Romantic India

Departure on a regular flight to Delhi. Night on board.

Arrival at Delhi International Airport, customs procedures, luggage collection and transfer to the hotel. Rest of the day free. Delhi, capital of the Republic of India, is marked by great historical importance favored by its strategic location in the north of India. Established between the Aravalli Hills and the Yamunā River, its position facilitated control of the trade routes that ran from the northwest to the Gangetic plains. This late-night city, which never sleeps, never rests, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, always receives travelers bustling, full of traffic jams, with motorcycles that cross each other clumsily and with difficulty, disconcerting sounds and shocking smells and colors that leave their mark. Delhi is divided into two, Old Delhi and New Delhi, the latter created under the control of the British Empire in order to build a new city where all the government and governors' buildings would be gathered.Accommodation .

Breakfast. Visit of Old Delhi, starting with the Raj Ghat, which is the memorial where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated; the Sikh Temple of BanglaSabih, where we will observe the fervor with which the members of the brotherhood listen to the reading of the Book;the Great Jamma Mashid Mosque, ordered to be built by the Shah Jahan and built almost in the middle of the ancient city (Old Dehli) on a small hill. Muslim pride prevails in the majority of the Hindu territory, especially in the northern part, marking and remembering its ancient supremacy in much of the subcontinent, the conquests achieved around the 16th-19th centuries and its undoubted influence on the development of the culture of India. From one end of the main courtyard of the mosque, you can see the Red Fort of Delhi or Lal Quila in Hindi, built by the Islamic empire in the 17th century. Continue by rickshaw (bicycle cart) through the colorful streets of the popular neighborhood of Chandni Chowk, to immerse yourself among stalls with various decorations, food with an intense smell of almost indecipherable spices, shoes, backpacks, glasses, cows or goats that sneak into the stores, all under a constant and disturbing disorder and bustle. Lunch at a local restaurant. Already in New Delhi, we will pass through the Rajpath, the city that Edwin Lutyens built to be the British capital in the so-called Anglo-Indian style; the Gate of India memorial erected in honor of soldiers who died during various wars; the Parliament building; the Presidential Palace; the Ministries... Visit of the Qutub Minarthe oldest monument remaining in Delhi, as its construction began at the end of the 19th century. XII. It has been declared a “World Heritage Site” since 1993. Accommodation.

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport to take a local flight to Jodhpur. Located on the edge of the Thar Desert, it is known as the "Blue City" because of the color in which the houses under the Mehrangarh Fort are painted. At first they were houses of Brahmins, although the color was soon adopted by the other castes because it was said to scare away heat and mosquitoes. Jodhpur was founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, a Rajput chief of the Rathore clan. Rao Jhoda conquered the neighboring territory, thus founding a state known as Marwar. The city was located on the strategic highway that linked Delhi with Gujarat, which allowed it to benefit from the flourishing trade in opium, copper, silk, dates and coffee. Arrival and transfer to the hotel for registration. Next, visit the Meherangarh Fort, inside which there are perfectly preserved courtyards and palaces, highlighting the Moti Mahal Palace. On our way back to the city, we will stop at Jaswant Thada, a white marble mausoleum erected in memory of Maharaja Jaswan Singh II. Dinner and accommodation.

Breakfast. Departure by road to Ranakpur, a complex of Jain temples, which owes its name to Rana Kumbha who, in the 15th century, gave a large area of land to the wealthy merchant Dharna Sah for construction. of the temples. It is said that Dharna Sah had dreamed of a heavenly place and commissioned numerous architects from all over India to design it; It was a sculptor named Depa who perfectly captured that vision, beginning the construction of the temples that lasted 50 years. The Jain religion prohibits harming any animal, including the smallest ones, which is why Jains, in addition to being vegetarians, usually dedicate themselves to commerce and never to agriculture, as they could accidentally kill some small insects. Visit of the Adinath Temple, which is not only the largest Jain temple in India, but also the most beautiful. It is entirely built of richly carved white marble, its plan is cruciform, not longitudinal as in most Indian temples; it has four entrances, one on each side, leading, through columned vestibules, to a central chamber with the image of Adinath; It is completely surrounded by a row of chapels, 86 in total; numerous columns and finely sculpted capitals that support its roof crowned by twenty domes and five cupolas. The ceiling is decorated with geometric panels; the domes with concentric ornamentation and descending ornaments; On the corbels that support the domes there are figures of dancing goddesses; Both outside and inside the temple there are many representations of elephants; and the carved columns. The entrance to the temple, which is accessed barefoot, is preceded by a large staircase; The light filters between the numerous columns, giving rise, throughout the day, to a wonderful play of shadows and lights that changes the color of the columns and marble sculptures, from gold to pale blue. Lunch. Continuation to Udaipur, in the desert state of Rajasthan. Udaipur, capital of the ancient Kingdom of Mewar, ruled by the Sisodia dynasty, with its artificial lakes and the canals that connect them, appears as an oasis within this desert. Transfer to the hotel.Accommodation.

