central & deccan india

Day 01 Abroad - Delhi Upon your arrival in Delhi our representative will meet you and transfer you to the hotel. Check In at the hotel. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 02 Delhi - Bhopal Morning wake up to be followed by your transfer to the railway station for train to Bhopal. On arriving in Bhopal you would be welcomed by our representative and transferred to the hotel. Bhopal is capital city of Madhya Pradesh state. It exhibits a rich amalgam of scenic beauty, historicity and modern urban planning. It is located on the site of 11th century city, Bhojapal, founded by Raja Bhoja. Bhopal today exhibits a multi-faceted profile. The old city with its teeming market places and fine old mosques and palaces still bear the aristocratic style of its former rulers. Among them in succession were the powerful Begums who ruled Bhopal from 1819 to 1926. Equally impressive and dabulous is the new city with its lush green, exquisitely laid out parks and gardens, broad streets and streamlined modern structures. Take the tour of the famed the Taj-ul-Masjid, Jama Masjid, Moti Masjid, Lakshmi Narayan temple, Bharat Bhawan, SadarManzil. Rest overnight at hotel.

Day 03 Bhopal - Sanchi - Udaigiri - Bhopal Get ready in the morning for an excursion tour to Sanchi (46 kms). Crowning the hilltop of Sanchi nearly 91 meters in height, a group of Buddhist monuments exhibit a charming view even from a distance. The place is just not famous for having the most perfect and well-conserved stupas but also for its contribution in a wide and educative field for the study of the genesis, efflorescence and decay of Buddhist art and architecture for a period of about thirteen hundred years, from 3rd century B.C. to 12th century A.D., almost covering the whole range of Indian Buddhism. The great Emperor Ashokabuilt the first of the stupas here in the 3rd century BC and a great number of stupas and other religious structures were added over the period of time in the coming centuries. In the afternoon take a journey to Udaigiri (13 kms from Sanchi) – famous for its Jain and Hindu caves. The Cave number 20 isworth a visit because of its unique feature of providing entrance from ground level. Afterwards return to Bhopal for anovernight stay at hotel.

Day 04 Bhopal - Ujjain - Indore After getting up in the morning drive to Indore (197 kms) enroute visit Ujjain. Ujjain is one of the seven holiest and sacred cities of the Hindus. The Mahakaleshwar Temple is a recent restoration in the traditional central Indian style. It has a curved superstructure, ornamented with tower like motifs on all sides that rise above projecting colonnaded porches. Mughal screens and pavilions are pooled with marbled colonnades that lead your way to the sanctuary. You will also be made to visit the Jai Singh Observatory which was the place where scientific mathematical astronomy was first incepted, and the meridian was fixed here for the purpose of astronomical calculations. Also take a tour of theChowisKhambaDarwaza (11th century), a colossal ancient gateway with pillars of engraved black stone. From here you continue ahead with your journey to Indore.On arrival check-in at hotel. Stay overnight at hotel.

Day 05 Indore - Mandu Indore is a city in the west central India. It is the fourth largest textile hub. Indore city is famous for the 7-story Rajwada Palace and the Lal Baag Palace built by the Holkar Dynasty. They present a wonderful architectural blend of East & West. Its exterior resembles an Italian villa and most of the interior resembles Versaille. The Holkar dynasty were given to rule Indore in 1733 by the Maratha Peshwar for whom they had fought. Indore has a beautiful temple which is called the Glass temple. This temple was built from 1882 to 1922. Every inch of its surface is ornamented with mother of Pearl and Italien cut-glass. Thereafter carry on with drive to Mandu (100 kms). Upon arrival, check-in at hotel. Mandu is one of the most fascinating sites of Central India. Located at edge along the Vindhya ranges at a height of 2,000 feet, Mandu, with its natural defenses, was originally the fort capital of the Parmar rulers of Malwa. By the end of the 13th century, it came under the rule of the Sultans of Malwa, the first of whom renamed it Shadiabad - 'city of joy'. Indeed the pervading spirit of Mandu was of gaiety. Its rulers built beautiful palaces, ornamental canals, baths and pavilions, as elegant and refined as those times of peace and plenty. Spend the remainingtime exploring this isolated town, dotted with stylish mosques and palaces and famed for the romance between Baz Bahadur and Rupmati. Proceed to the hotel. Relax overnight at hotel.

Day 06 Mandu - Aurangabad Wake up in the morning. Get ready to take a drive to Aurangabad. Travel to Aurangabad (340 kms). On reaching Aurangabad, check-in at hotel. Stay overnight at hotel.

Day 07 Aurangabad In the morning embark on a full day excursion to Ajanta caves (100 kms.). Located in an inner fold of the Sahyadri hills, 100 kms away from Aurangabad are the 30 rock-cut caves of Ajanta, well known in the world for its cave painting or frescoes of many colors. These wonderful rock-cut caves, date from 2nd BC to 7th Century AD. They are entirely Buddhist; unique in the way they combine three forms of art - architecture, sculpture and painting. The fascinating frescoes and paintings portray episodes from the Jataka stories and the life of Lord Buddha. Caves 1,2,16 and 17 have the best-preserved paintings. The marvellous depictions of the bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Padmapanin are particularly well known. Stay overnight at hotel.

Day 08 Aurangabad - Mumbai In the morning travel to the Ellora Caves (30 kms) from Aurangabad lie the finest rock cut cave temples of Ellora - 10th & 11th century, which comprises the three religion Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Of the 34 caves that are both monasteries and temples, the most dsitictive is the magnificent Kailasa temple. The whole structure was carved out of a monolith and took over 100 years to complete. The temple itself is ornamented with themes and incidents from the ancient legends and puranas in a manner that leaves one in ecstatic delight. In the afternoon transfer to the airport for flight to Mumbai. On arriving in Mumbai the guests will be received by our representative and transferred to the hotel. Relaxovernight at hotel.

