Itineraries

Tour Planner

TRAVEL UTTAR PRADESH IN INDIA

Uttar Pradesh, most populous and fifth largest state of India, has been the centre of power and stability of all the ancient Indian Empires and Kingdoms and an epicentre of Hinduism. History of Uttar Pradesh stretches 4000 years back to 2000 BC with the inception of the Vedic Age by the Aryans and the glory of the ancient Hindu kingdoms of Lord Rama of the Ramayan, Lord Krishna 'eighth Avatara of Vishnu' and the Pandavas of the Mahabharata. Uttar Pradesh has not only seen the glory of Hinduism but is also a land to commemorate Buddha's first sermon and a heart land of the Muslim Sultanates Mughal Empire which has dedicated the best of its culture and heritage to Uttar Pradesh in India.

Tourism in Uttar Pradesh, for both national and international visitors, is divided broadly into two regions which are Monumental India, the city of Agra and Sacred India, the holy cities that is the cities of Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mathura and Allahabad, by the sacred rivers, the Ganges and the Yamuna. The city of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, India is the most visited city in India by the tourist and is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World 'Taj Mahal' along with architectural splendors of the Mughal Dynasty, the Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.

Millions of tourists and pilgrims visit the cities of Allahabad and Varanasi, as those are considered to be the holiest cities in India. Every year thousands gather at Allahabad to take part in the festival on the banks of the Ganges, the Magh Mela. The same festival is organized in a larger scale every 12th year where over 10 million Hindus congregate, the largest gathering of human beings in the world, and is called the Kumbha Mela. Varanasi is considered to be the second oldest city in the world after Jerusalem and is famous for its ghats (steps along the river) which are populated year round with people who want to take a dip in the holy Ganges River. About 13 km from Varanasi is the historically important Buddhist pilgrimage town of Sarnath where Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon after his enlightenment.

Itineraries

Tour Planner

AGRA IN UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA
Agra, a medieval city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on the banks of River Yamuna, was founded in 1506 by Sultan Sikandar Lodi but achieved fame from 1526 to 1658 as the capital of the Mughal Emperors and today is a major tourist destination showing off the art and architecture of the golden age of Mughal period in India at its best in form of the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri, all three of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings in the world and a World Heritage Site, is a mausoleum of Shah Jahan's favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, located in Agra, India. Taj Mahal, universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage, is an integrated complex of structures, though the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar part of the monument, with a combination of Persian and Indian style of architecture which was commissioned in 1632 and completed in 1648. The Taj Mahal complex is set in and around a large Charbagh, former Mughal Garden, a raised marble water tank at the centre of the garden and a linear reflecting pool on the North-South axis reflect the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal complex is bounded by a red sandstone wall on three sides while the river-facing side is unwalled and outside the wall are several additional mausoleums of Shah Jahan's other wives. The main gateway is a monumental structure of red sandstone, a style reminiscent of the Mughal architecture of earlier emperors, and its archways mirror the shape of the tomb's archways, and its pishtaq arches incorporate the calligraphy that decorates the tomb. The two grand red sandntone buildings at the far ends opening to the sides of the tomb are precise mirror images of each other, the western building is a mosque and its opposite is the jawab or "answer", whose primary purpose was architectural balance.

The focus of the Taj Mahal is the white marble tomb with the basic elements of Persian architecture in terms of a symmetrical building with an iwan, an arch-shaped doorway, topped by a large dome and four minarets about 40m tall at each corner of the square plinth. The marble dome, also called as onion dome because of its shape, that surmounts the tomb is its most spectacular feature with a height of 35m, same size as the base of the building, which is accentuated because it sits on a cylindrical "drum" about 7 m high. The top of the dome is decorated with a lotus design and topped by a gilded finial, which mixes traditional Persian and Hindu decorative elements. The exterior decorations in forms of Calligraphy, abstract geometric elements and Vegetative motifs done by paint or stucco applied to the wall surface, stone inlay and carvings on nearly every surface of the Taj Mahal are among the finest to be found in Mughal architecture of any period. The interior chamber of the Taj Mahal is a work of jewellery done in precious and semiprecious gemstones which steps far beyond traditional decorative elements.

