Glimpses Of India 20-Day Trip

Day 1: Arrival Delhi
Arrive Delhi, meet assist at the airport and transfer to hotel. Night stay in Delhi.

Day 2: Delhi
After a leisurely breakfast sightseeing tour of New Delhi where ornate buildings recall the days when India was the Jewel in the crown of the British empire. Visit the 11th century Qutab Minar ,India Gate and the grand government buildings, the President’s House , Red fort , Mahatama Gandhi Memorial. Also visit Laxmi Narayan temple popularly known as Birla Temple. Night stay in Delhi.

Day 3: Delhi – Varanasi
Morning transfer to airport to connect the flight for Varanasi said to be the India’s most sacred city situated on the western bank of the holy river Ganga. It is also the oldest living city in the world. As a place for devotion and worship, with hundreds of temples dotting the city , sunrise on the river front as seen from a boat can be a spiritually uplifting sight. It has a fascination uniquely its own, a quality of sublime beauty, a timeless eternal appeal. Varanasi is the city which cannot be described, only experienced. Arrive Varanasi and transfer to hotel. Later visit the Temples, Aurangazeb’s Mosque and one of the biggest university of India. Evening view “Aarti” ceremony on the Ghats. Night stay in Varanasi.

Day 4: Varanasi
Morning boat cruise at the river Ganges to observe the way of life of pilgrims by the Ghats. Later excursion to Sarnath, 10kms. East of Varanasi, is one of the Buddhism’s major centers of India. After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha came to Sarnath where he gave his first sermon. Visit the deer park and the museum and later back to Varanasi. Night stay in Varanasi.

Day 5: Varanasi – Khajuraho
After breakfast transfer to airport to board the flight for Khajuraho .Arrive Khajuraho & transfer to hotel. The legendary temples of khajuraho are an incomparable experience. Acknowledged as one of the world’s artistic wonders, these temples dedicated to the Hindu pantheon of Gods are covered in carvings that are a paean to life and love. Built within a short span of a hundred years by the Chandela Rajputs, the 10th century temples lay forgotten until they were discovered in the present century. Khajuraho has achieved fame for the sensual appeal of its erotic sculptures. Evening free at leisure. Night stay in Khajuraho.

Day 6: Khajuraho – Agra
After breakfast explore the Western and Eastern temples of khajuraho while your guide explains the intricate meaning and legends behind each describable sculpture. Later transfer to Jhansi to board the train to Agra. Arrive Agra & transfer to hotel. Night stay in Agra.

Day 7: Agra – Jaipur
Morning at sunrise visit the magnificent Taj Mahal – one of the seven wonders of the world surely the most extravagant expression of love ever created. 20,000 men laboured for over 17 years to build this memorial to Shah Jahan’s beloved wife, Also visit Agra Fort – the rusty and majestic red- sandstone fort of Agra stands on the banks of the river Yamuna and the construction was started by Emperor Akbar in 1566. At the Diwan-I-Am (hall of public audience), a colonnaded hall of red-sandstone with a throne alcove of inlaid marble at the back, the Emperor heard public petitions. At the Diwan-I-Khas (hall of private audience) where marble pavilions with floral inlays lend an ethereal ambience, the Emperor sat on his gem-studded peacock Throne and met foreign ambassadors and rulers of friendly kingdoms.After lunch drive to Jaipur – en route visit Fatehpur Sikri, a perfectly preserved Mughal city built at the height of the empire’s splendor. Arrive Jaipur & transfer to hotel. Night stay in Jaipur.

Day 8: Jaipur
In the morning, visit the Amber Fort – one of the most fascinating of Indian forts. Reach the fort majestically atop an elephant; once inside the fort, visit the Palace of Mirrors, Hall of Public Audience and the beautifully manicured gardens. Afternoon spend exploring the Jantar Mantar (astrological observatory), the Hawa Mahal (the Palace of Winds), the City Palace and the museum. Night stay in Jaipur.

Day 9: Jaipur – Jodhpur
After breakfast drive to Jodhpur & transfer to hotel. Evening at leisure. Night stay in Jodhpur.

Day 10: Jodhpur
Morning explore the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort-Museum, one of the largest in India, unsurpassed in beauty and grandeur – and a perfect example of desert variant of Rajput architecture. The tour of the fort will be followed by a visit to the old town where you walk through the market getting a feel of the town. Also visit Jaswant Thada, an imposing marble cenotaph, built in memory of Maharaja Jaswant singh II around 1899 and Umaid Public gardens. Early in the evening you will be taken on a short safari to immaculately kept villages of Bishnoi tribals who are known for their belief in the sanctity of plant and animal life. A variety of deer roaming freely is the attraction of these villages. Night stay in Jodhpur.

