On your arrival in Delhi, you will be met by our representative and transferred to hotel. Delhi was the capital of Indraprastha and capital of the Pandavas during the Mahabharata. This magnificent city has been inhabited from the 6th century BC and has been a capital of many kingdoms. It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times and is called the "city of cities". Delhi's culture has been influenced by its different rulers and the city is full of beautiful monuments. The Mughal rulers influenced the food habits of the residents and Mughlai cuisine originated here. Due to the proximity of different states, all festivals are celebrated here. Old Delhi is a maze of small lanes lined and old buildings and New Delhi has large road with huge buildings. Delhi is the capital of India and is the hub for politics. Overnight is in Delhi.
This day, you will be transferred by road from Delhi to Mandawa. Shekhawati was established by Shekhawat Rajputs and named after Rao Shekha. These kings built more than 50 forts and palaces and most of them have been converted to heritage hotels. The villages of Shekhawati are famous for the painted havelis or houses and have the highest number of frescos in the world. The Marwaris were an influential business community in this region and in the 19th century, many left their families to migrate to larger cities where they succeeded quite well. With this money, the Marwaris built large houses in these villages and to tell the world about their success, they hired artists to paint these houses and havelis.
Later, you will be visiting the Shekhawati villages like Mandawa, Nawalgarh, Dundlod, etc. In 1755, Thakur Nawal Singh founded Mandawa and it houses a collection of armories, old costumes, canons from 1820, ancient coins and other interesting items. The villages of Shekhawati have beautiful frescoes, havelis and mansions and this area is called "The Open Art Gallery". The artists painted frescos depicting mythological images of gods, goddesses and animals. Quite a lot of these beautiful havelis have been converted to very nice and comfortable hotels. The transport is at your disposal with-in the city limits. Overnight is in Mandawa or one of the villages of Shekhawati.
This morning, you will drive from Mandawa to Jaipur. Jaipur, also known as the pink city is the capital of Rajasthan. Many captivating palaces are present here having breathtaking design and architecture. In the 18th century Prince of Wales had visited Jaipur and the entire city was painted in pink color and due to these pink buildings the city is known as the pink city. Origin of Jaipur lie 260 year back. It was built by Maharaja Jai Singh and Jaipur got its name from this king. The rest of the day could be spent visiting the Jaipur bazaars or walking down the crowded colorful streets. Rest of the day is at leisure. Or have a Jaipur shopping tour by visiting the various colorful bazaars of Jaipur. The transport is at your disposal with-in the city limits. Overnight is in Jaipur.
The morning journey starts from Amer fort also known as Amer Palace, the earlier capital of Jaipur. This magnificent fort was constructed in red sand-stone and marble by Raja Man Singh and is divided into four sections each with a courtyard. The main entrance gate is Surajpol having a fascinating architecture. Near the Ganesh Gate, there is a temple dedicated to the Goddess Sila Devi. The Diwan-e-Aam - Hall of public audience, Diwan-e-Khas - hall of private audience, Sheesh Mahal - palace of mirrors and Sukh Niwas are quite beautiful. At the Sukh Niwas, a pleasant climate is created by winds that blow over a water cascade. You could ascend the fort by walking up the steps or on an elephant's back or in jeeps.
In Jaipur you will be taken to Maharaja City Palace, a royal palace with seven storey as well as Jantar Mantar, the observatory. This wonderful observatory attracts mathematicians as well as astronomers from the whole world. City palace is perfect blend of all three excellent styles (Mughal, Rajput and European). Another palace, Hawa Mahal is popular all over world for its magnificent architecture. You will be taken through pink rose garden as well business centers of Jaipur. A tour of Jaipur is not complete without shopping. Jaipur is famous for clothes, carpets, precious and semi-precious stones and jewelry and various handicrafts made of wood, metals, etc. and also for silk paintings and miniatures. The transport is at your disposal with-in the city limits. Overnight in Jaipur.
This day you will be transferred by road from Jaipur to Ranthambore National Park. Ranthambore National Park is a large national park and is famous for its tigers and is named after the Ranthambore fort, which is in the national park. The Ranthambore sanctuary has a large tiger population which makes a tiger sighting easier than most of the other parks. The major animals in Ranthambore National Park are leopard, nilgai, wild boar, sambar, and spotted deer, etc. The park has many lakes and you could easily see a lot of crocodiles and monitor lizards basking in the sun. Overnight is in Ranthambore National Park.
