Marieke's Art of Living

Golden Triangle - Delhi Agra Jaipur

A Pre Tour of 6-7 days to suit time-strapped and first time travelers to India: The best of Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur rolled into one luxurious neat package that incorporates some of India’s most luxurious hotels.

Over the centuries, the Golden Triangle has enjoyed a long footing on the tourist trail especially for first time visitors. This combination of all three cities represents a potpourri snapshot of Mughal, Rajput and Raj India and encapsulates some of the romance, exoticism and the country’s storied past that lives on in cherished monuments. The harmonious amalgamation of the capital of the country with its historic splendour so brilliantly written about in William Dalrymple’s City of Djinns, the soft romanticism that can be felt at the amazing Taj Mahal and the fierce magnificence of Rajasthan's regal lineage combine to give you a glimpse of this extraordianry country.

Highlights include the Taj Mahal, the last Moghul city built by Akbar, Fatephur Sikri, Amber Fort with all its former glory of the Mughal and Rajput rulers.

Synopsis

Day One	Monday	5 January 2009	Arrive Delhi
Day Two	Tuesday	6 January 2009	Delhi full day sightseeing
Day Three	Wednesday	7 January 2009	Delhi-Agra
Day Four	Thursday	8 January 2009	Agra-Jaipur
Day Five	Friday	9 January 2009	Jaipur full day sightseeing
Day Six	Saturday	10 January 2009	Birthday party

Itinerary OutlineDay 1 Delhi 5 January

Arrive in Delhi where you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.

Recommended hotels: The Imperial and Oberoi

Day 2 Delhi 6 January

Enjoy a full day of private guided sightseeing of Old & New Delhi.

See Marieke’s Delhi sightseeing Notes for all there is to see in Delhi, a fascinating city to unravel.

Day 3 Agra 7 January

Early this morning you will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to the rail station for the 2-hour train trip to Agra. You will be met on arrival and checked into your hotel. With your guide this afternoon, visit the impressive Agra Fort on the Western bank of the River Yamuna that dominates the centre of the city. Then the Taj Mahal in time for sunset. Regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world, its architectural beauty may never have been surpassed. Built entirely of white marble, the Taj is the most beautiful monument built by the Muslim Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his dear wife and queen Mumtaz Mahal and most enjoyed at dawn and sunset, in the glow of a full moon or on a foggy morning, when it seems as if suspended.

An "elegy in marble" or some say an expression of a "dream." Taj Mahal (meaning Crown Palace) is a Mausoleum that houses the grave of queen Mumtaz Mahal at the lower chamber. The grave of Shah Jahan was added later. It was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers. It was completed in 1648 at a cost of 32 Million Rupees and construction documents show that its master architect was Ustad ‘Isa, the renowned Islamic architect of his time. And expert craftsmen came from Delhi, Lahore, Baghdad, Shiraz and Bukhara to work on many specialized tasks.

Recommended hotels: Oberoi Amarvilas and Taj View

Day 4 Jaipur 8 January

Before breakfast (to avoid traffic congestion as you must cross the river) visit Itmad ud Daulah-the first Mughal building to be faced with white inlaid marble, it is small, serene and bijoux-like. The tomb was built for Ghiyas Beg, a Persian who had obtained service in Akbar’s court and his wife. Nur Jahan built the temple for her father in the pleasure garden that he himself laid out. Constructed in the 6 years after her father’s death in 1622 4kms upstream from the Taj Mahal on the opposite bank of the Yamuna River, it is beautifully conceived in white marble, mosaic and lattice.

Return to your hotel for a leisurely breakfast. After breakfast drive 4-5 hours to Jaipur via the ancient city of Fatephur Sikri. Now a World Heritage site, the royal City of Victory was built during second half of 16thC by the Emperor Akbar, and was the Mughal capital for some 10+ years. The complex of monuments and temples built in a uniform style that blends Hindu and Islamic architectural elements includes one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid. Construction of the new ceremonial capital, with its elaborate palaces, formal courtyards, reflecting pools, harems, tombs and a great mosque, commenced in 1571. A large number of masons and stone carvers worked hard on an area that was over two miles long and a mile wide; they used a brilliant red sandstone available locally, which provides the buildings with much of their lustre. Shortly after the work was completed fifteen years later, it was realized that there was a lack of an adequate water supply and the pristine complex was abandoned.

Arrive in Jaipur in the afternoon and check into your hotel.

Recommended hotels: Oberoi Raj Vilas, Rambagh Palace, Jai Mahal Palace.

Day 5 Jaipur 9 January

A full day guided sightseeing of Jaipur and its renowned monuments such as Amber Fort, the City Palace the Jantar Mantar Observatory and Jaipur's most famous building, the Hawa Mahal: "Palace of the Winds.

Day 6 Jaipur 10 January

Optional activities being arranged by your hostesses before this evenings grand party

Day 7 Jaipur 11 January

Enjoy a leisurely morning before joining the Lunch Party

It is possible to leave Jaipur this afternoon and return to Delhi in time for your evening International departure

OR

Stay an additional night in Jaipur

Day 8 Jaipur – 12 January Departure

Return to Delhi in time for your International departure

Or

Join Marieke’s Royal Tented and Exotic Estates of Rajasthan Tour

Or

Continue traveling under bespoke arrangements elsewhere in India.

Note- Taj Mahal closed on Friday. Other monuments open throughout the week. It is possible to travel by flight and train between Delhi/Jaipur/Agra but a chauffeur driven car is the most convenient and economical.