Departure – 13 February 2011 Return – 28 February 2011 Story:
North India – Rajasthan, Agra and Varanasi
Sunday 13 February 2011 Milan – Delhi
After all the hours spent planning the trip, between choosing the itinerary, the airline, the hotels and the hire of a car with driver, the moment to leave has finally arrived.
Full of curiosity about everything that awaits us, we set off from home early for Milan Malpensa, where we have booked the 09:55 SWISSAIR flight to Zurich (LX 1613) and then the 12:45 connection (LX 146) to Delhi.
The flight is perfect and, without delays, we land in the middle of the night (00:45) at Indira Gandhi airport in New Delhi.
After collecting our rucksacks, we set about finding our driver, who is waiting to take us to the hotel. At the airport exit we find ourselves facing a myriad of drivers and, after reading dozens of signs bearing the names of tourists like us, we finally find ours. Mr Dhara, who will be our magnificent travelling companion for many days, takes us to the car park where he had left the minibus and, exhausted but motivated, we head for the hotel for our first night in India. The first impact with Delhi wasn't very traumatic, but we would understand straight away the next morning how much traffic and confusion are, in fact, the main feature of this capital. We are staying at the "Florence Inn Hotel" and, after a generous breakfast, we are ready for our first taste of chaotic India.
Monday 14 February 2011 Delhi The driver arranges to meet us at 8 and takes us to visit one of the largest mosques in India: the JAMA MASJID. Since it is Monday, unfortunately, some of the places we wanted to visit are closed. After seeing and photographing the RED FORT from the outside, we set off on foot for a walk around CHANDNI CHOWK, the colourful market of the old city. Here we begin to discover the real India, with its incredibly crowded streets, the little shops full of objects, the people watching you, the chaos of the horns of cars, lorries and tuk-tuks. In short… a first impact I would call bewildering! After this characteristic tour we go back to our minibus and go to visit RAJ GHAT, the memorial site of Gandhi's cremation, where children keep asking us for photos with them, not for money, just out of curiosity. We have lunch in a restaurant recommended by our trusted driver Mr DHARA and then straight off to visit INDIA GATE, the monument commemorating those who fell in the First World War. In the afternoon we visit HUMAYUN'S TOMB, a beautiful example of Mughal architecture, set in the greenery of a garden that isolates it from the surrounding chaos. Next, the QUTUB MINAR awaits us, the tallest brick minaret in the world, and finally, but unfortunately only from the outer gates, we photograph the beautiful BAHAI TEMPLE, the lotus-shaped temple. Return and dinner at the hotel.
Tuesday 15 February 2011 Neemrana – Mandawa We set off towards NEEMRANA FORT PALACE, where we stop for lunch. We visit this very ancient and splendid fort, now turned into one of the oldest hotels in India. After lunch we set off again for MANDAWA, where we will stay at the beautiful Mandawa Castle hotel.
Wednesday 16 February 2011 Mandawa In the morning a young guide is waiting for us for a tour of the town's colourful havelis, although some of them are now very run-down. During the tour we visit MANDAWA FORT, which stands in the centre of the town and has now been turned into a heritage hotel. Departure at about 10 for JAIPUR, the capital of Rajasthan. On arriving in Jaipur we visit the famous Monkey Temple of GALTA, about 10 km from the city. The temple is set right among the rocks and is populated by lots of monkeys, which tourists never fail to feed so as to get close to them. At the end of the day we go as guests to dinner at the home of our tour operator Karni, and finally to the MANSINGH HOTEL, where we will stay for two nights.
Thursday 17 February 2011 Jaipur The morning begins with the elephant-back ride up to AMBER FORT, accompanied by a guide who made this visit very interesting. On the way back from the fort we stop to photograph the JAL MAHAL, the water palace, located in the middle of Man Sarobar lake. We return to the city and in the afternoon visit the CITY PALACE, the Maharaja's residence, and the JANTAR MANTAR, the astronomical observatory. From here, aboard rickshaws, we set off on a tour through the chaos of the capital, stopping to admire the fantastic HAWA MAHAL, also called the Palace of the Winds, with its thousand niches and windows, all finely worked like lace, which served as an observatory from which the women of the court could watch the life of the city without being seen.
Friday 18 February 2011 Ranthambore Departure at 8 for two days immersed in the nature of RANTHAMBORE National Park. Having arrived at the Ranthambore Forest Resort, where we spend two nights, we relax by sunbathing a little in the beautifully kept gardens full of colourful flowers and, towards evening, we visit the market of the town of Ranthambore.
