Home ~~> Rajasthan Travel Package ~~> North India & Maharana

North India & Maharana

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Duration: 13 Nights / 14 Days
Places to Visit: Delhi - Mandawa - Bikaner - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Mandore - Udaipur - Chittorgarh -Bundi - Kota - Jaipur - Delhi

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Day 01
Arrive Delhi Upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotel in the heart of the city. After lunch a temple tour of this capital city of India awaits you. Visit the Sikh temple at Bangla Sahib, the Lotus temple of the B’hai faith, and to finish the day visit the Birla Mandir, a Hindu temple in activity

Day 02 Delhi
Morning after breakfast a full day city tour of this imperial British capital of the 20th century awaits you. Visit the Qutub Minar – the tallest free standing minaret in stone in the world; then onto Humayun’s tomb – the first Mughal construction in India from 1565 AD. Also see the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the India gate built in the earlier half of the 20th century. Drive through the old city past the Red Fort and visit the Jama Masjid – the biggest of its kind in India. Here take a rickshaw through the winding streets of the old city to see the life of the people in this part of the world. A perfect introduction of your tour. The rickshaw puller pulls you through, the imperial avenue of the yesteryears, the Chandni Chowk. Finally, reach Rajghat, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, where your car and chauffeur is waiting for you to take you to your next stop the Birla Mandir, a Hindu temple in activity.

Day 03 Delhi – Varanasi
(By flight 9W 333)

Transfer to the airport to catch your flight to Varanasi. Upon arrival transfer to the hotel. En route to your hotel visit Sarnath – the sacred Buddhist city where Gautama Buddha preached his first sermon to his 5 disciples under the bodhi tree. Visit the site and the temple attached to it. See the frescoes related to the life of Buddha inside the temple. Also visit the archaeological museum that houses artifacts from the 3rd century BC. Most interesting is the lion capital of Ashoka Maurya from 272 BC. Adjacent to the museum is the ancient seat of learning from the 2nd century BC now completely in ruins. Also see the Dhamek stupa and the Dharmarajika Stupa where hundreds of Buddhist pilgrims offer there prayers. Continue to Varanasi just 11 km away and check in to your hotel.

Day 04 Varanasi – Khajuraho
(By flight 9W 333)

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. Don’t forget to see the sun rise along the 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. Also worth a visit is the Bharat Mata Mandir (Mother India temple) where you see the undivided India – Mahatma Gandhi’s Dream.

Return to your hotel for breakfast. Rest of the time is free for individual activities. In the afternoon transfer to the airport to catch your flight to Khajuraho and upon arrival transfer to your hotel in the Millenium destination of India.

Day 05 Khajuraho
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 Kandariya Maheshwar temple and the Laxmana Temple along with Varaha temple and then onto the Jain group of temples. Afternoon is free to explore the old village of Khajuraho on your own.

Day 06 Khajuraho – Orchha
Leave Khajuraho by road and carry on towards Orchha.

Visit Orchha with its imposing Jehangiri Mehal and the cenotaphs of the Bundela Rajput warriors. Orchha a medieval village where time has stopped. 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. See the beautiful Palace Complex – Jahangiri Mahal and the Raja Mahal. Closely study the intricacies of the mural paintings in the Raja Mahal . Visit the visit the laxmi Narayan temple during the prayer time in the evening to witness the Hindu devotees offering prayers in the temple.

Overnight in Orchha Resort.

Day 07 Orchha – Gwalior – Agra
After breakfast at your hotel leave for Agra enroute visiting the Scindia capital of Gwalior. 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. At 1900 hrs catch your train to Agra an reach by 2005 hrs. Upon arrival transfer to the hotel in the famous city of Taj.

Day 08 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. In the afternoon visit the temple at Swami bagh that is being constructed for the past 75 years and it is no where near completion.

Day 09 Agra
In the morning see the Agra Fort built by Akbar that houses many fabulous palaces built in Indo Islamic style. See the marble palace of Shahjehan that was built with the remaining and rejected stones from the Taj Mahal – Mussamman Burj.

