RAJASTHAN & MOGHUL INDIA: Slowly off the beaten track

31st January - 27th February 2008 with Richard Hunt

This is a new and unusual tour to Rajasthan, ending with the Moghul wonders of Agra and Delhi (including the Taj Mahal, of course). It is a varied and exciting journey through spectacular towns, villages and landscapes exploring the marvels of ancient and more modern religious, princely and Imperial art and architecture - forts, palaces, temples, mosques & tombs. We will visit more modest houses and remote mansions of merchants and local rulers, staying as the guests of former rulers in some of the palaces and castles. We search for tigers & other wild life at the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve. To gain insights into the 'real India' of small towns and villages, we hope to arrange special visits to a school & tribal and mixed caste villages. We use our own coach and driver throughout, with time to stop and look at the sights & activities along our journey. Our hotels include a variety of forts and palaces, hunting lodges, & superb colonial splendour at the Imperial Hotel in Delhi.

OUR TOUR HAS SEVERAL BROAD AIMS: We visit some of the great monuments to Indian history and culture, hoping to provide insights to art, architecture and the decorative arts of the splendid courts of the great Moghuls & Rajahs, the wonderful temples or mosques of the Hindu, Jain and Moslem religions, and to the crafts of village India.
It caters for those who wish to understand something of the 'REAL INDIA' - the India of people who live in towns and villages. We will look at their domestic lives, their work, religion & cultural traditions with the help of friends who work with voluntary agencies and by planning the tour with some time to stop and look!
This is a holiday! There is so much to see, but we cannot see everything! So we have planned an itinerary that is selective, yet offers variety and some time to explore alone or in small groups, go shopping or just relax beside a swimming pool. When we are not in transit you are perfectly free to include or omit any of the day’s activities. We do our utmost to plan carefully, but frustrations can occur with flights or hotels, which may involve changes in our programme. Indians are most hospitable, friendly and helpful and any difficulties can easily be overcome if we are tolerant and adaptable.
We hope to offer very good value for money: these are not the cheapest tours to India as we use the most convenient flights, good ground services, and welcoming, attractive hotels. The tours are rather longer, more varied and, dare we say, better planned than some that are a good deal more expensive.

RAJASTHAN After our flight to Delhi, we drive immediately to Neemrana in Rajasthan (the flight arrives at about 11.40 and we drive for about 2 hours to our palace-hotel). RAJASTHAN is one of the most fascinating and colourful of India's states, which remained mainly under the rule of rajas and maharajas until after Independence in 1947. Their great wealth built impressive cities, forts and palaces. Rich merchants and courtiers built beautiful town and country mansions (havelis), where the decoration of carved stone was practical as well as beautiful - deflecting the desert sands, channelling cooling breezes or providing subdued patterns of light and shade. The landscapes are varied and exciting – from the stark deserts to the beautiful Aravali Hills. In the villages much remains unchanged over centuries: methods of agriculture or irrigation; the buildings for people or animals; the widespread use of handicrafts. Pottery, exquisite textiles, carpets, carving, jewellery and leatherwork is found everywhere. WARNING: India is a great shopping temptation!

NEEMRANA. Our tour starts by driving the 100 kms from Delhi airport to Neemrana. This is a magnificent fort-palace built by the Rajput ruler Raja Rajdeo and now converted to a lovely heritage hotel, where we can start to relax after the flight from England. The fort dates from 1464, with impressive fortifications, fine gates, and a step-well (once used to supply a caravanserai) as well as comfortable bedrooms, bathrooms, swimming pool and good food! We walk up through the village and fortifications to the hotel - a wonderful first night halt. In the morning we have time to explore the step-well & caravanserai nearby. 1 night at Neemrana Fort.

SAMODE BAGH, JAIPUR & SAMODE HAVELI: It is a short drive to the Samode Bagh (garden), the lovely formal walled garden that once served as the pleasure garden for the Samode princely family and their ladies. The garden comprises lawns, trees, flowers, fountains and pavilions. Now a section contains the luxurious ‘tents’ with marble floored bathrooms where we stay for two nights! This is a place to relax, walk into the nearby interesting village, drive (or ride a camel) in to the town of Samode where we hope to have a private dinner party on the roof of the magnificent palace.
After two nights at the Bagh, we drive down into Jaipur for sightseeing in and around the city. Jaipur is the present day capital of the state of Rajasthan. It has grown beyond the walled "Pink City” built by Maharaja Jai Singh II in 1727, when he moved his capital from nearby AMBER. We visit the ancient fort at AMBER by elephant - set dramatically in a pass controlling the plain. This huge complex is a wonderful example of the fusion of Hindu and Muslim architecture and decoration. In the Pink City we explore the palace museum with its splendid collection of paintings, carpets, textiles; the fascinating Observatory built by Jai Singh, the Palace of the Winds (an elaborate screen from which ladies of the harem could watch public events) and the bustling bazaars with a bewildering variety of crafts including silver, jewellery and carpets. In the nearby small craft-based town of Sanganer we can see all the processes for the fine block-printed cotton: wood carvers producing the intricate blocks, the hand printers setting out the patterns, as well as the processes of hand made paper and Jaipur blue pottery.
2 nights at the Samode Bagh (above) and 2 nights at Samode Haveli - the family town house of the Samode princely family. The Haveli is inside the walled Pink City of Jaipur - another delightful small palace - the dining room and some of the bedrooms have exquisite mirror work and paintings dating from the 17th century. Beautiful swimming pool and gardens.

