Golden Triangle Amritsar

Day 1: Departure

Arrival in Delhi (by flight)

Upon arrival at the airport of New Delhi, you will be met and greeted by our representative and transferred to your hotel. Overnight at hotel.

Day 2

Delhi

After Breakfast. Full day visit of Old and New Delhi :

We will begin our first visit to the magical country of India, we will begin touring Old Delhi and its main monuments, among others:

Old Delhi came into prominence when Shah Jahan moved his capital from Agra to Delhi. We visited the 300 year old Chandni Chowk Market which is a maze of alleyways lined with shops selling an extraordinary variety of items, food, noise and crowds are an essential part of any Indian market. We walk through this market by  Rickshaw.

From here we will continue to the Jama Masjid or Friday Mosque. This is the largest mosque in India designed by Shah Jahan, and was his last architectural legacy, it was originally called Masjid-i-Jahanuma, which means “commanding a world view mosque”.

In complete contrast to the noise and The Raj ghat (royal courtyard) is a memorial to the Hindu Mahatma Gandhi, the main architect of India’s independence.

We then walk through the Red Fort, built in the mid 17th century, also by Shah Jahan, which was sacked by Nadir Shah’s marauding army and later by British soldiers.

Qutab Minar, a monument begun in 1193, marks the first place where the first Muslim kingdom was established in North India. This five-seater tower of victory was started by Qutbuddin Aibak and completed by his successor Iltutmish. It was built to symbolize the supremacy of Islam; Humayun’s Tomb, built by the eldest of his widows and mother of Emperor Akbar. This is the earliest example of Mughal architecture in India. It is believed that this mausoleum was what inspired Shah Jahan to build the Taj Mahal.

New Delhi shines with its splendor, like a lone sentinel guarding the outpost of a bygone empire. It is a wealthy city, with ceremonious gardens, the magnificent Parliament Building and the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the official residence of the President of India.

We then visit the India Gate, originally called the All Indian Wars Memorial is a monument built by architect Edwin Lutyens to commemorate Indian soldiers who died in World War I and the 1919 Afghan Wars. It was laid on February 10, 1921 by the Duke of Connaught. The names of the soldiers who died in these wars are inscribed on the walls of the monument. Its construction was completed in 1931. Since 1971, an eternal flame, known as Amar Jawan Jyoti (the flame of the immortal warrior), has been under the monument since 1971, marking the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” and is dedicated to honoring the unknown soldiers killed in the clashes between India and Pakistan that took place that same year. Overnight at hotel.

Day 3

Delhi –  Amritsar (by train)

After Breakfast. Transfer to the New Delhi railway station to take the train to Amritsar.

Train: 12029 Swarna shatabdi

Departure at 07:20 hrs                                            

Arrive at 13:45 hrs.

Upon arrival transfer to the Hotel.

Amritsar was founded by Guru Ram Das under the name of Sarovar, on a territory that he bought for 700 rupees from the owners of the town of Tung, its location was privileged since it was an obligatory crossing point for those who traveled the silk route. Initially Guru Ram Das began to build the Santokhsar Sarovar, near the town of Sultanwind in 1564, a work that he could not complete until 1588.

In 1574 Guru Ram Das built his residence and moved into it, a place now known as Chakk Ram Das.

Thereafter the city was called Amritsar. The foundation stone was laid by the Muslim saint Sain Mian Mir Sahib of Punjab, during the inauguration of the Golden Temple, at the request of Guru Arjun Dev. A traditional Sikh story tells that a mason tried to correct the alignment of the stone and was reprimanded by Guru. Arjun Dev who told him that the realignment of the stone was a sign of the terrible future for the city, which was constantly being attacked, destroyed and rebuilt. The builders placed the founding monolith on January 3, 1588.

In the afternoon visit of The most sacred Golden temple of Sikhism is open to everyone and no one asks for money. It has a genuinely spiritual atmosphere despite the crowds and like the Taj Mahal, it is worth visiting at different times of the day, especially at dawn and during sunset. Overnight at hotel.

