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| PACKAGE OVERVIEW |
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| Embark on a comprehensive tour that takes you from the bustling metropolis of Mumbai to the artistically carved Ajanta and Elora Caves. Continue on to Delhi and Jaipur with a stop at the glorious Taj Mahal in Agra and beyond to the exotic temples of Khajuraho and the heights of spirituality in Varanasi. Experience the true heart and soul of India...
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| INCLUSIONS: |
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 Accommodation for 14 nights
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All buffet breakfasts during your stay in the hotel
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Arrival/departure transfers at all airports in India by chauffer driven air-conditioned car
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Excursions and local sightseeing with an English speaking guide
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Elephant ride at Amer Fort in Jaipur
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Boat ride on the Ganges River at Varanasi
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All applicable hotel & transport taxes
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| ITINERARY |
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DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN MUMBAI
Upon arrival, transfer and check into the hotel. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
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DAY 2: MUMBAI
After breakfast, take a half-day morning excursion to Elephanta Island with temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. In the afternoon, take a city tour of Mumbai and visit the Gateway of India, Flora Fountain and the Hanging Gardens. Drive down Marine Drive; pass Chowpatty Beach and the Parsi 'Towers of Silence'. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
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DAY 3: MUMBAI - AURANGABAD BY FLIGHT
Early in the morning, transfer to the airport for a flight to Aurangabad. On arrival, transfer and check into the hotel. In the afternoon, take an excursion to Ellora Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
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DAY 4: AURANGABAD
After breakfast, take an excursion to Ajanta Caves; with paintings and rock cut cave temples carved between 2nd century BC and 6th century AD. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
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DAY 5: AURANGABAD - DELHI BY FLIGHT
Breakfast at leisure. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport for a flight to Delhi. On arrival, check into the hotel. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
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DAY 6: DELHI
After breakfast, take a full day city tour of Old Delhi and New Delhi. Visit the Red Fort comprising exquisite palaces, the largest mosque in India, the Jama Masjid, the colorful and bustling Chandni Chowk bazaar and Raj Ghat, a memorial for Mahatma Gandhi. Also visit Humayun's Tomb and the Qutub Minar, a soaring tower of victory dating back to 1199. Drive past Rashtrapati Bhavan, the residence of the President of India, Rajpath and India Gate. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Meals:
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DAY 7: DELHI - JAIPUR (259 KMS)
After breakfast, drive to Jaipur. On arrival, transfer and check into the hotel. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure. In the evening, visit the Lakshmi Narayan Temple for the evening prayer ceremony. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
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DAY 8: JAIPUR
After breakfast, take a full day city tour of Jaipur. Visit the 16th century Amber Fort and take an elephant ride up the fort's ramparts. The fort encloses superb palaces and a marble temple dedicated to the fearsome goddess Kali. In the afternoon, visit the City Palace Museum, the Jantar Mantar Observatory built in 1728 and admire Jaipur's signature landmark, the Hawa Mahal. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
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DAY 9: JAIPUR - AGRA (260 KMS)
After breakfast, drive to Agra. En route, visit the imperial 'ghost city' of Fatehpur Sikri constructed of sandstone and built by Emperor Akbar. On arrival, transfer and check into the hotel. At sunset, visit the Taj Mahal, a 'wonder of the world' built by Emperor Shah Jehan as a shrine for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
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DAY 10: AGRA
At sunrise, visit the Taj Mahal for a spectacular view. Return to the hotel for breakfast. Thereafter, visit the Agra Fort constructed of red sandstone with ornate interiors including the Jehangir Mahal, Khas Mahal, Sheesh Mahal and Deewan-e-Am. Also visit the marble tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah built by Empress Noor Jehan for her father. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
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DAY 11: AGRA - KHAJURAHO BY TRAIN VIA JHANSI
After breakfast, transfer to the railway station to connect train to Jhansi. On arrival in Jhansi drive to Khajuraho. On arrival, check into the hotel. In the afternoon, visit Jain and Hindu temples, the crowning glory of the Chandela dynasty with flowing trademark sculptures. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
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DAY 12: KHAJURAHO - VARANASI BY FLIGHT
After breakfast, enjoy the morning at leisure. Afternoon, transfer to the airport for a flight to Varanasi. On arrival, transfer and check into the hotel. In the afternoon, take an excursion to Sarnath where Lord Buddha preached his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. Also visit the Damekh Stupa, the Ashoka Pillar, and the ruins of an ancient temple, the museum and monasteries in the area. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
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DAY 13: VARANASI
After breakfast, take a boat ride on the River Ganges. Enjoy rest of the day at leisure. Stay overnight at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
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DAY 14: VARANASI - DELHI BY FLIGHT
After breakfast, enjoy the morning at leisure. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport for a flight to Delhi. On arrival, check into the hotel for overnight stay.