Your morning and evening will be spent viewing the wildlife in the sanctuary. Ranthambore Game Sanctuary has a large variety of trees, plants, birds and reptiles. It has more than 270 species of birds and 500 species of plants. Padam Talao is the largest lake in the park and India's second largest banyan tree is near the lake. Due to environmental issues, very few vehicles are allowed in the jungles of Ranthambore and you have to book in advance. The two options you could get are an open top canter vehicles with a capacity of 20 people or open top vans with a capacity of up to 6 people. You could visit the 10 the century AD Ranthambore Fort which is at a height of 700. The Fort houses temples of Ganesh, Shiva, Ramlalaji, Lord Sumatinath and Lord Sambhavanath. Overnight is in Ranthambore National Park.
This morning, you will be transferred from Ranthambore to Agra enroute visiting Fatehpur Sikri, built in the 16th century by Emperor Akbar. Fatehpur Sikri holds exceptional testimony to Mughal civilization and is one of well-known UNESCO World heritage site of India and has various historical monuments. You will visit the Jama Masjid, followed by the Tomb of Salim Chishti, the five storied Panch Mahal and Buland Darwaza a graceful monument and stupendous piece of beautiful architectures. It is central portico with a total of three arched entrances and is locally known as Horseshoe gate. You will visit the other graceful buildings of this place such as Ibadat Khana, Mariam-uz-Zamani's palace, Naubat Khana and Birbal's house. Later you will be driven to Agra.
Agra the former capital of Hindustan is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna. Agra is a major tourist destination of India and a part of the Golden Triangle Tour along with Delhi and Jaipur. Agra also known as Akbarabad went through its peak during the time of Mughals and was the capital of under the Mughal rulers Akbar, Jahangir and Shahjehan.
In the afternoon tour of Agra, you will be taken to Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world. This beautiful building is elegantly built with white marble by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between the years 1631 to 1648 and it was built in the memory of his favorite beloved Queen Mumtaz Mahal. Standing majestically on banks of Yamuna River, this breathtaking, immensely beautiful monument is a synonymous to romance and love.
Your next stop Agra Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and known for its architectural structure and was built in the 16th century during the Mughal Empire. This place comprises of several fairy-tale palaces like Khas Mahal and Jahangir Palace. Over here you will also get a chance to see Diwan-e-Aam and Diwan-e-Khas, which are also known as private audience hall and public audience hall. Agra is famous for inlaid marble work and handicrafts made of marble, wood and metal. The transport is at your disposal with-in the city limits. TAJ MAHAL IS CLOSED ON FRIDAYS. Overnight is in Agra.
This day you will be transferred from Agra to Delhi. In Delhi you have free time or you could visit Swaminarayan Akshardham which is one of the world's largest temple complexes and built from Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian marble. In this Hindu temple complex, there are statues of Swaminarayan, Sita Ram, Radha Krishna, Shiva Parvati, and Lakshmi Narayan. The main temple was built as per Vastu and Pancharatra Shastra and the main monument has carved details of flora, fauna, dancers, musicians, and deities. The temple has 234 pillars, nine domes, 20,000 idols of sages and 148 of full sized elephants. Yagnapurush Kund is a larges step well with a musical fountain. A short boat ride takes you through 10,000 years of Indian history. Overnight is in Delhi.
Your morning tour starts with Old Delhi, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1639 AD. You will visit the Raj Ghat where father of our nation Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. You will be visiting the museum that was built to commemorate him. You will be driven past the iconic Red Fort and Chandni Chowk, a very popular and a busy market in Old Delhi to the next stop - Jama Masjid, one of the iconic, historic and largest mosques in India - built by Shah Jahan. A rickshaw ride in Chandni Chowk could be quite interesting as this part of the city is quite crowded as it is full of shops. These numerous shops sell delicious mouth-watering food, clothes, jewels, household goods, etc. and are virtually a shopper's paradise. Check-out from the hotel is at 1200 hrs noon.
In the afternoon, you will visit Qutub Minar, touted as India's largest Minaret. Qutub Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built in 1192 by Turk ruler Qutub-Ud-Din Aibak. You will then move forward to Humayun's tomb, yet another UNESCO world heritage site. Your next stop is India Gate, built in memory of the Unknown Soldier. You will be driven past the Parliament House, President's House and other Government Secretarial Buildings, to your final destination which will be Lakshminarayan Temple, a temple dedicated to Lakshmi and Lord Narayana. Later, you will be transferred to Delhi airport in time for your return flight/onward flight.
END OF YOUR TAJMAHAL TOUR.
