Day 01: Delhi
Arrival DELHI by international flight at 06:00 hours. Transfer
to hotel. Afternoon sightseeing in Delhi. Overnight.
Delhi, the capital of India has a fascinating
history and a stimulating present. Believed to be the legendary Indraprastha
described in the epic The Mahabharata" Delhi has been the seat of power
for a number of dynasties -the Rajputs, The Muslim invaders from the
North, the Afghan dynasties followed by Tughlaqs, Sayyads, the Lodis
and the Mughals, who continued the imperial line, until British days.
Day 02: Delhi - Shekhawati
Morning drive [250 km] to Shekhawati. On arrival transfer
to hotel. Evening see the havelies and art galleries. SHEKHAWATI is
known not only for its frescoes and beautiful wall painted havelis,
thus making it open air art gallery, but also because of its business
tycoons and enterpreneurial spirit of its people. Overnight.
Day 03: Shekhawati - Jodhpur
Morning in Shekhawati, explore the 18th and 19th century mansions,
castles and forts in Dundlod, Laxmangarh and Nawalgarh. Go for a stroll
in the market and interact with the tribal people. Later drive to Jodhhpur
[280 km]. Arrival transfer to hotel for overnight.
Jodhpur - the home of the Rathores of
Marwar, is the second largest city in Rajasthan. It seems that this
medevial city has been catapulted through a time warp into the 21st
century.
Day 04: Jodhpur
Full day in Jodhpur. Visit the Mehrangarh Fort, rising up
a hilly scrap, which was built on the advice of a hermit, and it overlooks
the city in the image of a long sentinel. The approach to the fort
is via a steep zigzag path and through seven separate gateways of enormous
dimensions. En-route is the Jaswant Thada, the cremation ground of
the rulers of Jodhpur dotted with cenotaphs. The Old Palaces are a
series of interconnecting courtyards surrounded by ranges of buildings
with intricate carved stone work and beautiful filigree sandstone windows.
Visit the Moti Mahal or Pearl Palace, which has exquisite, painted
ceilings and walls. The Sheesh Mahal & Rang Mahal Palaces are also
noteworthy with fine decoration enriched with inlay work and mirrors.
In the Sileh Khana is the armoury with ornamented swords, shields,
maces and antique guns. End the tour with a visit to the famous Mandore
Gardens.
Day 05: Jodhpur - Ranakpur - Udaipur
Morning drive [275 km] to Udaipur. Visit Ranakpur temple enroute.
On arrival transfer to hotel for overnight. RANAKPUR: 90 Kms from Udaipur,
is remarkable complex of Jain Temples. Built in the reign of one of
the liberal and gifted monarchs Rana Kumbha, these temples are a unique
example of Jain ecclesiastical architecture. The main Jain temple is
Chaumukha or Four Faced temple dedicated to Adinath, built in 1439,
consists of 29 halls and 426 pillars full of sculptured decoration.
No two pillars are alike here. This celestial "City of Sunrise" is
the residence of the highest of the Rajput rulers and chief of the "Solar" Rajput
clan. Named after its founder Maharana Udai Singh, it was built in
1567 and was the capital of old state of Mewar. Udaipur stands in a
valley, amid green hills on the banks of the wide, steel blue lake
Pichola. On little islands in the lake, from the water's edge, rise
marble palaces of pure white that glisten like fairy castles.
Day 06: Udaipur
Full day in Udaipur. Sightseeing and
overnight. Visit the City Palace, where one can find rooms with mirrored
walls and ivory doors, coloured glass windows and inlaid marble balconies.
Also visit the famous peacock courtyard, Saheliyon ki Bari gardens
or Garden of Ladies, lay out with lush green lawns, kiosks, trees and
beautiful fountains and the Jagdish Temple is also an important site.
Later proceed to the local folk museum having beautiful peacock mosaics,
splendid series of figures in mid 19th century.
MOTOR LAUNCH CRUISE ON LAKE PICHOLA:
A motor launch cruise on Lake Pichola takes you to Jag Niwas Palace,
built of granite and marble, covers 4 acres and is built almost in
the middle of the lake. Also visit the Borra Mahal, Khas Mahal and
the courts, gardens and fountains. Later visit Jag Mandir Palace as
well.