Meals: Breakfast
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DAY 15: DEPARTURE FROM DELHI
Transfer to the airport for onward travel.
Meals: Breakfast
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| HOTEL DETAILS |
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THE MEADOWS RESORT
 
City: Aurangabad
The Meadows is a classic country resort with 48 cottages and suites enveloped in green verdant surroundings.
Rooms
Each room has a colour television, direct dial telephone, mini bar, tea/coffee maker, DVD player, bath robe, straw slippers, hair dryer, Wi-Fi internet connectivity and herbal toiletries in the bathrooms. A Welcome basket of fruits and cookies and fresh flowers are provided in all rooms. Mineral water and newspaper are provided daily on a complimentary basis.
Dining
The Four Seasons, a restobar offers an array of international options and fine Indian specialties at lunch and dinner, in an airy, light venue. Complemented by a well stocked bar, cigars and hookahs, it also serves selective Japanese, Chinese and Thai selections on request. Marmalade, the cafe opens for early breakfast with the aroma of fresh breads and French press coffee and remains open until 11 pm while Simply Delicious, the in-house bakery offers a wide array of savouries, confectionaries, breads, cookies and specialty cakes, on order. In-room dining facility is available round the clock.
Hotel Facilities
The hotel offers two well equipped rooms with a capacity to accommodate 50 to 150 delegates each. Attached lawns are ideal for coffee breaks, informal meetings and banquets. Recreational facilities include a swimming pool and the Exhale Spa with a gymnasium, sauna and jacuzzi besides various stress relieving therapies and massages.
Location
Conveniently located, just a few minutes away from the airport and railway station, the hotel lies close to Waluj, the city's industrial centre. Daulatabad Fort, Grishneshwar temple and the Ellora Caves - all are within 16 kms of the hotel, as is the airport.
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HOWARD PARK PLAZA
City: Agra
Location
Howard Park Plaza is situated on the arterial Fatehabad Road, just 5 kms from the Agra Cantt. Railway Station. Lying in the heart of the tourist area, it is just a 10-minute walk from the Taj Mahal and a 10-minute drive from the main shopping centre Sadar Bazaar. The UP State Handicrafts Showroom and Pizza Hut lie at a distance of 250 metres from the hotel.
Howard Park Plaza, a 4 star hotel, offers the complete range of facilities that are required for a comfortable stay. The hotel's atrium lobby is decorated with a beautiful marble centre-piece that is crafted like a rangoli and filled with coloured gravel. Looming right above that is a long and exquisite chandelier, possibly the longest in Agra. After admiring these wondrous decor items, move on to the reception where the friendly staff greet you eagerly and help you check in.
Rooms
Accommodation options at the hotel include one Suite and 85 Superior rooms that are elegantly furnished and well appointed with all modern amenities including sofa, study table, cable television, tea/coffee maker, mini bar, luggage rack, cupboard and thermostat with temperature control. A complimentary bottle of mineral water is provided in each room. The attached washroom has a bathtub and soap, shampoo, shower cap and linen are provided for.
