colours of central india

Day 01 Abroad Delhi On your arrival in Delhi you will be met by our representative and escorted to the HOTEL. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 02 Delhi In the morning Guests will be taken for a full day combined sightseeing tour of Old & New Delhi. OLD DELHI: An ancient heritage walled cityfamed for its red fort and delicious street food. Take a tour of Red Fort (visit depending upon security permission), the most magnificent Fort and Palace of the Mughal Empire.Also visit Raj Ghat, the memorial site of the Mahatma Gandhi. Visit Jama Masjid one of the greatest mosque in India and completed in 1658 by Shah Jahan who also built the Taj Mahal.Travel through the famous Chandni Chowk, the bustling and colourful market of the old city. On the way you also get the glimpses of government buildings of the British Era designed by Lutyens, including the famous India Gate & the Presidential Palace. Also visit two monuments from Delhi's past Humayun's Tomb and QutubMinar. Travel through the ceremonial avenue, Rajpath, past the stately India Gate and Parliament House. Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 03 Delhi - Agra In the morning after breakfast embark on a journey to Agra by road (200 Kms).On arrival check-in at HOTEL. Take an afternoon sightseeing city tour of Agra. AGRA CITY has a rich historical background. It is situated on the banks of river Yamuna. It is the medieval city of the famous 17th century marble mausoleum Taj Mahal, which of course is the most splendid of all buildings - perhaps the most perfect piece of architectural monument in the world. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Agra is not only famous for Taj Mahal but also for the remarkable Mughal Red Fort known as the Agra Fort. The story of the Mughal Empire in stone. Built by Emperor Akbar and successively supplemented with places and marble pavillions (Taj Mahal is closedevery Friday).Relax overnight at hotel.

Day 04 Agra - Gwalior In the morning after breakfast proceed on a journey to Gwalior by road, on arrival check-in at HOTEL. Take a sightseeing city tour of Gwalior in the afternoon. GWALIOR is at a distance 117 kms from Agra, which is also the city of pride for Rajputs. Here you may visit the Fort which houses an ancient temple and Gujri Mahal, now an archaeological museum, the sasbahu temple. Visit Jaivilas Palace and the tomb of Tansen - the court singer of Mughal Emperor Akbar. Rest overnight at hotel.

Day 05 Gwalior - Sonagiri - Datia - Orchha In the morning after breakfast travel to Orchhafrom Gwalior by surface transport, enroute visit Sonagiri and Datia. Continue ahead with your journey and arrive in Orchha. On arrival check-in at hotel. Afternoon sightseeing tour of Orchha. ORCHHA:The town was established by RudraPratap Singh some time after 1501, as the seat of an eponymous former princely state of central India, in the Bundelkhand region. The Bundela chief Raja RudraPratap (1501-31) chose an easily defended and beautiful site for his capital. Set on the island on a bend in the Betwa River, it is higher above the surrounding wooded countryside. Once capital of its own state, Orchha contains three palaces - The Raj Mahal, Rai Parveen Mahal, Jahangir Mahal - each built by successive Maharajas in a similar style and combining to form a compound as imposing as that at Udaipur. If you are interested you may also visit Ram Raja Temple &Chaturbhuj Temple. Proceed for an overnight at hotel.

Day 06 Orchha - Khajuraho In the morning leave Orchha and travel toKhajuraho by road (178 Kms).On arrival check-in at HOTEL. Take an afternoon city tour of Khajuraho. KHAJURAHO was a city Founded by the rulers of Chandela Dynastyin the 9th and 10th century, influenced by tantrism, in eroticism becomes a leitmotif of philosophical interest and the aim is rerouting of sexual relationship in the sexual act or "Maithun", women being regarded as the incarnation of the divine energy or "Shakti". It is also possible that the Khajuraho were influenced by "Kama Sutra". Here the temples which should be visited are the KandariyaMahadeo, the largest and most typical Khajuraho temple, it rises 31 mts. high. VisitChaunsat Yogini, the only temple made of granite and is the earliest surviving shrine of the group (900 A.D.). It is dedicated to Kali. Travel to Chitragupta temple, the temple dedicated to the Sun God : Surya. Also visit Vishwanath temple where three headed image of Brahma is enshrined and various other temples. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 07 Khajuraho - Bhopal In the morning start your journey from Khajuraho to Bhopal by road(383 Kms). On arrival check-in at HOTEL. Rest of the day at yourleisure. Overnight at hotel.

