boar your onward
destination flight.
