Highlights
- Stay in a beautiful heritage property Noor us Sabah
- Visit the Jama Masjid, Taj ul Masjid
- Visit to Sanchi Stupa and Udaigiri caves
- Visit to Bhimbetka caves
- Daily blog
- GPS access to whereabouts of the group
- Full time tour escort of the duration of the tour
- Experienced English speaking guides for sightseeing
Day 01 – Delhi / Bhopal (Bhopal Shatabdi at 0615 / 1402 hrs)
Depart early this morning from school to take the Bhopal Shatabdi at 0615 hours. Breakfast and lunch will be served onboard. On arrival there, at 1402 hours proceed for a sightseeing tour of Bhopal visiting the Jama Masjid & Taj Ul Masjid.
Nestled between two artificial lakes, Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, is rightly known as “City of Lakes”. It seamlessly integrates its glorious history and glittering present, promising a lifetime experience for those who visit it.
Surrounded by verdant forests, picturesque landscape, majestic mountains and beautiful artificial lakes, Bhopal calls for a fun-filled and memorable vacation. The beautiful mosques, museums and havelis are incredible testimonies of its rich culture and heritage. Bhopal is not only about the glorious past, it is lively, vibrant and cosmopolitan in nature. With a number of art performing centers, Bhopal is a cultural hub for tribal and folk artists. The place is also famous for its amazing cave paintings. Some of the major attractions include Taj-ul-Masjid, Van Vihar National Park and Upper Lake among others.
Situated to the north of the Upper and Lower Lakes, old Bhopal is where you find the regal echoes of the era of Begums and Nawabs. The newer city spreads to the south. The lakes in the centre provide balm to the eyes and moments of leisure on summer evenings and wintry afternoons. Legend has it that Parmara Raja Bhoj (1010-53 CE), affected by leprosy, was advised by sages to build a lake and bathe in it. Thus was born a bund— and a city. The Parmaras went on to rule over Malwa till the 13th century. By 1565, the region was part of the Mughal Empire and, with its decline in the 17th century, it came to be dominated by local chieftains, the Gonds. The Afghan Dost Mohammad Khan fortified the fiefdom and laid the foundation of what was to grow into Bhopal city in 1723. Dost Mohammad’s successor, Ghaus Mohammad, was Bhopal’s fifth nawab. His wife Zeenat Begum was famed for rallying the women of Bhopal to fight in times of siege. Zeenat’s widowed daughter, Qudsia, became the first of the famed Begums of Bhopal, in 1819. Successive queens ruled the city, in an India ruled by kings and princes, through the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Another contribution, this time a gift of Qudsia Begum, is the imposing Jama Masjid (1837). It is situated in the heart of the old city, a beautiful work of art crowned by gold spikes atop minarets.
The name Taj-ul-masjid literally means ‘The Crown of Mosques’, which is truly reflected in the majestic architecture of the mosque, a magnificent spectacle in its own right. Also used as a madrasah, its construction was started by Sultan Shah Jehan Begum of Bhopal (1868-1901) and it was completely built only after 1971 by the great efforts of Allama Mohammad Imran Khan Nadwi Azhari of Bhopal.
The mosque features a pink facade, on top of which stands the two 18-storeyed octagonal minarets. These minarets each have a huge bulbous dome, below which lies a main hallway with beautiful pillars and marble flooring. Apart from this, the mosque also encompasses a courtyard with a large tank in the centre. The double-storey gateway in the courtyard, with 9 cusped, multifold openings and 4 recessed archways, leads to the main prayer hall. The Quibla Wall within the prayer hall is ornately adorned with 11 recessed arch carvings and fine screens of trellis work.
Later, have lunch at your hotel and check in. Relax awhile at this beautiful heritage hotel.
Tea will be served at the hotel, after which you go to see the upper and lower lakes of Bhopal.
Dinner and overnight at Hotel Noor us Sabah.
Day 02 – Visit to Sanchi Stupa and Udaigiri Caves
In the morning after breakfast, proceed to visit Sanchi Stupa and Udaigiri caves.