Day 4

Amritsar

After Breakfast. In the morning visit Jallianwala Bagh and The Golden Temple.

Jallianwala Bagh: The Amritsar massacre, also known as the Jallianwala Bagh (Jallianwala Garden) massacre, was a massacre that occurred in 1919, in which British troops fired on a crowd of Sikh protesters.

In the year 1919, the British government of India promulgated the Rowlatt decree, with which it extended its emergency regimes after the First World War, with the purpose of combating the existing subversive activities in the area. On April 13 of the same year, a large crowd of people gathered in Amritsar to protest against these measures; the concentration got out of control and the soldiers began shooting, killing 379 individuals and wounding another 1,200.

The massacre has permanently marked relations between India and Great Britain, historically being the prelude to the non-cooperation movement led by Mahatma Gandhi between 1920 and 1922.

In the afternoon excursion to Wagah border to visit the ceremony on the border of India and Pakistan. People come to the border, 30 km west of Amritsar and 2 km west of the town of Attari, for two reasons: to attend the nightly “border closing” ceremony or to cross into Pakistan.

Military Theater: Wagah Border:

Every night, just before sunset, a group of Indian and Pakistani soldiers meet at the border to start an extraordinary 20-minute ceremony of the purest theater performed with affectation, pride and machismo, but with incredible synchronization. It is advisable to arrive early to get a good location.

The stage is divided into two sets of gates, one per country, with the national flag flying above. The public is also spread out and cheers for their team in a show so popular that stands have been built.

After a signal from both guard posts, a patrol goes out onto the road. The ceremony consists of walking in front of the public of the country itself, stamping their feet on the ground, letting out a few shouts and, very swollen with pride, going to stand in front of the other side with a furrowed brow, swollen chest and clenched fists.

The doors are wide open. The commanding officers march until they meet, shake hands and briefly greet each other. Then the guard corps goose-step to the border and turn to salute the flag, marching Indians and Pakistanis shoulder to shoulder.

The bugles sound and the flags are lowered slowly, so that none is higher than the other, which would imply a national superiority. They are immediately folded up and guarded up to the guard post. The doors slam shut and the audience takes the stage to take pictures with the background scenery and the tall, handsome and perfectly uniformed soldiers. Overnight at hotel.

Day 5

Amritsar – Delhi (by train) – Agra (210 Kilometres / 05 hours)

After Breakfast. In the early morning transfer to the Amritsar Railway station to take the train to Delhi.

Train: 12014   Amritsar Shatabdi

Departure at 05:00 hours

Arrive at 11:15 hours.

Upon arrival directly transfer by road to Agra.  Upon arrival transfer to the hotel. Overnight at hotel.

Day 6:

Agra

Afer breakfast. We will visit The Taj Mahal (Closed on friday), Agra Fort and Itimad al –Daulah.

The unique Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal who died in 1631. This costly majestic mausoleum combines elements of Islamic, Persian, Indian and even

Turkish architecture. It is estimated that around 20,000 workers from Persia, Turkey, France and Italy worked on it and it took 17 years to complete this Love Poem in Marble.

Later we will visit Agra Fort, built by Emperor Akbar between 1565 and 1573, it reveals the Mughal talent for combining defensive architecture with beauty and design. This palace fortress was started by Akbar as a purely defensive citadel and

later completed by two successive generations, delicate marble mosaic and magnificent palaces were added. The fort is the history of Mughal Agra and offers a magical view of the Taj Mahal.

Our last stop today is Itimad al –Daulah, the exquisite tomb of Mizra Ghiyas Beg is not to be missed. This Persian nobleman was the vizier of Emperor Yahangir. His daughter Nur Yahan, then the emperor’s wife, built the tomb between 1622 and 1628. It was the first Mongolian structure built entirely of marble and the first to make extensive use of hard pitera. Overnight at hotel.

Day 7:

Agra – Fatehpur Sikri – Abhaneri – Jaipur (275 kilometres / 6 hours)

After Breakfast. Transfer by road to Jaipur en-route visit  Fathepur Sikri & Abhaneri.

