Day 01: Arrive Delhi

Arrive Delhi. After you have cleared immigration and customs formalities, you are met at the airport and transferred to a hotel (check in at noon). Overnight at the hotel.

Day 02: In Delhi

After breakfast take a tour of India's capital.

Sightseeing of Old Delhi includes a visit to the Red Fort, built in 1648 during the reign of Shah Jehan in red sandstone, which gave the fort its name. Jama Masjid is India's largest mosque, built of red sandstone and white marble in the middle of the 17th century. Chandni Chowk (Silver Street), once the imperial avenue down which Shah Jehan rode at the head of lavish cavalcades, is today bustling with shops, stalls and silversmiths' ateliers.

Sightseeing of New Delhi includes a visit to India Gate, built in memory of Indian soldiers killed during the First World War. Rashtrapati Bhawan, built in the early 20th century as the Imperial residence of the Viceroy is today the official residence of the President of India and Parliament House, an unique circular building with huge colonnades, houses the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament. Connaught Circus is the commercial hub of New Delhi.. Humayun's Tomb is the first Mughal garden tomb. One of Delhi’s most striking monuments is the 70-meter high Qutb Minar, which looms majestically across the wide plains of Delhi.

The National Museum houses a fine collection of exhibits from every part of the country. Pottery from The Indus Valley civilization, dating back to 2,000 BC, early specimens of copper and bronze, Buddhist sculpture from the remote stupas of South India, exquisite ivory carvings in the Greco-Roman style from North India, Chola bronzes from the South, terra-cotta figures, reliefs narrating scenes from the Mahabharata, a fine collection of miniature paintings from the Rajput and Pahari Schools, priceless antiquities from Central Asia and pre-Colombian art and textiles gifted to the museum form part of the collection. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 03: Delhi To Khajuraho

After breakfast transfer to the airport for the flight to Khajuraho. You are met on arrival and transferred to the hotel.

Khajuraho is renowned the world over for its fine temples, built between 950 and 1050 AD, which are among the most creative examples of Indian architecture. Only 22 of the original 85 temples survive today. The most popular theme is woman: reflective, playful, amorous. The carvings also depict gods in cosmic evolution, griffins, nymphs, beasts, demons in revolt and the several emotions of man - fear, doubt, jealousy, ardent love and consummate passion. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 04: In Khajuraho

After breakfast spend the day visiting the magnificent temples. The western group, contained within a fenced enclosure, is well maintained as a park. The large Lakshmana Temple is dedicated to Vishnu and is one of the earliest of the western enclosure temples, dating from 930-950 AD. It is also one of the best preserved, with a full five-part floor plan and four subsidiary shrines. The Vahara Temple, dedicated to Vishnu’s boar incarnation (Vahara avatar) faces the Matangesvara Temple and has a huge solid and intricately carved figure of the boar incarnation, dating from around 900 AD. The Kandariya Mahadev Temple is not only the largest but also artistically and architecturally the most perfect. Build between 1025 and 1050 AD, it represents Chandela at its finest. The temple is small and mainly ruined. However, it houses one of Khajuraho’s best sculptures - a fine sardula figure caressing a lion. The Devi Jagadamba Temple was probably originally dedicated to Vishnu, but later changed to Parvati and then Kali. The Chitragupta Temple is unique in being dedicated to the Sun God, Surya. The Matangesvara Temple, standing next to the Lakshmana Temple, is not within the fenced enclose, because it is still in everyday use, unlike all the old temples.

The eastern group consists of an interesting complex of Jain temples in the walled enclosure and a group of four temples scattered through the small village of Khajuraho. Parsvanath is the largest of the Jain temples and also the finest in Khajuraho, noted for the exceptional skill and precision of its construction and for the beauty of its sculptures. The Adinath Temple has fine carvings on its three bands of sculptures. The Shanti Nath Temple is a relatively modern one, built about a century ago, but it contains many components from older temples around Khajuraho. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 05: Jhansi To Agara

After breakfast depart on the 5-hour drive to Jhansi. En route, visit Orchha. Founded by the Bundela king, Rudhra Pratap, it is a medieval city frozen in time and space, existing even today as it must have done in the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was built. The countryside undulates gently between riverine plains and rolling forest-clad hills and the landscape is dotted with palaces and temples, a fortress and cenotaphs. The architecture is a synthesis of traditional Hindu, hybrid Indo-Saracenic and ornate Mughal. One of the finest sights is the view of the cenotaphs from across the Betwa River.