Sanchi is a small town on the outskirts of Bhopal, situated around 48 km from the capital city. It is the living example of the visions and beliefs of Emperor Ashoka. It is scattered with numerous Buddhist structures like pillars and stupas. The Ashoka Pillar and the Great Sanchi stupa are the most exquisite works of that time. The Stupas were the earliest forms of Buddhist architecture that were the inspiration for many other buildings.
Lunch will be provided at Sanchi after which proceed to visit the Udaigiri caves.
The Udayagiri Caves are an early Hindu ritual site. They were extensively carved and reworked under the command of Chandragupta II, Emperor of the Gupta Empire, in the late 4th and 5th century CE.
Udaigiri consists of a substantial U-shaped plateau immediately next to the River Bes. Located a short distance from the earthen ramparts of ancient Besnagar, Udayagiri is about 4 km from the modern town of Vidisha and about 13 km from the Buddhist site of Sanchi Udayagiri is best known for a series of rock-cut sanctuaries and images excavated into hillside in the early years of the fifth century CE. The most famous sculpture is the monumental figure of Viṣhṇu in his incarnation as the boar-headed Varaha. In addition to these remains, Udayagiri has a series of rock-shelters and petroglyphs, ruined buildings, inscriptions, water systems, fortifications and habitation mounds.
Return to the hotel in the evening and freshen up before dinner.
Dinner and Overnight at hotel Noor US Sabah.
Day 03 – Bhopal / Delhi (New Delhi Shatabdi at 1440 / 2230 hrs)
In the morning after breakfast at 0800 hrs, you visit the Bhimbetka caves.
These magnificent are situated just 46 km from Bhopal; they are surrounded by the northern limits of Vindhya mountain Range. As the legend goes, these hills got their name after Bhima, one of the five Pandava brothers. The name ‘Bhim-bet-ka’ means ‘where Bhim sat down’. There are more than 600 caves with the oldest prehistoric paintings in India. These caves were found by Dr. V.S Wakankar, the famous Indian archaeologists in the year 1958. It took around 16 years to excavate the entire area covered by these caves.
The Bhimbetka caves are the oldest heritage sites of the 24 UNESCO recognized sites in India.
You will find paintings of all periods starting from Paleolithic era to medieval era.
The paintings turn out to be a mirror showing evolution of humanity through time. The style of the paintings of separate periods is so different that you can easily differentiate between them. The paintings of Paleolithic age are huge linear figures of animals like tigers, bears and rhinoceroses. As the time passed, the paintings became smaller, shapely and more precise. The paintings now depicted the daily chores of people like hunting and dancing. Slowly the artistry from raw art turned into religious images showing the change in the mindset. The oldest painting here is said to be around 12,000 years old, whereas the most recent is around 1000 years old. The colors used by the cave dwellers, were prepared by combining manganese, hematite, soft red stone and wooden coal. The paintings over the years have stayed unharmed by nature due to the reaction between the chemicals present in rocks and the color. Even animal fat and plant leaves were used in the mixture.
Later, return to hotel for Lunch.
Check out and transfer to the railway station to board New Delhi Shatabdi at 1440 hrs and arrival Delhi at 2230 hrs.
Inclusions:
- Transfer by air conditioned deluxe coach from school to the railway station.
- Accommodation at hotel mentioned above on double/triple/quad sharing basis.
- Air conditioned deluxe coach for the duration of the tour.
- Meals including breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner as mentioned in the itinerary.
- Sightseeing with all entrance tickets as per the itinerary.
- Train fare in Ac Chair car class for sector Delhi / Bhopal / Delhi in Shatabdi.
- English speaking local guides, for sightseeing and excursions as per program.
- Services of a tour escort for the duration of the tour.
- Daily blog.
- GPS access to know the whereabouts of the group.
- Travel insuarance.
- All applicable taxes.
Exclusions:
- Any expenses of personal nature, such as telephone bills, laundry bills, tips at hotels and restaurants.
- Any camera fee to the places of visits.
- Any other expenses of similar nature.