Day 11: Jodhpur – Udaipur
Morning drive to Udaipur. En route visiting Ranakpur – the largest and most beautifully preserved Jain Temples in India. Later proceed to see the fort of Kumbhalgarh. If Ranakpur is beauty and grace, Kumbhalgarh is all about power. Arrive Udaipur in the evening & transfer to hotel. Night stay in Udaipur.

Day 12: Udaipur
After breakfast proceed for city sight seeing tour. Udaipur, built in 1559 A.D. by Maharaja Udai Singh, the city has been described as the most romantic spot on the continent of India by Col. James Todd. Visit the City Palace museum, the Jagdish temple, Sahelion Ki Bari ( Queen’s resort for their friends) Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandir ( Folk art museum) and the Pratap Memorial. Evening at leisure.Night stay in Udaipur.

Day 13: Udaipur – Bombay – Aurangabad
Morning transfer to airport to board the flight for Bombay to connect the flight to Aurangabad. Arrive Aurangabad & transfer to hotel. Night stay in Aurangabad.

Day 14: Aurangabad
Today explore the caves of Ajanta which offer a rich tapestry of images that speak of palaces, royalty, cultures and tales of everyday life of ancient India. Long buried in the debris of time, these 30 caves were built to offer seclusion to the Buddhist monks, who lived, taught and performed rituals. Night stay in Aurangabad.

Day 15: Aurangabad – Bombay
Morning explore Ellora caves. Carved between fourth and fifth century, the rock temples and monasteries of Ellora represent the three major faiths of India – Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Like Ajanta, Ellora caves too are a fine example of cave temples with almost 34 caves with intricate interiors and ornamental facades. Later in the evening transfer to airport to board the flight to Bombay .Arrive Bombay & transfer to hotel. Night stay in Bombay.

Day 16: Bombay – Madurai
Morning transfer to airport to board the flight to Madurai , Arrive Madurai & transfer to hotel. All activity in Madurai is centered round Sri Meenakshi Temple in the heart of the told town. A riotously baroque example of Dravidian architecture. Night stay in Madurai.

Day 17: Madurai – Tanjore – Trichy
Morning drive to Tanjore. Also called a city of temples, Tanjore is dotted with no fewer than 74 temples – the most famous of which is the Brihadeshwara temple. Visit this fascinating temple and the Thanjavur Palace before continuing your drive to Trichy. The town of Trichy is another small place of South India which is littered with innumerable evidence of the region’s excellence in art and architecture. In the evening explore the city including spectacular Rock Fort Temple. Night stay in Trichy.

Day 18: Trichy – Madras
Morning transfer to railway station to board the train for Madras – a fascinating city with its ancient temples and unique culture, golden sandy beaches and a marvelous tradition of music and dance. Arrive Madras & transfer to hotel . Later visit St. Thomas Church, Kapaleshwar Temple, Fort St. George and drive past the Marina Beach. Night stay in Madras.

Day 19: Madras – Kanchipuram – Mahabalipuram
Morning excursion to Kanchipuram & Mahabalipuram.
Kanchipuram known as the Golden City of a Thousand Temples, is one of the oldest towns in India. It is famous for both its temples, many of them remarkably well preserved and for its hand-woven silks. Kanchipuram is one of the seven sacred cities of India and it is the only one associated with both Shiva and Vishnu. Visit Ekambareshwar Temple, Kailashnath Temple, Kamakshi Temple, the Vaikunthaperumal Temple, all built in the 7th and 8th centuries. With a weaving tradition dating back to the Pallava era (when silk was the royal cloth), Kanchipuram is justly famous for its particularly fine silk saris, embellished with stunning patterns. Visit the local homes of the weavers and watch them create magic out of silk thread into saris.
Mahabalipuram is a small, quiet seaside resort with a unique 7th century Shore Temple, a lovely beach and some of the most beautiful rock cut temples in the world. Situated on the shore of theBay of Bengal, Mahabalipuram was already a famous seaport in the 1st century AD. This, town was a workshop for temple building. Visit the seven pagoda style shore temples, lashed by the waves of the sea and the seven rathas or temple chariots, a group of monolithic monuments & animal figures carved out of solid rock, the earliest known examples of Dravidian architecture. They were constructed in a single century long burst of creative enthusiasm, starting in the reign of Narasimhavarman 1 (AD 63068). End the visit by photography of the beautiful Shore temples at sunset. Night stay in Madras.

Day 20: Departure
Transfer to airport to board the onward flight.