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|| Grand Tour of India
Grand Tour of India
DESTINATION : DELHI - MANDAWA - BIKANER - POKARAN -
JAISALMER - JODHPUR - MANDORE - LUNI - MOUNT ABU -
RANAKPUR - UDAIPUR - CHITTORGARH - BIJAIPUR - PUSHKAR -
AJMER - JAIPUR - SAWAI MADHOPUR - FATEHPUR SIKRI - AGRA
- GWALIOR - ORCHCHA - KHAJURAHO - SARNATH - VARANASI
- KOLKATTA - BHUBANESHWAR - PURI - KONARK - CHENNAI
- COCHIN - ALLEPEY - BANGALORE -MYSORE - GOA - MUMBAI
DURATION : 29 Nights / 30 Days
Day
01 Arrive Delhi
Meet and assist by our representative upon your arrival at the airport.
Then drive to your hotel with your driver and car.
Day 02 Delhi - Mandawa (260km)
In the morning take a city tour covering Laxmi Narayan Temple - The Place
of Gods, India Gate - The memorial of martyrs, Parliament House - The Government
headquarters. In the afternoon take a city tour of Old Delhi covering Jama
Masjid - The largest mosque in Asia, Red Fort - The red stone magic, Gandhi
memorial - The memoir of father of the nation. Also enjoy the sound &
light show in the evening. Overnight at hotel.
After lunch continue on your route to Mandawa.
Day 03 Mandawa - Bikaner (180km)
In the morning 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 lunch time.
See the Junagarh Fort, a royal museum that encompasses history of Bikaner from
its days of construction that dates back to the 16th century. Later visit the
camel-breeding farm, a unique experience.
In the evening stroll in the busy market area of the city.
Day
04 Bikaner - Pokaran - Jaisalmer (330km)
After breakfast we set towards our journey across the Thar Desert to reach Pokaran
for lunch. 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. After lunch continue towards Jaisalmer
and arrive by evening to witness the sunset over the desert with the most imposing
edifice of the town behind you.
Day 05 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. At sunset return
to the village where your dinner is arranged in mud huts. In the evening listen
to the haunted tunes of the desert by the local artists and musicians.
Day 06 Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Luni (280km)
Today we reach Jodhpur the blue city by early afternoon.
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. Later drive up to the majestic
Mehrangarh fort, 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.
Later an hours drive brings us to the world of animals - Luni, the palace
amidst the more rustic life of Rajasthan.
After lunch we take you on a safari to discover the hidden beauty of the
jungle life. Here you would be visiting the Bishnoi villages. Bishnois are
a tribe that respects life in every form - animals trees and even dead branches.
They are vegetarians and even in the villages they protect the animal life
and don’t let anybody practice hunting in the vicinity of their villages.
They live in a joint family system where the oldest member is generally the
head of the family.
Then we would like you to witness the opium ceremony with the Patels - a
rich tribe. It is a ceremony prevalent in this part of Rajasthan where the
youth offers opium to drink mixed with water to the elders of the family when
they come back from work in the fields.
Day 07 Luni - Mount Abu (250km)
This morning we drive through the arid Rajasthan to reach the the lone hill
station in Rajasthan at a height of 1200mt where we take you for a tour of the
temples for a few hours.
Mount Abu is a true pilgrimage centre for the Jains as here we see the Delwara
Jain temple complex with temples dating back to the 11th century. Later see
the Nakki lake and then view the Sun going down the horizon from the sunset
point.
Day
08 Mount Abu - Ranakpur - Udaipur (260km)
Leave Abu 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 09 Udaipur
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 - two temples of Shiva and of Vishnu both from the 7th century.
Day 10 Udaipur - Ajmer - Pushkar - Jaipur (360km)
Today cross the entire stretch of Mewar to reach the most holy cities of Pushkar
and Ajmer.
Pushkar
happens to be the holiest places according to the Hindus as it is considered
that Lord Brahma (the Creator) and his wife Saraswati (the godess of learning
and music) performed a ritual in the lake. Here we visit the only Brahma temple
of the world before intermingling with the local colours in the local bazaar.
Pushkar is the world famous for its cattle fair held each year in the month
of October/November. Proceed towards Ajmer.
Ajmer is the pious city for the Muslims. Surprisingly both the cities are
at distance of 11km from each other. Visit the Durgah built in fond remembrance
of Khwaja Muin ud Din Chisti where the Muslim pilgrims from all over India
throng during the festival times. Later visit Mughal emperor Akbar’s
Palace where his son Jehangir received Sir Thomas Roe to grant him the permission
of trade to East India Company with India, that changed the history of India
completely and slowly and steadily India became colony of the British Empire.
Continue towards Jaipur and reach by late evening and check into hotel.
Day 11 Jaipur
Visit the Amber fort in the morning; included is an elephant ride at the Amber
fort. See the marvelous Shish 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.