BIKANER. Deep in the Thar desert was the capital of a former princely state, founded in 1488 by a son of Rao Jodha of Jodhpur. It was an important staging post on the caravan routes, and the resulting taxes provided wealth to build the impressive fort and richly decorated palaces. Unlike many forts, Bikaner palace lies on the plain in the centre of the town. About 30 kms away is Gajner Palace, a former pleasure palace, guesthouse and hunting lodge. It is owned by the royal family, but now converted to a very charming rural hotel within a wild life reserve. Built beside a lake, we have the opportunity to see many varieties of birds and deer.
2 nights at Gajner Palace. Elegant rooms furnished with antiques. Delightful!

JAISELMER. En route to Jaiselmer we may visit Pokaran, with its small red sandstone fort and interesting bazaar. Jaiselmer is a remote but wonderful town. The seat of a small kingdom, it was a fortified trading station on the camel route through the Thar Desert. Here rich Jain merchants dealt in spices, oriental carpets, precious metals, gems and especially opium. They built ornately carved sandstone 'havelis' or houses around cool courtyards and also endowed the superb Jain temples located in the well-protected area of the fort. We explore the main sights, but this is a small town in which to wander at leisure (all within walking distance of the hotel).
2 nights at the Mandir Palace Hotel. Modest rooms, but welcoming and conveniently located to explore the intriguing town.

JODHPUR & LUNHI: We drive to Jodhpur - seat of another Rajput clan - the Rathores - who date from the 13th century. Founded in 1459, the city is overlooked by a most dramatic fort and palace, perched on a high rocky cliff. On arrival we visit the fort and its museum. In the afternoon we should have time for a brief ‘village safari’ into surrounding villages to explore the life of the desert people before driving on to spend
1 night at Lunhi, Fort Chanwa. A small palace of an uncle of the Jodhpur Maharajahs.

RANAKPUR & KUMBULGARH: After crossing the plain we arrive at the edge of the Aravali Hills. The famous RANAKPUR JAIN TEMPLE is a beautiful 15th century marble building with intricately carved pillars supporting numerous domes. We explore the temple and spend
1 night at Fateh Bagh, a new hotel in a lovely setting close to the Ranakpur temple, built from a dismantled palace!
Next day we travel on through lovely scenery to the remote and huge 15th century FORTRESS OF KUMBULGARH, built by the Mewar rulers of Udaipur, to dominate the enemy kingdoms of Jodhpur and Gujerat. Inside the ramparts are palaces, temples, cenotaphs, wells, and all the requirements to withstand a siege (though it fell once to the Emperor Akbar!) On leaving Kumbulgarh we drive on through the hills to Udaipur.

UDAIPUR: Our journey towards Udaipur takes us south through the picturesque Aravali Hills, stopping at villages, Persian wells (bullock driven irrigation systems). The city of Udaipur was created by the Mewar clan in 1568 following their defeat by Akbar, the great Moghul emperor, at Chittorgarh. It is a city of palaces, pavilions, gardens and lakes. It is also the home of our friend Ajay Paul (Travellers' Club guru, homoeopathic doctor and "village expert"), who will help us to see some aspects of India that we could not hope to see without him! We intend to spend about two half days discovering the city - its enormous and spectacular palace and museum, working temple, the beautiful garden of the 'maids of honour', the folk museum and open air museum of buildings and crafts. Ajay Paul will help us to explore village India; we also have time to explore alone or in small groups - wandering in the bazaars or among the lakeside pavilions, boating on the lake (water permitting), snoozing beside our hotel pool...
3 nights at the Fateh Prakash Palace Hotel. Beside the main city palace, overlooking the famous Lake Pichola and the Lake Palace of the Maharana of Udaipur (who still owns it). There is a lovely terrace for breakfast or dinner looking out over the lake, with the palaces floodlit at night.

UDAIPUR TO CHITTORGARH & BASSI After a leisurely departure from Udaipur, we first visit Eklingi, a fascinating and picturesque group of early 10th century Hindu temples. We then drive on to our Palace Hotel at Bassi. Next day we return to visit the great fortress of Chittorgarh. This was the capital of the Mewar dynasty of rulers before the fort was taken by the Moghul Emperor Akbar. This is the most famed of all Rajasthan forts, for here the forces of Mewar, rather than submit to the Moghul power at the end of a heroic siege, rode out to their deaths while their women committed ‘johar’ or self immolation. From here the Mewar rulers retreated to build the city of Udaipur. Chittor certainly looks like an impregnable fortress - huge and imposing along a long cliff.
2 nights at Bassi Fort. A 16th C fort a few miles beyond Chittorgarh restored as a small comfortable hotel. Nearby is the wildlife sanctuary which we hope to explore.

