Classical North India Tour

After Breakfast Checkout From Hotel And Proceed For 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 Qutub Minar - Built In Red Sandstone, This Tower Sports The Inscriptions Of Verses Of Holy Quran And Some Intricate Carvings. We Can Also See The Ruins Of The Embattlements Of The City Called 'Siri' Here. It Was Established In 1303 Ad By Ala-Ud-Din, Who Dug A Vast Reservoir In Hauz Khas To Supply Water To His City. Though Nothing Much Of The City Remains To Be Seen, It Has Been Described By The Contemporary Historians As The 'Envy Of Baghdad, The Rival Of Cairo And Equal To Constantinople'. Besides These, One Can Also See The Tomb Of Adham Khan And Zafar Mahal Within Qutub Complex And The Tomb Of Jamali-Kamali Behind, Government Buildings, President'S House, Rajpath, Past The Imposing India Gate -Was Built By Edwin Lutyens To Pay Homage To The Indian Soldiers Who Died In The World War I And The Afgan War. Closely Looking At The Walls Of India Gate Would Let You Know The Names Of 90,000 Soldiers Who Died During The World War I, The Afgan War And The North-West Frontier Operations. The Structure Was Finally Completed In The Year 1931. India Gate Was Originally Called The All India War Memorial., Laxmi Narayan Temple Also Known As Birla Temple - One Of The Landmarks In The Nation’s Capital New Delhi. It Was Built In The 20Th Century By The Birla Family Of Industrialists Known For Its Many Other Temples In India. It Is Modern In Concept And Construction. It Attracts Several Devotees And International Tourists. The Presiding Deity Here Is Lakshmi Narayan (Vishnu). Later Drive To Jaipur . Late Evening Arrive Jaipur & Transfer To Hotel . Night Stay In Jaipur.

After Early Breakfast Proceed For Excursion To Amber Fort In The Outskirts Of Jaipur. 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 Descendant Jai Singh I. It's Forbidding Exterior Belies An Inner Paradise Where A Beautiful Fusion Of Mughal And Hindu Styles Finds It's Ultimate Expression. Later City Sightseeing Tour Of Jaipur Covering.
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 Out sized Astronomical Instruments Is Still In Use.
Hawa Mahal - The Ornamental Facade Of This "Palace Of Winds" Is A Prominent Landmark In Jaipur. Its Five-Storey Structure Of Sandstone Plastered Pink Encrusted With Fine Trellis work 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. Visit A Rug Factory And See The Ladies At The Intricate Work Or A Gem Factory And See The Gem Cutting And Polishing Process.Later Drive To Agra. Late Evening Arrive Agra & Transfer To Hotel . Night Stay In Agra.

After Breakfast 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. A Ride On Tonga Upto Taj Is Sheer Fun And Frolic All Through. Also Visit The 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. Afternoon Drive To Orchha. Arrive Orchha & Transfer To Hotel. Night Stay In Orchha.

After Breakfast Proceed For City Sightseeing Tour Of Orchha This Historical Site With Magnificent Temples And Monuments. Some Of The Palaces Were Decorated With Painted Murals Which Represent The Finest Flowering Of The Bundela School Of Painting .Later Drive To Khajuraho : 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. Arrive Khajuraho And Visit Western Group Of Temples.
Kandariya Mahadeo: This Is The Largest, And Most Typical Khajuraho Temple. Dedicated To Lord Shiva, It Soars 31 M High. The Sanctum Enshrines A Lingam, While The Main Shrine Is Ornately Carved And Depicts Various Gods, Goddesses, Apsaras (Heavenly Maidens) In Elaborate Detail. Chaunsat Yogini: The Oldest Surviving Temple In The Group (900 A.D.), This Is The Sole Granite Temple Dedicated To Goddess Kali. Another Kali Temple, Which Was Originally Dedicated To Lord Vishnu, Is The Devi Jagdambe Temple. Chitragupta Temple: Dedicated To The Sun-God, Surya, This Temple Faces Eastwards To The Rising Sun. Vishwanath Temple: The Temple Enshrines A Three-Headed Image Of Lord Brahma. Lions Guard The Northern Entrance To The Structure, While Elephants Flank The Southern Flight Of Steps That Lead Upto It. A Nandi Bull Faces The Shrine. Lakshamana Temple: The Lintel Over The Entrance Of This Temple Dedicated To Lord Vishnu, Shows The Holy Trinity Of Brahma, Vishnu And Shiva With Goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu's Consort. The Sanctum Is Adorned With A Three-Headed Idol Of Vishnu's Incarnations, Narasimha And Varaha. Matangeshwara Temple: This Temple, Which Happens To Be Outside The Precincts Of The Western Group, Is Dedicated To Lord Shiva. It Boasts Of An Eight Feet High Lingam. Later Transfer To Hotel . Night Stay In Khajuraho.

After Breakfast Proceed For Half day City Sightseeing Tour Of Khajuraho Covering Eastern Group Of Temples -
Parsavanatha Temple: The Largest In The Group Of Three Jain Temples, The Parsavanath Image In This Temple, Was Installed In 1860. Ghantai Temple: This Jain Temple Has A Frieze Depicting The 16 Dreams Of Mahavira'S Mother, And A Jain Goddess Perched On A Winged Garuda. Adinatha Temple: The Last Of The Jain Temples, Is Dedicated To The Jain Saint, Adinatha, And Is Gorgeously Adorned With Sculptures Of Yakshis Among Others. The Three Hindu Temples In This Group Are The Brahma Temple, Which Has A Four-Faced Lingam, The Vamana Temple Which Is Embellished With Images Of Ravishing Apsaras At Their Alluring Best; And Finally The Javari Temple, With Its Ornate Gateway And Lavish Carvings. Afternoon Transfer To Airport To Board 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. Evening View "Aarti" Ceremony On The Ghats. Night Stay In 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 The Place Where Buddha Chose To Deliver His First Sermon. The Celebrated Mantra, 'Buddham Sharanam Gachhami', Owes Its Origin To Sarnath. On The Day Before His Death Buddha Included Sarnath Along With Lumbini, Bodh Gaya And Kushinagar As The Four Places He Thought To Be Sacred To His Followers. It Makes Sarnath One Of The Most Venerated Buddhist Places. Besides Buddhism, Sarnath Is Also Connected With Jainism. There Are Many Buddhist Monuments And Edifices In Sarnath. Some Of The Important Buddhist Monuments At Sarnath Are The Dhamekha Stupa, The Chaukhandi Stupa And Monasteries And Temples Of Different Schools Of Buddhism From Japan, China, Thailand, Burma And Others. The Indian Buddhist Society Called Mahabodhi Society Maintains A Park Around The Buddha Temple. The Mahabodhi Temple Within The Park Has A Tooth Relic Of The Buddha.There Is Also A Vast Expanse Of Ancient Ruins At Sarnath. Several Buddhist Structures Were Raised At Sarnath Between The 3Rd Century Bc And The 11Th Century Ad, And Today It Presents The Most Expansive Ruins Amongst Places On The Buddhist Trail. The Ashoka Pillar Of Sarnath Is The National Emblem Of India. Also Visit The Deer Park And The Museum, And Later Transfer To Varanasi Airport To Board The The Flight To Delhi To Connect The Onward Flight.