Day 09 Mumbai - Hyderabad In the morning guest will be transferred to the airport to catch flight to Hyderabad. On arrival, you will be met by our representative & escorted to the hotel. Set on sightseeing tour of Hyderabad in the afternoon. The places of interest include Charminar (the arch of triumph), a monumental landmark of the city with 180ft tall minarets. Visit the famous Mecca mosque built in 1964 all in stone with a congregation capacity of 10000. Visit theSalarjung Museum, which exhibits one of the finest collection of the various treasures. Proceed to the hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 10 Hyderabad - Kurnool In the morning go to seethe Golconda fort which is one of the historic fortresses of Hyderabad, founded originally by the Kakatiyas in the year 1140. Golconda was renovated into a massive fort of granite with walls and ramparts extending to a length of 5 km in circumference by the QutubShahi kings. It provides an interesting insight into both its fort and the royal tombs, which exhibits the third and final phase of the Deccan style of Islamic architecture. The fortress city within the walls was renowned for the diamond trade and is said to been the origin of the famous Koh-i-noor diamond. The historic fort is situated 11kms west of the city of Hyderabad. In the afternoon travel to Kurnool (210 kms). On arriving in Kurnool, check-into the hotel. Kurnool is a city and the headquarters of Kurnool district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.Kurnool - In 12th century AD, the Odders, who transferred stones on carts for the construction of the temple Alampur, used the site on which the town now stands as a resting place before crossing the Tungabhadra and greased their cart wheels with oil locally provided by some of the oil mongers, and called the place 'Kandanavolu' (Town of grease) which in course of time came to be known as Kurnool. Stay overnight at hotel.

Day 11 Kurnool - Hospet In the morning get ready for a drive to Hospet (197 kms) en route visit Alampur. Alampur (27 kms from Kurnool), well-known as the western gate of Srisailam temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is one of the most revered "Shaivite" centers in Andhra Pradesh. Built in the KadambaChalukyan style, the two groups of temples, called Brahmeswara and Papanatham temples, are located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River on either side of Alampur village. It is most sought after paradise for tourists interested in archeological studies. Continue ahead with drive to Hospet and check-in at hotel. Relax overnight at hotel.

Day 12 Hospet - Hampi - Hospet Take a full day sightseeing excursion to Hampi. Hampi - A world heritage centre, Hampi is the most exotic and evocative of all the ruins in Karnataka. The erstwhile capital of Vijayanagara kingdom, Hampi is full of pleasant surprises. One such surprise is the King's balance where kings were weighed against grain, gold or money, which was then distributed among the poor. The Queen's bath a structure arched corridors, projecting balconies and the lotusshaped fountains that once sprayed perfumed water, the two storied Lotus Mahal with recessed archways, the huge Elephant stables. The enchantingVithala temple with its musical pillars and the stone chariot, the Virupaksha temple - still used for worship and many other interesting sites that are still being excavated. Travel back toHospet. Relax overnight at hotel.

Day 13 Hospet - Badami In the morning after breakfast take a journey to Badami (166 kms) enroute visiting Aihole&Pattadakal. Pattadakal has 10 major temples representing early Chaalukyan architecture. It is situated on the banks of the river Malaprabha and used to be the place where the Chalukyan Kings (7 to 9 century) were crowned. The oldest among the temple in this group is the Sanghmeshwara. The pillars of Mallikarjuna temple depict the birth and life of Krishna. The biggest of the temples, the Virupaksha has engravings and panels describing scenes from the epics, the Ramayana and Mahabhararta. The Papanath temple in the northern style has remarkable carvings on pillars and on the ceiling. Aihole - renowned as the cradle of Indian temple architecture - has over 125 temples, all intricately engraved and finely detailed. The oldest temple here, is perhaps the 5th century Lad Khan. The Durgigudi is predominantly interesting and unique, being circular in shape and surmounted by primitive gopuram. The Hutchmall temple, the Ravalpadi cave temple, the Konti temple complex, the Uma Maheshwari temple, the Jai Meguthi temple and the two-storeyed Buddhist temple are the other fascinations at Aihole. Thereafter continue your journey to Badami and upon arrival, check-in at the hotel. Rest overnight at hotel.

Day 14 Badami - Goa Embark on a morning sightseeing tour of Badami which was once the former second capital of the Chalukya dynasty. Here the cave temples are carved out of solid rock, in a mystical setting of hills above anexquisite reservoir. Stay overnight at the hotel. In the afternoon travel to Goa (340 km). On arrival, check-in at the hotel. Goa's 450 years under Portuguese dominance produced anexclusive, syncretic amalgam of East and West. The expanses of silver sand wetted by a gush of blue waters, the sky emulating the sea below, the strumming of guitars from distant taverns, white churches standing against green paddy fields and coconut groves, long nights spent over brewed feni, longer days of sun, sand and sea. Spend rest of the day at leisure for your own activities. Stay overnight at the hotel.

Day 15 Goa - Mumbai Spend morning time at leisure for own activities. In the afternoon proceed to the airport to catch flight to Mumbai. On arrival in Mumbai the guests will be welcomed by our representative and escorted on a city tour of Mumbai. Spend the afternoon touring Mumbai city.Mumbai is a great port city with its Victorian Gothic buildings from the British Raj Era mingling with the modern. Visit Gateway of India overlooking the Harbor, the Towers of Silence, Marine Drive and the Dhobi Ghat, the unique and colorful outdoor 'laundry'. Also take a tour of ManiBhawan, a small museum dedicated to the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi. Late at night guests will be transferredto the international airport to catch flight back home.

Day 16 Mumbai - Onward journey Depart from Mumbai for onward journey to your destination.