Saturday 19 February 2011 Ranthambore At dawn our first safari in the park's reserve awaits us, with the aim of spotting the tiger, a big cat now endangered even in this protected area. After wrapping up well, since it is really cold at that hour, we are ready to set off by jeep along the park's dirt tracks. After seeing birds with beautiful colours, monkeys, deer and ibex, we finally manage to be among the few lucky tourists who get to see the Indian tiger up close, a very beautiful and extremely elegant animal. We stop to take as many photos as possible to capture the moment. We return to the resort satisfied with our safari and rest until the afternoon, when another safari in another area of the park awaits us. During the second safari, unfortunately, the tiger was not spotted, but we manage to see something even rarer, a family of Indian bears. Happy with this second safari too, we return to the resort, where we have dinner and pack our rucksacks for the next day's departure.
Sunday 20 February 2011 Bharatpur We set off towards Bharatpur and ask our driver if we can visit the town of DEEG, mentioned in the Lonely Planet for its fort built by the great Jat king Maharaja Surajmal in 1750. Famous for its beautiful palaces, magnificent fountains and spacious gardens, the palace is absolutely worth a visit; it's just a pity that in certain places the complex is very poorly maintained and neglected. In the afternoon we arrive in Bharatpur, where we stay in one of the most beautiful and luxurious hotels of our trip: the LAXMI VILAS PALACE, a Maharaja's palace now turned into a hotel.
Monday 21 February 2011 Agra We set off for fascinating Fatehpur Sikri and, with this city, which belongs to the state of Uttar Pradesh, we leave Rajasthan for good. Aboard a minibus we reach this beautiful ghost city, built in just a few years from 1571 by the emperor Akbar, but soon abandoned for lack of water by the emperor himself and his 3 wives (one Christian, one Muslim and one Hindu). During the visit to Fatehpur, also called the City of Victory, we also visit the splendid PANCH MAHAL palace and the tomb of the Sufi saint Salim Chishti, an elegant white marble building covered in mother-of-pearl. After leaving Fatehpur Sikri, we head towards Agra, stopping at Sikandra. Sikandra was the capital during the sultanate of Sikandar Lodhi and today it houses the mausoleum of the emperor Akbar, who has been described as the greatest emperor of the Mughal dynasty. The tomb, built in sandstone and marble, stands in the middle of a lovely garden where deer and monkeys roam freely. We arrive in Agra towards evening and, after glimpsing the Taj Mahal from the minibus through the city's dense haze, we head to the "Mansingh Hotel" for the night.
Tuesday 22/02/2011 Agra We wake up early to devote the whole day to discovering Agra. The first monument we visit is the Red Fort. Construction of the Red Fort, so called because of the massive use of sandstone, began in 1638 and was completed in 1648 at the behest of the emperor Shah Jahan. The fort, which stands along the Yamuna river, was also the prison of the emperor himself; Shah Jahan was in fact confined there by his son Aurangzeb and remained a prisoner there until his death. The emperor's only consolation was being able to admire from his prison the Taj Mahal, standing on the opposite bank of the Yamuna.
We continue our tour of the city by visiting a carpet factory, where some of the secrets of this craft are explained to us.
Next we reach the Itmad-ud-Daula Tomb (Baby Taj Mahal), built by the empress Noor Jahan in memory of her father Mirza Ghiyas Beg. The use of inlaid white marble is very reminiscent of the Taj Mahal.
The whole afternoon is devoted to the marvellous Taj Mahal (one of the seven wonders of the modern world), which, imposing and majestic, stands out against a clear blue sky. The Taj Mahal is a symbol of devotion and love. The mausoleum was in fact commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Arjumand Banu Begum, who died giving birth to their 14th child. Shah Jahan ordered the construction of the mausoleum to keep one of the four promises he had made to his wife while she was still alive. Inside the garden there are flowerbeds, flowers and water channels that reflect the image of the Taj Mahal, making it even more evocative. At the centre of the mausoleum is the main octagonal chamber containing the cenotaphs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, beneath which is a further chamber containing the tombs of the emperor and his wife.
We return for our second night to the "Mansingh Hotel" in Agra
Wednesday 23/02/2011 Gwalior One of the most important structures in the city is Gwalior fort, now 5 centuries old. The fort, built at the behest of Raja Mansingh Tomar, stands on the top of a hill. From here you get a splendid view over the city and the surrounding landscape. The road leading to the fort has some unusual and majestic sculptures carved directly into the rock, depicting images of Jain Tirthankaras.
