The Golden Triangle & Beyond

Transcription

1 The Golden Triangle & Beyond February 21-28, 2016 Offered by Classical Excursions

2 The Golden Triangle & Beyond Agra, Jaipur, Alsisar & the Shekhawati Region February 21, 2016 Delhi to Agra Transfer to Agra by road. As we approach Agra we will make a stop at the tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah, considered to be one of the architectural forerunners of the Taj Mahal. We make a stop at Kohinoor, the well-known jewelry store and textile museum where many of the Mughal crown jewels are still kept and preserved. The owner Mr. Ghanshyam Mathur will show us his collection of jewels and rare locally made textiles. Late afternoon we arrive at the hotel. Hotel check in and two-night stay at the ITC Mughal Hotel

3 February 22, 2016 Agra An early morning visit to the Taj Mahal, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his queen Mumtaz. After lunch we visit the Agra Fort, built by Emperor Akbar in 1565 after lunch. The fort is a large complex constructed of red sandstone and includes marble palaces as testimony the power and artistic sense of successive Mughal. Dinner tonight will be at the hotel, at the restaurant Peshawari which serves typical foods from Afghanistan. February 23, 2016 Agra to Jaipur After breakfast we check out of the hotel and drive to Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan. En route we make several sight-seeing stops. Our first stop of the day is the abandoned Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri. Built by Emperor Akbar as the capital of his empire, the city had to be abandoned due to the lack of potable water. Here one can see the facets of everyday life at the Mughal court in the 16 th century. Many of the period structures still remain in a remarkable state of preservation. Lunch at the Laxmi Vilas Palace. After lunch we visit Chand Baori, an 9 th century stepwell, consisting of 3,500 steps and 13 stories, making it one of the deepest and largest in India. Stepwells are rather unique to India and this one is one of the oldest and most beautiful historic landmarks in the state of Rajasthan. It was built by King Chanda between AD and was dedicated to the Godess of Happiness and Joy. There was a pavilion erected on one side of the well as a gathering place for the Royals during times of intense heat. It filled both practical purposes, supplying water to the area as well as functioned as a social gathering place for locals. The monument has been used in several movie filming including The Dark Knight Rises.

4 Check in at the Jai Mahal Palace ( Luxury rooms) leisure/jai-mahal-palace-jaipur/default.html Tonight we will be the guests of Aimaduddin Ahmad Kahn and his wife Fauzia Ahmad Kahn February 24, 2016 Jaipur Full-day sightseeing tour of Jaipur including a stop at the Hawa Mahal or Palace of the Winds and the Amber Fort, once the capital of the Rajout rulers with its picturesque narrow passageways and magnificent halls with mirrored work embedded in the ceiling and colorful paintings on the walls. Our final stop of the day is the Jaipur City Palace with its fine Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. The vast complex contains courtyards with clusters of museums containing rare collections of textiles, carpets, paintings and antique weapons. We also visit Jantar Mantar, a medieval observatory with period instruments that even today are astonishingly accurate in their astronomical measurements. Time for shopping at the famed Tripolia Bazaar with jewelry, textiles and artisan workshops. Tonight we will be the dinner guests of Aimaduddin Ahmad Kahn and his wife Fauzia Ahmad Kahn at their home Loharu House, located in the prestigious area known as Civil Lines, where most of the diplomatic community reside. Mr Ahmad Kahn is descended from the royal ruling family of Rajasthan and is a member of the upper house of Parliament. B, L, D

5 February 25, 2016 Jaipur to Alsisar After breakfast at the hotel we will make our to the region of Rajasthan called Shekhawati. En route we will make a stop at Jhunjhunu to see the Modi Haveli, a grand mansion from the 18 th century along with the Khetri Mahal palace, which lies much in ruin. Lunch will be in the town of Nawalgarh, to see a few of the notable Haveli located here, such as Poddar, Murarka, Bansidhar and Chokhani havelis. Dinner at the hotel Check in to to Alsisar Mahal palace, a heritage property February 26, 2016 Alsisar to Fatehpur to Mandawa to Alsisar After breakfast we will spend the day exploring the various villages of the Shekhawati region with visits to Havelis belonging to the Goenka, Singhania, Keria and Gauri Shankar families. February 27, 2015 Alsisar to Delhi We check out of the hotel after breakfast and set off on the drive to back to New Delhi, where we will check into to the Radisson Blu Plaza hotel (premium rooms), for our last night, making international departures easy on February 28, February 28, 2016 Independent departure