Agra fort, located 2.5 km northwest of Taj Mahal in Agra, India, was built by Emperor Akbar in 1565 as a red sandstone fort but gained its present grandeour of a legendry palace during the time of Shah Jahan. The Agra fort, a walled palatial city, is a blend of architectural style of Emperor Akbar in red sandstone and Emperor Shah Jahan, his grandson, in white marble inlaid with gold or semi precious gems. At the end of his life, Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son, Aurangzeb, in Muasamman Burj, a tower with a marble balcony with an excellent view of the Taj Mahal, of the Agra Fort. This was also a site of one of the battles during the Indian rebellion of 1857, which caused the end of the British East India Company's rule in India, and led to a century of direct rule of India by Britain.

Agra Fort is crescent shaped with 2.4 km of towering red sandstone walls with two gates, the 'Delhi Gate' (used by Indian military) and the 'Lahore Gate' (also called Amar Singh Gate and used as atourist entry point). Agra Fort is a very important and interesting site in terms of architectural history due to the amazing mix of Hindu and Islamic architecture. Notable buildings in the fort include the Pearl Mosque (private mosque of Shah Jahan), the Diwan-e-Am (house of Peacock Throne used to speak to people and listen to petitioners) and Diwan-e-Khas (halls of private audienceand home of the black throne of Jahangir), Jehangir's Palace, Khaas Mahal (white marble palace), Sheesh Mahal (mirrored palace), and Musamman Burj.


Fatehpur Sikri, another world heritage site in Agra district of Uttar Pradesh in India, is located 35 km from the city of Taj and was built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 16th century. Fatehpur Sikri, in red sandstone with its numerous palaces , halls and masjids, was built to satisfy the creative and asthetic impulses of the Mughal Emperor. The main features of fatehpur Sikri are Buland Darwaza, the gate of Magnificence, and dargah of Salim chisti built in honor of Sufi saint Salim Chishti in 1571 while some of the other important religious and secular buildings are : Naubat Khana (Drum house near the entry where important arrivals were announced), Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience), Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience famous for its central pillar with thirty-six voluted brackets supporting a circular platform for Akbar), Raja Birbal's house, Jodhabai's palace who was Akbar's favourite Hindu queen, Pachisi Court (a square marked out as a large sized board game, modern day Ludo, where live coins- people- participated), Char Chaman Tank, Panch Mahal (A five-storied palacial structure with the bottom floor having 176 intricately carved columns and Jama Masjid.

Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, sometimes called the Baby Taj, was built by Empress Nur Jehan for her father, Ghias-ud-Din Beg, the Chief Minister of Emperor Jahangir. It is small in comparison to many other Mughal-era tombs, but is sometimes described as a jewel box. Its garden layout and use of white marble, pietra dura, inlay designs and latticework presage many elements of the Taj Mahal.

Sikandra, 13 kilometres from the Agra Fort in the city of Taj of Uttar Pradesh in India, is the last resting place of the Mughal Emperor Akbar which reflects the completeness of his personality. The vast, beautifully carved, red-ochre sandstone tomb is set amidst a lush garden. Akbar himself planned his own tomb and selected a suitable site for it. To construct a tomb in one's lifetime was a Tartary custom which the Mughals followed religiously. Akbar's son Jahangir completed the construction of this pyramidal tomb in 1613.

Itineraries

Tour Planner

VARANASI IN UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA
Varanasi, also known as Banaras or Kashi, is a famous Hindu holy city, older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together, situated on the banks of River Ganges in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India where 1,000,000 pilgrims visit the city each year.. Varanasi, city of temples and learning, is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, dating back thousands of years. The name Varanasi is based on the fact that it lies between where the Varuna River, to the north, and the river Assi, to the south, flow into the river Ganges. Varanasi is often referred to poetically as Kashi, "the luminous"; an allusion to the city's historical status as a center of learning, literature, and culture. The city is very commonly called as "city of temples," "holy city of India," "religious capital of India," and "city of learning." According to the myth, the city was founded by Hindu deity Shiva, thus making it one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in India. Varanasi city has been a cultural and religious center in northern India for thousands of years deeply associated with the river Ganga and its religious importance. Varanasi has remained a centre of religious, educational, and artistic activities since time in memorial as also attested by the celebrated Chinese traveler Xuanzang, who also said that the city extended for about 5 km along the western bank of the Ganges. It is believed that Ayurveda originated at Varanasi and references to this can be found in age-old Indian scriptures and hymns. Regions of Varanasi near the banks of river Ganga are extremely crowded and house several Hindu temples, narrow winding lanes and road-side shops.

