Golden Triangle tours with Extensions

Introduction

Delhi

Delhi is a capital of the world’s largest democracy. Actually, Delhi is India in miniature. Delhi is 32,87,263 sq. km of India’s fantastic variety compressed into 1483 sq. km. Delhi has excellent tourist spots, recreational facilities, and a history that goes back to antiquity. The city offers a multitude of interesting places and attractions to the visitor, so much so that it becomes difficult to decide from where to begin exploring the city.

Old Delhi

The important places in Old Delhi includes:
Red Fort The decision for constructing the fort was taken in 1639, when Shahjahan decided to shift his capital to Delhi. Within eight years, Shahjahanabad was completed with the Red Fort—Delhi’s seventh fort. Though much has changed now because of large-scale demolitions during the British occupation of the fort, its important structures have survived, the glory faded with age but still impressive.
Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk The living legacy of Delhi is Shahjahanabad. Created by the builder of Red Fort as the focal point and Jama Masjid as the praying centre, Shahjahan planned Chandni Chowk so that his daughter could shop for all that she wanted.
Raj Ghat On the bank of the legendary Yamuna, which flows past Delhi, there is Raj Ghat—the last resting place of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation cremated here.

New Delhi

On the other hand, is a modern city designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker. It is a spacious, open city that houses many government buildings and embassies, besides places of historical interest. Notable attractions in New Delhi includes:
Rashtrapati Bhawan It is architecturally a very impressive building standing at a height, flowing down as it were to India Gate. Rashtrapati Bhawan was once the imperial residence of the British viceroys. This 340-roomed structure has an imposing character overlooking India Gate and Rajpath. It is now the official residence of the president of India.
India Gate memorial raised in honour of the Indian soldiers martyred during the Afghan war.
Laxminarayan Temple Also called the Birla temple, the Laxminarayan Temple was built by the Birla family in 1938. It is a temple with a large garden and fountains behind it. Humayun’s Tomb was built nine years after Humayun’s death by his wife Haji Begum. Designed by a Persian architect named Mirak Mirza Ghujas, and completed in 1565.
Qutab Minar  It was built by Qutub-ud-din Aibek of the Slave Dynasty, It is a fluted red sandstone tower, which tapers up to a height of 72.5 m. However, only the first storey was completed by Qutb-ud-din. The other storeys were built by his successor Iltutmish. In many ways, the Qutab Minar, the first monument of Muslim rule in India, heralded the beginning of a new style of art and architecture that came to be known as the Indo-Islamic style.
Bahai Temple situated in South Delhi, is shaped like a lotus. It is an eye catching edifice worth exploring. Built by the Bahai community, it offers the visitor a serenity that pervades the temple and its artistic design.

Agra

Agra is located about 204 km south of Delhi and is one of the most famous tourist spots of the country. The city, situated on the west bank of river the Yamuna, is known world over as home to a wonder of the world, Taj Mahal. For most of the time Agra alternated with Delhi as the capital of the Mughal Empire. As such one finds many marvels of the Mughal architecture in and around the city, the most famous of them being the following:
Taj Mahal On the banks of the river Yamuna stands the Taj Mahal, the epitome of love. Built by the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in the 17th century, the Taj today is source of attraction for millions of tourists from all over the world. The white marble building appears to change its hue according to variations in the daylight. In moonlight, especially on the full moon night, the marble appears extraordinarily luminescent. During winter months, the view of Taj at sunrise is magnificent.
Agra Fort Built by Emperor Akbar on the west bank of the river Yamuna. Agra Fort today dominates the centre of the city. The crescent-shaped fort with its 20-metre high, 2.4 km outer walls contains a maze of buildings that form a small city within a city. The Diwan-i-Aam (hall of public audience) and Diwan-i-Khas (hall of private audience) were built by Shahjahan for receiving audiences. Jehangir’s palace built by Akbar was the largest private residence in the fort. Close to Diwan-i-Khas, stands an octagonal tower known as Musamman Burj. It was here that Shahjahan breathed his last after seven years of imprisonment.

Other main tourist attractions are Itmad-Ud-Dalauh Tomb, Sikendra & Fatehpur Sikri

Jaipur

Jaipur is a city where royalty still lives in the grandeur of its palaces, where fighting for the honour of the clan has never been a need but a way of life, and where treating guests as gods has been a tradition from time immemorial. The city is located at a distance of around 258 km from Delhi and 232 km from Agra, making it a part of the famed Golden Triangle tourist circuit of North India. Jaipur got its name from its founder Sawai Jai Singh (1693-1743), who had the vision to create a meticulously planned city as his capital. All the houses in the old city are painted pink, including the famous Hawa Mahal, thereby giving the city its alternative name, the Pink City.
Jaipur offers a plethora of touristic attractions to the traveller. Some of them are:
City Palace The City Palace is now converted into a museum, except a small portion that is still used by the royal family of Jaipur. Built in the fortified campus style, the palace covers almost one-seventh part of the city. One of the major attractions in the museum is the portion that is devoted to the arms and ammunition used by the royal family in the past. Other important attractions are the Textile and Costume Museum, Art Gallery, Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, and Diwan-i-Khas and Diwan-i-Am.
Jantar Mantar  This largest stone observatory in the world has a very interesting story behind its construction. Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of five observatories in India including this one. Before constructing this observatory, he sent his emissaries to all corners to the world, who returned with many manuals of cutting-edge technology including a copy of La Hire/’s Tables.
Hawa Mahal Strange though it may seem, this most famous landmark of Jaipur is not actually a palace but a series of sandstone screens. This pink structure was constructed so that the ladies of the palace could watch the royal processions without being seen by any outsider.
Amber Fort Standing tall over a small hillock overlooking the Pink City, Amber is the classic romantic Rajasthan fort-palace. Amber today is nothing but a reflection of the glorious past of the fierce Kachwaha Dynasty that ruled over this region from 12th to 18th century. Man Singh I started the construction of this fort in 1592 and, perhaps, it was the defence that topped his priorities before constructing this fort.