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. He built five
observatories throughout India - Jaipur, Ujjain, Varanasi, Mathura and Delhi
but only the one at Jaipur is functional.
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.
Day 12 Jaipur - Fatehpur Sikri - Agra (230km) 
Leave the Pink City after breakfast and reach Fatehpur Sikri by early afternoon.
Visit this abandoned city built by the Mughal emperor Akbar in the second half
of the 16th century. Fatehpur Sikri was built by Akbar after his Hindu wife
bore him the long awaited son who was born after the renowned sufi saint Salim
Chisti blessed Jodhabai Akbar’s Hindu wife with a son. Also visit Jodhabai’s
palace the biggest palace in Fatehpur Sikri even bigger than the emperor’s
palace himself as this was the queen who bore him his heir to the throne.
Continue towards Agra and reach Agra by early evening. Relax at your hotel
or go to the local bazaar to see the lifestyle of the people.
Day 13 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 where Shahjahan was imprisoned by his
own son Aurangzeb.
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 14 Agra - Gwalior - Orchha (219km)
Today we go to Gwalior the erstwhile stronghold of the Scindia rulers. Reach
Gwalior and start your visit. 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. Then proceed towards Orchha.
Day
15 Orchcha - Khajuraho (272km)
Today we board our car to proceed towards Khajuraho via Datia and visit the
palace of the Bundela kings.
Datia and Orchha are two twin cities from the medieval times. In these villages
time has stopped. And 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.
Reach Orchha by 1130 hrs and see the beautiful Palace Complex - Jahangiri
Mahal and the Raja Mahal. Closely study the intricacies of the mural paintings
in the Raja Mahal and visit the Laxminarayana Temple.
Post lunch continue towards Khajuraho about 182 km away by road.
Day 16 Khajuraho - Varanasi By flight
Morning 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 eastern and western group
of temples before being transferred to the airport to catch your flight to Varanasi.
(1525hrs)
Upon your arrival (1605hrs) in Varanasi transfer to your hotel. Rest of the
day is free.
Day
17 Varanasi - Calcutta (by overnight train)
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. 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
Return to your hotel for breakfast. Later visit Sarnath the sacred city for
the Buddhist all over the world. It was here that Lord Buddha preached his
first sermon to his first five disciples. Also worth visiting is the museum
with artifacts dating back to 3rd century BC. Visit the nearby ruins of the
ancient seat of learning in Sarnath.
In time transfer to the train station to continue towards Calcutta; the cultural
capital of India.
Overnight in air-conditioned sleeper class train.
Day 18 Calcutta
Reach Calcutta (Howrah Station) by 0730 hrs and check into your hotel. After
breakfast in the hotel proceed for a city tour seeing Missionaries of Charity
(a charitable organization started by Mother Teresa). Visit the Jain temple
in South Calcutta and view the Rabindra Setu: a cantilever bridge across the
holy Ganges (called Hooghly in Calcutta).
In the post lunch session see the Indian Museum with its rare artifacts on
display.
Day 19 Calcutta - Bhubaneshwar
Leave for Bhubaneshwar by Shatabdi Express. Upon your arrival in Bhubaneshwar
transfer to your hotel.
Day 20 Bhubaneshwar - Puri - Konarak - Bhubaneshwar
After breakfast at your hotel leave for a full day excursion of Puri and Konark.
At Puri visit the Lingaraj temple complex dating back to the 11th century
and marvel at the feat of man and his ingenious in making of these mammoth
size temples and sanctums.
Day
21 Bhubaneshwar - Chennai
After breakfast transfer to the domestic airport for your flight to Chennai
(Madras). Upon arrival transfer to your hotel.
The city stretches its 19 km length along the Coromandel coast and extends
inland about 9 km at its widest. Its irregular shape covers about 172 sq km.
It is a fairly low-lying strip of land, its highest point being only 60 m
above sea level.
The present city of Madras is itself, however, only about 350 years old.
The quest of an East India Company factor, Francis Day, for cheaper cloth
and more peaceful surroundings led to the founding of Madras in 1639. The
city of today, one of the great metropolises of the world, and the fourth
largest city in India, grew from the fort Day and his superior Andrew Cogan
built on a narrow spit of no-man's land that Day's dubash Beri Thimanna negotiated
with the local governor of the Vijayanagar Empire. The approximately 5 square
kilometre sand strip Day was granted has now grown into a city of about 170
sq. kms. with a population of 3.25 million. Madras was Britain's first major
settlement in India and it was here that many who went on to build the Empire
first learnt their trade. As a consequence, the city is replete with much
that is of significance in British Indian history. But the much older settlements
have stories to tell too, and so the city is an amalgam of ancient and more
modern history. Everywhere one goes in Madras, one can find history written
in every name. Particularly charming features of Madras are its allegiance
to ancient traditions, no matter how modernised it has become, and its willingness
to spread out further rather than develop into a multi-storey concrete jungle.
