DAY 1. DELHI :
Assistance . reception at the airport and
transfer to hotel.
DAY 2.
Morning commence a unique tour of the "
Bazaars
of Delhi" ,where you are taken
back to those times when the majority of the
trading in Delhi was carried out from the huddled
shops of these lively markets. Visit the"
Chor Bazaar" behind the
old ramparts of the Red fort and the "
Kinari
bazaar" where shops overflow with
bridal finery, including garlands made of rupee
notes, turbans for grooms, rosettes and other
glistening tinsel used in marriage ceremonies
of the Hindus. Visit the "
Naya
bazaar", the spice market on Khari
Baoli, clouded with a thick dust of flour and
spices, at the same time fragrant with their
aroma. You can find any type and amount of spices
and condiment,from aniseed, turmeric, pomegranate,
dried mangoes, saffron, lotus seeds, pickles
to reetha nuts, used for washing hair and edible
leaves of silver paper used to coat sweets and
cakes. A cycle rickshaw ride to the "
Meena
Bazaar", a distinctively Islamic
bazaar of cramped shops clustered around the
base of Jama Masjid, full of burqas, topis,
dupattas, bangles and devotional pictures of
shrines. Buffet lunch at the restaurant "
Chor
Bizarre" of Hotel Broad way where
cold salads are laid out on a vintage Chevrolet
car. Relish the delicacies of Mughal cuisine
and sip your cocktails at the "
Thugs
bar". Post lunch, combined city
tour of Old and New Delhi including the Red
fort, Jama Masjid, Rashtrapati Bhawan, India
Gate, Qutab Minar and Bahai temple. In the evening
enjoy bar-be-que dinner and relax by a crackling
bonfire in the sprawling lawns of a private
farm house with professional performers from
Rajasthan performing the characteristic "
Ghoomar",
"
Kachhi Ghodi" and
"
Fire" dances. Ghoomar
is basically a community dance for women where
the ladies move gracefully in circles. Kachhi
Ghodi is a dance performed on well decorated
dummy horses by men in equally elaborate costumes,
holding naked swords and moving rhythmically
to the beating of drums and fifes The fire dance,
performed by tribes of Bikaner, renowned for
their tantrik powers, involves men jumping on
to the fire, prepared with charcoal and live
wood to the accompaniment of drum beats.
3. AGRA :
Morning, drive to Agra, the multisplendoured
city of "khushamadeed" as they say
to joyous welcome, of "adaab" and
gracious hospitality, of checkered history and
discerning arts, of "thumbs" and "dum
pukht" or the art of slow cooking, of fabled
monuments and kite flying competitions and above
all a land steeped in history and glory. One
of the great Mughal cities of South Asia, with
minor interruptions, Agra alternated with Delhi
as the capital of their empire. Check into the
hotel and commence the city tour with the imposing
Taj Mahal, built in memory of Shah Jahan's wife,
Mumtaz Mahal, who died after 17 years of marriage.
It is a monument which has drawn upon the creativity
and skills of engineers and craftsmen from many
parts of the world. It is said that besides
great craftsmen and workers from India, artisans
came from Central Asia and even Europe. The
Taj stands on the banks of the Yamuna river
and is a monument that needs to be experienced
and observed at different times of the day from
far and near to get the feeling of the sheer
beauty that it evokes.
Next, visit the Agra fort. It was conceived
as a military structure when started, but by
Shah Jahan's reign, it had become a palace.
The fort is on the banks of the Yamuna river.
The fort walls, stretching over 2.5km, are surrounded
by a 10 Mtrs. wide moat. There are a number
of important buildings within the fort which
are worth exploring. Later visit the Itmad-ud-Daulah's
tomb built by Noor Jahan in memory of her father
Ghias-ud-din Baig.
Drive back to your hotel for a brief rest after
which enjoy a village fair theme dinner where
a village setting is created with bamboo huts,
benches and stalls.Villagers mingle with guests
and display their traditional skills such as
doll-making, puppet-making, pottery, "pichwai"
painting and other crafts. Entertainment includes
a "bandarwala" staging a monkey show,
palmist, snake charmer, "kachi ghodi"
and "dhamil" (a performance with a
dummy horse, dancers and singers). After a splendid
dinner, a fascinating display of fireworks brings
another memorable evening to an end. Overnight
Agra.
4. AGRA / KHAJURAHO:
An early morning hot air balloon ride over the
Taj Mahal and the fort. Board the afternoon
flight to Khajuraho. Transfer to hotel. The
temples of Khajuraho, among the world's top
most tourist attractions, represent source of
the most exquisite specimens of Hindu architecture
and sculpture of medieval India. The Khajuraho
temples were raised and sculpted elaborately
to the finest of details about a thousand years
back, between 900 and 1050 AD. Of all 85 temples
built, only 22 remain today to speak of the
grandeur of conception of the rulers and architects
of that era, and the extraordinary creativity
and skills of the times. The intimate scenes
of the whole range of human emotions and relationships
sculpted in graceful forms appear to represent
the rulers' exultation in the richness of man-woman
relationship. The temples are covered with carvings
of griffins, nymphs, and humans in consummate
passion. A visit to the western group of temples
is arranged in the evening followed by the Royal
Chandela theme dinner at the sprawling lawns
of the Taj Chandela. The evening takes you back
to the fabled world of the Chandela dynasty,
with the appropriate decor, cuisine and entertainment,
recreating the grandeur of the past. Hostesses
clad in silk, shower flowers and "ittar"
(perfume) in the traditional style and flamboyant
folk dances herald a sumptuous spread of Chandela
delicacies, served in a manner befitting royalty.
Overnight Khajuraho.
5. KHAJURAHO / VARANASI :
Morning tour of the eastern group of temples
and then board the flight to Varanasi. Assistance
at the airport and transfer to your five star
hotel. Evening boat cruise on the Ganges to
view the ghats. An experience which can astonish
anyone. When temple bells begin pealing across
the city by the Ghats on the river Ganga, the
waters whisper slowly past, carrying garlands
of marigold, earthen oil lamps long downed out
by the waves, religious offerings, and those
made in full faith. The chiming of bells rises
to a crescendo and down the narrow lanes of
Varanasi come marching the faithful. Those who
will bathe here on the holy banks of the Ganga,
where the boatmen sing haunting lyrics, where
a nation bows its head in homage, and where
the old choose to die and be cremated. Return
to your hotel and enjoy a typical Brahmin theme
dinner served in thalis. Men attired in a typical
'dhoti" complete with "janeu"
and women in cotton sarees sit cross-legged
on a "chowki" whilst relishing the
totally vegetarian brahmin "thali"
sans even the onion and garlic. Overnight Varanasi.
6. VARANASI / CALCUTTA
Board the flight to Calcutta. Meet at the airport
and transfer to the hotel. The group is escorted
for a half day sight-seeing tour of the city
of Calcutta to include the Victoria Memorial.
Built between 1906 and 1927, this gleaming white
marble palace is a reminder of the might of
the British Empire in India. Inside this garden
laid monument, the finest collection of memorabilia
relating to British India are contained under
one roof. Later visit to Mother Teresa's mission.
Return to the hotel for a brief rest to gear
up for an evening at one of the city's famous
nightclubs. Overnight Calcutta.
6. DEPARTURE CALCUTTA :
Transfer in time to connect flight to international
destination.
Options and Extensions
1) Extension to Kathmandu from Varanasi.
2) Extension to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.
3) Day excursion to Sarnath from Varanasi.
