Detailed Itinerary
Day 01 Arrive Mumbai
Arrive at Mumbai airport or station. Transfer to hotel. Check in and relax
for the evening.
Mumbai's skyline is recognisable in advertisements and pictorial depictions
stating the country's technological and financial hub. A walk on marine
drive, the gateway of India, warden road, university buildings, fort,
townhall, Mumbai high court to name a few. The pub and bar scenario here is
quite state of the art and ranges from the sophisticated ones in the five
stars to the hip and trendy ones in colaba and the suburbs.
Overnight will be at Mumbai.
Day 02 Mumbai/Aurangabad
Breakfast will be at hotel or onboard the aircraft. Relax in the morning or
visit the local market.
Transfer to airport for flight to Aurangabad.
Reach and check in at hotel.
Aurangabad was founded in 1610. To scholars and lovers of art and culture
the city is more familiar as the gateway to the ancient caves of Ajanta and
Ellora, both famous as treasure houses of Indian Art and Sculpture.
Overnight will be at Aurangabad.
Day 03 Aurangabad
Breakfast will be served at the hotel.
Proceed for a full day sightseeing with excursion to Ajanta Caves.
Ajanta caves: Nestling in an inner fold of the Sahyardi hills, 100 km from
Aurangabad in the shape of a mammoth horse- shoe, are the 30 rock-hewn caves
of Ajanta. The Caves date from the 2nd century BC. Discovered in 1819 by a
group of British army officers, these startling achievements took around 600
years to create. Carved with little more than a hammer and chisel, Ajanta,
once the retreat of Buddhist monastic orders features several 'chaityas'
(chapels) and 'viharas' (monasteries). The exquisite wall and ceiling
paintings, panels and sculptures of Buddha's life are famous throughout the
world as the earliest and finest examples of Buddhist pictorial art.
Return to Aurangabad and overnight will be at Aurangabad.
Day 04 Aurangabad
Breakfast will be at the hotel.
Proceed for a visit to the Ellora Caves, Daulatabad Fort and Aurangabad
Caves.
Ellora Caves: Impressive in their own right is the rock-hewn temples and
monasteries of Ellora that lie just 30 km away from Aurangabad city. In all,
there are 34 cave temples, 12 Mahayana Buddhist caves (550-750 AD), 17 Hindu
caves (600-875 AD) and 5 caves of the Jain faith (800-1000 AD) 22 more
caves, dedicated to Lord Shiva, were recently discovered. Kailas Temple
(cave16), the central attraction at Ellora, is the most remarkable.
Aurangabad Caves: The almost forgotten caves of Aurangabad lie just outside
the city. Excavated between the 2nd and 6th century AD, they reflect TANTRIC
influences in their iconography and architectural designs. In all there are
nine caves which are mainly viharas (monasteries).
The most interesting among these are Caves 3 and 7. The former is supported
on 12 highly ornate columns and has sculptures depicting scenes from the
legendary 'Jakata' tales. Cave 7 with its detailed figures of bejeweled
women also has a dominating sculpture of a 'Bodhisattva' praying for
deliverance.
Daulatabad Fort: Once known as 'Devgiri', this magnificent 12th century
fortress stands on a hill just 13 km. from Aurangabad. It was given the name
Daulatabad, the 'city of fortune', by Muhammad Tughlaq, Sultan of Delhi.
Day 05 Aurangabad/Mumbai
Breakfast will be at hotel or onboard the aircraft. Reach Mumbai and
transfer to hotel.
Proceed for an excursion to the ELEPHANTA CAVES. On your way back, proceed
to see the interesting sites of Mumbai. Overnight will be in Mumbai.
Day 06 Mumbai
Mumbai arrival in mumbai and day for leisure.
Day 07 Bombay/Goa
A short flight takes us to the one time Portuguese colony of Goa, which
offers a unique blend of India with a strong Portuguese influence. We are
transferred to our beacheside resort to enjoy the relaxing Goan lifestyle
and sea activities. The beach in Goa offers both quite and a public area
where one would find lots of families enjoying the silver sands and the
local hawker selling home cooked snacks.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 08 Goa
Today is free for leisure activities in this tropical beach resort. You may
also wish to visit the World Heritage Site of the churches and convents of
Goa, the former capital of the Portuguese Indies. Of particular interest is
the Church of Bom Jesus, which contains the tomb of St Francis-Xavier, a
great illustration of the evangelization of Asia. These monuments were
influential in spreading forms of Manueline, Mannerist and Baroque art to
all the countries of Asia where missions were established.
Day 09 Goa
Day free to relax on beach.
Day 10 Depart Goa
Depart to your home twon after having a rich cultural and heritage
experinece with relaxation on beach.