Fathepur Sikri It was erected by Emperor Akbar between 1571 and 1585 in honor of the Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chisti who blessed Akbar and the birth of three sons. Its architecture, a fusion of Hindu and Islamic styles, reflects Akbar’s secular vision and his way of ruling. The scarcity of water was the factor in the abandonment of this ghost town, where the elegant buildings speak of the beauty and splendor of the Mughal empire.

Abhaneri is a small village in Dausa Shire in northern Rajasthan; which is located 131 km from Fatehpur Sikri. The present name of the village, ‘Abhaneri’, is believed to be a mispronunciation of ‘Abha Nagri’ or the ‘city of glitter’. This ancient Rajasthan village is famous for its post-Gupta or early medieval monuments, Chand Baori and Harshat Mata temple.We visit Abhaneri village, Chand Baori Chand Baori, enriched on all sides, is one of the largest stairwells in India.Another attraction is Harshat Mata temple symbolizing 10th century architecture.

After visit, drive continue to Jaipur. Upon arrival transfer to hotel.

Jaipur– The pink city of Rajasthan. Jaipur is perhaps one of the most picturesque cities in the world. It was built according to the canons of the Shilpa Shastra, the ancient Hindu treatise on architecture. Divided into seven rectangular sectors, with well-drawn streets, right angles, its planning is a marvel of 18th century urbanism, when a similar systematization did not even exist in Europe. Surrounded by steep hills at three of its cardial points, the city is guarded by a powerful fortified wall, with seven gates.   Overnight at hotel.

Day 8:

Jaipur – Amber Fort – Jaipur

After Breakfast. At 0700 hours you will be picked up at the hotel to visit Amber Fort (you will go up and down in a Jeep).

Climb to the top of the hill where the Amber fort and its walls are located. From there you will appreciate the historic city of the kings of Amber next to Maota Lake, we are sure that this place will be one of the many great experiences of your trip to India, the place contains all the secrets of the life of the Mahrajas. The majestic Amber Fort (pronounced “Amer”), a wonderful example of Rajput architecture, rises high above a rocky mountainside located about 11 km north of Jaipur. Amber was once the capital of the state of Jaipur. The construction of the fort was started in 1592 by Maharaja Man Singh, the Raput commander of the army of Akbar, the Mongol emperor. Later it was enlarged by the Jai Singh (I and II) before moving the capital to Jaipur.

En route you will have a brief stop to take the traditional photograph of Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds). The five-storey palace was built in 1799 and is one of the best examples of Rajput artistry, who built it so that the ladies of the court could entertain themselves by watching the bustle of the city. Today it is still an excellent place to observe the bustle of the city. From the rooftop you can admire stunning views of the jantar Mantar and the city palace on one side, and the siredeori bazaar on the other.

Its construction was commissioned by Maharaja Sawaj Pratap Singh, and it is part of the city palace complex.

In the afternoon, visit the City palace of Jaipur. Maharaja’s Palace (also known as City Palace), a former royal residence turned museum, a small portion is still used by the Jaipur royal family.

One of its main attractions is the Armory, with an impressive variety of weapons-pistols, swords, daggers and rifles etc. Which the Royal family of Jaipur ever used throughout history.

On the first floor is the Textile museum, which is a fine example of textiles and costumes from all over India.The palace covers almost the seventh part in the area of the city. The main entrance leads to the central courtyard, which is the Mubarak Mahal.

You will continue with the visit of the Jantar Mantar, which is the largest Observatory in the world, built in stone and marble by Jai Singh from 1728 to 1734. Located near the city gate, the observatory has 17 large instruments, many of them they still in perfect working order. Later we enjoy a Rickshaw ride through the local market before returning to our hotel. Overnight at hotel.

Day 9:

Jaipur – Delhi (275 Kilometres / 06 hours) – Final Departure.

After Breakfast. Departure by road to the New Delhi International airport to take the flight for final Destination.