COLOUR ME PINK! 12 Days – 11 Nights
DAY 1 – ARRIVE DELHI Arrive Delhi. Assistance will be provided upon arrival and your client will be transferred to the hotel.
DAY 2 - DELHI The morning is at leisure and in the afternoon, lunch is hosted by an Indian housewife Sonali Banerjee and an Indian working women. Over a lavish lunch you get an opportunity to discuss and talk about their life in India as an Indian women – their lifestyle, boundaries, and the expectation of the society and how they handle them. Both are opposite to each other yet with a common thread that joins all Indian women. Which one is more challenging – running a home with in-laws or working and dealing with homes issues in a nuclear family? Later in the afternoon visit New Delhi – Delhi was established in 1911 by King George V who, feeling Calcutta was too remote, wanted a new capital for the Indian Empire. Drive by the impressive India Gate with its eternal flame, the Presidential Palace and Parliament House; then stop to visit Humayun’s Tomb, the first of the great Mughal Tomb complexes.
A short distance away is the sufi shrine Niamuddin Dergah. Almost every day but certainly on Wednesday, sufi singers come there to sing qwaali’s – songs in praise of the Saint Nizamuddin Aulia and his disciple Amir Khusro. Aulia was to Khusro what Shams was to Rumi in Turkey and their life stories are very similar.
It is probably from Turkey that the whirling dervish came into existence during the period of Aulia. The audience sits on the floor and there are two section with women sitting to the left of the singer and men to the right. Off course women are not allowed inside the shrine.
DAY 3 – DELHI After leisurely Breakfast proceed for sight-seeing tour of Old Delhi - drive past Raj Ghat, the monument to Mahatma Gandhi erected on the site of his funeral pyre and an important place of pilgrimage for people from all over the world. In Old Delhi see the The Jama Masjid Mosque, built by the Emperor Shah Jahan; then continue past the bustling market place of Chandni Chowk, where silver merchants ply their trade.
Visit the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, dedicated to Guru Sri Harkishan, the eighth Sikh Guru, has an immense sacred value for Sikh Community and has a notable golden dome with a sculpted bronze cupola and also a tall flagpole called as Nishan Sahib. It is said that Gurudwara Bangla Sahib was mainly a Bungalow (Haveli) used by Mirza Raja Jai Singh, a well-known military leader of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. In
its initial days, it was called as Jaisinghpura Palace but later known as Bangla Sahib. The complex of Gurudwara is quite big and has a community kitchen hall, higher secondary school, charitable dispensary, library and a Museum. Kitchen of the Gurudwara is commonly known as 'Langar' where food is served to the devotees throughout the day and you can participate in the community activities if you wish. The whole atmosphere in the complex remains quite peaceful and holy with Gurbani (devotional music) played throughout the day. The most attractive feature of the Gurudwara is the 'Sarovar' means a pond. The water of Sarovar called as 'Amrit' has a very significant value for the devotees. It's not just the Sikh Community, but people of all religion come to worship the name of God here. While entering into the Gurudwara, every devotee has to cover his or her head properly.
DAY 4 - -DELHI-AGRA Depart for Agra with a stop at Akshardham Temple; Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi epitomizes 10,000 years of Indian culture in all its breathtaking grandeur, beauty, wisdom and bliss. It brilliantly showcases the essence of India’s ancient architecture, traditions and timeless spiritual messages. The experience of visiting it is an enlightening journey through India’s glorious art, values and contributions for the progress, happiness and harmony of mankind. Carry on to Agra - assistance on arrival and check-in at your Hotel. The days visit include The Agra Fort - where you see its palaces and the Hall of Public and Private Audience. From here, you get to see the Taj Mahal, in the distant - with the foreground of the River Yamuna. Legend has that during the period of imprisonment of Emperor Shah Jehan here, he would see the Taj Mahal as a reflection in a mirror placed next to his bed.
DAY 5 - AGRA Today visit the Taj Mahal - a breath taking sight and a fitting tribute to love and romance as the monument was built as a tribute to the queen of Emperor Shah Jehan and today it is one of the wonders of the world. The legendary monument to love is an architectural marvel perfectly proportioned and fashioned in white marble. It stands testimony to the skill of craftsmen brought in from Persia, Turkey, France and Italy and to the 20,000 workers who toiled for 17 years in its construction. It has aptly been compared to “a drop of tear on the face of the universe”, by the Indian Nobel Laureate Tagore.
