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Glimpse
of Western India
Duration: 09 Nights / 10 Days
Destinations: Mumbai - Aurangabad - Mumbai - Chiplun - Goa - Mumbai
Day 1: Mumbai: Arrival
Arrive at Mumbai airport in the evening. Transfer
to hotel. Check in and relax.
Overnight will be at Mumbai.
 Day
2: Mumbai - Aurangabad
Breakfast will be at hotel.
Mumbai's
skyline is recognisable in advertisements and pictorial depictions stating the
country's technological and financial hub. It's an imposing skyline. The contours
are hazy but the residents don't seem to mind. They love this place and this all-encompassing
love is infectious.
What are the few nail-on-the-head characteristics
of the city? A walk on marine drive, the gateway of india, warden road, university
buildings, fort, townhall, mumbai high court to name a few. The waves splashing
against the embankment establish an essence of mumbai too, much in the same genre
as the skyline. The pub and bar scenario here is quite state of the art and ranges
from the sophisticated ones in the five stars to the hip and trendy ones in colaba
and the suburbs. Mumbai is also known as the hollywood of india or bollywood (from
the names bombay and holywood) and is the biggest film industry of the world.
Transfer to airport for flight to Aurangabad. Reach and check in at hotel.
The city of Aurangabad was founded in 1610, on the site of a village, Khirki by
Malik Ambar - the Prime Minister of Murtaza Nizam Shah II. When Fateh Khan, Malik
Ambar's son turned successor in 1626, he gave the city the name 'Fatehpur'. Later
in 1653, when Prince Aurangzeb became Viceroy of the Deccan, he made the city
his capital and called it Aurangabad. Aurangzeb added the walls that enclose the
central part of the city in 1686 in order to withstand attacks from the Marathas.
There are four principle gateways to the city - the Delhi Darwaza, the Jalna Darwaza,
the Paithan Darwaza and the Mecca Darwaza. Nine secondary gateways also formed
a part of the defensive system of this city.
Aurangabad district has
always been a prominent region on the Deccan plateau. Having been inhabited since
the Stone Age, it has a long artistic and cultural history - to which several
dynasties have made major contributions over the years. Maurya rule marked the
arrival of Buddhism in Maharashtra.
Aurangabad today is a bustling city
of Maharashtra with diverse big and small industries, fine silken textiles, and
exquisite hand woven brocades of silver and gold fabrics, Himroo of world frame.
To scholars and lovers of art and culture the city is more familiar as the gateway
to the ancient caves of Ajanta and Ellora, both famous as treasure houses of Indian
Art and Sculpture.
Overnight will be at Aurangabad.
Day
3: Aurangabad
 Breakfast
will be at hotel.
Proceed for a full day sightseeing with excursion to
AJANTA Caves.
Ajanta caves: Nestling in an inner fold of the Sahyardi
hills, 100 km from Aurangabad in the shape of a mammoth horse- shoe, are the 30
rock-hewn caves of Ajanta. The Caves date from the 2nd century BC. Discovered
in 1819 by a group of British army officers, these startling achievements took
around 600 years to create. Carved with little more than a hammer and chisel,
Ajanta, once the retreat of Buddhist monastic orders features several 'chaityas'
(chapels) and 'viharas' (monasteries). The exquisite wall and ceiling paintings,
panels and sculptures of Buddha's life are famous throughout the world as the
earliest and finest examples of Buddhist pictorial art.
Overnight will
be at Aurangabad.
Day 4: Aurangabad - Mumbai
Proceed for breakfast
at hotel.
Visit the Ellora Caves, Daulatabad Fort and Aurangabad Caves.
Ellora Caves: Impressive in their own right is the rock-hewn temples
and monasteries of Ellora that lie just 30 km away from Aurangabad city. In all,
there are 34 cave temples, 12 Mahayana Buddhist caves (550-750 AD), 17 Hindu caves
(600-875 AD) and 5 caves of the Jain faith (800-1000 AD) 22 more caves, dedicated
to Lord Shiva, were recently discovered. Kailas Temple (cave16), the central attraction
at Ellora, is the most remarkable. Chiseled by hand from a single massive rock,
it includes a gateway, pavilion, courtyard, vestibule, sanctum, sanctorum and
tower which bear testimony to the excellence of Dravidian art. It is believed
to have taken 7000 laborers, working in continuous shifts and 150 years to build
the structures. Ever since the first European visitors in 18th Century, Ellora
has attracted chroniclers, antiquarians, scholars and in more recent years, ever-
increasing number of tourists.
 Aurangabad
Caves: The almost forgotten caves of Aurangabad lie just outside the city. Excavated
between the 2nd and 6th century AD, they reflect TANTRIC influences in their iconography
and architectural designs. In all there are nine caves which are mainly VIHARAS
(monasteries).
The most interesting among these are Caves 3 and 7. The
former is supported on 12 highly ornate columns and has sculptures depicting scenes
from the legendary 'Jakata' tales. Cave 7 with its detailed figures of bejeweled
women also has a dominating sculpture of a 'Bodhisattva' praying for deliverance.
Daulatabad Fort: Once known as 'Devgiri', this magnificent 12th century
fortress stands on a hill just 13 km. from Aurangabad. It was given the name Daulatabad,
the 'city of fortune', by Muhammad Tughlaq, Sultan of Delhi. Initially a Yadav
stronghold, it passed through the hands of several dynasties in the Deccan. One
of the world's best preserved fort of medieval times, surviving virtually unaltered,
Daulatabad yet displays the character that made it invincible.
A Fortress
that was conquered only by treachery. A series of secret, quizzical, subterranean
passages lie coiled like a python amidst the fort. Here flaring torches were thrust
upon an unwary enemy. Or hot oil poured down his path, as he deliberated in the
labyrinth. Also the heat from a brazier was blown into the passage by a process
of suction suffocating the entire garrison within. The Fort itself lies in the
body of an isolated hill; the steep hill - sides at the base falling so sharply
to the moat that no hostile troops could scale the height.
The moat,
40 ft. deep with mechanical drawbridges teemed with crocodiles. A 5-kilometer
sturdy wall, artificial scarping and a complicated series of defenses made Daulatabad
impregnable. The 30-meter high Chand Minar (Tower) built much later with 3 circular
galleries had a defensive and religious role in the fortress.
Transfer
to airport for flight to Mumbai. Reach and transfer to hotel. Overnight will be
at Mumbai.
 Day
5: Mumbai: Cosmo culture
For the day you'll be taking a sightseeing tour
of this cosmopolitan city of India which has a very distinct and appealing culture
of its own.
Evening will be free to shop.
Overnight will be
at Mumbai.
Day 6: Chiplun: Trail through the Konkan Coast.
Start the breathtaking journey, traversing the beautiful Konkan Coast - the narrow
strip between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.
Arrive and check
in hotel.
Rest of the day at leisure or explore the town.
Overnight
will be at Chiplun.
 Day
7: Goa: Rome of the Orient
Proceed to Goa after breakfast. Pass through
the lush green belt of Konkan Coast. Arrive and check in hotel
Rest of
the day will be free to relax.
Overnight will be at Goa.
Day
8: Goa: Sun Bathing
Breakfast will be at hotel.
Complete day
free for personal activities or at leisure.
Day 9: Goa: Sightseeing
of the churches and beaches
Breakfast will be at hotel.
Proceed
for a full day sightseeing tour of Goa Beaches and Churches.
Overnight
will be at Goa.
Day 10: Goa - Mumbai
Transfer to the airport
after breakfast for flight to Mumbai.
Reach and proceed to airport for
connecting flight home.
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