Continue on the 30-minute drive to Jhansi railway station to board the Shatabdi Express train to Agra. You are met on arrival and transferred to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 06: Agara To Delhi, Chennai

After breakfast visit the red sandstone Agra Fort, which stands like a crescent on the banks of the Jamuna river, enclosed by forbidding 20-meter high walls, with a 12-meter moat between them. Three successive Mughal emperors - Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jehan - helped create this massive structure which contains both Hindu and Muslim architecture. The highlight of your trip will be a visit to the Taj Mahal, the greatest monument to love and one of the wonders of the modern world. Completed in 1652, skilled craftsmen from Persia, Turkey, France and Italy and some 20,000 labourers worked for 17 years to build this edifice, constructed by emperor Shah Jehan as a mausoleum for his beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal.

In the afternoon depart on the 5-hour drive to Delhi airport to board the evening flight to Chennai. You are met on arrival and transferred to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel

Day 07: Trip To Mahabalipuram

After breakfast depart for Mahabalipuram, the port city of the Pallavas in the 7th century, situated 55 km south of Chennai. En route visit the Cholamandal Artists' Village, where the community of artists who live and work here exhibit and sell their paintings, graphic, sculptures, pottery and batik.

Continue on to Mahabalipuram. In this picturesque setting of sandy beaches and the sea can be seen some 70 monuments that influenced temple architecture in Tamil Nadu for centuries to come. The first important group is formed by the five rathas - rock-cut monoliths named after the heroes of the Mahabharata which simulate ceremonial chariots. Some of these rathas are unfinished and in them can be seen the carving technique used to form temples out of living rock. Also within this complex are large sculptures of a lion, an elephant and a seated Nandi (the bull) Lord Shiva's mount. The other cave temples of Mahishasuramardini and Olalkkannesware (God of the Flaming Eye) are carved out of the hillside to form pillared halls and enclosed shrines within which are some magnificent sculptures, some larger than life, of gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon. Return to Chennai in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 08: Chennai To Bangalore

After breakfast depart for a tour of the city. The gateway to the sunny south, Madras, (now called Chennai) the capital of Tamil Nadu, is also a seat of ancient civilization, with a rich heritage of fine arts, sculpture and architecture.

In the afternoon transfer to the airport for the flight to Bangalore. You are met on arrival and transferred to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 8: Drive BANGALORE to MYSORE

After breakfast depart on the 4-hour drive to Mysore. En route, visit Somnathpur, the site of the Prasanna Chennakasava temple, with the star-shaped base characteristic of Hoysala temple architecture. Built in 1268 AD, the temple is situated in a somnolent village about 35 km from Mysore. The exterior walls are frescoed with narrative passages from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Bagavatha, laid out so exactly, that each segment ends at a door. Vivid with details, no two frescoes are alike. Continue on to Mysore. On arrival check in at the hotel.

In the afternoon take a tour of Mysore. The capital of the erstwhile princely state of that name is famous for its silk and sandalwood, as well as its numerous palaces, well laid out boulevards and beautiful parks. Visit the Maharaja's Palace, the most impressive of Mysore's ochre-coloured buildings - a modern edifice built in 1897, where the oriental decorative imagination runs wild. One of the largest palaces in India, it is a sort of gigantic synthesis of Hindu and Muslim styles. Entrance gateways, domes, arches, turrets, colonnades, sculptures can be seen here in magnificent profusion. The royal family's private chambers, including the impressive Durbar Hall, are open to the public. The Marriage Hall has life-like paintings of the Dassera procession and in the museum is the ruler's golden elephant throne, used during these festivities. Chamundi Hill lies 10 km from Mysore and is named after Chanduswari, the consort of Lord Shiva and the patron goddess of the royal family of Mysore. On the way up is a colossal figure of Nandi, carved out of a single rock in 1659. The view from the top of the hill is superb. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 09: Mysore To Hassan

After breakfast drive 112 km to Hassan. On arrival check in at the hotel.

