CENTRAL INDIA TOUR (15 DAYS)

CITY INFO : DELHI || AGRA || GWALIOR || BHOPAL || INDORE || AURANGABAD || MUMBAI
 

Day 01 ARRIVE DELHI
Welcome and garlanding on arrival and Transfer to Hotel.
Overnight at Hotel

DAY 02 DELHI
Morning : Proceed for tour to Old Delhi. Visiting, Red Fort - The old walled city from Mughal India, the chief attraction is the huge fort that contains within it palaces and impressive public buildings. Chandni Chowk - The main street of Old Delhi is the colourful shopping bazaar known as Chandni Chowk. Jama Masjid - The great mosque of Old Delhi is both the largest in India and the final architectural extravagance of Shah Jahan. Raj Ghat - On the banks of the Yamuna river, a simple square platform of black marble marks the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated following his assassination in 1948.

Afternoon : Continue to visit New Delhi, Rajpath - The Kingsway is another focus of New Delhi. It is immensely broad and is flanked on either side by Ornamental ponds. India Gate - This 42 mtr high stone arch of triumph stands at the eastern end of the Rajpath. It bears the names of 85,000 Indian Army soldiers who died in the campaigns of WWI and Afghan fiasco in 1919 Rashtrapati Bhawan - The official residence of the President of India stands at the opposite end of the Rajpath from India Gate. Humayun's Tomb - Built in the mid - 16 th century by Haji Begum, senior wife of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, this is an early example of Mughal architecture. Qutab Munar - This is a soaring tower of victory which was started in 1193, immediately after the defeat of the last Hindu kingdom in Delhi. It is nearly 73 mtr high and tapers from a 15 mtr diameter base to just 2.5 mtr at the top.
Overnight at Hotel.

Day 03 DELHI - AGRA
Morning : Drive to Agra (205 kms. / approx. 05 hrs.), enroute visiting FATEHPUR SIKRI.
FATEHPUR SIKRI - the deserted city of sandstone built by the emperor AKBAR. Built by Akbar, it is the most perfectly preserved and complete Mughal palace city of all. Although only ruined walls remain of the town, the magnificent palace complex still stands, the elaborately carved red sandstone almost as it was 400 years ago.
Upon arrival at Agra, check-in at Hotel.

Afternoon : Sightseeing tour of Agra, visiting TAJ MAHAL [ built by Shah Jehan for his queen Mumtaj Mahal ], perhaps the most perfect architectural monument in the World & the construction of Taj Mahal believed to have taken 22 Years to complete with over 20,000 craftsmen working round the clock. AGRA FORT, where you can ramble around the somewhat unkempt high walls and wide moat, up and down staircases and through the palace rooms. From the fine Musamman Burj (octagonal Tower) there is a wonderful view of the Taj Mahal. Also visit a Marble Factory to see the intricate work of Gems, precious stones in Marble, etc.
Overnight at Hotel.

Day 04 AGRA - GWALIOR
Morning : Drive to Gwalior, 120 kms / approx 03 hrs.
Upon arrival in Gwalior, check-in at Hotel.

Afternoon : Sightseeing tour of Gwalior city, visiting, Fort - Rising 100m above the town, the fort hill is about three km in length. Its width varies from nearly a km to less than 200 m. The walls, which encircle almost the entire hilltop, are 10m high and imposingly solid. Man Singh Palace - The palace, a delightfully whimsical building, is also known as the Chit Mandir or Painted Palace because of the tiled and painted decorations of ducks, elephants and peacocks. Painted blue, with hints of green and gold, it still looks very good today.
Overnight at Hotel.


Day 05 GWALIOR / ORCHHA
Morning : Drive to Orccha 120 kms / approx. 04 hrs.
Upon arrival at Orccha, check-in at Hotel.

Afternoon : Sightseeing tour of the city, visiting, Jahangir Mahal - Is of impressive size and there are good views of the countryside from the upper levels. There's a small archaeological museum on the ground floor. Dinman Hardaul's Palace - Is also interesting, as is his story. The son of Bir Singh Deo, he committed suicide to 'prove his innocence' over an affair with his brother's wife, and has achieved the status of a local god through his martyrdom. Temples - Orchha's impressive temples date back to the 17th century. They're still in use today and are visited regularly by thousands of devotees.Ram Raja Temple with its soaring spires. It was turned into a temple when an image of Rama, temporarily installed, proved impossible to move but now it is in Chaturbhuj Temple where it is hidden behind silver doors.
Overnight at Hotel.


Day 06 ORCHHA / BHOPAL
Morning : Transfer to Jhansi railway station 18 kms from Orchha, to connect train 2002, Shatabdi Express to Bhopal :
Depart Jhansi 10h32
Arrival Bhopal 14h10
Meet upon arrival at Bhopal railway station and transfer to the Hotel.
Rest of the day free for independent activities.
Overnight at Hotel.


Day 07 BHOPAL / Bhimbetka / Sanchi / BHOPAL
Morning : Excursion to SANCHI - 46 kms north of Bhopal, Sanchi is topped by some of the oldest and most interesting Buddhist structures in India. Although this site had no direct connection with the life of Buddha, it was the great Emperor Ashoka, Buddhism's most famous convert, who built the first stupas here in the 3rd century BC. As Buddhism was gradually absorbed back into Hinduism in its land of origin, the site decayed and was eventually completely forgotten. In 1818 a British officer rediscovered the site, but in the following years amateur archaeologists and greedy treasure hunters did immense damage to Sanchi before a proper restoration was commenced in 1881.

