Imperial India, 9 days

Meet at the airport and departure for Delhi via an intermediate station.

Arrival in Delhi and transfer by road to the lovely pink city, Jaipur. The course of the route, passing through towns and villages, endless bazaars but also large highways, introduces us to different aspects of the daily life of the people of the region. The city of Jaipur is the capital of the state of Rajasthan in India. It was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Jai Singh II after whom the city was named. The characterization of the city as the "Pink City" is due to the rose-colored buildings in the old walled city. Arrival at our hotel and room pick-up for rest. In the afternoon we will watch the religious Aarti ceremony, a group prayer at the central Hindu temple which dominates the palace complex of the city. The colorfulness of the crowd, the religious reverence and the multitude of songs will impress us. Dinner

"Ke sandaar din He aj" "What a wonderful day today"

We drive to Amber Fort in the morning, 11 km north of the city center. Built by Raja Man Singh, it dominates the hill where Rajput warriors established rule over the greater Rajasthan region. We ascend to the castle with the elephants and see the East gate, the hall of public hearings, private hearings, the magnificent Sheesh Mahal, and the apartments of the maharajah's wives and concubines.

Descending from Amber Fort, we stop to photograph the magnificent Jal Mahal, lake palace. We then enter the city palace complex, which was built by Jai Singh II in 1729. Photographic material, period furniture, clothing and personal items transport us to other eras. The five-storied Hawa Mahal (palace of the winds) building dominates the area. It was built in 1799 for the women of the royal family to watch the goings on in the market through the small windows and not be seen. Our visit to the Jantar Mantar observatory will impress us and we will realize the effort that Jai Singh II put in to accurately measure the time. We end the day with a rickshaw ride to the famous Babu market. Dinner at our hotel

A special day awaits us today! At a distance of about an hour from Jaipur, lies the famous Jhalana Wildlife Sanctuary. On today's safari, through our 4x4 vehicles we will have the opportunity to get to know the wild life of the country and admire the Indian leopard up close. After the end of the safari, return to Jaipur and free time for city walks. Dinner at our hotel

This morning we will depart by road for Agra. First stop on our route is the village of Abaneri, 95 km east of Jaipur. In the center of the village dominates an amazing water tank of the 11th century, built with the traditional stepped architecture. We continue to Fatehpur Sikri, this magnificent castle-state created by Akbar in 1569, made of pink sandstone. The city functioned for only 14 years and was then abandoned. Persian Islamic architecture combined with Indian tradition has left us a building complex of an unparalleled hegemonic city. Arrival at our hotel in Agra. Dinner

"Namaste" ""Greetings to you/Welcome"

Today's tour begins with the impressive Taj Mahal mausoleum, built by Sultan Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Thousands of artisans worked for 22 years to complete this magnificent monument of love. Its architectural perfection, the amazing engravings with the pietra dura technique and the inlaid decorations, amaze us. Our journey into the depths of the years, those of the Muslim rule of the Mughal dynasties in India, continues with our visit to the Agra Fort. “Sudar sama” “magnificent view”, we exclaim as we ascend to the castle, where the impressive palace complex that housed the emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan dominates. The magnificent red fort is surrounded by double walls with a moat and consists of palaces, gardens and inner courtyards creating a castle state. The Agra city tour continues with a visit to the mausoleum of Chini ka Rauza. The mausoleum is a model of architecture in the main period of Mughal funerary architecture. Dinner at our hotel

Today will take us the road from Agra to Delhi. En route we will visit Mathura, birthplace of Krishna and a holy city for Hindus. Here awaits us the visit to the holy temple of the same name and of course our first "initiation" to the religion that has dominated the country for millennia. Returning to the new city of Delhi and time permitting, we pass by the Bahai Lotus Temple, dedicated to the idea of God, regardless of religion. Its original lotus-shaped architecture surprises us. The afternoon at our disposal for an excursion to one of the numerous shopping centers of New Delhi, this diverse capital of India.

Saying: "Suprabhat" - "Good morning" we will start our today's tour dedicated to the capital of India, old and new Delhi. Two geographically contiguous cities, so different from each other. A unique city, carrying the history of thousands of years, cradle of religious doctrines, philosophical reflections, a city full of colors and aromas, unique and simply wonderful. In old Delhi, images follow one another. Impassable roads with a colorful crowd moving between cars, rickshaws, cows, bicycles and endless honking. Somewhere among them we too, strolling through chandni chowk, the city's market, impressed by the buzzing beehive around us. We continue to the great Mosque, seat of the Muslim community, made of red sandstone and white marble, which dominates the hill of the area and stands out for its size as it can accommodate up to 25,000 people. We will pass by the Red Fort, where the Lahore Gate is the star. There on 15/08/1947 the flag of independent India was raised and every year on the same day the Prime Minister of the country delivers the customary speech. Opposite the old Town Hall, dominates the temple of the Sikhs, the monotheistic religion that began in the 15th century with influences mainly from Hinduism and Islam. We continue to New Delhi, 8 km south of the old capital of India. Although the decision to establish this new city dates back to 1912, its construction was completed in 1929. New Delhi is a fine city with wide streets and large squares, where majestic government buildings succeed the private mansions of Indian magnates who have moved the seats of their businesses there. We are impressed by the Presidential Palace, the Parliament, the boulevards of the Embassies, and the India Gate, built in honor of the Indian soldiers who fell in the First World War. We will be guided to the archaeological site, where the Qutub minaret dominates and we will visit the tomb of Humayun, the 2nd in line leader of the Mughal dynasty. We conclude our tour by visiting the Rajghat, where the unquenchable flame burns in memory of Mahatma Gandhi. "You must be the change you want to come", legendary expression of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (as was his real name) whose teaching influenced the international movement for peace and together with his ascetic life helped to establish him as a from the global symbols of the 20th century.

Early in the morning transfer to the airport for the return flight to Greece, through an intermediate station where we will arrive in the afternoon. Our wish and expectation "to return once more"!