Day 07: Udaipur - Jaipur
Morning drive [270 km] to Jaipur. On
arrival transfer to hotel for overnight. The rose pink capital of Rajasthan
is surrounded on all sides by rugged hills, crowned with forts and
enclosed by embattled walls. Houses with latticed windows line the
streets, their rose-pink colour lending enchantment to the scene which
is almost magical at sunset. Jaipur is aptly called the "Pink city
of India" and is noted for its craftsmen skilled in the art of cutting
precious stones and famed for its garnets and rubies. Drive past the
Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) built in 1799 by Sawai Pratap Singh
- one of Jaipur's major landmarks. This five storied building, which
looks out over the main street of the old city, is a stunning example
of the Rajput artistry with it's pink, semi-octagonal and delicately
honeycombed sand stone windows. It was originally built to enable the
ladies of the royal household to watch the everyday life and processions
of the city. The windows provide a constant flow of cool air into the
apartments and permit a spectacular view of the city below.
Day 08: Jaipur
Full day sightseeing in Jaipur including
Alberta Museum, Amer fort and Hawa Mahal. The sightseeing tour of the
city, also includes a visit to the City Palace which covers a large
area divided into a series of courtyards, gardens and buildings. A
part of this Palace is a now a museum, containing three wings of Armoury,
Textiles and Artefacts. City Palace is delightful blend of Mughal and
traditional Rajasthani architecture. A part of the palace is still
the house of the former Maharaja of Jaipur. Also visit to the famous
Jantar Mantar Observatory built by Raja Jai Singh in 1728. It is an
excellent example of the marvelous precision wherein each construction
has a specific purpose to measure the position of stars, altitudes
and azimuths or calculating eclipses. The most striking instrument
is the Sun Dial which is 90 feet high.
Day 09: Jaipur - Agra
Morning drive to Agra. On arrival see
Taj and other Mughal monuments. Overnight in hotel. Agra attained its
magnificence under the Emperor Akbar The Great. Once the capital of
Mughal India in the 16th and 17th century, it depicts a gorgeous panorama
of majestic architectural creations and rich tradition of art and culture.
Agra houses one of Seven Wonders of the World, the marble symphony
of Emperor Shah Jahan - "The Taj Mahal". Discover the dazzling creations
of their craftsmen in other architectural marvels in Agra, the quintessential
Mughal CIty. The Taj Mahal is a tear on the face of eternity - as described
by the famous Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and symbolizes eternal
love frozen in white marble. Emperor Shah Jahan constructed this famous
Mughal Monument (closed on Fridays) in the memory of his beloved wife
Mumtaz Mahal. It is described as the most extravagant monument ever
built for love, the emperor was heart broken when Mumtaz to whom he
had been married for seventeen years, died in 1631 while giving birth
to her 15th child. The Taj complex took 22 years and 20,000 workforce,
including specialized craftsmen, to build. Today it is counted as one
of the Seven Wonders of the World. This white marble wonder is extraordinarily
luminescent and even on the dull days one can find it glowing. De facto
the Taj is believed to change its glow depending on the intensity and
direction of the sunrays falling on it.
Day 010: Agra - Delhi
Early morning drive to DELHI. Transfer
to hotel. Day in Delhi for sightseeing and shopping. Evening transfer
to international airport on time to board return flight at 21:00 hrs.
Today the capital of India comprises of conspicuously contrasting Old
and New Delhi. Old Delhi was the capital of Muslim India between the
12th and 19th centuries and one can find mosques, monuments and forts
related to Muslim history. New Delhi is the imperial city created as
India's capital by the British, intricately planned and comprises of
imposing buildings displaying various modern style of architecture.
The sightseeing tour of New Delhi includes
a visit to Humayun's Tomb (1565 AD). Drive past Safdarjang's Tomb (1753
AD) and visit the Qutab Minar 73 meters high built in 1193 AD which
tapers from a 15 m diameter base to just 2.5 m at the top. The walls
have intricately carved quotations from the Koran (the holy book of
the Muslims) and is one of the most perfect towers of the Persian world.
Nearby amidst the ruins of Quwat-ul-Islam mosque stands the Iron pillar,
which has stood the vagaries of weather and has not rusted in over
1500 years. The drive through New Delhi, includes the Embassy area
(Diplomatic enclave), Rashtrapati Bhawan (The President's House -1929)
and the Government buildings (1921-30). |