SPECIAL INTEREST DELHI MANDAWA AGRA KHA JURAHO MUMBAI TOURS PATAN JAIPUR ORCHHA AURANGABAD

Insider Tips:

Ÿ Best time for this itinerary: October to mid–December, February to April.

Ÿ From around mid-December to mid-January heavy fog descends over north India. Expect delays/cancellation of flights/trains and disruptions in the itinerary. Delhi Ÿ The 45 minute Change of Guard Ceremony at the Mandawa Patan Agra Rashtrapati Bhavan, which takes place every Saturday, is Jaipur a great way to start the Delhi sightseeing (timings vary Varanasi Orchha depending on the time of the year). Khajuraho Ÿ Every October, Delhi celebrates Dussehra – the festival of the victory of good over evil. Effigies of evil characters from Indian mythology are set on fire in public grounds all over Delhi. Arrive a day or two earlier to see these hand-made effigies getting their final touches. Aurangabad Ÿ The Khajuraho Dance Festival is held during Mumbai February/March and is a great time to visit the city.

Ÿ , the Festival of Lights, is a fascinating time to visit. Most cities are illuminated and there are firework displays everywhere.

Ÿ Dev Deepawali (not to be confused with Diwali) is held in Varanasi during the month of November. Locals and pilgrims take a holy dip in on this auspicious day and light earthen lamps in the evening.

Ÿ Every February, Mumbai plays host to the the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, a community celebration of music, dance, theatre, literature, cinema, visual arts, urban design and architecture within one of the most beautiful and historic EJ6 > 18 DAY TOUR precincts of the city, the Kala Ghoda Art District. Ÿ The two-day festival, “Mahindra Blues” takes place every A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME February in Mumbai. It is Asia's largest Blues festival, which brings together some of the world's finest For the Love of Art & History musicians. Experience the art and architectural heritage scattered through the length and breadth of this vast country. Ÿ The Ajanta Ellora Festival is a celebration of music, dance, The architectural wonders of India include more than 20 World Heritage Sites. (There are hundreds more poetry, art, craft and handicrafts of India. The festival is organized every year between the months of November and one wonders why they are not listed.) More than 4000 years of history can be read in her art and and March at the 17th century fort of Soneri Mahal in architecture. This itinerary, escorted by an expert, will take one through a journey that will illustrate the many Aurangabad. facets of Indian art and architecture, the symbolism in the ornamentation, the details of planning. Experience the tides of Indian history from the 2nd century BC to the present. How each visitor, invader, trader or migrant influenced the rich fabric of her culture, art and architecture and gave it a new hue. The composite mish-mash that exists today, has hundreds of influences, beautifully adopted by a generous welcoming community. INDO SARACENIC ARCHITECTURE The Indo-Saracenic refers to a style of architecture that evolved over time by British architects. It combines Indo-Persian designs with Gothic Victorian British of the 19th century. Grand public buildings were built,

