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The Heritage Rajasthan
Arrive Delhi, meet assist at the airport and transfer to
hotel. Night stay in Delhi
After breakfast proceed for sightseeing tour of Old &
New Delhi:
OLD DELHI - A sight-seeing tour of Old Delhi would
entail visiting the Raj Ghat - the memorial site where
Mahatma Gandhi was cremated; Jama Masjid - the largest
mosque in India .
NEW DELHI - An extensive sight-seeing tour of New Delhi
would include a visit to the Humayun's Tomb, the Qutub
Minar, a drive along the ceremonial avenue - Rajpath,
past the imposing India Gate, Parliament House, the
President's Residence and would end with a drive through
the Diplomatic Enclave. Night stay in Delhi.
Morning drive to Agra, on arrival transfer to hotel.
Later proceed for city sight seeing tour visiting the
world famous Taj Mahal, built by the Mughal Emperor
Shahjehan in 1630 for his queen Mumtaz Mahal to enshrine
her mortal remains. Also visit Agra Fort, containing the
Pearl Mosque - 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-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. Also visit Itmad-up-Dau’s tomb, built
by Noorjehan in memory of her father. Night stay in
Agra.
Morning drive to Ranthambhore-famous for the wildlife
sanctuary which is said to have the India’s friendliest
Tigers and also considered to be the best place in the
world to photograph the tiger in its natural habitat,
also a wonderful place for bird watching enroute
visiting Fatehpur Sikri-a perfectly preserved red
sandstone “ghost town” which was the estranged capital
of mughal emperor Akbar, built in 1569 and deserted when
its water supply failed. Arrive Ranthambhore & transfer
to hotel. Night stay in Ranthambhore.
Early morning 3 hrs Jungle safari in a Canter (a vehicle
which is open on the top) enjoy the game viewing in the
national park and back to the hotel. After lunch second
visit to jungle and enjoy the game viewing. Night stay
in Ranthambhore.
Early morning visit the jungle in search of tiger. Later
after breakfast drive to Jaipur. On arrival transfer to
hotel. Evening free to explore the city. Night stay in
Jaipur.
Morning 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.
Continue sight-seeing.
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.
After breakfast drive to Pushkar, Pushkar boasts
temples, though few are as ancient as you might expect
at such an important pilgrimage site, since many were
deserted by Aurangzeb and subsequently rebuilt. The most
famous is the Brahma Temple, said to be one of the few
temples in the world dedicated to this deity. It's
marked by red spire, and over the entrance gateway is
the hans, or goose symbol, of Brahma, who is said to
have personally chosen Pushkar as its site. Night stay
in Pushkar.
Morning drive to Udaipur- an oasis in the desert state
of Rajasthan. Arrive Udaipur and transfer to hotel.
Night stay in Udaipur.
Morning city sight seeing tour of Udaipur. The city is
built in 1559 A.D. by Maharaja Udai Singh and has been
described as the most romantic spot on the continent of
India by Col. James Todd. Visit the City Palace museum.
TheCity Palace, one of the largest palaces in the world,
can be approached through the Bari Pol or the Great Gate
(1600) with the royal drums and then onto the Tripolia
Gate (1725). The Tripolia is a triple gate made of
marble arches. Between these two gates are eight carved
toranas or archways under which the maharanas were
weighed against gold and silver which was later
distributed to the poor subjects. Popular entertainment
like elephant fights took place in the court beyond the
Tripolia Gate. Also visit Jagdish temple. Maharana Jagat
Singh built this temple between 1628-1653 at a whopping
cost of Rs 1.5 million. The temple, dedicated to Lord
Jagannath, is at a great height and can be approached by
a long flight of stairs. The interior of the temple has
exquisite carvings and is supplemented with prominent
friezes. The temple has several smaller shrines in four
corners of it that are dedicated to Lord Ganesh, Shiva,
the Sun God and Goddess Shakti. A Sanskrit inscription
in the porch written by Krishna Bhatt in the year
1651gives a detailed history of the reign of Maharana
Jagat Singh.
Later visit Saheliyon ki Bari- the Garden of Royal
Ladies .Saheliyon ki Bari lies just beneath the Fateh
Sagar Lake. Maharana Sangram Singh II designed this
garden in the early 18th century purely as a pleasure
garden and a summer palace for the 48 young maids that
formed a part of the prince’s dowry. It is also said
that the garden was presented as a peace offering from
the Emperor of Delhi. Inside the garden is a reservoir
surrounded by four black marbled cenotaphs in its four
corners and one white marbled one in the centre. The
terraces of these cenotaphs have water fountains shaped
like birds from whose beaks water gushes out in thin
sprays like the singing rain – producing a wonderful
sight. The Maharanas entertained themselves around the
four ornamental pools and the five fountains. These
fountains were imported from England in 1889. Maharana
Bhopal Singh specially was very fond of this place and
built a rain fountain, so that it looked like rain
dancing on the dancing maids. Also visit Bhartiya Lok
Kala Mandir ( Folk art museum) and the Pratap Memorial.