Breakfast. Visit of the Palace of the Maharajas, which stands on a small hill on the shores of Lake Pichola. Its construction was begun by Maharaja Udai Singh, but the current building, more than 30 meters high and about 250 meters long, is the result of several additions by his successors to the original construction, so carefully integrated into the primitive design that it is It is difficult to believe that such a colossal work has not been conceived as a whole. The interior of the City Palace, now transformed into a museum, is a labyrinth of patios, kiosks, terraces, galleries, rooms and gardens. Some of its facades are richly decorated with mirror inlays, its galleries covered with paintings and from the kiosks and terraces at the top there is a magnificent view of Lake Pichola. Continue to visit the Garden of the Bridesmaids (Sehellon Ki Bari), a small ornamental garden located on the banks of the second large lake of Udaipur, the Fateh Sagar; It was built for a melancholic princess who loved the rain and used as a place of rest and stroll for the ladies of the court. It is an immense garden with kiosks and elephants carved in white marble, four ponds and numerous fountains. Some jets come directly out of the ground, letting water fall on it. We will end the visit with a boat ride on Lake Pichola (subject to water level). Dinner and accommodation.

Breakfast. Departure by road to Jaipur. Capital of the state of Rajasthan and built in the 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II. Known as the "Pink City", although it was not always like that, Jaipur was planned around four large avenues: two large parallel streets cut it along its entire length into three strips of equal width; Two other streets run perpendicular to the previous ones, therefore dividing it into nine parts, the nine rectangular neighborhoods of Jaipur that symbolize the nine parts of the universe. Its flourishing trade and weaving and jewelery industries, among others, make Jaipur a prosperous city. In the afternoon, we will attend the Aarti ceremony at the Birla Temple. Accommodation.

Breakfast. We will go up by jeep to visit the Amber Fort, which from the road offers a spectacular image. A palace complex that stands on top of a hill, built with sandstone and decorated with carved marbles that cover the floors and walls, is reminiscent of the magnificence with which many maharajas used to live. Return to Jaipur where we will visit the Maharaja's Palace and its museum, the Jai Singh Observatory, which is still in operation and where we can observe the accuracy of the stone instruments built in the 18th century. /strong> We will stop to contemplate the spectacular façade of the Palace of the Winds, which has become an emblem of the city. Dinner and accommodation.

Breakfast. Departure by road to Agra, with a stop en route to visit Abhaneri and its medieval Rajput monuments such as the Chand Baori well and the Harshat Mata Temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. Continuation of the road trip and stop en route before reaching Agra to visit the abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri. Built by the Mughal emperor Akbar between 1571 and 1585, in honor of the saint Salin Chishti, Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of the Mughal empire for 14 years, after which it had to be abandoned, which caused a multitude of looting and robberies, although Despite this, you can still see its magnificent architecture that mixes Mughal and Hindu styles. Arrival in Agra. Located on the banks of the Yamuna River, it was the capital of the Mughal empire at its peak, founded in 1505 by the Sultan of Delhi Sikander Lodi on an ancient city of Hindu origin. In 1565, when it was named Akbarabad, the Mughal emperor Akbar made it the imperial capital and it continued to be so intermittently until Shah Jahan moved the capital again to Delhi in 1648. In the afternoon, we will visit the Taj Mahal and can enjoy the sunset lights that surround everything in a reddish-pink tone, forming a much more idyllic setting to contemplate this spectacular architectural complex, considered one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. Erected between 1631 and 1654 by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, it is built of white marble, in a style that combines elements of Islamic, Persian, Indian and even Turkish architecture. The monument has achieved special notoriety due to the romantic nature of its inspiration. Although the mausoleum covered by the white marble dome is the best-known part, the Taj Mahal is a group of integrated buildings. Dinner and accommodation.

Breakfast. Visit of the Red Fort of Agra, built in red sandstone stone, by the Mughal emperor Akbar between 1565 and 1573. It is a walled complex, which contains within its palaces and stately buildings with architectural styles that vary from the complexity of what was built by Akbar, to the simplicity of what was built by his grandson Shah Jahan and surrounded by a deep moat that was filled with water from the Yamuna River. Visit the Ashram of Mother Teresa. Dinner and accommodation.

Breakfast. Transfer by road to Delhi. Dinner at a hotel near the airport. Transfer to the airport.