The Suite has a separate living room and bedroom besides two washrooms. Additional amenities in the Suite include a 4-seater dining table and two televisions, one in the living room and the other in the bedroom. The attached washroom has a Jacuzzi style bathtub and is replenished with shower gel, dental kit, shaving kit and hair dryer, in addition to other amenities.
Dining
Howard Park Plaza offers a range of dining options including a rooftop barbeque facility (during winter only). Rendezvous, the multi cuisine restaurant cum coffee shop adjoining the lobby offers a variety of Indian, Continental and Chinese delicacies with buffet as well as a la carte options while Downing Street, the pool facing bar offers the best in Indian as well as imported brands. While Rendezvous is open from 6:30 am to 11:30 pm, Downing Street remains open from 11 am to 11 pm. Room service is available round the clock.
Services & Facilities
Regal Hall, the conference/banquet hall with a provision of partition, can accommodate up to 350 guests while the Business Centre offers all necessary business services.
The range of recreational facilities offered at Howard Park Plaza includes a Spa with a beauty salon and ayurvedic massage centre. Swimming pool access as well as Spa facilities are available from 7 am to 8 pm. The hotel also boasts of a rooftop Taj viewing gallery and a shopping arcade, D' Craft, where one can find all handicraft and souvenir items.
Other facilities on offer are Wi-Fi service (chargeable at Rs. 200 per hour or Rs. 500 for 24 hours), travel desk, car rental service, safe deposit lockers at the reception, in-house laundry service, doctor on call and spacious parking.
Don't Miss
The two highlights of Howard Park Plaza are the atrium lobby and the recently renovated Spa. The atrium lobby features one of the longest chandeliers in the city, if not the state. The Spa offers a wide range of services besides a soothing ambience.
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HOTEL PARKLAND-GREEN PARK
City: New Delhi
Located in Green Park, a residential colony in south Delhi, Hotel Parkland offers a home away from home along with delightful hospitality for the business and leisure traveller to the city.
Location
Hotel Parkland is located in south Delhi in a neighbourhood called Green Park. It is 16 kms from the international airport, 12 kms from the domestic airport, 14 kms from the New Delhi railway station and within walking distance of the Green Park Main market.
Rooms
The hotel houses 42 spacious and well furnished air conditioned Executive rooms and Royal Suites. Some room facilities include a television, direct dial telephone and 24 hours room service. The attached washrooms feature a shower cubicle with linen and toiletries supplied for.
Dining & Facilities
Guests of Hotel Parkland can enjoy their meals at the hotel's restaurant Delhi Masala that serves Indian cuisine prepared by expert chefs.
For business needs, the hotel has three conference halls that can accommodate up to 250 persons along with a business centre equipped with the latest audio-video technology.
Other guest facilities available include 24 hours Wi-Fi connectivity and a fitness centre. Hotel Parkland accepts all major credit cards but does not accept personal cheques as a mode of payment.
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HOTEL HINDUSTHAN INTERNATIONAL
City: Varanasi
Hotel Hindusthan International offers 108 tastefully appointed rooms with all the amenities for a comfortable stay. Divided into Standard Deluxe, Superior Deluxe, Club and Suite rooms, common features to all include air conditioning, telephones, piped music and a television. Barring the Standard Deluxe rooms, the others also have a mini bar. Room service is available 24 hours.
Dining
Guests can enjoy their meals at The Palms, a glass encased multi cuisine restaurant amidst swaying palms and cool green ponds. The Windsor Bar is a private club with a well stocked bar.
Facilities
Conference and banquet facilities at the hotel include Crystal (300 persons), Regency (100 persons), Krishna and Godavari (30 persons each). There is also a business centre and secretarial services.
Other guest facilities at Hotel Hindusthan International include a swimming pool, health club, shopping arcade, travel desk, currency exchange, safety deposit lockers and laundry service.