Visit to: Man Mandir Palace, the palace of Rao Man Singh located on the acropolis of Gwalior. The east and west walls of the palace still preserve extraordinary glazed majolica decorations in shades of blue, green and yellow. Other panels bear animal figures (elephants, tigers and crocodiles).
Sas Bahu Ka Mandir. In the acropolis area stand these two interesting, magnificently carved 11th-century temples. 'Sas' means mother-in-law and 'Bahu' daughter-in-law.
We spend the night at the "Landa Mark Hotel" in Gwalior
Thursday 24/02/2011 Orchha On the way to Orchha we stop at Jhansi to visit Jhansi Fort. The fort, built by Raja Bir Singh Ju Deo on a rocky hill called Bangra, stands in the ancient town of Balwantnagar, now known as Jhansi.
We arrive in Orchha in the early afternoon and have lunch in one of the many atmospheric traditional restaurants where, however, as throughout the town, neither meat nor alcohol is served because they are forbidden. We drop our bags at the ORCHHA RESORT, after which we treat ourselves to a walking tour of Orchha, a small but lively town on the Betwa river.
Not to be missed is Orchha Fort, which essentially consists of three architectural marvels: the Raj Mahal, the Jahangir Mahal and the Rai Praveen Mahal. From the top of this fort there is a marvellous view of the town. We visit the majestic Jahangir Mahal, built for the visit to the town of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. The Mahal displays the magic of the architectural genius of the Mughal emperor Jahangir, with its balconies suspended in mid-air, its domes and the other magnificent structures of the building.
After visiting the monuments, we put off our return to the hotel for a stroll through Orchha's colourful market and some shopping at the spice shop.
Friday 25/02/2011 Khajuraho We arrive in Khajuraho after several hours of travelling and after a hearty lunch in an Italian restaurant – they are very common in the town. In the afternoon we visit the erotic temples, finely decorated with statues depicting the Kama Sutra. The temples of the western group captivate the eye, both for their decorative mastery and for their excellent state of preservation, and they are set in a lush garden full of enormous magenta bougainvillea. In the evening, after saying goodbye to our fantastic driver Dhara, we leave by train for Varanasi. Saturday 26/02/2011 Varanasi Finally off the train (after a 16-hour journey, 5 hours of it delay), we immediately realise that Varanasi too, like most of the Indian cities we visited, is chaotic and teeming with life. We take our bags to the Ganges View, the beautiful and characterful hotel on the Ganges that will be our home for the first night in Varanasi. In the afternoon we take our first boat trip along the Ganges as far as the cremation ghat, Manikarnika, where we witness some moving cremations and the Puja (a daily ritual of 'prayer' that the faithful attend), amid the scents of incense and sandalwood, fires and the lights of a thousand candles set on the river. Off the boat, we visit from the outside (tourists are not allowed in) the Golden Temple, so called because of its gold-plated roof. We return to the "Ganges View Hotel" for the night. Sunday 27/02/2011 Sarnath and Varanasi. We get up before dawn for our second boat trip on the Ganges, to watch life on the banks of the sacred river in the colours of sunrise. It is very early, but the various ghats are already teeming with life: you see people busy with ablutions and prayer, others washing themselves or their clothes and, not far away, on another ghat, the Hindu rite of cremating the dead goes on unceasingly. We collect our bags from the beautiful Ganges View and go to Sarnath to visit the Dhamekh Stupa, the 34 m high stupa where the Buddha gave his first sermon. After lunch we take cycle rickshaws into the centre of Varanasi for our last visit to this incredible city. This time, however, we plunge straight into the chaos that rules it, walking along the various ghats and visiting, accompanied by a "worker", the inside of Manikarnika ghat while cremations are taking place. Night at the "Radisson Hotel" in Varanasi. Monday 28/02/2011 Delhi With a touch of melancholy, we get ready for the return to Italy with a domestic flight from Varanasi to Delhi. Once in Delhi, we have just enough time to admire from the minibus the Swaminarayan Akshardham, a majestic Hindu temple inaugurated in 2005, and to finish we treat ourselves to half a day of shopping in Delhi's commercial district, Connaught Place, from whose centre streets full of shops and stalls radiate. Late in the evening we go to Delhi airport for the return to Italy.
Loris, Sabrina, Enrica, Andrea, Gina, Luca
Written by the traveller and first published in Italian on our former Italian website. Translated from Italian.