Rest of the day at leisure. Night stay in Udaipur.
After breakfast drive to Mt. Abu enroute visiting the
Jain temples at Ranakpur, superbly preserved in a
near-perfect condition for over 500 years. The most
attractive features are the 29 halls of the temple,
which have 1444 pillars of which no two are like. On
arrival transfer to hotel. Night stay in Mount Abu.
Morning visit world famous Dilwara Jain Temple, Nikki
Lake, Brahmin Kumari Ashram etc.
Dilwara Temple:
These remarkable Jain temples are Mount Abu's main
attraction and among the finest examples includes two
temples in which the art of carving marble reached
unsurpassed heights. The older of the temples is the '
Vimal Vasahi ', built in 1031 and dedicated to the first
tirthankar, Adinath. In the front of the temple stands
the ' House of Elephants ', with figures of elephants
marching in procession to the temple entrance. The later
' Tejpal temple ' is dedicated to Neminath, the 22nd
tirthankar, and was built in 1230 by the brothers Tejpal
and Vastupal. The carving is so fine that, in places,
the marble becomes almost transparent.
Nakki Lake:
Nakki Lake is virtually in the heart of Mount Abu and is
a big attraction with tourists. The lake takes its name
from the legend that it was scooped out by a god, using
only his nails, or nakh. It's a pleasant stroll around
the lake - look for the strange rock formations. On the
lake there is a dilapidated concrete boat-shaped snack
bar.
Night stay in Mount Abu.
After breakfast drive to Jodhpur. On arrival transfer to
hotel. Night stay in Jodhpur.
After a relaxed breakfast proceed for city sight seeing
tour of Jodhpur. Jodhpur - the stronghold of the fierce
Rathore clan, was founded in 1459 by Prince Jodha. Visit
the Mehrangarh Fort, situated on a low sandstone hill.
Within the fort, visit Moti Mahal and Phool Mahal. Also
visit Jaswant Thada, an imposing marble cenotaph, built
in memory of Maharaja Jaswant singh II around 1899 and
Umaid Public gardens. Night stay in Jodhpur.
Morning drive to Jaisalmer, on arrival transfer to
hotel. Evening at leisure. Night stay in Jaisalmer.
Morning city sightseeing tour of Jaisalmer. Throbbing in
the heart of the Thar, the burnished sandstone, is an
intricately molded wonderland in place of a barren land,
today stands a city of gilded magic. The origins of
Jaisalmer go back to the 12th century, when Rawal Jaisal
abandoned his old fort at Ludarwa and laid the
foundation of a new city. Visit the magnificient fort,
the Patwon Ki Haveli ( Mansion) and Salim singh Ki
Haveli, with their carved balconies and brackets which
are supreme examples of the art. Evening camel ride to
visit Sam Dunes. Night stay in Jaisalmer.
Morning drive to Bikaner. On arrival transfer to the
hotel. Later city sight seeing tour. Bikaner is named
after its founder Rao Bikaji in 1488. But long before
this, the city was trade center on the caravan routes
from Africa and West Asia. Bikaner’s dominant features
are rippling sands and abundant sunshine. The city
stands on an elevation, enclosed by a 7 Kms wall, which
can be entered from 5 gate. Bikaner City is bolstered by
imposing walls and has a 16th century fort housing old
palaces, temples and mosque. Founded by Raja Rai Singh
the fort is distinguished by its long range of 37
pavilions, a line of balconies and aerial windows of
varying designs. Also visit Lallgarh Palace, the museum,
Bhanda Sagar Jain and Deshnoke Rat temple. Night stay in
Bikaner.
Morning drive to Mandawa, on arrival transfer to the
hotel. Later visit Mandawa, founded 1755 by Thakur Nawal
Singh and still the home of his descendants, has
beautiful frescoes, havelis and mansions. Mandawa castle
one of the finest castles of Rajasthan, is now a hotel
and house of collection of armories, costumes of
ancestors, canons from 1820 ancient coins, numismatic
collection and many other interesting items, preserved
in a museum. Night stay in Mandawa.
Morning drive to Delhi and transfer to airport for
onward journey.
Cost per person on twin sharing for minimum two person traveling.
>>18 nights accomodation as per the itinerary with daily
breakfast.
>>Surface Travel by exclusive airconditioned car.
>>All transfers & sightseeing as per the itinerary.
>>Local english speaking guides.
>>Elephant ride in Jaipur (Subject to availability),
Jungle safari by canter, Boat ride in Udaipur, Camel
ride in Jaisalmer.
>>All taxes, driver allowances, Parking etc.
>>Entrance fee to monuments.
>>Any airfare
>>Tips, laundry.
>>Any item not shown in Cost Includes. |
