Buddhist Circuit with Golden Triangle

Duration- 12 Nights / 13 Days

Places- Delhi-Jaipur-Fatehpur Sikri-Agra-Lucknow-Sravasti-Lumbini-Kushinagar-Patna-Bodhgaya-Delhi

Mode of Transportation- Flight, Train and Private vehicle with experienced English speaking chauffer

Meals- Full meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Tour Manager- Available at your service right from your arrival till departure

Tour Guide- Local tour guide will be made available at all the locations

Inclusions- Everything except expense of personal nature like laundry, entry fee of camera etcetera

Hotel Category- Category of your choice. We recommend palatial / boutique properties wherever available

Day 1– Arrival Delhi

A very warm welcome to India’s capital city!!! Upon arrival you will be welcomed by your English speaking tour manager and chauffer. Tour manager will help you with hotel check in and discuss the tour details. Depending upon your flight timings local excursions can be planned for the day.

Today’s Excursion- It will depend upon guest’s time of arrival in Delhi

Night stay- Delhi

Day 2– Delhi

Post breakfast at hotel, we will embark on a full day city tour. We will cover / pass through all the below listed places of importance. You have option to add / omit places.

Today’s Excursion-

• • Qutub Minar- Built in 1193, it is the tallest minaret in the world built of bricks. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The compound also has an iron pillar famous for the rust resistant composition and is an excellent specimen of ancient metallurgy
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  • Humayun Tomb- The tomb of Humayun construction was completed in 1572. The building was the first to use its unique combination of red sandstone and white marble. The tomb was declared a  UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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  • Agrasen Ki Baoli- Agrasen Ki Baoli is a 60-meter long and 15-meter wide historical stepwell built in 14 th century.
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  • Jama Masjid- It was built between 1650 and 1656.At the time of its construction, it was the largest mosque in the Indian subcontinent. The mosque predominantly uses red sandstone & Black marble. The courtyard can accommodate 25,000 worshippers.
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  • Red Fort- The Red Fort historically served as the main residence of the Mughal emperors. Its design is credited to architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori, who also constructed the Taj Mahal.  it was completed in 1648. The World Heritage Convention characterises the Red Fort as representing “The Zenith of Mughal Creativity”
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  • Raj Ghat- It is a black marble platform that marks the spot of Mahatma Gandhi’s cremation. It is on the west bank of the Yamuna River
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  • Rickshaw Ride- The Old Delhi Rickshaw Tour is special as it is royal and regal. Hop on board our cushy rickshaws and explore the Mughal-built Walled City in a comfortable, eco-friendly and adventurous way. This tour is a mix of Old Delhi Heritage and culture. Immerse yourself in this enigmatic experience and have the best of this Old City.
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  • Drive through / Photo stop- President house / Parliament house / India Gate
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Night stay- Delhi

Day 3– Delhi to Jaipur (175 miles / 4 hours)

Post breakfast at your hotel we will embark on our first leg of journey to Jaipur, The heritage city.

Upon arrival check in and relax for a while before proceeding for a half day local tour.

Jaipur is also known as the Pink City, due to the dominant colour scheme of its buildings. During the year 1876, the city was painted pink to welcome HRH Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (who later became King Edward VII). It is also known as the Paris of India, and it was founded in 1727  UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed Jaipur the “Pink City of India” among its World Heritage Sites. It is among the top 10 places of tourist attraction in Asia.

Today’s Excursion-

• • Jal Mahal- The palace, built in red sandstone, is a five-storied building, of which four floors remain  underwater when the lake is full, and the top floor is exposed
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  • Guided Tour of Old City
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• • Visit shops for Souvenir Shopping