Location
Situated at Maldahiya, in the heart of Varanasi, Hotel Hindusthan International is 1 km from the railway station, 20 kms from the airport and close to places of tourist interest and shopping malls.
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HOTEL CHANDELA
City: Khajuraho
Tucked snugly amidst 11 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, Hotel Chandela is a haven of peace and tranquillity.
Rooms
The hotel offers comfortable accommodation in 94 elegantly appointed rooms that include four Executive Suites and one Deluxe Suite besides Standard rooms. All rooms are equipped with international direct dialing facility, Internet connectivity, mini-bar, personal safe, channel music and colour television. In addition, the Suites have a separate living room and are more spacious.
Dining
Dining options include Rasna, the multi cuisine restaurant and Cafe De La Paix, a casual coffee shop besides Rimjhim, a special joint that offers a sumptuous buffet spread. Sura Sundari, the exotic bar offers comfy, low-style settees along with refreshing cocktails and drinks.
Conferences & Banquets
Conference facilities include two well equipped halls with a capacity ranging from 50 to 150 guests in an auditorium style seating arrangement. Cocktails and receptions for upto 300 guests can be organised indoors while for large gatherings, the hotels landscaped gardens are the ideal venue.
Business facilities offered at the hotel include secretarial service, fax, photocopier, laptops on hire, portable printers and workstations.
Recreational Facilities
Hotel Chandela offers a range of recreational facilities that include a swimming pool, fitness centre, badminton court, tennis court, croquet, mini golf course and board games. It also has a book shop, shopping arcade and souvenir shop.
Hotel Facilities
For the convenience of guests, the hotel has a beauty parlour and hair salon. The hotel also boasts of an art gallery. Other facilities offered at the hotel include a travel desk, car rental service, babysitting service, currency exchange, florist, shopping arcade, safety deposit lockers, doctor on call and laundry service.
Location
Hotel Chandela is conveniently located and offers easy access to the world famous Khajuraho temples and Panna National Park Tiger Reserve.
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HOLIDAY INN
City: Jaipur
Holiday Inn is a classified as 5 Star hotel by the Govt. of India. The hotel's architecture upholds the local culture, blending it comfortably with surroundings. All modern facilities are incorporated in the well planned hotel designed as a Haveli, which means a nobleman's mansion.
Hotel Facilities
Banquet | Conference & Seminars | Boardroom |Shopping arcade | Swimming pool | Travel desk | Business centre | Laundry service | Foreign exchange counter | Parking | Doctor on call | Safety deposit lockers | WiFi internet | STD/ ISD phone facility
Recreation facilities
Swimming Pool | Gymnasium | Table tennis | Indoor games
Room Amenities
Air conditioner | Satellite television | Telephone | Mini bar | Safety deposit locker |Tea coffee/maker | Attached washroom | Hot & Cold water | Soap | Shampoo | Linen |
Dining
Coffee Shop: Palms, the coffee shop offers Indian and International cuisine and snacks
Bar: The Bar is an extension of Palms and offers Indian and imported wines and spirits
Restaurant: Aangan is the Indian specialty restaurant, where you will be entertained with flute recitals, while the chefs conjure ethnic cuisines for you.
Outdoor Restaurant: Goth - The Village is the ethnic outdoor village restaurant, with an authentic Indian rural backdrop with folk dancers, fortune - teller, fire eaters entertaining you. The Goth is open only for dinner.
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COURTYARD BY MARRIOT
City: Mumbai
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| DESTINATION INFORMATION |
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| MUMBAI |
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India has always been fixated with Mumbai earlier known as Bombay. It is India's archetypal metropolis, imbibing the most extreme of paradoxes. The dream factory is glitzy, home to Bollywood, a thriving commerce industry, the moneyed swish set and some of the country's best educational institutions. Initially a group of seven islands that were merged together by land reclamation, Mumbai has a rich Colonial heritage. An amble through the fort area is testimony to the fact, housing beautiful Gothic-Elizabethan buildings and monuments.