Bharatpur

Bharatpur was the premier Jat State in Rajasthan. Badan Singh established and founded the fort and palaces of Deeg in 1725. Seven years later, his son laid the foundation nearby of the fort of Bharatpur. It was a formidable structure called Logagarh (iron fort), which lived up to its reputation.

Keoladeo Ghana National Park Once the royal hunting preserve of the princes of Bharatpur, it is one of the finest bird sanctuaries in the world inundated with over 400 species of water birds. Exotic migratory birds from Afghanistan central .Asia, Tibet as well as Siberian cranes from the arctic, greyleg geese from Siberia and bareheaded geese from China , come here in July/Aug to spend the winters in warmer climate and they breed till Oct/Nov

Mandawa

Located in the semidesert region lies in the triangular area between Delhi, Jaipur and Bikaner. Famous for its painted havelis (mansions) is also called as " Open-Air Gallery of Rajasthan".

'Shekhawati ', meaning "the land of Shekha 's dan " derives its name from Rao Shekha (1433 AD-1488 AD) a scion of the Kachhwah family of Jaipur. Earlier a part of the former Jaipur state, it now comprises of the districts of Jhunjhunu and Sikar.

Bikaner

Bikaner's history dates back to 1488 AD, when a Rathore Prince, Rao Bikaji-a descendant of the founder of Jodhpur (1459 AD), Rao Jodhaji,established his kingdom here. Rao Jodhaji had five sons but Rao Bikaji was the most enterprising of them. Bikaji chose a barren wilderness called 'Jangladesh' and transformed it to an impressive city, called Bikaner after the founder's name.
Prime sites are :
Junagarh Fort Built in 1593 AD by Raja Rai Singh, a general in the army of Emperor Akbar, the fort is a formidable structure encircled by a moat and has some beautiful palaces within.
Lalgarh Palace The architectural masterpiece in red sandstone, the palace was built by Maharaja Ganga Singh in the memory of his father Maharaja Lal Singh. The palace has beautiful latticework and filigree work. Sprawling lawns with blooming bougainvillea and dancing peacocks make it a not to be missed visual treat.
Deshnok's Karni Mata Temple The famous 600 year old temple on the Jodpur road is dedicated to Karni Mata, an incarnation of Goddess Durga. The temple has huge intricately craved silver gates which where donated by Maharaja Ganga Singh.

Jaisalmer

Deep in the heart of the Thar Desert is Jaisalmer, one of the last princely bastions in the region. Founded on what was the cross-roads of lucrative trade routes, this remote settlement came to be celebrated for the valour of its rulers, and for the aesthetic sense represented by their palaces and havelis. The rich merchants engaged stone-craftsmen who did work of great delicacy on the sandstone mansions they built, filling up facades with sculptural filigree, screen windows, delicate pavilions and beautiful balconies. Today, these veritable art-museums are still inhabited, and their colourful celebrations and festivals have placed Jaisalmer firmly on the world tourism map.

Main tourist attractions in Jaisalmer to offer are Sonar Kila, Jain Temples, Patwon ki Haveli, Salim Singh ki Haveli, Gharisar,Amar Sagar, Sam Dunes, Lodurva.

Jodhpur

Among Rajasthan's many princely settlements, Jodhpur is one of the most distinctive. This five hundred year old settlement was the headquarters of the Rathore Rajputs celebrated for their tales of daring. Located in the Thar Desert, Jodhpur is known for its impressive fortified bastions, specially those of Mehrangarh which have been witness to many battles and were associated closely with the history of the region. The years of peace that followed, resulted in the building of palaces that were laid on open grounds and spread out in the elaborate European manner. 

Main touristic attractions of Jodhpur are Mehrangarh Fort, Jaswant Thada, Umaid Bhawan Palace, Mandore

Udaipur

Udiapur is the jewel of Mewar kingdom ruled by the Sisodia dynasty for 1200 Years. The foundation of the city has an interesting legend associated with it. According to it, Maharana Udai Singh, the founder, was hunting one day when he met a holy man medit The hermit blessed the Maharana and advised him to build a palace at this favorable located spot with a fertile valley watered by the stream, a lake, an agreeable altitude and an amphitheater of low mountains. Maharana followed the advise of the hermit.
Major attractions of the city are as follows:
City Palace A majestic architectural marvel towering over the lake on a hill surrounded by crenelated walls, it is a conglomeration of courtyards, pavilions, terraces, corridors, rooms and hanging gardens. The main entrance is through the triple arched gate
the ‘Tripolia’ with eight marble porticos. The Maharana were weighed under the gate in the gold, the equivalent amount of which was distributed among the populace.
Saheliyo-ki-Bari This small ornamental garden was a popular relaxing spot where royal ladies came for a stroll and hence the name. The garden has many fountains in its four delightful pools,chiseled kiosks and marble elephants.
Moti Magri A top the Moti Magri or pearl hill,overlooking the Fateh Sagar Lake is the memorial of the Rajput hero Maharana Pratap with a bronze statue of the Maharana.
Fateh Sager (Nehru Park)It was in 1678 by Mahrana Jai Singh,But was reconstructed by Maharana Fath Singh after heavey rains destroyed the dam.