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India Tours

Forts, Palaces and Tigers

Extension Program: The Holy waters of the Ganges, the soul of India

Luxury travel in India for the discerning traveler………….

DAY 11 KANHA / NAGPUR / DELHI

Morning enjoy scheduled game drive.

Early afternoon, you will be met by your driver and chauffeured to Nagpur Airport (approximately 5 hours drive) for flight to Delhi. Please note that this flight does not operate on all Saturdays.

Upon arrival at Delhi Airport, you will be met and chauffeured to the hotel.

Spend one overnight at the Trident Hotel. Accommodation is in a deluxe room with ensuite facilities. Your stay is on bed & breakfast basis.

DAY 12 DELHI / VARANASI

This morning after a leisurely breakfast, you will be chauffeured to the airport for flight to Varanasi .Upon arrival at Varanasi; you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Evening Participate in the “Aarti” ceremony: Experience and participate in a spectacular sunset “Aarti” ceremony where priests anoint our foreheads with the traditional ‘tikka’ & chant mantras asking for the blessings.

Light Up Your Soul - In Hindu homes and temples, the twilight hour is one of the most important in India - the hour of the Aarti ceremony. The lighting of lamps at this moment between daylight and darkness hour is to ensure the presence of light - symbolically the sacred presence of God worshipped as fire.

Spend two overnights at the Taj Nadesar Palace. Accommodation is in a suite with ensuite facilities. Your stay is on bed & breakfast basis.

DAY 13 VARANASI

Early morning Sunrise boat cruise: We depart our hotel before sunrise to experience dawn on the Ganges, when multitude of Hindu pilgrims perform the most important ritual of the day - the invoking of the rising sun. Our boat glides down alongside the riverbanks or the ‘ghats’ - the steps that lead down to the river. These stone steps link the great Hindu city to the far greater river. Maharajas and other princely rulers built many of the Ghats. Each ghat has its own history and legend about its healing capabilities. In the early morning light, we hear the temple bells ringing, the conch shells being blown announcing the arrival of a new day. On the banks of the river or the ‘ghats’ we see pilgrims performing rituals to their ancestors, people practicing Hatha yoga and sitting in the lotus position in deep contemplation oblivious to the world around them. We also see Yogis floating in the Ganges performing Yoga in the water. The Brahmin priests offer prayers – a little further away down the Ganges the smoke from the funeral pyres mingles with the smell of burning camphor and incense - there is also the more mundane activity of locals bathing, brushing their teeth or washing their clothes on the ghats. This is the miracle of the Ganges!

Walking Tour: Later we walk through this incredible old city - a maze of narrow streets where we will find more than 1,000 temples and shrines. Domes, minarets, towers and palaces dominate the sacred left bank of the river, and the city is filled with the clang of temple bells and throngs of pilgrims.

Return to hotel for breakfast

Afternoon guided tour of Sarnath: Birthplace of Buddhism one of the four major pilgrimage ‘musts’ for every practicing Buddhist. Sarnath is the birthplace of Buddhism - this is where the Buddha first spoke of his philosophy. An impressive stupa marks the spot where he first preached his message. Sarnath is also sacred to the Jains as the birthplace of one of their holy masters known as ‘tirthankaras. Later, Ashoka, the great Buddhist Emperor erected magnificent stupas and a monastery here. When the Chinese travelers Fa Hian and Hiuen Tsang visited Sarnath in 640 AD, Sarnath had 1500 priests.

DAY 14 VARANASI / DELHI

Morning at leisure - OPTIONAL City tour

Afternoon, you will be chauffeured to the airport for flight to Delhi. Upon arrival accommodation will be reserved for wash & change at airport hotel – (Day use room will be valid for 06 hours Maximum till 2100 hrs)

In time you will be chauffeured to International Airport for flight to your onward destination .

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PRICING: Cost based on 2 guests traveling on Twin/Double accommodation- 1 room. Includes RT air Delhi/Varanasi/Delhi. B&B accommodation. Transfers in A/C vehicle, mineral water and cold drinks in vehicle, sightseeing in Varanasi.

JANUARAY 5- APRIL 15 2010 : USD $3490/per person
APRIL 16 – JUNE 30 2010 : USD $2915/ per person
OCTOBER 16- DECEMBER 22 2010: USD$3635/ per person

DESCRIPTION OF HOTELS IN YOUR ITINERARY

TRIDENT - GURGAON

The Trident Gurgaon is a beautifully designed hotel with set in Gurgaon, neighbouring the Delhi border with Haryana 10 kilometres from the international airport. The hotel was voted ‘India’s Leading Business Hotel' in 2005 and 2006 at the World Travel Awards.