The distinct collage of Mumbai's population is reflected in the shopping. It is an inherent urban city where everything is on offer for everyone; where second hand book bazaars coexist with high-end shopping malls, where flower markets jostle with flea markets, where the quaint antiques market is belligerently housed in an area called the Chor Bazaar (Thieves' Bazaar). You haven't seen Mumbai if you haven’t sampled the street food - varied and vivacious, scrumptious and spicy, it will leave you asking for more as your eyes water and ears burn. Wash it down then with a tall glass of juice available all over Mumbai at stalls.
Having listed out the essentials, what one has to understand is that Mumbai escapes definition. It is a city constantly moving, changing, evolving, and it can be known only by being experienced. Everything exaggerated, impossible or unimaginable you might have heard about Mumbai is in fact true, and more. Look beyond its glaring disparities and you will discover its seductive spirit that keeps the city alive, making it what it is. India is great.
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Landmark of India, Mumbai, India gate
Mumbai Gateway of India
Mumbai Haji Ali Dargah
Mumbai Heritage Wing of the Taj Mahal Hotel
Mumbai Skyline
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| AURANGABAD |
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Aurangabad has a long since been associated with culture and heritage, and is one of the 4 major cities of Maharashtra, founded in 1610. Aurangzeb made it his capital later in the same century. Though racing ahead in industrial development, the city still maintains its many charms and traditions. The world heritage sights, the Ajanta and Ellora caves, are found nearby also, an added attraction for the intrepid traveller. The city itself, apart from its many monuments and fortifications, also has several gardens and lively markets. It is also known as the City of Gates, because once the entire city of Aurangabad was fortified and huge entrance gates were erected.
Don't Miss
The Ajanta and Ellora caves, most famous among the many Aurangabad Caves, are located near by, at a distance of 107 km and 29 km respectively. These world famous heritage sites are full of carvings and temples, and are said to date back to the 2nd century A.D. Ajanta's carvings represent Buddhist teachings and events, while Ellora's show Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and includes the impressive Kailash Temple.. The City of Gates had 54 gates originally, but now only 13 survive, out of which the 4 that face the cardinal directions are held to be the most important. Another must see is the Bibi Ka Maqbara, a replica of the Taj Mahal that was built by Aurangzeb's son. The ancient Daulatabad Fort, 13 km from the city, is also well worth a visit.
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Aurangabad Bibi Ka Maqbara
Aurangabad Caves With A Waterfall
Aurangabad Daulatabad Fort
Aurangabad Ellora Caves
Aurangabad Virbhadra Maruti Temple
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| NEW DELHI |
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Delhi is the present day version of Indraprastha, the legendary capital of Pandavas, and has in-between been seen various rulers on its throne, the longest being Mughals. No wonder Delhi has charmed writers, Sufi saints and travellers alike. The present Delhi is one of the most developed Indian as well as global cities albeit with its glorious past lurking across the city. The head of Indian government sits in Delhi in the Parliament in central Delhi, surrounded by forts and monuments of his ancestors, both autocratic and monarchs. These are places like Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb, Jantar Mantar et al. Then there are imperial architectures around Lutyen's Delhi including Connaught Place, in heart of city and the closest Delhi can get to London's Trafalgar Square.
While these old one's have been there since long, the New Delhi, including NCR or National Capital Region has shown exemplary growth in architecture, business avenues, services, tourism and township. Let us have a quick trip across the capital...
