Gems of India

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Check-out from the hotel

• Drive to Agra

• Check-in at the hotel

• Evening free

• Overnight at the hotel

After breakfast we drive twardso Agra, enroute you can visit Chand Abori in Abhaneri (Entrance on Direct payment basis). Upon arrival in Agra check in at the hotel.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 06 - Agra (Delhi)- Varanasi(Overnight train)

• Visit of Taj Mahal

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Visit to The Agra fort and Itmad-ud-daula.

• Afternoon free.

• Transfer to the railway station

• Overnight in the train

At sunrise, we visit the world famous Taj Mahal (Closed on Friday) built by Shah Jahan in 1630 for 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 sill of 20,000 craftsmen brought together from Persia, Turkey, France and Italy and who took 17 years to complete this 'Love Poem in Marble'. After breakfast we check-out from the hotel and drive towards Agra.

After the visit return to the hotel.

After breakfast we visit The Agra Fort. Agra fort, built by Emperor Akbar, reveals the Mughal talent for combining defensive architecture with beauty and design. This fort palace construction was started by Akbar as a purely defensive citadel and was subsequently completed by two successive generations that added the delicate mosaic and magnificent marble palaces. The fort is a symbol of the history of The Mughal life in Agra and offers a magical view of the Taj Mahal.

Itmad –ud – daulah.

Itmad-ud daulah, is one of the most beautiful examples of the Mughal tombs, it stands across the river Yamuna from the Taj Mahal, nearly one and a half kilometers up-stream. Belonging to the age of Jahangir, it contains cenotaphs of the parents of the powerful Mughal Empress Nurjahan, queen of Jahangir, an exceptional beauty and an astute administrator.

Later in time we will drive to Delhi railway station (Subject to seat availability) to board the train to Varanasi.

In case of transfer from Agra, afternoon free. (Check-out time 1200 Hrs. we will try and extend checkout till 1500 hrs. but this will be subject to availability)

Overnight stay in the train.

Special Note: - Taj Mahal remains closed on every Friday.

Day 07 - Arrival Varanasi (By Train)

• Arrive at the Varanasi railway station

• Transfer to the hotel

• Check-in at the hotel

• Evening aarti ceremony.

• Overnight at the hotel

Upon arrival in Varanasi you will be greeted by our representative and transferred to the hotel.

Breakfast will be on Direct Payment basis.

Evening you will witness the Aarti ceremony on river Ganges. Every evening, as dusk descends, it's time for the Ganga Aarti to be performed at the three holy cities of Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Varanasi in India. It's a very powerful and uplifting spiritual ritual.

The aarti takes place facing the river. The lamps are lit and circled around by the pandits (Hindu priests) in a clockwise manner, accompanied by changing or songs in praise of Mother Ganga. The idea is that the lamps acquire the power of the deity. After the ritual is complete, devotees will cup their hands over the flame and raise their palms to their forehead in order to get the Goddess's purification and blessing.

We return to the hotel for overnight stay.

Day 08 - Varanasi – Delhi (Overnight train)

• Boating on the Ganges

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Visit to Sarnath

• Temple tour in Varanasi

• Evening free

• Transfer to the railway station

• Board the train to Delhi

• Overnight in the train

Early in the morning we will leave for a boat ride on River Ganges. The western banks of Ganges has a string of Ghats -the chain of stone steps, all built with pavilions, palaces and terraces, most of which are mainly used as Dharamsala’s where the pilgrims stay during their visit to the holy city. At dawn, the Ghats are abuzz with activity of the devotees performing their ablutions in the river or offering prayers to the rising sun and performing other religious rituals. A boat ride along the Ghats gives you vantage views of this activity. The sunrise on the Ganges is a soul-lifting experience. You will also visit the Vishwanath temple, also called the golden temple because of the gold-plating on its roof and drive pass Bharat Mata Mandir and Banaras Hindu University - is a premier Central University and a world class educational institution located in Varanasi. It is regarded as the largest residential university in Asia. The fully-residential campus has more than 128 independent teaching departments in its 1350-acre campus.

After the boat ride we will return to the hotel for breakfast.

After breakfast we will visit Sarnath, where Lord Buddha preached his first sermon "Maha- Dharma-Chakra Pravartan" (in Buddhist terminology, ‘turned the wheel of the law’) after his enlightenment. Sarnath is one of the richest in Buddhist antiquities ranging in date from the times of Ashoka down to the 12th century A.D. Ashoka built here the Dharmaraj Ika Stupa and erected a pillar surmounted by the magnificent capital of four adorsed Lions, which today forms the national emblem of India. Among other structures at Sarnath are the ruins of the brick temple; the DhamekhStupa, adorned with delicate floral carvings; the Chaukhandi Stupa and Mahabodhi Society’s Mulgandha Kuti Vihar Temple. We will also visit the Archeological Museum, with an extremely rich collection of Buddhist sculptures comprising of numerous Buddha and Bodhisatva images.

Special Note: - Sarnath Museum remains closed on every Thursday

(Check-out time 1200 Hrs) Later in time you will be transferred to the railway station to board the train towards Delhi.

Overnight stay in train.