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 10 Agra – Fatehpur Sikri – Jaipur
Leave in the morning for Jaipur and enroute visit the phantom city of Fatehpur Sikri: the erstwhile capital of the Mughal emperor Akbar the Great.

Visit the diwan-i-am - the hall of public audiences where the emperor used to give justice to the oppressed subject of his. See Jodhabai’s palace (Akbar’s Hindu wife) that is even bigger than his own private palace. Later visit Salim Chisti’s tomb at the nearby mosque. Salim chisti was a sufi saint who blessed Akbar and his Hindu wife with a long awaited son. Akbar was so overwhelmed that he built a mosque in his remembrance to thank the Sufi saint.

Continue towards the Pink City - Jaipur.

Day 11 Jaipur
Visit the Amber forts and palaces in the morning; included is an elephant ride at the Amber fort. See the marvelous Sheesh 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. Also visit the carpet manufacturing factory in the city of Amber.

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. 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. This evening after the visit discover the art of cutting and polishing of gems for which Jaipur is world renouned. Visit the gems cutting and polishing atelier in the city of Jaipur.

Later transfer to the railway station to catch your correspondence to Jodhpur. Upon arrival check in to your hotel The Ranbanka Palace.

Day 12 Jaipur – Pushkar – Ajmer - Udaipur
Today cross the entire stretch of desert 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. Later on continue towards Udaipur a short drive away.

Day 13 Udaipur
After breakfast in your hotel leave for the magnificent city tour of Mewar – 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 art schools in the country under the royal patronage of the king of Udaipur.

After lunch visit the royal temple complex at Eklingji that is famous throughout the region. Eklingji temple is group of temples dedicated to various gods and goddesses of the Hindu Pantheon. The most important of them all being the Shiva temple which is visited by the royal family of Mewar. Later visit the Saa Bahu temple comlex in the vicinity that dates back to the 7th century.Return to the city and visit Sahelion ki Bari a garden with fountains and a small palace inside it. Sahelion ki Bari is a garden complex where Maharana Sangram Singh build this garden complex with fountains and lakes for his beautiful daughter.

In the evening we take a lake cruise on the placid waters of Lake Pichhola by sunset and visit the island palace Jagmandir where according to legends the Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan lived and got inspired to build the Taj mahal later on.

Day 14 Udaipur – Delhi
In the morning cross the mountain ranges to reach a very holy destination – Ranakpur – pilgrimage centre for the Jains. Jains are a community that developed during the 3rd century under Lord Mahavira (a contemporary of Lord Buddha) and they are strict vegetarians by religion. They eat nothing that grows below the earth like carrots, radish, potatoes etc. Their food consists of rice, wheat, lentils and green leafy vegetables.

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.

After lunch in Ranakpur continue towards Udaipur and transfer to the airport for your flight back to Delhi and eventually back home. Upon arrival in Delhi you will be met and transferred to a local restaurant for a farewell dinner with your tour manager and a tour debrief.

Tour includes:

1. Daily breakfasts

2. All sight seeing and tours mentioned in the itinerary

3. Elephant ride at Amber Fort in Jaipur

4. Overnight stay in the hotels mentioned

5. Air conditioned car with chauffeur

6. All applicable taxes

7. Meet and greet by Voyageurs’ India representatives at all hotels

8. Rickshaw ride in the old city of Delhi

9. Early morning boat rides on river Ganges in Varanasi

10. Airfare for sectors mentioned: Delhi – Varanasi – Khajuraho and Udaipur – Delhi

11. Boat ride in Udaipur on the lake by sunset

12. Sunrise / sunset visit of the Taj Mahal.

13. Farewell dinner on the last day in Delhi before departure to international airport.

CITY	HOTELS	NIGHTS	CATEGORY
DELHI	THE CONNAUGHT	2	FIVE STAR
VARANASI	TAJ GANGES	1	FIVE STAR DELUXE
KHAJURAHO	HOLIDAY INN	2	FIVE STAR
ORCHHA	RESORT	1	RESORT
AGRA	CLARKS SHIRAZ	3	FIVE STAR DELUXE
JAIPUR	DAYS INN	2	DELUXE RESORT
UDAIPUR	LAKE PALACE	2	FIVE STAR DELUXE