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Humayun Tomb - Delhi
India Gate - New Delhi
Red Fort - New Delhi
Jama Masjid - New Delhi
Delhi Bahai Lotus Temple
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| AGRA |
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A crimson sun casting an orange hue, setting behind the luminescent white marble of the epitome of everlasting love 'The Taj Mahal', is probably the 'cliched' picture that leaps to our mind when we think of Agra. Why should it not? After all Taj Mahal remains unsurpassed in beauty. But there is much more to Agra than just the Taj Mahal. Agra has a rich and puristic cultural mix of the Persian and the Mughal era. It is home to many ancient relics and monuments of historical and cultural significance - Taj Mahal, the ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri, the exquisite tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah are just a few of the many wonders of pristine Mughal architecture that are nestled in the city.
Historians are of the general opinion that the city of Agra was founded in 1504 A.D. by Sikandar Lodi, the ruler of the Delhi Sultunate. Sikander Lodi's son, Ibrahim Lodi, ruled over the city after his father's death until he fell fighting Babar in the first battle of Panipat fought in 1526. Under the Mughals, the city witnessed the blossoming of some of the finest pieces of architecture ever made. The magnificence of the ancient times is not the only thing that would strike you with awe. In the backdrop of the monuments and the tombs, is a bustling industrial city getting richer by the day. Some of you might get down on your knees twice - at the Taj Mahal to propose and the second time to thank your stars for all the shopping you could do in the city! Agra has a thriving market of marble artifacts, silk fabrics, and leather goods available at dirt cheap rates.
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Agra Taj Mahal
Taj Complex
Agra Taj Mahal 1
Agra Taj Mahal
Agra Taj Mahal 2
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| KHAJURAHO |
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A temple town like no other, Khajuraho is one of India's most loved tourist destinations, and is a cultural masterpiece that had survived centuries of neglect before being restored to its former glory. Known for its stunning 9th - 11th century temples, Khajuraho was the cultural capital of the Chandela Dynasty of Madhya Pradesh, and once contained 85 temples, of which only 22 remain now, divided into three major zones, and protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The tale behind the construction of these erotic sculptured temples is as interesting as the temples themselves: Hemvati, the lovely daughter of a Brahmin priest was seduced by the Moon God while bathing in a pool near her house in Benares, and later gave birth to Chandravarman, the founder of the Chandela dynasty.
Chandravarman built most of these temples after a dream visitation by his mother who asked him to reveal the shallow nature of human passion to the world. Other versions lead us to believe that the Moon God told Hemvati the only way to expunge her guilt over her extramarital affair with him was to instruct her yet-to-be-born illegitimate son, the prophesized founder of the Chandela dynasty, to build 85 temples with erotic carvings, gardens, and lakes in the forest of Khajurs (date trees), which then subsequently came to be known as Khajuraho. Still a small town, Khajuraho has a population of 5000 friendly people, who are always glad to help the visitors with open arms.
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Carvings At Khajuraho
Chandela Temples Khajuraho
Jain Temple Khajuraho
Kandariya Mahadev Temple Khajuraho
Khajuraho Mahadeva Temple
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| VARANASI |
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Varanasi, also called Banaras or Kashi, is a major city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. One of the oldest existing cities in the world, Varanasi is a holy city for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. Varanasi is home to the shrine of Lord Kashi Vishwanath and also one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. In addition to temples, Varanasi is known for the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Banarasi sarees, brassware, hand-woven carpets and handicrafts.
Don't Miss
When visiting the city, don't forget to chew the famous ‘Banarasi Pan', known for its special flavour. Varanasi is home to numerous bathing ghats, which are thronged by priests and devotees in large number during early morning and evening hours. Visit the ghats especially at dawn, when devotees perform their rituals and immerse earthen lamps into the River Ganges. Take an excursion to Sarnath, about 10 km from Varanasi, where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment at Bodhgaya. Here one can see magnificent stupas erected by Emperor Ashoka, along with the Ashoka Pillar and Maha Bodhi Society Temple.
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Dashaswamedh Ghat Varanasi
Manikarnika Ghat Varanasi
Varanasi University Temple
Varanasi
View From The River Varanasi
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| PHOTO GALLERY |
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Landmark of India, Mumbai, India gate
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60Photos
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India site
India