End your day with a short stop at Sheroes Hangout – a café run and managed by women acid attack victims.
As their website puts it: The Sheroes are women who have fought to survive after receiving a debilitating blow to their appearance and self- esteem by some members of the society. These women are on the way to becoming true fighters, who have the courage to live, work and walk in the
midst of the society and force the society to re-evaluate its norms about beauty and appearance. Unlike any other café or a general restaurant, this one is going to be solely run by the acid attack survivors. These acid attack survivors come from various backgrounds and diverse level of competences. Being unprivileged some of them perhaps have never been to a restaurant before. To start with such a project, it is indeed essentially needed to develop such a model which can bring out productivity and also multitudes of learning for the survivor. The model has to be projected in a way that can benefit the concerned acid attack survivor to the most possible extent. Hence to transform these acid attack survivors into successfully empowered earning women makes them an individual cult of inspiration among other survivors to be seen as “Sheroes” which sounds empowering in a strong positive connotation. While this project has various impact, the project has a model of a café / lounge because it promotes social integration as well. People from various sects of the society may come with a purpose of having food, snacks, leisure, reading books, shopping, etc. to Sheroes Hangout but at the same time they can also acknowledge the proximity of acid attack cases in India. In the previous routine of Sheroes Hangout we have often organized events for social interaction such as debates, book launches, social awareness conferences, music sessions, etc. through which general public can be alerted of the consequences, circumstances and aftermath of an acid attack. The model can then be treated as an activity centre for people to take concerns on various social issues in our society.
DAY 6 – AGRA (Fatehpur Sikri Jaipur-by surface 6/7 hours approx.) After Breakfast proceed for Jaipur en-route stop at the fabulous Fatehpur Sikri - perched atop a rocky ridge, 37 km west of Agra. Fatehpur Sikri came into being four centuries ago when Emperor Akbar, not yet 28 years old, created the first planned city in Indo-Islamic architecture. In 1568, Akbar was secure and powerful but had no son and heir. He was blessed by Sufi saint Salim Chisti living close in Sikri Village, who prophesied the birth of three sons to him. Soon after Prince Salim was born and later came to be known as Emperor Jehangir. In gratitude for the blessing, Akbar decided to create imperial residence in Sikri, which would function as a joint capital with Agra. The city unfortunately had to be later abandoned due to the lack of water. Its fortifications, massive gateway and palaces remain in a wonderful state of preservation and include the Jamma Masjid, Panch Mahal & The Salim Chisti's Tomb set like a jewel in a courtyard of pink sandstone and enclosed by delicately carved marble screens. Proceed to Jaipur and on arrival, check into your hotel. Time free to visit the markets and shops. Do pick up a saree for yourself along with blouse and petticoat! Surprise awaits you.
DAY 7 - JAIPUR Breakfast at the Hotel. Early morning, visit the Amber Fort which for six centuries was the ancient capital of the state of Rajasthan. Visit the Jag mandir & the Sheesh Mahal (pavilion of mirrors) which reflects a single candle flame in a thousand flickering lights. Also experience the unique thrill of travelling by Elephant Back to the top
of the hill on which the fort is situated. The rest of the day is free to enjoy the city. Late evening, visit the local market and walk down the main street of Jaipur with shops on both side used by the locals. Later sightseeing tour of Jaipur city. Visit the Observatory equipped with mortar instruments of remarkable size, which for sheer accuracy are difficult to beat even today. Also visit the Maharaja's City Palace, the former royal residence and now a museum housing a vast amount of artefacts. Stop by at the beautiful Hawa Mahal (the Palace of Winds), a beautifully decorated facade of 953 windows in flushed pink.
Ample time for shopping, when you are exhausted, return to your hotel and freshen up. The hotel staff will assist you to wear the Indian Saree and off you go for a traditional Indian meal dressed like an Indian. Participate in Indian cooking with a demo and later relax, have a glass of wine followed by dinner. Feel free to pose with an elephant or two! A saree by the way is a six to nine-yard piece of fabric, which can be draped around the body in different ways to create an outfit. A blouse and underskirt are traditional coordinates, but the underskirt is excluded in certain styles of nine-yard sarees.
