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Central India Tour
Day 01: DELHI
Arrive Delhi by international flight. Meeting &
assistance on arrival and transfer to hotel.
Overnight stay.
Day 02: DELHI-AGRA
Morning drive to Agra. 204 kms & 4:30 hours
drive. On arrival, transfer to hotel.
Afternoon sightseeing of Morning sightseeing tour of city visiting the world famous
Taj Mahal built by Shah Jahan in 1560 in memory of his queen Mumtaz Mahal to
enshrine her mortal remains. This architectural marvel is a perfectly proportioned
masterpiece fashioned from white marble that stands testimony to the skill of
20,000 craftsmen brought together from Persia, Turkey, France and Italy and who
took 17 year to complete this ‘ Love Poem in Marble’.
(Friday closed). Later visit the Agra Fort. In Fort visit Diwan-E-Am (House of
commons), mosques within Fort and royal pavilions like Macchi Bhavan, Shah
Jahani Mahal & others. Several of the buildings are made of pure marble with
beautiful carvings. To cool off the rooms, the walls were hollow and filled with
running water. The balconies of these pavilions give clear view of Tajmahal &
Yamuna river flowing next to it. Overnight stay.
Day 03: AGRA-GWALIOR
Today morning, transfer to railway station to
board Express train for Gwalior. Shatabdi
Express Agra/Gwalior 0812/0930 Arrive
Gwalior and transfer to your hotel. Afternoon
sightseeing of Gwalior. Gwalior is
synonymous with its Fort, one of the oldest
in India.
The Tomar King, Man Singh (1486-1516) built the Man Mandir, a six-towered palace
decorated with perforated screens, mosaics, floral designs and mouldings in Hindu
profusion.
Day 04: GWALIOR-BHOPAL Today morning board
train for Bhopal. Shatabdi Express Gwalior/Bhopal
0934/1405 Arrive Bhopal & transfer to hotel.
Bhopal today presents a multi-faceted profile; the
old city with its teeming market places and fine old
mosques and palaces still bear the aristocratic
imprint of its former rulers; among them the
succession of powerful Begums who ruled Bhopal
from 1819 to 1926. Equally impressive is the new
city with its verdant, exquisitely laid out parks and
gardens, broad avenues and streamlined modern
edifices. The founder of the existing city was
Afghan soldier Dost Mohammad (1708-1740).
Fleeing from Delhi in the chaotic period that
followed Aurangzeb’s death, Dost Mohammad met
the Gond queen Kamlapati, who sought his aid
after the murder of her consort. Overnight stay.
Day 05 BHOPAL
Morning sightseeing of Bhopal. Visit Sadar Manzil, an architectural curiosity; its mixture of styles sets it apart from
the Islamic architecture of the area. Bharat Bhawan, a unique national institute which
is a centre for the performing and visual arts. Jama Masjid, a beautiful mosque built
in 1837 by Begum Kudesia. Taj-ul-Masjid – said to be the largest mosque in the
country – has a broad facade, interarched roof, smooth marble floors and a specious courtyard. Moti Masjid, an imposing mosque built in 1860, Tagore Memorial, National
Archives of India and Laxmi Narayan Temple. Overnight stay.
Day 06 BHOPAL
Today take excursion to Sanchi & Bhimbetka.
SANCHI – Consecrated by the Kushan rulers, Sanchi occupied a unique position in
the history of Buddhism. Sanchi is a serene hill crowned by a group of stupas,
temples and pillars. Its expressive monuments stretch from the 3rd century to the
12th century AD and are embellished with the forms and symbols of Buddhist teachings.
Day 07 BHOPAL-MANDU
Today morning drive to Mandu. 270 kms &
6:30 hours drive. On arrival, you will checkin
at your hotel. Mandu is a celebration in
stone, of life and joy, of the love of the poet-
prince Baz Bahadur for his beautiful consort,
Rani Roopmati. The balladeers of Malwa still sing of the romance of these royal lovers,
and high up on the crest of a hill.
Roopmati’s Pavilion still gazes down at Baz Bahadur’s Palace, a magnificent
expression of Afghan architecture. Overnight stay.
Day 08 MANDU
Today morning visit the Mandu Fort. MANDU – The City of Joy ! The magnificent
buildings (mid-16th century) with their pavilions, baths and terraces, stress the
passions of the yesteryears when a poet-prince Baz Bahadur built this dream city for
his beautiful consort, Rani Roopmati
Day 09 MANDU-MAHESHWAR
Today morning drive to Maheshwar. 55 kms & 1:15 hour drive.
On arrival, checkin at hotel.
Maheshwar was a glorious city at the dawn of Indian civilization when it was
Mahishmati, capital of king Kartivarjun. This temple town on the banks of the river
Narmada finds mention in the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Revived to its
ancient position of importance by the Holkar queen Rani Ahilyabai of Indore.
Maheshwar’s temples and mighty fort-complex stand in quiet beauty, mirrored in the
river below.
Afternoon visit Ahilya Fort. A life-size statue of Rani Ahilyabai sits on a throne in the
Rajgaddi within the fort complex. This is the right place to begin a tour of
Maheshwar, for this pious and wise queen was the architect of its revived
importance. Other fascinating relics and heirlooms of the Holkar dynasty can be
seen in the other rooms which are open to the public. Within the complex is an
exquisite small shrine which is a starting point of the ancient Dussehra ceremony
which is carried out even today.
The image on this day is installed reverently in a splendid palanquin and carried
down the steep fort road to the town below to receive the yearly homage of the
people of Maheshwar. Then walk down to temples on the Narmada Ghat. With their
soaring spires, the many-tiered temples of Maheshwar are distinguished by their
carved overhanging balconies and their intricately worked doorways.
Kaleshwar, Rajarajeshwara, Vithaleshwara and Ahileshwar are the temples to be
seen. You end the day with boating on Narmada river – an unforgettable experience.
Overnight stay.
D 10 : MAHESHWAR – OMKARESHWAR – MAHESHWAR
(62 kms / 1:30 hrs one way) Today take excursion of Omkareshwar. Here visit the
Shri Omkara temple. The temple stands on a one mile long, half mile wide island
formed by the fork of the Narmada. The soft stone of which it was constructed has
lent its pliable surface to a rare degree of detailed work, of which the frieze figures
on the upper portion are the most striking. Also intricately carved is the stone roof of the temple. Encircling the shrine are verandahs with columns which are carved in
circles, polygons and squares. Return to Maheshwar for overnight stay. On arrival
checkin at hotel. Rest of the day at leisure. Overnight stay.
D11 : MAHESHWAR – INDORE –
MUMBAI & LEAVE MUMBAI
Today morning drive to Indore (91 kms
& 2 hrs drive) to board flight for
Mumbai. Arrive Mumbai & transfer to
international airport to board the return flight.
End of services.
Checkin / Checkout time: 1200 hrs noon
