Delhi Mandawa Pushkar Jaipur Agra Delhi
Day 1 : Arrive in Delhi. Visit to heritage places in Delhi
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. 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 ChandniChowk, 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 ChandniChowk 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. In the afternoon, you will visit QutubMinar, touted as India's largest Minaret. QutubMinar, 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 will be at Lakshminarayan Temple, a temple dedicated to Lakshmi and Lord Narayana. Overnight is in Delhi.
Day 2 : Drive from Delhi to Mandawa
Today, you will be transferred by road from Delhi to Mandawa. Shekhawati was established by ShekhawatRajputs 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. Rest of the day is at leisure. The transport is at your disposal with-in the city limits. Overnight is in Mandawa or one of the villages of Shekhawati.
Day 3 : Visit to heritage places in Mandawa
This morning, 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.
Day 4 : Drive from Mandawa to Pushkar. Later, visit to heritage
places in Pushkar
In the morning, you will be transferred by road from Mandawa to Pushkar. In the afternoon, you will be visiting Pushkar - one of the most sacred pilgrimages for Hindus and considered to be one of the oldest existing cities in India and it is said that Lord Brahma created this holiest of cities for the Hindus. When a demon VajraNabha killed Brahma's children, Brahma hit him with a lotus flower which killed the demon. A lotus petal fell in Pushkar and a lake was formed where Brahma performed a sacrifice on a full moon day. A temple dedicated to Brahma is the only one of its kind in the world. Hindus believe that bathing in the lake will ensure salvation. Pushkar is famous for its Camel fair when thousands of camels and cattle are traded. The transport is at your disposal with-in the city limits. Overnight is in Pushkar.
Day 5 : Drive from Pushkar to Jaipur. Visit to heritage places
in Jaipur
Early in the morning, you will drive from Pushkar 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. Jaipur's colorful bazaars offer a good opportunity for shopping. On arrival from Pushkar, you will start the city tour with a visit of 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 JantarMantar, 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 the 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.
Day 6 : Drive from Jaipur to FatehpurSikri to Agra
This morning, you will be transferred from Jaipur to Agra enroute visiting FatehpurSikri, built in the 16th century by Emperor Akbar. FatehpurSikri 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 BulandDarwaza 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 IbadatKhana, Mariam-uz-Zamani's palace, NaubatKhana and Birbal's house. Later you will be driven to Agra. Overnight is in Agra.
Day 7 : Visit to heritage places in 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 morning 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 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.
Day 8 : Drive from Agra to Delhi
This day you will be transferred from Agra to Delhi airport in time for your return flight. As most of the flights depart after mid-night, accommodation is not included in Delhi