Itinerary
Day 01 - Arrival Delhi – Meet and transfer to your Hotel.
India’s capital and a major gateway to the country, there are two Delhi’s – the new contemporary Delhi is a bustling metropolis, which successfully combines in its folds - the ancient with the modern. Amidst the fast spiraling skyscrapers the remnants of a bygone time in the form of its many monuments, bazaars and moghul architecture – Forts and its palaces stand as silent reminders to the region’s ancient legacy. The first impressions for any visitor traveling in from the airport are of a specious, garden city, tree-lined with a number of beautiful parks.
The rest of the day is at leisure.
Overnight: Hotel Claridges, Delhi [Deluxe room with breakfast]
Day 02 - Breakfast is at hotel.
Later in the evening proceed to Akshardham temple.
Designed in accordance with ancient Vedic text known as the Sthapatya Shastra, it features a blend of architectural styles from across India. It is constructed entirely from Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian Carrara marble, and has no support from steel or concrete. The monument also consists of 234 ornately carved pillars, nine domes, and 20,000 murtis and statues of Hinduism’s sadhus, devotees, and acharyas. The monument also features the Gajendra Pith at its base, a plinth paying tribute to the elephant for its importance in Hindu culture and India's history. It contains 148 scale sized elephants in total and weighs a total of 3000 tons.
Overnight: Hotel Claridges, Delhi [Deluxe room with breakfast]
Day 03
After Breakfast we have an early morning transfer to the Delhi railway station to board you train for Lucknow.
Train No Air conditioned Chair Swarn Shatabdi
Departs Delhi 0615 Hrs
Arrive Lucknow 1230 Hrs
On arrival you will be met and transferred to the hotel for check in
Overnight: Taj Residency, Lucknow [Standard room with breakfast]
Day 04 - LUCKNOW – SRAVASTI
After breakfast you will drive to Sravasti
SRAVASTI: According to legend, the Buddha confounded is critics by making them witness a miraculous million–fold self-manifestation seated on a thousand-petaled lotus, as fire and water emanated from his body. The prophet of peace spent 24 rainy seasons here, teaching people the essence of his gentle creed. Sravasti is one of the eight most important pilgrimages of Buddhists.
On arrival we will check into hotel
Afternoon visit Excavations site SAHET MAHET & ANGULIMAN’S CAVE. Excavations have also revealed two pillars laid here by Emperor Ashoka, the great Indian king who was largely responsible for spreading the word of Buddhism. The pillars, which lie at the eastern gate of Jetavana, mark Ashoka’s Pilgrimage to the city. Tour of Sravasati will include visit to excavation sites, caves of Angulimal.
Overnight: Sravasti [Standard room with all meals]
Day 05 - SRAVASTI -LUMBINI
After breakfast you will drive to Lumbini
Enroute visit Kapilavastu, it is 110 kms/04 hrs including border clearance at Sonauli Border, north west of Lumbini. This is the place where Lord Buddha spent his 24 years. Today it is a forest but the recent archaeological excavation has brought the old Royal Palace to surface.
Later continue your drive to Lumbini
On arrival Check into hotel
LUMBINI: It was here that Buddha was born around 2500 years ago in 563 BC.
Afternoon proceed for the tour of Lumbini
Overnight: Lumbini [Standard room with all meals]
Day 06 - LUMBINI – KUSHINAGAR
After breakfast you will drive to Kushinagar
On arrival check into hotel
Afternoon you will be taken for a half day tour of Kushinagar (Kushinara of Yore) which is a revered place for Buddhist pilgrims. It was here that the Tathagata, the reciter of truth, breathed his last with the last words, “Behold now, brethren, I exhort you, saying, decay is inherent in all component things! Work out your salvation with diligence!” A temple dedicated to the event – the MAHAPARINIRVANA TEMPLE today stands amidst a serene “sal” grove as if still reminiscing the great demise. The huge statue of the Reclining Buddha, excavated in 1876 at the temple, is one of the most momentous of all sights for the devout. The whole of Kushinagar, since Mahaparinirvana of Gautam Buddha, was turned into a memorial site with stupas including the relic stupa – MUKUTBANDHANA and GUPTA PERIOD CHAITAYAS AND VIHARAS, built by the devout kings.