Day 08 Bhopal Enjoy a full day visit excursion tour of Sanchi & Udaygiri Caves. SANCHI – offers a scenic view of hill crowned by a group of stupa and pillars that represents the peak of perfection in Buddhist art and architectural modes. Stopover atthe great stupa No.1 the oldest stone structure in India, 36.5 mts in diameter and 16.4 mts high and with a massive hemispherical dome, the dome stands in its eternal majesty. This stupa has a paved procession path around it worn smooth by centuries of visiting devotees. You will always remember theFour gateways - Eastern, Western, Southern, Northern gateway; Stupa No.2, No.3 and the Ashoka Pillar. Also see the Buddhist Vihara, The great bowl - carved out of one block of stone, this mammoth bowl was carved to contain food that was distributed amid the monks of Sanchi. Also worth visiting are The Gupta temple and the museum. Visit UDAIGIRI CAVES. These caves Hewn from local sandstone in the Gupta period. In all there are 20 such caves. The finest cave no. 5 with a huge representation of Vishnu delivering the earth goddess Prithvi from the water demon, being watched by angels and demons. Proceed for overnight stay at hotel.

Day 09 Bhopal - Ujjain - Indore In the morning carry on with onward journey from Bhopal to Indore by surface (184 Kms), enroute visit Ujjain. UJJAIN is one of the seven holy cities of the Hindus.It is situated on the banks of river Khipra and is one of the most frequented pilgrimage centres in India. It is here the famous KumbhaMela is celebrated every twelve years. Kumbhmela is the most popular and sacred hindu pilgrimage. Continue ahead with your drive (45 Kms) to Indore. On arrival check-in at HOTEL. In the afternoon take a sightseeing tour of Indore. Overnight at hotel.

Day 10 Indore - Omkareshwar - Mandu Travel from Indore toMandu by road( 98 Kms), enroute visit Omkareshwar. OMKARESHWAR - A holy island, resembling the Hindu symbol 'OM' in shape.Omkareshwardraws thousands of devotees. It is here that the two rivers Narmada and Kaveri meet. Pilgrims gather at the confluence in large numbers to kneel and pay respect before the Jyotirlinga (one of the twelve throughout India) at the temple of Sri OmkarMandhata. After the visit travel to Mandu. On arrival check-in at a TOURIST COTTAGE. In the afternoon proceed for sightseeing tour of Mandu. MANDU was the favorite destination of EmperorJehagir. Emperor journeyed all the way from Delhi to spend time here. Heeven wrote, "I Know of no place so pleasant in climate and so pretty in scenery as Mandu during the rains". An exceptional example of Indo-Islamic architecture, Mandu is a romance in stone echoing blissful life and the love tales of poet-prince Baz Bahadur for the beautiful Rani Roopmati. The royal romance is still sung by the balladeers of Malwa. As legend goes Rani Rupmati's lyrical voice can still be heard across the Narmada. Mandu is situated at an altitude of 2000 ft.. It was originally the fort capital of the Parmar rulers of Malwa. It was at the end of the 13th century, that it became the pleasure resort of the Sultan of Malwa who renamed it Shadiabad or the City of Joy. It is enclosed by 45 kms. of parapets and walls. Its entry is through 12 gates, the most important among these being the Delhi Darwaza, the main entrance of this fortress city. Proceed for an overnight stay at hotel.

Day 11 Mandu - Aurangabad Leave Mandu and travel to Aurangabad by road ( 335Kms). On arrival check-in at HOTEL. Rest of the day at leisure. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 12 Aurangabad In Aurangabad enjoy a full day visit of world famed Ajanta Caves. AJANTA CAVES: 109 kms, North East of Aurangabad. These caves were discovered by the British manouvering troops in 1819. These caves consists of 24 monasteries and 5 temples some of which even date back to 200 centuries. The story of Lord Buddha is portrayed in the murals with remarkable vividity. (Closed on Monday) Proceed for an overnight stay at hotel.

Day 13 Aurangabad - Mumbai In the morning visit Ellora Caves. ELLORA CAVES: 29 kms North West of Aurangabad lies the West facing caves. These are the rock cut monastery caves. Best time to visit these caves is in the afternoon. These caves are an impressive complex of Buddhism (cave 1 to 12), Hinduism (cave 13 to 29) and Jainism (cave 30 to 34) cave Temples. (Closed on Tuesday). Proceed to airport in time to connect flight for Mumbai. Representative is there to assist on arrival. (no accommodation envisaged)

Day 14 Mumbai - Abroad Carry on with your journey and get transferred to the International airport in time to connect your onward flight.