Day 15 of Art and Culture Tour
Agra:
Breakfast will be at hotel.
Proceed for sightseeing of Taj Mahal.
TAJ MAHAL: The fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, built it in 1631 in the memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a Muslim Persian princess. She died while accompanying her husband in Behrampur in a campaign to crush a rebellion, after giving birth to their 14th child. Her death so crushed the emperor that all his hair and beard were said to have grown snow white in a few months. When Mumtaz Mahal was still alive, she extracted four promises from the emperor: first, that he build the Taj; second, that he should marry again; third, that he be kind to their children; and fourth, that he visit the tomb on her death anniversary. He kept the first and second promises. Construction began in 1631 and was completed in 22 years. Twenty thousand people were deployed to work on it. An Iranian architect designed it and it is best appreciated when the architecture and its adornments are linked to the passion that inspired it. It is a "symbol of eternal love".
Having buried her down at Behrampur, it was time for the emperor to keep his promise and build a tomb there itself. But by and by, it was felt that it was virtually impossible to transfer all the marble there, as it would cost an entire fortune and an entire lifetime. So, when Agra was chosen as the only alternative, astonishingly her grave was uprooted and brought to Agra, only to be finally transferred to the monument, completed twenty-two years later.
Proceed for sightseeing to the AGRA FORT - Built by the famed Mughal emperor Akbar in 1565 AD, the fort is predominantly of red sandstone. Ensconced within is the picture perfect Pearl Mosque, which is a major tourist attraction.
Visit Itmadullah's Tomb built by Empress NOOR JEHAN in memory of her father (The interiors of which are considered better than the Taj).
Spend night at Agra.
Day 16 of Art and Culture Tour
Agra - Orchha - Khajuraho:
Train Name : Bhopal Shatabdi Express
Train No. : 2002
Departure : 0800 hr
Arrival : 1024 hr
By Road : 170 km/4 hr
Breakfast will be at hotel. Transfer to the station for train to Jhansi.
Reach Jhansi and transfer to Orchha, 12 km away.
ORCHHA: A MEDIEVAL CITY FOUNDED BY BUNDELA RULERS WITH PALACES AND TEMPLES OF THE 16TH AND 17TH CENTURY - WHICH HAVE REMARKABLY WITHSTOOD THE ONSLAUGHT OF TIME. THE CITY IS PICTURESQUELY FLANKED BY THE RIVER BETWA.
Proceed for sightseeing of ORCHHA sites within the Fort Complex. Enjoy your lunch at Orchha.
Continue drive to Khajuraho.
SITUATED IN THE HEART OF INDIA, IN THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH, KHAJURAHO IS A FASCINATING VILLAGE WITH A QUAINT, RURAL AMBIENCE AND A RICH CULTURAL HERITAGE, HONOURED BY THE WORLD AS INDIA'S UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO HUMAN CIVILISATION. THE CHANDELA DYNASTY BUILT EIGHTY-FIVE TEMPLES HERE. TWENTY REMAIN AS EMBODIMENTS OF INDIAN ARCHITECTURAL AND SCULPTURAL ART AT ITS MOST EVOLVED STATE. EVEN TEN CENTURIES AFTER THEY WERE CONSTRUCTED, THE TEMPLES OF KHAJURAHO REFLECT AN ETERNAL PHILOSOPHY RELEVANT TO ALL MANKIND. THE TEMPLES OF KHAJURAHO IS A WORLD HERITAGE SITE AND BELONG NOT JUST TO INDIA BUT TO THE WORLD. KHAJURAHO IS ONE OF THE FEW MILLENNIUM DESTINATIONS OF THE WORLD.
Reach Khajuraho. Transferred to hotel and relax. Evening will be free. You can go out for a stroll.
Overnight will be at Khajuraho.
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