Varanasi has its own style of classical Hindustani music, and has produced prominent musicians, philosophers, poets, and writers in Indian history, including Kabir, Munshi Premchand, Jaishankar Prasad, Pandit Ravi Shankar, and Ustad Bismillah Khan. Numerous festivals are celebrated in Varanasi every year that preserve traditional styles of classical and folk culture. All night, open music concerts like ones organised at Sankat Mochan Temple, Hori, Kajri and Chaiti Mela, Budwa Mangal, are annual features that draw connoisseurs from all over.

Varanasi is a city of temples where almost every road crossing has a nearby temple which are the basis of daily local prayers and rituals other than the large historical temples. Varanasi is a holy city in Hinduism which is a home to the holy shrine of Lord Kashi Vishwanath, (an aspect of Lord Shiva) and one of the twelve revered Jyotirlingas of the Lord Shiva. Hindus believe that bathing in the river Ganga will remit sins and that dying in the holy city of Kashi (Varanasi) circumvents rebirth. (New) Vishwanath Temple of Varanasi, also called Birla Temple, was built by Birla family of industrialists as a replica of the old Kashi Vishwanath Temple and is open to people from all castes and religions unlike the original.

The legendry Durga Temple, also called Monkey temple due to the presence of large number of monkeys, was bulit in the 18th century by a Bengali Maharani and houses the statue of Goddess Durga which was not made by man but appeared on its own in the temple. The architecture is of Nagara Style, typical of North India, and is accompanied by a rectangular tank of water called Durga Kund. Every year on the occasion of Nag panchami, the act of depicting Lord Vishnu reclining on the coiled-up Shesha Naga, with his consort Lakshmi, seated at his feet; the assemblage resting on the "Kshira Sagar" is repeated in the Kund.This holy city is worshipped as one of the Shakti Peethas where Divine Mother Sati's earring fell and so devotees believe that on that spot stands the present Vishalakshi Temple.

Varanasi is also a pilgrimage place for Jains sice it is believed to be the birthplace of Parshvanatha, the twenty-third Tirthankar. Vaishnavism and Shaivism have also co-existed in Varanasi harmoniously along with Buddhism. In the viscinity of Varanasi lies the site of Sarnath where Gautama Buddha is said to have given his first sermon about the basic principles of Buddhism marked by Dhamek Stupa. It is one of the four pilgrimage sites designated by Gautama Buddha other than Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, and Lumbini. The Dharmarajika Stupa is one of the few pre-Ashokan stupas remaining along with the Chaukhandi Stupa commemorating the spot where the Buddha met his first deciples, dating back to the fifth century or earlier.

Itineraries

Tour Planner

ALLAHABAD IN UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA
Allahabad, also known as Prayag (Sanskrit word for place of sacrifice), is considered to be the spot where Brahma offered his first sacrifice after creating the world and is one of four sites of the Kumbh Mela, the others being Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. Allahabad holds great importance in the Hindu religion and mythology since it is situated at the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna, and Hindus believe that the invisible Sarasvati River joins here also. Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, India is also a reference point for Indian Standard Time since the solar events in Allahabad occur exactly 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich. Allahabad is a historian's paradise where history lies embedded everywhere, in its fields, forests and settlements and the excavations have revealed Northern Black Polished ware objects in Prayag, further corroborating the conjecture that Prayag existed as a town as early as 1100 B.C.Allahabad is a well-known centre of education (dating from the time of the Buddha) and home to the renouned Allahabad University, also called as Oxford of the East, established in 1887. Allahabad is most famous for the literary geniuses it has produced, notable amongst them were Mahadevi Varma, Sumitranandan Pant, Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala', Raghupati Sahay, Upendra Nath 'Ashk' and Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Allahabad also became a nodal point for the revolutionaries during the freedom struggle of India where, in 1931, the revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad killed himself when surrounded by the British Police. It has been home to the most succesful and loved politicians of the present times and revolutionaries of the past like the first Prime Minister of free India, Jawahar Lal Nehru, and Union ministers like Mangla Prasad, Muzaffar Hasan, K. N. Katju, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri,Vishwanath Pratap Singh and Chandra Shekhar. To bring you closer to history,Anand Bhavan, the birth place of Pt Jawahar lal Nehru and Indira Gandhi and the family estate of Nehru family has been converted now to a museum.

