12 Days India Pilgrimage

Day 1 Singapore Amritsar

Depart Singapore for Amritsar in the evening. Upon arrival, transfer to hotel for overnight stay.

Day 2 Amritsar Dharamshala

Early morning, drive for (Estimated Coach journey: 5-6hrs) to reach Dharamshala. Located on a hilltop in Dauladhar range of Mountains, Dharamsala is another hill station of Himachal developed during British rule and headquarter of Tibetan Exile Government headed by the Dalai Lama, who fled here with his followers after the Chinese invasion of Tibet.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 3 Dharamshala Mcleod Gang – Little Lhasa

A day to walk around in Dharamsala and Mcleod Gang. Mcleod Gang is also known as Little Lahsa (capital of Tibet), full of Tibetan people, Tibetan monasteries, colorful Tibetan handicraft shops and small restaurants run by young Tibetans entrepreneurs. There are some Tibetan Research Institutes and small factories producing Tibetan herbal medicines here. Afternoon drive to visit Dalai Lama’s Norbulinga Institute known for its various schools of Tibetan paintings and handicraft training.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 4 Dharamshala Amritsar Delhi

This morning, be transferred back to Amritsar. The holy town of Sikhs has grown from a sacred village pond into a spiritual temporal center of Sikh culture. The city gets its name from the pool - Amritsar (Pool of Nectar), which was constructed by the fourth religious preceptor of the Sikh faith. We will visit Golden Temple or Darbar Sahib, the most sacred temple for Sikhs. It is a symbol of the magnificence and strength of the Sikh people all over the world. After which, be transferred to the railway station for ride to Delhi.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 5 Delhi Agra

After breakfast, proceed for Delhi city tour. New Delhi is the capital of India. Located on the Yamuna (Jumuna) river at the western end of the great Ganges valley, the capital seems to have been a coveted place for India’s conquerors. Though they each very often destroyed the work of their predecedsors, the 20th-century cities remains a fascinating compendium of India’s imperial history. We will proceed for combined tour of Old and New Delhi, visiting Lotus Temple, drive past Red fort, India gate – a 42m high memorial arch paid tribute to the 90,000 indian Soldiers killed during World War 1; Parliament House and Qutub Minar – a 72.5m high memorial. After which, drive to Agra and visit the famous Taj Mahal. One of the Seven Wonders of the World, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan in memory of his beloved Queen Mumtaz Mahal. The construction work took 20 thousand workers and 17 years to complete (1631 – 1648). Continue to visit the Agra Fort, a red sandstone fort built in 1565.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 6 Agra Delhi Varanasi

Early morning, we will transfer back to Delhi for our domestic flight to Varanasi. Check-in hotel upon arrival.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 7 Varanasi

Today you have to wake up early about 5am and take a morning boat ride of Ganges to witness sunrise and to see the Bathing and Cremation Ghats. The stone-stepped embankments, leading down to the Ganga River are the gathering place of more than 250,000 pilgrims a year. To see the day unfold at the Ghats, you must rise before dawn to join the pilgrims. Some are sannyasi, wandering beggars to stand at the Ghats and pray, to bathe and drink the waters of the holy river, or just sit and meditate on this supreme moment of their religious lives. Even the most aged and infirm travel here to die, for nothing is more blessed for a devot Hindu than to die in the great waters if Varanasi and thus be released from the eternal cycle of rebirth. Return to hotel for breakfast. After which, free and easy. (If time permits, we will arrange tour to Sarnath, about 0.5hrs drive from Varanasi.)

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 8 Varanasi Gaya Bodhgaya

Early morning at 7am, we will board the train to Gaya (journey about 3hrs) (AC2 and AC3 seats will be provided). Upon arrival, drive to Bodhgaya. BODHGAYA – The Holy Place of Enlightenment, the place where Lord Buddha attained Enlightenment under the sacred Bodhi Tree (Estimated coach journey: 3hrs). Prince Siddhartha, after deciding to renounce the world in search of truth, actioned and arrived Urvila (ancient name of Bodhgaya) and sat beneath a Boddhi Tree (FICUS RELIGIOUSA), under vow to attain enlightenment after six years of hard meditations. The much desired dawned upon him on the full moon day and Prince Siddhartha became Bodhisattva (The enlightened one-BUDDHA) in the state of Bihar. It is now reckoned as the most important Buddhist pilgrimage centre, the place where Lord Sakyamuni (Gautam Buddha) entered into mediation after being moved by the sufferings of mankind. The giant Bodhi Tree (Peepal) that we see today is believed to have grown from the original Bodhi tree under which, sitting on the raised platform, Prince Siddharth meditated and finally attained Nirvana.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 9 Bodhgaya

After breakfast, visit the magnificent Maha Bodhi Temple in Bodhgaya. It is an architectural amalgamation of many cultures. The temple bears the stamp of the architecture of the Gupta Dynasty and subsequent ages. On the walls of the temple, one sees Buddha carves in different aspects, and in the sanctum sanctorum, a colossal Buddha, is seen touching the ground, which has mythological significance in the Buddhist lores. The temple carries inscriptions recording the visits of pilgrims from Sri Lanka, China and Myanmar in the 7th and 10th Centuries A.D. Hieun Tsang, the Chinese traveler also visited the temple in the 7th Century. After which, continue visiting the various temples such as Japan Temple, Taiwanese Temple etc.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 10 Bodhgaya Nalanda Rajgir Patna

This morning, depart Bodhgaya for Patna. Enroute, visit Nalanda. Nalanda literally means the place that confers the lotus. It was one of the oldest universities of the World & International Centre for Buddhist Studies. It has 9 million books, 10 thousand students, 2 thousand teachers and was a center of great learning which reaches its zenith between 5th and 12th Century A.D. Both Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira visited this place. Emperor Ashoka built a Vihara, while Emperor Harshvardhan donated a 26 meters high copper image of Buddha and Emperor Kumar Gupta built a college of fine arts. Continue drive to Rajgir and visit Gridhakuta Hill. It was the seat from where Buddha delivered many of his sermons.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 11 Patna Kolkata Singapore

Early morning we will depart Patna by train to Kolkata. Estimated time of arrival in the afternoon. We will then proceed for Kolkata city tour, which includes visit to the Kalighat Kali Temple, Victoria Memorial via new bridge River side, High court, Raj Bhawan, Mother Theresa Home and Maidan Area. Stop for Photo Shoot by the riverside. Proceed to hotel for wash-up after which. (Day-use rooms will be arranged) In the evening after dinner, be transferred to the airport for international flight back to Singapore.

(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 12 Arrive Singapore