Afternoon : Excursion to BHIMBETKA - Like theAboriginal rock paintings in the outback of Australia, the Bhimbetka caves are a must. Among forests of teak and sal in the craggy cliffs of an almost African setting 45 kms south of Bhopal, some 1000 rock shelters have been discovered. Almost half contain ancient paintings depicting the life and times of the different people who lived here. Because of the natural red and white pigments which the painters used, the colours have been remarkably well preserved and it's obvious in certain caves that the same surface has been used by different people at different times.
Overnight at Hotel.

Day 08 BHOPAL - INDORE
Morning : Drive to Indore 265 kms / approx 6 hrs.
Upon arrival in Indore, check-in at Hotel.
Afternoon : Free for the own activities.
Overnight at Hotel.


Day 09 INDORE - Ujjain - Mandu - INDORE
Morning : Excursion to UJJAIN - 56 kms from Indore, ancient Ujjain is one of India's holiest cities for Hindus. It gets its sanctity from a mythological tale about the churning of the oceans by the gods and demons in search of the nectar of immortality. When the coveted vessel of nectar was finally found, there followed a mad scramble across the skies with the demons pursuing the gods in an attempt to take the nectar from them. Four drops were split and they fell at Haridwar, Nasik, Ujjain and Prayag. As result, Ujjain is one of the sites of the Kumbh Mela, which takes place here every 12 years. Despite its relative obscurity today, Ujjain ranks equal as a great religious center with such places as Varanasi and Gaya. Ujjain really comes alive during festival time, but the devotional vibe makes it a pleasant town year-round

Afternoon : Excursion to MANDU - The extensive and now mainly deserted hilltop fort of Mandu is one of the most interesting sights in central India. It's on an isolated outcrop separated from the tableland to the north by a deep and wide valley, over which a natural causeway runs to the main city gate. To the south of Mandu the land drops steeply away to the plain far below and the view is superb. Deep ravines cut into the sides of the 20 sq kms plateau occupied by the fort.
Overnight at Hotel.


Day 10 INDORE / AURANGABAD
Morning : Drive to Aurangabad, 380 kms / approx 08 hrs . Upon arrival check-in at Hotel.
Rest of the day free for the own activities.
Overnight at Hotel.


Day 11 AURANGABAD - ELLORA - AURANGABAD
Morning : Excursion to the ELLORA CAVES - The world-heritage listed cave temples of Ellora, about 30 km from Aurangabad, are the culmination of Deccan rock-cut architecture. In all there are 34 caves at Ellora - 12 Buddhist (600-800 AD), 17 Hindu (600-900 AD) and five Jain (800-1000 AD). The southernmost 12 caves are all Buddhist viharas, except cave 10 which is a chaitya. While the earliest caves are quite simple.

Afternoon : Drive back to Aurangabad. Enroute visitng DAULATABAD FORT - The fort is surrounded by five km of sturdy walls, while the central bastion tops a 200m high hill, which was originally known as Devagiri, the Hill of the Gods. In the 14th century it was renamed Daulatabad the City of Fortune, by Mohammed Tughlaq. This some what unbalanced Sultan of Delhi conceived the crazy plan of not only building himself a new capital here, but marching the entire population of Delhi 1100 km south of populate it and 17 years later he turned round and marched them all back to Delhi. The fort remained.
Overnight at Hotel.

Day 12 AURANGABAD - AJANTA - AURANGABAD
Morning : Excursion to AJANTA CAVES - The Buddhist caves of Ajanta - 166 km north-east of Aurangabad, date from around 200 BC to 650 AD. As Ellora developed and Buddhism gradually declined, the Ajanta Caves were abandoned and gradually forgotten. But in 1819 a British hunting party stumbled upon them, and their remote beauty was soon unveiled. Their isolation contributed to the fine state of preservation in which some of their remarkable paintings remain to this day. Ajanta is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Afternoon : Drive back to Aurangabad.
Overnight at Hotel.


Day 13 AURANGABAD - MUMBAI
Morning : Transfer to the Airport to connect flight to Mumbai.
Upon arrival in Mumbai, transfer to the Hotel.
Afternoon : Free for the own activities.
Overnight at Hotel.


Day 14 MUMBAI
Morning : Excursion to ELEPHANTA ISLAND - The rock-cut temples on Elephanta Island are Mumbai's major attraction. They are thought to have been created between 450 and 750, when the island was known as Gharapuri, the Fortress City. The Portuguese renamed it Elephanta because of a large stone elephant near the shore.

Afternoon : City tour to Mumbai - Mumbai is an island connected by bridges to the mainland. The southernmost peninsula is known as Colaba and this is where most travelers gravitate since it has a city's best known landmark, THE GATEWAY OF INDIA. Further west is Marine Drive, which sweeps around Back Bay, connecting the high-rise modern business center of Nariman Point with Chowpatty Beach.
Overnight at Hotel.


Day 15 DEPART BOMBAY
Morning : Transfer to Airport to connect flight for onward destination.