After independence, Indian art was signifying an unassailable and invincible British Empire. Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai have some marked by a heavy dose of political and excellent examples of this style – The Victoria Terminus in Mumbai, The Madras High Court in Chennai and social consciousness. This heralded the { { birth of Indian contemporary art and the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata. Even the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur is styled in this fashion. led to the founding of a new art school in Mumbai, called the Progressive Artists’ Group. Out of this came some of the biggest names in contemporary Indian art; Francis Newton Souza, Maqbool century by his wife, albeit much less Bhavan with its outstanding century AD. Fida Husain, Gulam Muhammed Sheikh grandiose and more humble. The collection of paintings, sculpture and DAY 17 IN AURANGABAD or Sundaram, to name just a few. earliest graves here date back to textile. Explore the Ajanta Caves, a UNESCO 1550, which would be 93 years older Optional: Night walk for the intrepid World Heritage Site whose history than the Taj Mahal. to know more about the Art of Dying dates back to 2nd century BC. It was DAY 10 AGRA – JHANSI – ORCHHA in Varanasi and how it means mukti around this time that the viharas Take the morning train to Jhansi and or liberation from the cycle of birth (monasteries) were carved out of continue by road to Orchha, a and death. End the walk in the caves and the stunning cave charming, quaint and laid-back temple of Goddess Sankata Devi paintings made, to be lost and place, on the banks of the Betwa (the destroyer of sorrows) at 22:30 rediscovered in the early 19th TOUR ITINERARY | EJ6 river with breath-taking architecture hours in time for the daily night century. from the 15th century. Spend the service. DAY 18 AURANGABAD – DELHI or DAY 01 ARRIVAL DELHI history called the Battle of Patan. It you to its culinary delights. afternoon exploring the palaces, DAY 14 VARANASI – MUMBAI MUMBAI – DEPARTURE Warm welcome at the airport by our saw the French-trained Maratha DAY 07 IN JAIPUR temples and cenotaphs along the Fly to Mumbai, India's financial Spend a relaxed morning in the representative and transfer to the Confederacy pitted against the Visit the 16th century Amber Fort, a river. capital. In the afternoon explore the hotel. Fly to Delhi or Mumbai, hotel. Rajputs of Jaipur and their Mughal UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spend DAY 11 ORCHHA – KHAJURAHO iconic sights of Mumbai such as the depending upon the homeward allies in 1790. It is an ideal place to DAY 02 IN DELHI the rest of the day exploring the Drive to Khajuraho for history, Gateway of India, Prince of Wales bound flight back. Check into the break journey between Delhi and Spend time at the 16th century main sites of Jaipur such as the City temples, sculptures, erotica and the Museum, the Dhobi and Mani day-use rooms, as required. Later Mandawa. Grand Mosque, the colourful Palace and the Royal Observatory. In Kamasutra. Spend your afternoon Bhawan, appreciating the mish- transfer to the international airport markets, the labyrinth of narrow DAY 04 PATAN – MANDAWA the evening take lessons in admiring the stunning architecture mash of Indo-Saracenic architecture. for the onward flight. lanes and Asia's largest spice market Drive to Mandawa in the the semi- Rajasthani cuisine from a local of the temples here built in the 10th DAY 15 IN MUMBAI in Old Delhi. Visit the Craft Museum arid Shekhawati region of Rajasthan resident and enjoy dinner with her and 11th century. Visit a fishing village of the popularly known as India's 'open art family. which houses a unique collection of DAY 12 KHAJURAHO – VARANASI indigenous Koli community in the gallery'. Admire some of its massive exquisite pieces of folk art and craft DAY 08 JAIPUR – AGRA Return to the temples in the morning. Post lunch, immerse mansions and the colourful wall collected selectively from all over Embark the early morning train to morning light. Fly to Varanasi in the yourself in a tribal art form of India frescoes and murals made in the India. End the day at the 16th Bharatpur to visit the 16th century afternoon. Considered holy by both which goes back to 3000 BC. The 18th and 19th century. In the century Humayun's Tomb. deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri, and Buddhists, it is one of simple style of painting, which stems evening, enjoy a private folk musical Optional Lecture: “Ancient & another UNESCO World Heritage the oldest, continuously inhabited from an animistic belief, has a very rendition by nomadic bards in praise Medieval Indian Art and Site. Continue by road to Agra. Later cities in the world where the first basic vocabulary of a circle, triangle of a 14th century warrior. Iconography.” in the afternoon, visit the Agra Fort inhabitants settled here in 1000 BC. and a square, which they use to DAY 03 DELHI – PATAN DAY 05 IN MANDAWA and the Taj Mahal at sunset. Witness the evening aarti (prayer depict their life, customs and Spend the day exploring the many ceremony) by the river . traditions. Visit Qutub Minar, the magnificent DAY 09 IN AGRA magnificent mansions in and around 12th century minaret, a UNESCO Enjoy a tour of the Agra cantonment DAY 13 IN VARANASI DAY 16 MUMBAI – AURANGABAD Mandawa. Hear wonderful stories World Heritage Site. After a leisurely with a local resident. Get to know Enjoy an early morning boat ride to Fly to Aurangabad. Spend time at behind the exquisite wall frescoes. lunch drive to the lovingly restored and admire some of north India's witness hundreds of locals and the Ellora Caves which are amongst 13th century Patan Mahal nestled in DAY 06 MANDAWA – JAIPUR finest Indo-Saracenic architecture. pilgrims performing age old rituals the most splendid examples of rock a valley surrounded by hills. The Drive to Jaipur, India’s first planned Later, visit the Roman Catholic and praying to the sun. Visit Sarnath, architecture in India. The carvings in host belongs to the Tomar clan who city. Enjoy an evening walk with a Cemetery – Agra's best kept secret. where the Buddha gave his first the Ellora Caves track the changing ruled Delhi from the 8th to 12th local who will show you the hidden The highlight is the tomb of Dutch sermon. Later in the day, visit the fortunes of three major religions century. Patan is also the site of one gems of the old city of Jaipur, built by mercenary John Hessing – The Red Benares Hindu University spread Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism of the last great battles in Indian Maharaja Jai Singh II, and introduce Taj Mahal – built in the early 19th over 1350 acres and the Bharat Kala between the 5th and the 10th