Day
1
Flight to Delhi. Arrival in Delhi and transfer to the
hotel. Check in at the hotel.
Day
2
On
arrival, assistance and transfer to hotel.
Day
3
Full day city tour of Old & New Delhi.
Morning
visit Qutub Minar built by Qutub-ud-Din Aibek in 1199,
Humayun's Tomb, India Gate (War Memorial Arch) and
Lakshminarayan Temple - a modern Hindu Temple. Also
drive past President's House, Parliament House, Government
Secretariat Buildings and Connaught Place shopping
centre.
Afternoon
visit Raj Ghat and Shanti Vana - the cremation sites
of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, Jama Masjid,
Red Fort and drive past Chandni Chowk.
Day 4
Transfer
to airport to connect flight for Patna . On arrival,
assistance and transfer to hotel. Afternoon excursion
of Vaishali - known for Buddha Stupas, Ashoka Pillar
and Bawan Pokhar Temple . This is the place where
Buddha announced his Mahaparinirvana and happens to
be the birthplace of Lo rd Mahavira.
Day 5
Morning
drive to Bodhgaya enroute visiting Nalanda and Rajgir.
Rajgir,
the place where Buddha meditated and preached; first
Buddhist Council was held here and further is known
for Hot Springs, which have curative powers, and is
sacred to Hindus.
Nalanda
is known for its Archaeological Complex and Museum.
On
arrival, check in at hotel.
Day 6
Full
day visits - Bodhgaya, in the state of Bihar , reckoned
as the most important Buddhist pilgrimage center,
is the place where Lord Sakyamuni (Gautam Buddha)
entered into meditation after being moved by the sufferings
of mankind. The giant Bodhi Tree (Peepal) that we
see today is believed to have grown from the original
Bodhi Tree under which, sitting on the raised platform,
Prince Siddharth meditated and finally attained Nirvana.
Then there is Chaukramana, the jewel Walk, where it
is believed that the Buddha strolled while in deep
thought.
Also visit Shaivite Monastery and famous Jagganath
Temple .
Day 7
Drive to Varanasi and check in at hotel.
Day
8
Early
morning boat excursion on the river Ganges , a ferry
pilgrimage from ghat to ghat. People bathe early in
the morning to offer the prayers to the rising sun.
The two cremation ghats are Manikarnika & Harishchandra
where funeral pyre burns day and night. Every pious
Hindu believes that to die in Kashi and to be cremated
on banks of the Ganges is to attain release from the
cycle of birth and death.
Morning
sightseeing tour of the city visiting the Bharat Mata
Temple with a big relief map of India in marble, Durga
Temple, Tulsi Manas Mandir, Banaras Hindu University
which has an Art Gallery and the Mosque of Moghul
Emperor Aurangazeb built on the site of an ancient
Hindu Temple.
Afternoon
excursion of Sarnath - visit the buried Buddhist city
where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon, Sarnath was
a renowned school of learning from 6th century B.C.
to 12th century AD. Visit the ruins, the stupa, the
Buddhist temple and the Museum (Museum closed on Fridays).
Day 09
Drive
to Kushinagar and check in at hotel. Afternoon visits
- Kushinagar, one of the principal centres of Buddhist
pilgrimage, is the place of Mahaparinirvana. The monuments
of Kushinagar are situated in three distinct comprising
the main site of the Nirvana Temple , the central
stupa and surrounding monasteries
Day 10
Drive
to Lumbini and check in at hotel. Afternoon visits
- in the village of Lumbini in Nepal , the Queen Mahamaya
gave birth to Prince Siddhartha who later became the
Buddha. Over 2000 years ago the Emperor Ashoka set
up a commemorative pillar here. The pillar carries
the inscription - Here the Buddha was born-. Another
shrine preserves an ancient image depicting the nativity
of the Lord.
Day 11
Drive
to Sravasti and check in at hotel. Afternoon visits
- sacred city for Buddhists because it is here that
Lord Buddha performed the greatest of his miracles
to confound the Tirthika heretics. These miracles
include that of the Lord Buddha creating multiple
images of himself and have been among the favorite
themes of Buddhist art. Buddha himself spent many
summers here to deliver important sermons. Here Anathapindaka
was built in the garden of Prince Jeta for the reception
of the Buddha. Today, the remains unearthed testify
to the flourishing condition of this sacred spot in
the Gupta period.
Day 12
Drive straight to Lucknow railway station to connect
train for Delhi . On arrival, assistance and transfer
to hotel.
Day 13
Morning free. Check out at 1200 hrs. Transfer to international
airport to connect flight back home. |