Ancient India Tour In Style

On your arrival in Delhi, you will be met by our representative and transferred to hotel. Delhi was the capital of Indraprastha and capital of the Pandavas during the Mahabharata. This magnificent city has been inhabited from the 6th century BC and has been a capital of many kingdoms. It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times and is called the “city of cities”. Delhi’s culture has been influenced by its different rulers and the city is full of beautiful monuments. The Mughal rulers influenced the food habits of the residents and Mughlai cuisine originated here. Due to the proximity of different states, all festivals are celebrated here. Old Delhi is a maze of small lanes lined and old buildings and New Delhi has large road with huge buildings. The first day of your tour will take you for a pleasant evening at the Akshardham temple, one of the largest religious temples in India of Swaminarayan sect. Bask in the religiousness and marvel at the amazing water and light show. Overnight in Delhi.

Today we begin our tour in India’s capital city, Delhi.  Start the afternoon by exploring the Qutub Minar, touted as India’s largest Minaret. Qutub Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built in 1192 by Turk ruler Qutub-Ud-Din Aibak. In the afternoon, we drive to the pink city of Jaipur.  The city was first established in 1727 and was India’s first planned city.  In the evening we visit the Birla Temple built by the well-known Birla family to worship Lord Vishnu and his wife Goddess Lakshmi.  The temple is built purely from white marble and contains an array of delicate carvings.  This is an oasis of calm in a busy city.

The morning journey starts from Amer fort also known as Amer Palace, the earlier capital of Jaipur. This magnificent fort was constructed in red sandstone and marble by Raja Man Singh and is divided into four sections each with a courtyard. The main entrance gate is Surajpol having fascinating architecture. Near the Ganesh Gate, there is a temple dedicated to the Goddess Sila Devi. The Diwan-e-Aam – hall of public audience, Diwan-e-Khas – hall of private audience, Sheesh Mahal – the palace of mirrors, and Sukh Niwas are quite beautiful. At the Sukh Niwas, a pleasant climate is created by winds that blow over a water cascade. You could ascend the fort by walking up the steps or on an elephant’s back or in a jeep.

In Jaipur, you will be taken to Maharaja City Palace, a royal palace with seven stories as well as Jantar Mantar, the observatory.

This wonderful observatory attracts mathematicians as well as astronomers from the whole world. City palace is the perfect blend of all three excellent styles (Mughal, Rajput, and European). Another palace, Hawa Mahal is popular all over the world for its magnificent architecture. You will be taken through Pink Rose Garden as well business centers of Jaipur.

A tour of Jaipur is not complete without shopping. Jaipur is famous for clothes, carpets, precious and semi-precious stones, and jewelry, and various handicrafts made of wood, metal, etc., and also for silk paintings and miniatures. Overnight in Jaipur.

This morning, you will be transferred from Jaipur to Agra en route visiting Abhaneri and Fatehpur Sikri. Abhaneri – famous for the Chand Baori stepwell. Chand Baori is the primary tourist attraction site in Abhaneri village that belongs to 10th-century monuments that exhibit Rajasthani architectural expertise and talents.

Chand Baori consists of 3,500 narrow steps over 13 stories. It extends approximately 30 m (100 ft) into the ground, making it one of the deepest and largest step-wells in India. Fatehpur Sikri – built in the 16th century by Emperor Akbar.

Fatehpur Sikri holds exceptional testimony to Mughal civilization and is one of the well-known UNESCO World heritage sites of India and has various historical monuments. Later you will be driven to Agra where you have the afternoon at leisure. Overnight in Agra.

Agra the former capital of Hindustan is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna. Agra is a major tourist destination of India and a part of the Golden Triangle India Travel along with Delhi and Jaipur. In the morning visit of Agra, you will be taken to Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world.

This beautiful building is elegantly built with white marble by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between the years 1631 to 1648 and it was built in the memory of his favorite beloved Queen Mumtaz Mahal. Standing majestically on banks of Yamuna River, this breathtaking, immensely beautiful monument is a synonymous to romance and love. Your next stop Agra Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and known for its architectural structure and was built in the 16th century during the Mughal Empire.

This place comprises of several fairy-tale palaces like Khas Mahal and Jahangir Palace. Over here you will also get a chance to see Diwan-e-Aam and Diwan-e-Khas, which are also known as private audience hall and public audience hall. Afternoon can be spent visiting more places of interest or shopping. Agra is famous for inlaid marble work and handicrafts made of marble, wood and metal. Later in evening visit the itmad-ud-daulah and Mehtab Bagh. Overnight in Agra.

Today we take the morning train to Jhansi and then transfer to Orchha, an ancient city founded in 1501 by Rudra Pratap Singh who became the first king of Orchha.  Today the city has a small population but a wealth of stunning architectural sights. We visit the Jahangir Fort located on the island of Betwa river, riverside cenotaphs, and Ram Raja Temple. Later transfer to Khajuraho. Overnight in Khajuraho.

Today we visit a collection of ancient temples from the candela dynasty (AD 900 – 1130), also famous as Erotic temples ,which today is a UNESCO world heritage site.  Temple building was a tradition of Candela rulers and the ornate temples were designed to bring spiritual peace through eroticism.  This afternoon we visit some of the temples where we can see erotic carvings depicting scenes from the Kama sutra. Later transfer to Prayagraj. Overnight in Prayagraj.

Morning visit the Sangam (Meeting point) of the three rivers – Ganga, Yamuna & Saraswati. Here the Maha Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years which is a major Hindu festival. Later drive to Varanasi, the spiritual capital of India and one of the oldest living cities in the world.  Spend the day exploring this lively city with its many shops and stalls selling religious items and offerings for the temples. The rest of the day is free to explore this enchanting city. Overnight in Varanasi.

Sunrise boat trip on the Ganges to see the many ghats and pilgrims bathing in the holy water.  This is a fascinating time of day to visit the ghats as the whole world begins to come to life with bathers, tea sellers, people selling breakfast snacks and holy men advising pilgrims on prayers. In the afternoon we visit Sarnath the place where lord Buddha gave his first sermon.  Here we also visit the museum which contains interesting artefacts and carvings from the Buddhist and Hindu religions. In the evening we go to see the religious ceremony that takes place on the banks of the river Ganges every day.

Today we take a short flight and return to Delhi.  Later, drive pass through the India gate, the memorial for soldiers from the British Indian Army who died between 1914 and 1921 in the Afghan war and the First World War. Over 13 thousand soldiers’ names are inscribed into the stone of the gate making this a very moving place despite the busy location. Later we visit the Jama mosque built by emperor Shah Jahan and completed in 1656.  This is the best-known mosque in India and was built to hold 25 thousand worshippers in its courtyard. After we go to Raj Ghat the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi father of the nation.

Later transfer to airport to catch onward flight. (No accommodation in reserved for today)