KOTA & BUNDI: From Bassi we drive on to visit Kota. This was the capital of a small independent state, located on the Chambal River, on what was a major trade route to Gujerat. There is a large rambling fort-palace dating from the 17th century, containing the city palace and museum, a durbar hall with miniature paintings, and a lake where we may take a boat for a picnic. After a visit to the fort we drive on to BUNDI, a Rajput kingdom until 1947 and once capital of a much larger state. The fort (1354), palace with its mural paintings, the step-wells and the medieval streets are all worth exploring.
2 nights at Haveli Brij Bushanjee, below the palace, a mid 19th century haveli - modest, but comfortable.

RANTHAMBORE (PROJECT TIGER) WILD LIFE SANCTUARY We drive to the sanctuary at Ranthambore – one of the Project Tiger reserves that was once the tiger hunting area of the Jaipur Maharajas. Here we plan late afternoon and early morning game drives in jeeps to explore the wonderfully scenic reserve and the wide variety of wild animals and birds. They include several species of deer and antelope, jackal, crocodile, sloth bear and leopard as well as tigers. Shall we be lucky? The park is set among craggy hills and valleys, with a 10th century fort set high on a ridge of spectacular rocks, which was fought over by Moslem invaders and Rajput tribes. The area also has abandoned palaces, temples and tombs of military cammanders all set among the dramatic hills and lakes.
2 nights at Tiger Den – a small hotel, well organised for game viewing, and close to the park entrance.

BHARATPUR. For comfort and speed we take an afternoon train from Ranthambore to Bharatpur (our luggage will travel by coach which meets us at Ranthambore station). Next morning we visit the BHARATPUR bird sanctuary, former duck-shoot of the Maharajas of Bharatpur and now one of the major bird sanctuaries of India. Our visit, accompanied by a naturalist, may be by punts (if the monsoons have replenished the lakes) or on foot and cycle rickshaw (equally rewarding). On previous visits we have seen a wide variety of deer, turtles, monitors, as well as migratory and native birds. 1 night at The Bagh Hotel –set in a lovely garden, rooms are comfortable and there is pleasant swimming pool.

FATEHPUR SIKRI & AGRA. After our morning visit to the bird sanctuary we drive the short distance to Fatehpur Sikri, a magnificent red sandstone complex, built by the Moghul Emperor Akbar just 37 kms from his capital at Agra. The site was chosen to honour a Muslim saint who predicted the birth of Akbar's son (the saint's tomb is in the mosque courtyard) and the large complex of buildings - palaces, pavilions, stables - was probably a place of ceremony and ritual rather than a capital city. We reach Agra by dusk and visit the city next day. Agra was capital to the Moghul emperors in the 16th and 17th centuries. The seat of government was Akbar's magnificent red fort. This was elaborated by his son Jehangir, and his grandson, Shah Jehan, who built the marble palaces within the fort that look across the River Jumna to the Taj Mahal - tomb of his beloved wife. As well as the Taj Mahal (always more wonderful than you can imagine) there is the exquisite small tomb of Itmud-ud-Dullah, built by Nur Jehan, wife of the emperor Jehangir, in honour of her Persian father. 2 nights at The Trident Hotel. A modern luxury hotel, with garden and swimming pool.

DELHI. We leave Agra for Delhi, stopping at Sikandra to look at the tomb of Akbar. DELHI was not always the capital, but has played a vital role in Indian history over the past 5000 years. Successive waves of invaders have conquered and rebuilt the city; others just pillaged! There are the remains of seven cities in the environs: they were built by Hindu rulers; successive Muslim conquerors who swept in from Turkey, Persia and Afghanistan; and the British, who declared Delhi capital once more in 1911 and soon began the building of New Delhi. The result is an enormous variety of monuments: the Q'Tub Minar complex (Tower of victory 1193) celebrated an Afghan invasion, but used much older Hindu & Jain temple stone; the Moghul masterpieces include the tomb of emperor Humayun, Shah Jehan's Red Fort and marble palaces and his huge mosque, the Jama Masjid. The British built the modern Imperial city of Sir Edwin Lutyens. There is much else to see: a superb crafts museum and village where crafts from India are practised; narrow streets and bazaars of the old city; the National Museum; the shops!!! It may well be that several members of the group have visited Delhi before! We must pick our itinerary with care!
3 nights at the Imperial Hotel. Very well located in the centre of New Delhi, it was built in the ‘30s & has been recently beautifully renovated. There is a wonderful collection of 18th and 19th prints and drawings in all the public rooms as well as the bedrooms of the hotel (we hope the art curator, Mr Chowdhary, will give us a private conducted tour), a charming garden (where breakfast, lunches and tea are served on the terrace) & large swimming pool. An excellent place to end our tour!