Kumbha Mela, the largest religious gathering on Earth with participation of around 70 million Hindus from around the world, occurs four times every twelve years and rotates between four locations: Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. Allahabad is also a home of the Ardha Kumbha Mela held every 6th year and the Magh Mela which takes place every year in the month of Magh (Jan - Feb) of the Hindu calendar. In Allahabad, these religious fairs take place at the Sangam (confluence) of the Yamuna and the Ganges River which is holy in Hinduism and during the Melas, an entire township is built on the river's banks, with functioning hospitals, fire stations, police stations, restaurants and other facilities. In the year 2001, Maha Kumbha Mela which occurs only every 144 years because of an alignment of the sun, moon and Jupiter was celebrated with a huge turnover of almost 75 million people making it a mega religious event of the century.

Itineraries

Tour Planner

AYODHYA IN UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA
Ayodhya, one of the six ancient holiest cities, is the old capital of Awadh located in the Faizabad district of Uttar pradesh in India on the banks of river Sarayu. Ayodhya is one of the most ancient, largest and most magnificent of Indian cities for almost all religions.
Hindus believe the birthplace of Rama to be in Ayodhya at the place called Ram Janmabhoomi, the site of the demolished Babri Mosque. Ayodhya is also the birth place of five Tirthankars, including the first Tirthankar of Jainism, Shri Rishabh Dev who is known as the father of Jain religion. The city is also important in the history and heritage of Buddhism in India, with several Buddhist temples, monuments and centers of learning having been established here during the age of the Mauryan Empire and the Gupta Dynasty. Bhagwan Swaminarayan, founder of the Swaminarayan Sect of Hinduism lived in Ayodhya during his childhood years and started his seven year journey across India as Neelkanth from Ayodhya. Tulsidas is said to have begun the writing of his famous Ramayana poem (Shri Rama Charit Manas) in Ayodhya in 1574 and Ayodhya is also said to be the birthplace of Bhahubali, Brahmi, Sundari, King Dasaratha, Acharya Padaliptasurisvarji, King Harishchandra, Shri Rama, Achalbhrata, and the ninth Gandhara of Mahavir Swami. Ayodhya today is a small, rustic city with ancient Hindu architecture predominating, and with some Mughal influence.

Itineraries

Tour Planner

MATHURA IN UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA
Mathura, reputed to be the nucleus of birth place of Krishna, Krishnajanmabhoomi, is a holy city located 150 km south of Delhi in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. Krishnajanmabhoomi, the land where Shri Krishna was born and spent his youth, has today little towns and hamlets that are still alive with the Krishna legend and still redolent with the music of his flute. As per epic Mahabharata, Mathura was the capital of the Surasena Kingdom, ruled by Kansa the maternal uncle of Krishna and the birth place of Krishna and it is the same place where Keshav Dev temple was built. A long line of picturesque ghats - with their steps leading to the water's edge, arched gateways and temple spires extending along the right bank of the River Yamuna, emphasise the sacred character of the town of Mathura. Tourism is still in a development stage in the city. There are quite a few places to visit in Mathura and its surroundings, most of them linked to the Hindu mythology, are Krishnajanmabhoomi, Dwarikadheesh Temple, Kans Kila, Vishram Ghat (a bath and worship place on the banks of river Yamuna), Nandgaon, Gokul, Vrindavan, Goverdhan and Radhakund. Vrindavan is the twin city of Mathura and a host to a lot of temples belonging to various sects of Hinduism preaching Lord Krishna in various forms/avatars. The name Vrindavan evokes the playfulness and lovable characteristics of Shri Krishna. This is the wood where he frolicked with the gopis and tenderly wooed Radha. Some of the most famous temples are Banke Bihari Temple, Rang ji Temple, Iskcon Temple.