DAY 8 - JAIPUR The day is free with your guide and transport at disposal – chiefly for shopping. Jaipur is a haven for shopping, chiefly gems, jewelry, textile and carpets apart from leather crafts. Hot Pink for dress and accessories, Andrab for Pashmina, V. B. Gems for genuine stones and jewels, Jaipur Handicrafts/Indigo for textiles and carpets, FabIndia for handspun cottons, Anokhi for cotton prints, Bhandari Jewelers for modern design jewelry are few of the places that are must visits.
DAY 9 – JAIPUR/VARANASI Transfer to the airport as you fly to Varanasi today, the oldest living city in India. Built on the shores of the holy Ganges River, this city is a center of Indian religion, Philosophy and spirituality. For the devout Hindu, Varanasi must be visited at least once in a lifetime to wash away sins. Drive to the banks of the Ganges where you board a boat; you are rowed alongside the banks for you to get a closer glimpse of the evening ceremony at the temple there; this itself can be a moving experience – the entire ceremony with the sun going down at the other end of the river.
Before disembarking, light a lamp and set it afloat on the river as with a prayer for your departed loved ones. Within few minutes you will be surrounded by hundreds of such lamps.
DAY 10 - VARANASI Early this morning you take a boat ride past the bathing ghats on the sacred Ganges River. As the night mist lifts and the sun touches the spires of the bank side temples with gold, you can see thousands of Hindus performing their morning rites of prayer on the shores of the river. If you pay attention you might see the Cycle of Life right in front of you – the Sun being worshipped with the water of the river, new born babies being blessed with the water and the dead being cremated – all on the same banks with the same sun and river mute witness to this cycle.
Get off the boat and you will be taken to one of the temples. Varanasi - Benares - Kaasi is considered to be the holiest of all pilgrimage sites in India. It is considered home to Shiva - Visweswara. Benares is also known as Kaasi because it is believed that Supreme brilliance shines there, and lights the way to salvation (Kas - to shine). Varanasi is located between two rivers Varana and Asi, and hence the name Varanasi. This place is said to give the greatest delight to God and hence the name Anandakanana; the five elements lie in this great cremation ground as will all dead bodies at the time of the final deluge and hence the name Mahasmasaanam.
Benares houses the Kaasi Visweswara (Viswanatha) temple, enshrining one of the twelve jyotirlingam of Shiva. This temple was desecrated and rebuilt several times. The latest structure dating back to the 18th century (thanks to the efforts of Rani Ahilyabhai Holkar) is the center of attention of the millions of pilgrims who converge here, to perform an abhishekam to the sacred Jyotirlingam, with water from the Ganges. Apart from these temples, there are five other sacred spots in Benares. The Asi-Ganga sangamam, at Lolarka houses a temple to the Sun God. The rivers Ganga and Varana converge at a spot where there is a shrine to Kesava. The last of the sacred spots is the Manikarnika Ghat. Legend has it that Vishnu dug a pit with his chakra, and the sweat created during his meditation filled the pit. Shiva shook his head and his jeweled earring fell into the pit, hence the name Manikarnika. Tradition has it that those that die at Benares and get cremated at the Manikarnika ghat, get liberated from the cycle of life and death.
Late in the afternoon, visit Sarnath, the place where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon. The Buddha came to Sarnath from Bodh Gaya where he had attained enlightenment under a banyan tree, seeking his five former companions. Once he found them he taught them (his first sermon) and subsequently they became enlightened. Thus the Sangha, or community of the enlightened ones, was born. The Buddha spent the next rainy season in Sarnath at the mulagandhakuti vihara and the Sangha expanded to 60 in number. It was then that the Buddha sent them out in all directions to teach the Dharma.
DAY 11 – VARANASI/DELHI Morning at leisure for shopping. In keeping with the name of the holy city of Varanasi, the elegant Banarsi silk sari is a symbol of grandeur and nobility. The sarees are among the finest sarees in India and are known for their gold and silver brocade or zari, fine silk and opulent embroidery. The sarees are made of finely woven silk and are decorated with intricate design. The special characteristics of these sarees are their Mughal inspired designs such as intricate intertwining floral and foliate motifs. It is also known for its gold work, compact weaving, figures with small details, metallic visual effects, pallus, jal (a net like pattern), and mina work. Varanasi silk is in great demand and is used in home furnishings, silk fabric and other utility products.
Later, transfer to the airport for your flight to Delhi; assistance and transfer to hotel close to airport; on arrival check in and the rest of the day is free.
DAY 12 – DELHI DEPARTURE Early transfer to the airport and transfer out.
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