Royal Northern and Buddhist Sector

Duration : 12 Nights & 13 Days
Places to Visit : Delhi - Samode - Jaipur - Agra - Gwalior - Datia - Orchha - Khajuraho - Varanasi - Boudhgaya - Nalanda - Rajgir - Boudhgaya - Kushinagar - Varanasi - Delhi

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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. Night in hotel.

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 – Samode – Jaipur
Leave in the morning for Jaipur on the way visiting Samode Palace. See the Sheesh mahal and the hall of private audiences. This palace was the royal second home of the kings of Jaipur. Visit the palace with its intricately carved durbar hall (hall of audiences) and then the village with its small marketplace where the varied craftsmen work with lac to make bangles. Here one also gets to see the artisans working with iron forgings. A delightful experience.

Arrive into Jaipur by early evening.

Day 04 : Jaipur
Visit the Amber fort in the morning; included is an elephant ride at the Amber fort. Go upto the fort on elephant back dressed in the Indian maharaja attire and feel like the maharaja of Jaipur going up to his imperial abode on his beautifully decorated elephant. 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. 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 05 : Jaipur – Agra
Leave in the morning for Agra and enroute visiting 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 his oppressed subject. 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.

Day 06 : Agra
Don’t forget Taj Mahal is awaiting your arrival today. A must see with the rising or the setting sun as the Taj Mahal is bathed in the golden rays the sun. Little needs to be said about this architectural wonder that is always the sole raison d’être for every tourist's visit to Agra. 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. Later proceed to see the Agra Fort built by Akbar in 1567 where Shahjahan was imprisoned by his own son Aurangzeb.

Also visit the tomb of Itmad ud Daulah the finance minister of the Mughals and the father of Noor Jehan: Jehangir’s wife. 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 07 : Agra – Gwalior – Datia – Orchha
Leave Agra after breakfast and reach Orchha by evening en route visiting the Scindia capital city of Gwalior. Visit the Gwalior fort the stronghold of the Tomars from the 15th century. Also visit the saas bahu ka mandir and the teli ka mandir the two temple complexes comfortably located inside the fort ramparts. Take on the road to Orchha via Datia the capital city of the Bundela Rajput warrior clans. A short distance away is Orchha another city of the Bundelas. Orchha is a medieval village where time has stopped. You feel the timelessness of this quaint little town on the banks of river Betwa. 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 and relax for the day.

Day 08 : Orchha – Khajuraho
The morning sight seeing shows us the temples complex of Orchha and also 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.

Later proceed towards Khajuraho 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. Visit the eastern and western group of temples.

The Chandelas built 85 temples in all but today only 20 temples stand intact. Even ten centuries after they were constructed, the temples of Khajuraho reflect an eternal philosophy relevant to all mankind. The temples of Khajuraho are a world heritage site that belongs not just to India but to the entire world.

Day 09 : Khajuraho – Varanasi
Breakfast at hotel and time free to discover the hidden bounties of the old village site of Khajuraho.

Transfer in time to the airport for flight to Varanasi. Upon arrival at Varanasi, you will be met and transferred to hotel via Sarnath. At Sarnath visit 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 along with the Dhamek stupa.

Day 10 : Varanasi – Boudhgaya
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. Varanasi is the world’s most ancient city and the home of Hinduism. The sunrise on the riverfront is spiritually uplifting as seen from the boat, crowded eith temples and people and its labirynth of streets. It was earlier called Kashi. The present name is derived from the fact that it is at the confluence of the two rivers Varuna and Asi that flows across the city.

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.

After lunch take on the route to Boudhgaya and reach by late evening .

Day 11 : Boudhgaya – Nalanda – Rajgir – Boudhgaya
After breakfast in your hotel proceed for a city tour of Boudhgaya where the Buddha attained enlightenment and which is one of the most sacred pilgrimage places for the Buddhist. The city tour introduces us to the Tibetan monastery with the Wheel of Law instated by Lord Buddha and the Bodhi tree under which the prince of Kapilavastu became Buddha. Later proceed for a full day excursion of Nalanda and Rajgir. The ruins of the world’s earliest known university can be seen in Nalanda. Today the university is in complete ruins as in the 12th century the muslim invader had plunderedthe rich library and burnt down the texts and this served as a death knell to Buddhism in India.

Continue towards Rajgir a short distance away (15km). Rajgir was once the ancient capital of the powerful kingdom of Maghada. From the out skirts of Rajgir, a historic road leads to Gridhakuta or vultures peak where the Buddha preached, here the first Buddhist Council was held after the Lord's Mahaparinirvana.

Overnight hotel in Boudhgaya.

Day 12 : Boudhgaya – Kushinagar
Leave Boudhgaya and reach Kushinagar by early evening and visit the site where lord Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana then check in to your hotel.

Day 13 : Kushinagar – Varanasi – Delhi
In the morning after breakfast continue towards Varanasi and in time transfer to the airport for your flight back to New Delhi. Upon arrival a farewell dinner awaits you in a local restaurant and then transfer to the international airport for your onward journey.