In the afternoon visit Belur, a flourishing city under the Hoysala kings some 800 yeas ago. The Belur temple is star-shaped and embellished with gods and goddesses in all their varied aspects and incarnations, as well as scenes from the great Indian epics. The realities of life are also depicted beautifully in the forms of hunters, dancers, musicians and women at their daily toilette. A series of semi-detached pillars and ornamented porches lend variety to the facade; the artistic combination of horizontal and vertical light and shade and the play of silhouettes far surpasses anything in Gothic art. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 10: Hassan To Bangalore

After breakfast visit Halebid. The main temple, also built in a star-shaped plan is a magnificent example of Hoysala architecture with a breathtaking collection of friezes - first a row of elephants representing stability, then one of lordly lions and above, scrolls of swift horses. There are scenes from the religious epics representing not only philosophical ideas but also the living conditions of the time. The largest frieze is the most exuberant and based on a heavenly theme - celestial maidens, bedecked in jewels, are seen sitting or standing under pierced canopies in graceful postures. The magnificent Hoysaleswara temple is very similar to the temple at Belur, though different in detail work. It is set on the same star-shaped platform ascended by a short flight of steps. The palace once stood nearby, connected to the temple by a passage. A Nandi bull, the mount of Lord Shiva, stands guard at the entrance. This temple is about 800 years old, although not wholly in ruins. Only one bracket figure remains, though the relief carvings on the walls are as profuse and complex as at Belur. Among the carvings are scenes of many historical battles, of the child Krishna's frolics, Shiva and Parvati's embrace and Ravana hoisting Mount Kailash.

Continue on the 215 km (5-hour) drive to Bangalore. En route stop at Sravanabelagola, said to be the world's tallest monolithic statue. The hill is one mass of granite about 122 m, which the Jains undertook to fashion into a statue 17.7m tall, and have achieved it with marvelous success. The ascetic is Bhagwan Bahubali, also known as Tirthankar Sant Gomateshwara, whose huge statue dominates this little village. This is the holiest of all Jain places of pilgrimage. On arrival in Bangalore check in at the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 11: Bangalore To Goa

Early morning transfer to the airport for the flight to Mumbai. Connect with the flight to Goa. You are met on arrival and transferred to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 12: In Goa

Days at leisure. You can relax on the beach or explore Goa. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 13: In Goa

Days at leisure. You can relax on the beach or explore Goa. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 14: Goa TO Mumbai (Bombay)

Morning at leisure. Early afternoon transfer to the airport for the flight to Bombay (now called Mumbai). You are met on arrival and transferred to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 15: In Mumbai (Bombay)

After breakfast take a motorboat cruise to Elephanta Island which lies 10 km across the harbour. It contains a fine cluster of 6th to 8th century rock-cut caves, carved during the Golden Age of the Guptas and inspired by the worship of Lord Shiva. The most outstanding of the beautiful sculptures is the Maheshmurthy or Trimurthi, a 5-meter high three-headed bust hewn from a single rock, representing the three aspects of Shiva - the Creator, the Preserver and the Destroyer.

In the afternoon take a tour of Mumbai. From humble obscure beginnings as a set of seven small islands, Mumbai has today risen to the eminence of India's most important commercial and industrial centre. The Gateway of India was conceived as a triumphal arch to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary for the Delhi Durbar in 1911. The Prince of Wales Museum, built of blue-grey basalt and yellow sandstone, contains some excellent examples of Indian miniature paintings of the Mughal and Rajasthan Schools, as well as collections of jade and chinaware artifacts. Marine Drive is a long gracefully curving road along the buttressed sea-coast. Also of interest are the Hanging Gardens on Malabar Hill, from where you get a magnificent panoramic view of the metropolis and the Arabian Sea.

The city has several fine examples of colonial architecture including the Afghan Memorial Church, established in 1847 which has Gothic arches and stained- glass windows; the Clock Tower - now called Rajabai Tower, the University Hall and Elphiston College with canopied balconies, the School of Art, built in the late 1800s, where Rudyard Kipling was born; Crawford Market which has bas-reliefs designed by Kipling's father; the massive Victoria Terminus, built of yellow sandstone and granite combined with polychromatic stones and blue-grey basalt and the Municipal Corporation building.

Late evening transfer to the international airport to connect with your onward flight home.