Night stay- Jaipur

Day 4– Jaipur

Post relaxing breakfast at your hotel we will embark on our full day Jaipur tour

Today’s Excursion-

• • Amer Fort- Amer Fort is great example of architecture. Constructed of red sandstone and marble, the attractive, opulent palace is laid out on four levels, each with a courtyard. Its construction ensured that a cool climate is artificially created by winds that blow over a water cascade within the palace. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site 
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  • Jaigarh Fort- The Amer Fort along with Jaigarh Fort, is located immediately above on the Hill of  Eagles. The Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort are considered one complex, as the two are connected by a subterranean passage. This passage was meant as an escape route in times of war to enable the royal family members and others in the Amer Fort
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  • Nahargarh Fort- Along with Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh once formed a strong defence ring for the city. Nahar in local language means abode of tigers. The popular belief is that Nahar here stands for the kind named Nahar Singh Bhomia, whose spirit haunted the place and obstructed construction of the fort. Nahar’s spirit was pacified by building a temple in his memory within the fort, which thus became known by his name
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  • Hawa Mahal- The structure was built in 1799 from red and pink sandstone. Its five-floor exterior is akin to a honeycomb with its 953 highly decorated small windows. The original intent of this design was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life and festivals celebrated in the street below without being seen. This architectural feature also allowed cool air to pass through, thus making the whole area more pleasant during the high temperatures in summer
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  • City Palace- The City Palace, Jaipur was established in 1727. It now houses the Museum and continues to be the home of the Jaipur royal family. The royal family has around 500 personal servants The palace complex has several buildings, various courtyards, galleries, restaurants, and offices 
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  • Jantar Mantar- A Jantar Mantar is an assembly of stone-built astronomical instruments, designed to be used with the naked eye. The instrument can be used with an accuracy of about 20 seconds by a skilled observer & to measure the time of day, and the declination of the Sun and the other heavenly bodies. It is the world’s largest stone sundial. The Jaipur Jantar Mantar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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Optional Activity

• • Elephant Ride to Amer Fort
  • Jeep Ride to Amer fort
  • Hot Air balloon – Jaipur City view from the top

Night stay- Jaipur

Day 5– Jaipur to Agra Via Fatehpur Sikri (150 miles / 6 hours)

After early breakfast at your hotel, we will leave for Agra via Fatehpur Sikri.

Upon arrival check in and relax for a while before we proceed to take a spectacular view of Taj Mahal during the sun set.

Today’s Excursion-

• • Fatehpur Sikri- It is an abandoned palace city which sits on rocky ridge, 1.9 miles in length and 0.62 miles wide and palace city is surrounded by a 6 km (3.7 mi) wall on three sides with the fourth bordered by a lake. Some of the important buildings in this city holds both religious and secular importance. The city was built massively and preferably with red sandstone.
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  • Taj Mahal- The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare complex. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around ₹32 million, which currently would be approximately USD $1 billion. The construction project employed some 20,000 artisans. The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site 
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Night stay- Agra

Day 6– Agra

Start the day with an early morning sunrise view of majestic Taj Mahal. After the awestrucking view of Taj Mahal get back to the hotel for a lavish spread of breakfast. Later we embark on local excursion tour

Today’s Excursion-

• • Agra Fort- Also known as Agra’s Red Fort was built by the Mughal emperor in 1573. It served as the main residence of the rulers of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638, when the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi. The 40-hectare fort has a semi-circular plan, its chord lies parallel to the river Yamuna and its walls are seventy feet high.
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  • Taj Mahal- Sunrise and Sunset view
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  • Agra City Tour
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  • Souvenir Shopping

Night stay- Agra

Day 7– Agra to Lucknow (Train / 4.30 hours) to Sravasti (175 miles / 4 hours)

In morning we will board train to Lucknow and from there proceed for Sravasti by Road. Upon arrival check in and rest of the day at leisure .

Night stay- Sravasti

Day 8– Sravasti to Lumbini (220 miles / 6 hours)

Post breakfast at your hotel tour starts early morning. Today we will be travelling to Lumbini.

Today’s Excursion-

• • Sravasti- Sravasti is one of the most revered sites in Buddhism. It is believed to be where the Buddha taught many of his sermons, converted many of his famous disciples, and performed his Sravasti miracles– great miracle and twin miracle. It is believed that Buddha was in Sravasti for 25 years of which 19 years were spent in Jetavana monastery and 6 years in the Pubbarama monastery

Night stay- Lumbini

Day 9 – Lumbini to Kushinagar (100 miles / 3 hours)

Post breakfast at your hotel tour starts early morning. Today we will be travelling to Kushinagar post local tour of Lumbini.