Overnight: Lotus Nikko, Kushinagar [Standard room with all meals]
Day 07 - KUSHINAGAR – PATNA
After breakfast we will drive to Patna and you would be given packed lunch
Enroute visit Vaishali believed to be the first republic of the world, having an elected body of representatives, holds special significance for Buddhist devotees. At Kolhua, Lord Buddha delivered his last sermon, hinting at his impending departures from the mortal world.
On arrival check into hotel
Overnight: Maurya Patna, Patna [Standard Room with all meals]
Day 08 - PATNA – BODHGAYA
After breakfast depart for Bodhgaya enroute visit Nalanda & Rajgir
On arrival you will check into hotel
Bodhgaya – where a prince became a seer. Twenty-five centuries ago, a prince of a tiny kingdom on the Indo-Nepal border, was dissatisfied with life. He wandered for many years then came to a spot in a forest where he sat under a Bodhi tree. There, in burst of illumination, he discovered the meaning of existence and became Lord Buddha. The Place is Bodega. Indian missionaries carried the Buddha’s gentle, reasonable creed to other lands. So, when the many streams of Buddhism returned to Bodhgaya, and built temples of their own, this religious town took on an eclectic international character. Today, it is a town of temples and monasteries from all the major Buddhist areas of the world.
Overnight: Lotus Nikko, Bodhgaya [Standard room with all meals]
Day 09 – BODHGAYA
Breakfast is at the hotel.
Morning visit Mahabodhi Temple to offer prayers. This temple is an architectural amalgamation of many centuries and cultures – architectures of the Gupta and later ages, inscriptions describing visits of pilgrims from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and China are some example. The highlights of the temple include tall stone lotuses, figures of Buddha sitting in different postures on the walls, his footprints on stone, and a clossal golden Buddha in the sanctum sanctorum. The Bodhi Tree situated inside the temple premises, under which Buddha attained illumination. White, green and red flags, tied onto the tree, form a canopy over seven sacred shrines, which symbolize the seven weeks that Buddha spent here.
Overnight: Lotus Nikko, Bodhgaya [Standard room with all meals]
Day 10 - BODHGAYA – VARANASI
After breakfast you will drive to Varanasi.
Varanasi, the 'eternal city', and Hinduism's most important city, located on the banks of the sacred River Ganges, has been the center of learning & civilization for over two thousand years
On arrival check into hotel
Afternoon enjoy the sightseeing tour of Sarnath.
Sarnath: After attaining enlightenment Lord Buddha came to Sarnath where he gave his first sermon. In the Sylvan surroundings of a deer park, he initiated his first five disciples into the Buddhist monkshood. Here began one of the greatest religions of the world. Emperor Ashoka erected a magnificent stupa here...
Overnight: Radisson, Varanasi [Superior room with breakfast]
Day 11 – VARANASI
Very early in the morning you will take a boat ride along the bathing ghats on the Holy River Ganges. At sunrise the Hindu faithful flock to the river to cleanse themselves of their sins. You see the cremation ghats and the Deswameedha ghats. To die in Varanasi is to end the Hindu cycle of re-birth, thereby making it a popular place to end one's life. After sunrise you will visit some of the temples in the surrounding area.
Overnight: Radisson, Varanasi [Superior room with breakfast]
Day 12 – Varanasi - Haridwar
Breakfast is at the hotel
After breakfast at the hotel you will be met and transferred to the hotel Varanasi railway station
Train Name Second Air Conditioned Class Doon Express
Departs Varanasi 1035 Hrs
Overnight on board
Day 13 – Haridwar - Rishikesh
Arrives Haridwar 0435 Hrs
On arrival you will be met and transferred to the hotel in Rishikesh [Check in: 1200 Hrs]
Rest of the day is free to relax
Overnight: Vasundhara Palace, Rishikesh [Standard Room with breakfast]
Day 14 – 16 - Rishikesh
Breakfast is at the hotel
After breakfast you will be at leisure
Later in the evening proceed for the excursion of Haridwar to view the Aarti on the Ganges
Overnight: Vasundhara Palace, Rishikesh [Standard Room with breakfast]
Afternoon you will be met and transferred to the Haridwar railway station to board you train for Delhi
Train Name Dehradun Shatabdi
Departs Haridwar 1813 Hrs
Arrive Delhi 2245 Hrs
On arrival you will be met and transferred to the hotel for check in
Overnight: Hotel Claridges, Delhi [Deluxe room with breakfast]
Day 17 – Depart Delhi
Breakfast is at the hotel
After breakfast you will be met and transferred to the Delhi international airport to board your onward flight
Flight No TBA
Departs Delhi