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Days 01 :
On arrival in Delhi you will
be met our representative
and transferred to the
hotel. Delhi is the main
gateway for travellers.
Days 02 :
We will start our day with
the sightseeing in Old
Delhi. We take a Riksha Ride
parallel to the red fort
through the old city and
famous Silk Road and Silver
Bazaar. Sightseeing of Old
Delhi includes also the site
where Mahatma Gandhi was
cremated, Jama Masjid, the
great mosque of old Delhi.
This day we also visit the
famous "Humayun's Tomb"
Humayun's Tomb is the first
substantial example of
Mughal architecture in India
and "Kutab Minar" which is
71 meter high and was
constructed in 1199. Before
we proceed to the Hotel we
will have a ride through New
Delhi through the area of
the government buildings and
Embassies. Here we have a
stopover at India Gate, the
42m-high stone arch or
triumph. India Gate bears
the names of 90,000 soldiers
who died in the campaigns of
the 1st. world war.
Days 03 :
In the morning we start our
train journey by Shatabdi
Express and proceed to
Amritsar. Amritsar (meaning
pool of Nectar) lies in the
northern state of Punjab and
is famous for its Golden
Temple. We visit the Golden
Temple to know more about
the native Sikh population
of the state Punjab. Sikhs
are meanwhile scattered in
whole of India and are
easily recognizable through
their mighty colourful
turbans.
Days 04 :
This day we leave
Dharamshala and drive
through the lower mountains
of Himalayas to Dharamshala.
Dharamshala has one of the
most spectacular settings
for a hill station as it
varies in height from
1200m-1800m. In Dharamshala,
there is a strong Tibetan
influence. The Dalai Lama
settled here after the
Chinese invasion of Tibet in
1959. There is a monastery
at Mcleodganj a short
distance along from the
Dalai's Lama's residence. We
have a walk through
Mcleodganj and visit a
Tibetan monastery, the
church of St. John and a
school complex.
Days 05 :
Along the snow covered
mountains of mighty
Himalayas we drive from
Dharamshala to Jammu. The
city of Jammu is the second
largest in the state and is
the winter capital of the
government. The old town of
Jammu overlooks the river
Tawi. In Jammu we visit the
Baghunath Temple of the
19th. century and
Ranbireswar-Temple, which is
dedicated to God Shiva. We
also visit the Dogra Art
Gallery, which is famous for
its miniature paintings.
Jammu is basically the
Homeland of Dogra, the
Rajput clan of the hill
region N of the Ravi River.
Days 06 :
In the morning a short
flight brings us to Leh, the
capital of Ladakh. Due to
its altitude (3500m.) Ladakh
is also known as the roof of
the world. Leh was an
important place in the
historical times on the Silk
Road to central Asia. The
rest of the day is at
leisure to acclaim we to
this high altitude of Leh.
Days 07 :
In the afternoon we visit
Leh Palace. Leh Palace in
the NW has been described as
a miniature version of
Lhasa's Potala palace, with
which this 17th. century
building is contemporary.
This Potala rises up like
mountain. From the town
below it is dazzling in the
morning sun and ghostly at
night. We enjoy the
wonderful view of the city
and beautiful surroundings
from the roof of the palace.
This palace was built by the
King Singe Namagyal and
still owned by the royal
family. At present is this
palace not occupied as the
royal family resides in the
other palace in stock?
Days 08 :
This day we start our day by
visiting the monastery
Spituk. Spituk monastery is
8-km from Leh and is
situated on a hilltop
overlooking the Indus.
Spituk valley has an
enormous statue of Kali
whose face is unveiled once
a year during the Spituk
festival. This monastery
also contains an ancient
collection of masks. 135
yellow-capped monks reside
in this monastery. After the
visit of Spituk we shall
proceed to the Gompa Phyang
which is a traditional
monastery setting for a
spectacular religious
festival with masked
dancing. There are 50
red-capped monks residing
here.
Days 09 :
This day we start our
excursion by visiting the
monastery of Tikse. Tikse is
one of the most imposing
monasteries in Ladakh. The
monastery has 12 stories, 10
temples, a nunnery and 60
lamas in residence. It
contains numerous stupas,
statues, Tankhas, wall
painting and a large pillar
engraved with the teaching
of Buddha. We can also see
here a collection of Tibetan
scripts. After the visit of
Tikse we visit the village
of Shey on the eastern bank
of the Indus. Shay was the
royal residence and was
located at an important
vantage point in the Indus
valley. It has a large
victory stupa, which is
topped with gold.
Days 10 :
This day we visit the
monastery of Hemis. The rich
monastery of Hemis is the
biggest in Ladakh and is
perched on top of a pleasant
green hill surrounded by
spectacular mountain
scenery. Every year a
colorful famous festival of
mask dances takes place in
Hemis. This Monastery (Gompa)
has an important library of
Tibetan stylebooks and an
impressive collection of
Tankhas, the largest of
which is displayed every 11
years. After the visit of
Hemis Monastery we drive to
the small village Stok. The
attraction of stock remains
the palace of Stok, which is
200 years old. The palace
and museum at Stok is a
showpiece for the royal
Tankhas, royal crown,
dresses, coins, precious
stones and turquoise
headdresses.
Days 11 :
In the afternoon we drive to
Alchi through the exciting
landscaping of Ladakh. Alchi
has been declared as an
UNESCO monument. The
Monastery of Alchi is a
large temple complex and is
regarded as one of the most
important Buddhist centers
in Ladakh and a jewel of
monastic skill. After the
visit of Alchi we proceed to
Likir. Likir contains the
ruins of a Buddhist citadel
impressively sited on a spur
overlooking the Indus
Valley. It served as a royal
residence for several
periods between 15th and
17th Centuries.
Days 12 :
Around the afternoon we
flight from Leh to Delhi
then we visit Bahai Temple,
also known as Lotus Temple,
which is built out of white
marble and in the
characteristic Bahai temple
shape of a lotus flower.
Bahai temples are 9 sided,
symbolizing
comprehensiveness, oneness
and unity. We visit this
unique building, which gives
the message of unification
of the human race and rest
of the day at leisure.
Days 13 :
This day flight to onward
destination.
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