Day 01 / Arrival Delhi Arrive Delhi, meet assist at the airport & transfer to hotel. Night stay in Delhi.
Day 02 / Delhi - Jaipur (By train Dep 0610 Hrs Arr 1040 Hrs ) Early morning pick up from hotel & transfer to railway station to board the superfast airconditioned train to Jaipur. Breakfast in the train. Arrive Jaipur and transfer to hotel. Later sight seeing tour of Jaipur covering :
excursion to Amber Fort. Elephant ride ascent to the fort.
AMBER FORT PALACE - Amber is the classic romantic Rajasthani fort palace. Its construction was started by Man Singh I in 1592, and completed by his descendent Jai Singh I. Its forbidding exterior belies an inner paradise where a beautiful fusion of Mughal and Hindu styles finds it's ultimate expression.
CITY PALACE - A delightful blend of Mughal and traditional Rajasthani architecture, the City Palace sprawls over one-seventh of the area in the walled city. It houses the Chandra Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum.
JANTAR MANTAR - This is the largest and the best preserved of the five observatories built by Jai Singh II in different parts of the country. This observatory consisting of outsized astronomical instruments is still in use.
HAWA MAHAL - The ornamental facade of this "Palace of Winds" is a prominent landmark in Jaipur. Their five-storey structures of sandstone plastered pink encrusted with fine trelliswork and elaborate balconies. The palace has 953 niches and windows. Built in 1799 by Pratap Singh, the Mahal was a royal grandstand for the palace women. Night stay in Jaipur.
Day 03 / Jaipur-Fatehpura - Agra (By Car Approx 05 Hrs) enroute visiting Fatehpur Sikri After breakfast drive to Agra enroute visiting Fatehpur Sikri-The deserted, red Sandstone City, Emperor Akbar built that as his capital and palace in the late 16th century is an exhilarating experience. It a veritable fairytale city and its "ruins" are in pristine condition ... it's not hard to imagine what the court life must have been like in the days of its grandeur. Also visit the Bulund Darwaza, the largest gateway in the world.On arrival in Agra visit TAJ MAHAL- Built by Shah Jahan, the Taj is a white marble memorial to 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.
AGRA FORT- Fort built in red sandstone with its magnificent palaces, halls of public and private audience and the beautiful gardens. This is where Emperor Shah Jahan was kept under house arrest by his third son Aurangzeb and spent the last year of his life viewing the Taj Mahal from across the river Jamuna. Night stay in Agra.
Day 04 / Agra - Haridwar ( By train Dep. 07:10 hrs. Arriv. 16:47 hrs. ) Morning transfer to railway station to board the train to Haridwar. On arrival in Haridwar meet assist at railway station and transfer to hotel. Evening visit Har-ki-Pauri (the footstep of God)- one of the most sacred ghats in India. People say that this ghat was built by Vikramaditya in memory of his brother Bhartrihari. This ghat is also known as Brahmakund. Later witness Aarti of the Holy River Ganges. Aarti is the beautiful ceremony in which deeyas (the oil lamps) are offered to God. Aarti can be done to a deity in the temple or it can be done to a saint. It is performed to God, in any manifestation, any form, by any name. The essence of the aarti ceremony is a time when we say "thank you," and we offer the light of our thanks, the light of our love and the light of our devotion. We realize that the small deeya is nothing compared to the divine light which shines on us all day. Night stay in Haridwar.
Day 05 / Haridwar - Rishikesh - Delhi ( By road ) Approx. 5 hrs. drive Morning after breakfast visit various temples including Pareshwar Mahadev Temple, Daksha Mahadev Temple and Mansa Devi Temple. Later drive to Rishikesh - also known as the 'place of sages', at the confluence of the Chandrabhaga and Ganga. It is believed that God by the name of 'Hrishikesh' had appeared as an answer to the hard penances by Rabhiya Rishi and henceforth the place derived its name. It is the starting point for the Char dham pilgrims but also for the people who are interested in meditation, yoga and other aspects of Hinduism.
In Rishikesh visit Laxman Jhula- a hanging bridge on the river Ganga is one of the most famous spot in Rishikesh. According to Indian mythology, Lakshman, the younger brother of Lord Rama crossed the Ganga with the help of hanging bridge made of Jute. The bridge offers a scenic view of the river Ganga as it tumbles down to Haridwar. Also visit Bharat Mandir - the oldest temple in Rishikesh, near the Triveni Ghat. This temple is dedicated to Bharat, the younger brother of Lord Ram. Later afternoon drive to Delhi & transfer to hotel. Night stay in Delhi. |