Today’s Excursion-

• • Lumbini- Lumbini is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered among the holiest places for the Buddhists. This is the birthplace of Lord Buddha. Lumbini has two zones – the eastern zone with the Theravadin monasteries and the western zone with Mahayana and Vajrayana monasteries. The places to visit in Lumbini is the ruins of ancient monasteries, a sacred Bodhi Tree, an ancient bathing pond, the Ashoka pillar and the Mayadevi temple where Buddha was born.

Night stay- Kushinagar

Day 10 – Kushinagar to Patna Via Vaishali (130 miles / 5 hours)

Post breakfast at your hotel tour starts early morning. Post local tour of Kushinagar we will be travelling to Patna with a short sightseeing break at Vaishali.

Today’s Excursion-

• • Kushinagar- Kushinagar is an important and popular Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Buddhists believe Gautama Buddha attained  parinirvana . The statue of the reclining Buddha  is inside the Parinirvana Temple. The statue is 6.10 metres long and is made of a single block of red sandstone. It represents the Buddha in the position he was in when he died and attained parinirvana
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  • Vaishali- The 24th Jain Tirthankara Bhagwan Mahavir was born here in 599 BC and it was here where Gautam Buddha preached his last sermon before his death in 483 BC. It contains one of the best-preserved Pillars of Ashoka, topped by a single Asiatic lion. Vaishali is also home to possibly the earliest known example of a stupa, the Buddha relic stupa which is said to contain the ashes of the Buddha.
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Night stay- Patna

Day 11 – Patna to Bodhgaya Via Nalanda and Rajgir (150 miles / 5 hours)

Post breakfast at your hotel tour starts early morning. Today we will be travelling to Bodhgaya taking short sightseeing breaks at Nalanda and Rajgir.

Today’s Excursion-

• • Nalanda-Nalanda was a renowned  mahavihara  (Buddhist monastic university) in  ancient Magadha . Considered by historians to be the world's first residential university and among the greatest centers of learning in the ancient world, many of the texts composed at Nalanda played an important role in the development of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism
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  • Rajgir- The town hold importance for both Jainism and Buddhism. It was the birthplace of the 20th Jain  Tirthankar   Munisuvrata . Buddha was offered a forest monastery here by the king  Bimbisara . It was here that Gautama Buddha spent several months meditating, and preaching at  Gridhra-kuta, ('Hill of the Vultures') . He also delivered some of his famous sermons. It was here that Buddha delivered his famous  Atanatiya Sutra . On one of the hills is the  Saptaparni Cave  where the First Buddhist Council was held.
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Night stay- Bodhgaya

Day 12 –Bodhgaya

Post breakfast at your hotel we will spend the day exploring Bodhgaya.

Today’s Excursion-

• • Bodhgaya- It is here that Gautama Buddha is said to have attained Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. Bodh Gaya is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The complex contains the Mahabodhi Temple with the  Vajrasana  or "diamond throne" and the holy Bodhi tree. This tree was originally a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Sri Lanka, itself grown from a what is claimed to be a sapling of the original Bodhi tree.
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Night stay- Bodhgaya

Day 13– Bodhgaya to Patna (150 miles / 5 hours) to Delhi (Flight / 1:30 hours)

Post breakfast at your hotel we will leave for Patna airport to board flight to Delhi.

Night stay- Delhi (depending upon your onward journey)

Note: This is just a time bound sample itinerary indicative of how and what all could be explored. We can customise the tour as per your requirements. Set your expectations and we will offer a memorable experience. Please reach out to us for personalised holiday experience.

All meals- breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation for 12 Nights / 13 Days
All mode of domestic transportation
All the entry tickets
English speaking tour guide at all the locations

International flight (optional)
Travel insurance (optional)
Any service / activity not mentioned in Itinerary
Expense of personal nature like laundry, entry tickets for camera etcetera