The hotel has Hilton and Premium rooms with ensuite facilities and Suites as well. The hotel offers a choice of Indian and world cuisine in two different theme restaurants and has a well stocked bar and a pool bar as well.

The hotel has a spa center run by the renowned Banyan Tree Spa therapy chain.

TAJ NADESAR PALACE – VARANASI

This latest addition in the bouquet of Taj hotels is nestled in the heart of this bustling city, amongst mango orchards, marigold and jasmine fields. Built by the East India Company and acquired by Maharaja Prabhu Narain Singh in the 19th century, the palace is named after goddess Nadesari whose shrine is located in front of the palace. Step into its portico and let your journey, into the Maharaja’s residence, begin.

The meticulously fashioned accommodation at Nadesar Palace draws inspiration from the city, its culture and its timeless tradition. Guests can choose from the luxuriously appointed Palace Rooms or from six Heritage Suites that come with a living room, a master bedroom and a dressing area. All accommodation at Nadesar Palace is generously scaled with large windows overlooking the gardens and spacious bathrooms in cool white marble.

The royal kitchen serves up discerning fare in an informal but magnificently proportioned dining room. Choose from deliciously spiced local cuisine or delicately balanced satvik, for those on a spiritual journey. And finish with a wide array of mouth watering local sweetmeats - in the true spirit of Varanasi - with a green betel-leaf delicacy. The hotel has a Jiva Spa and also offers a choice of activities that its discerning guests can choose from.

DESCRIPTION OF PLACES IN YOUR ITINERARY

DELHI

Delhi was established from as early as 900B.C to 1930 when the British completed construction of New Delhi as the capital of Imperial India. It is, therefore not surprising that the monuments of Delhi successfully mirror the development of the architectural styles in the country. Delhi's famous "seven cities" range from the 12th century Quli Rai Pithora, built by Prithviraj Chauhan, to the imperial Shajahanabad, constructed by the Mughals in the 17th century. After Delhi Sultans consolidated their territories; they moved their defensively situated capital into the rocky outcrops of the Aravallis, to the northeast, towards the open plains by the banks of Yamuna. Today Delhi is an amalgam of the ruins of medieval citadels, palaces, tombs and mosques, and an ever-expanding, modern concrete jungle.

Of the many attractions in Delhi, the major sites are the Rashtrapati Bhawan, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens as the British Viceroys Palace, Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi) where the Red Fort, Jami Masjid stands and the famed Chandni Chowk in the heart of Old Delhi. Humayun's tomb, the second Mughal emperor, is the first great example of a Mughal garden tomb, and inspiration for several later monuments such as the incomparable Taj Mahal. The Qutb Minar, a UNESCO world heritage monument, at Mehrauli area was built over Rajputs territories, by Qutubuddin Aibak. India's highest single tower the Qutub Minar marked the site in North India for the first Muslim kingdom in north India established in 1193. A mix of four major religions, thousands of years of history and cultural development, significant movements of different populations, invasions and colonialisation, Delhi has one of the most vibrant and profound cultures in the world.

VARANASI

India's holiest Hindu city, Varanasi, also known as Benares or Kashi, reverberates with the endless cycle of Hindu religious practice. The city of Varanasi faces east overlooking the sacred Ganges and has been a major religious and cultural centre of northern India. The site for Buddha's first sermon Sarnath is in close proximity.

Varanasi is also known as the city of Shiva (the third God of the Hindu Trinity) and it derives its modern name from the two tributaries of the Ganges "Varuna" and "Asi". Having its own style of classical Hindustani music, Varanasi has produced some of the most well known musicians, poets and writers in Indian history. The city is also famous for its textiles.

Varanasi's unique culture is associated to the river Ganges, where life and death intermingle. The living flock the ghats to pray with the belief that bathing in the waters of the sacred river would result in the remission of their sins, while the ashes of the dead are scattered in the water to break the cycle of reincarnation and let the soul rise to enlightment. Dotted with temples, the city's principle shrine is the Vishwanath temple, dedicated to Shiva. The temple was destroyed repeatedly during various invasions but was finally rebuilt in 1776 A.D. by Rani Ahilya bai of Indore.

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