The result is a widespread city still open to the skies; a green, airy city
with several vestiges of its rural past; a city that adheres to the leisurely
tempo of the life of a world of yesterday; a city whose values of another
day still survive midst the humdrum bustle of today; a city that still retains
the charm, culture and courtesies of the ages.
Day 22 Chennai
After breakfast and a brief stay city tour of this traditional / cultural capital
city covering Fort St. George, High Court Complex, George Town, Corporation
Complex, Patheon Complex, Valluvar Kottam, Kodambakkam, St. Thomas Mount, Guindy
National Park, Kalakshetra, Elliot's Beach, Theosophical Society, the Shrines
of Mylapore & Triplicane Government Estate, the Marina and Anna Salai.
Day 23 Chennai - Cochin
Upon your arrival at Kochi (Cochin) proceed for a half-day sight seeing
of Cochin by boat.
A few interesting sites included in the tour are the Chinese fishing nets
along the Vasco da Gama Square, Santa Cruz Basilica, St. Francis Church, VOC
Gate, Bastion Bungalow etc. Apart from these architectural splendors, an array
of restaurants serving fresh seafood is also popular among tourists. The Chinese
fishing nets erected on teak wood and bamboo poles work on the principle of
balance. Records say they were first set up here between AD 1350 and 1450.
Vasco Da Gama Square, the narrow promenade that parallels the beach, is the
best place to watch the nets being lowered and pulled out of the sea
Day 24 Cochin - Allepey - Cochin
Visit the Fort Cochin built in British, Dutch and Portuguese styles reflect
the architectural planning of the colonizers. The Church of St. Francis is also
worth a visit where Vasco da Gama was buried in 1524.
Later visit the Mattancherry Palace with a collection of fine mural paintings
and other masterpieces.
Proceed for Allepey. Allepey or Alappuzha is famous for its boat races, houseboats,
coir products, fish and lakes. Alappuzha remains prominent on the tourist
trial of Kerala as one of the major centres for backwater boat trips. "Kuttanad"
in Alappuzha is one of few places in the world where farming is done below
sea level. Kuttanad is a land of lush paddy fields and is called the 'Rice
Bowl' of Kerala. Kuttanad stretches for 75 km sandwiched between the sea and
the hills.
Day 25 Cochin - Mysore (via Bangalore)
In time transfer to the airport to catch your connection to Bangalore. Upon
your arrival in Bangalore transfer to Mysore. In the evening visit the famous
Brindavan gardens.
Day 26 Mysore - Bangalore
In the morning visit the Maharaja’s palace with ornate interiors suggests
the rich and extravagant lifestyle of the rulers of this region. Later visit
Tipu Sultan’s Palace and capital at Srirangapatnam which holds a few mural
paintings depicting life tales of Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali both
a living terror to the British. Finally return back to Bangalore
Today you see the Administrative buildings of this beautiful south Indian
city. Also see the botanical gardens with 1000 different varieties of flowers.
This garden was done up by Hyder Ali in the 18th century.
Day 27 Bangalore - Goa By flight
In time transfer to the airport to catch your flight to Goa the top beach
resort in India. Visit the city and its churches before checking into the hotel.
Time is at leisure to relax on the beach.
Day 28 Goa
Relax on the beach.
Day 29 Goa - Mumbai
In time transfer to the airport for your onward flight to Mumbai.
Visit the Albert Hall Museum and Jehangir Art Gallery and then see the tower
of Silence where the Parsi community leaves their dead to be eaten by the
vultures and other prey birds. Also visit the Gandhi Smriti museum and the
Kamala Nehru Park with its unique Boot house.
Day 30 Mumbai - Next destination
In the morning excursion to Elephanta caves by motor launch.
In time transfer to the international airport for your onward flight.
Included on this tour are:
1. Daily breakfasts
2. Overnight stay in the hotels mentioned
3. Elephant ride at Amber Fort in Jaipur
4. One night dinner in mud huts in the dunes
5. Air conditioned car with chauffeur
6. All applicable taxes
7. Rickshaw ride in the old city of Delhi
8. Desert and village safari in 4x4 jeeps in Luni
9. Opium ceremony in Luni
10. Visit to Bishnoi villages in Luni
11. Sunset cruise on Lake Pichhola in Udaipur
12. Early morning boat rides on river Ganges in Varanasi
13. Airfare for sectors mentioned: Khajuraho - Varanasi - Bhubaneshwar
- Chennai - Cochin - Bangalore - Goa - Mumbai
14. Camel rides on the dunes in the desert.
15. English speaking local guides wherever applicable
16. House boat lunch in Allepey on a houseboat
Tour price USD 7999 per person on twin sharing.
