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PALACE ON WHEELS
Delhi-Jaipur-Jaisalmer-Jodhpur-Sawai Madhopur-Chittaurgarh-Udaipur-Bharatpur-Agra-Delhi
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Palace on Wheels is one of the world's most exciting
rail journeys, as much for the train and the facilities
provided on board, as for the royal destinations it
proceeds to every single day. With everything taken
care of - dining, accommodation, sight seeing - as well
as organized shopping, there is nothing for the traveller
to do but sleep in the history of the land, soak in
the colours, and experience the royal life of a Maharaja.
The tour starts from Delhi and comes back to the city
after going through, in order: Jaipur-Jaisalmer-Jodhpur-Sawai
Madhopur-Chittaurgarh-Udaipur-Bharatpur-Agra-Delhi
Welcome aboard. |
Day 01: Delhi (Wednesday)
Delhi, the capital city of modern India, a city known
for it's rich, valorous and exotic history. Once the
fabled city of the heroes of the Mahabharata, and ruled
by the Rajputs before they were displaced by foreign
invaders.
The tour starts in the evening with a ceremonial welcome
aboard the Palace on Wheels at Delhi Cantonment. You
will be introduced to your fellow travellers.
Feel free to explore your new home, and acquaint yourself
with its various facilities.
Relax with a drink at the bar. Dinner will be served
on board the two restaurants. The train departs from
Delhi at 18.30 hrs. |
Day 02: Jaipur (Thursday)
Arrive at 02.00 in Jaipur the Pink City, known for
it's colourful and fascinating Architecture.
Your tour begins at the Hawa Mahal or the Palace of
Winds, followed by a visit to the Amber Fort, riding
on canopied elephants in pomp and royal style of ancient
maharajas.
After indulging oneself in shopping at Rajasthali, the
State's Handicrafts emporium for souvenirs and crafts,
an exotic and sumptuous lunch awaits you at the majestic
Rambagh Palace.
The home of the erstwhile rulers, The City Palace, now
a museum, full of royal splendor and the amazing Jantar
Mantar - Astronomical Observatory, are to be explored
at leisure.
The train departs from the Pink City at 19.30 hrs.
About Jaipur
Jaipur became the capital of the Kachchwaha dynasty
when they shifted here from their hilltop fort of Amber.
It was built according to the principles laid down in
the ancient Architectural Treatises, but with all the
opulence deserving to a royal city. At its center rose
the seven-tiered palace of the royal family, and around
it came up gardens and temples, its Astronomical Observatory
and the myriads of mansions and business houses. Jaipur
also offers a greats shopping experience since the city
is the country's capital as far as handicrafts go -
and they include a very extensive range - as well as
a major international center for the cutting and polishing
of gems and stones. It also has a large number of palace
hotels, and both Rambagh and Jai Mahal, which are the
venues for their lunch and dinner, are intimately linked
with the history of this former princely state. Rambagh,
in fact, was the last palace in which the former maharaja
and his glamorous Maharani, and now Rajmata or Queen
Mother of Jaipur, the popular Gayatri Devi, resided.
The palace not only has most of the original furnishings
and artifacts, but its famous Polo Bar also has pictures
of the last maharaja with English Aristocracy and other
important guests.
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Day 03: Jaisalmer (Friday)
Arrive at 08.15 hrs at Jaisalmer. Spend the day
in this isolated, but architecturally, one of the greatest
Royal Bastions of the World.
After a dinner served under the stars, at Hotel Fort
Rajwada, come back to the train to resume your journey.
Departure is at 23.00 hrs.
About Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer was the stronghold for the Bhatti Rajputs,
and a hardier race never lived. Their earlier settlement
was marked by bandit, as they looted caravans at will,
stealing horses, and inviting the wrath of the West
Asian invaders. Over time they began to settle, and
the 12th century fort with its ninety-nine bristling
bastions was established on top of Trikuta hill, exactly
as prophesied for these descendants of Krishna.Isolated
Jaisalmer may have been, a lost city in the sands of
the Thar, more mythic than real for those of who heard
it, but the caravans that passed through its territories
enriched the coffers of the treasury. It also kept Jaisalmer
in touch with the world, for such caravans carried not
merely goods but also artisans and master-craftsmen.
The Maharawalas of Jaisalmer thought little of making
use of their services to build the magnificent, sandstone
architecture for which it has become known around the
world
However, even more magnificent, along the cobbled stone
pathways of the fort, arose the havelis, the mansions
of the Jain merchants who were as powerful in the court
of the time, as they were adept in business. Their homes
are a poetry of sandstone, carved and pierced incredibly
into different patterns, and though they are opulent
and effusive, the result is in perfect harmony, and
never offending the eye.
Not only is Jaisalmer's Architecture magnificent, it's
meandering lanes, the many homes within the ramparts
and the resounding rhythms of the Langa and Manganiyar
musicians have frozen this citadel into a medieval time-warp.
Escape from here to the desert sands around the fort,
and see them drift in the breeze, or take a camel ride,
or simply enjoy the mesmeric dances of its folk performers.
So must the kings have watched over their kingdom? However,
you no longer need to travel to Jaisalmer in a caravan;
your carriage is a luxurious train - fitting in the
royal context.
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Day 04: Jodhpur (Saturday)
Now you will visit yet another desert kingdom, Jodhpur,
where you arrive at 07.00hrs.
You can spend the morning at Mehrangarh Fort that towers
over the city like an eagle's eyrie and then come downhill
to lunch at Umaid Bhawan Palace, the largest art-deco
residence in the world and now home to the head of the
royal family, museum and luxury hotel.
Departure, after unwinding and relaxing at the palace,
is at 15.30 hrs.
About Jodhpur
The 500 year old history of Jodhpur, the bastion of
the valiant Rathore Rajputs, bristles with conflicts
and sieges, with battles and savage skirmishes, so it
is difficult to believe that they found the time to
not only build the impossibly invincible looking Mehrangarh
Fort, but also its lavish and delicately embellished
palaces. Within the Fort, reached by a steep path with
huge guarding at its turns and places at angles, to
prevent elephants from storming them, are a large number
of apartments where the maharajas retainers now serve
as guides. Within, the apartments are painted and gilded
and have windows and balconies to allow them an uninterrupted
view of the desert around it, now peopled with homes.
The vintage battle arms of the royal past are well presented
- swords and daggers and spears and matchlock guns;
a battle tent seized from Emperor Jehangir; howdahs
and chariots and carriages; cribs and beds; the royal,
octagonal throne; musical instruments, large drums,
even a collection of turbans.
From the ramparts of the fort, where the cannons are
still mounted, the sweeping view also takes in a huge
palace located on top of another lower hill. This is
Umaid Bhavan, the palace the Maharajas set out to build
as a famine relief project, but also ambitiously as
the World's largest private residence. It was intended
to and did rival the Presidential palace coming up then
in Delhi. Build by a British Architect; while the planning
has incorporated the elements of the Rajput lifestyle
(large county yards, for example, or a zenana wing),
there is a formal western sense of symmetry and restrained
sense of ornamentation. Only in the royal suites does
exuberance take over, since a Polish artist, then traveling
in India, was given the permission to create huge paintings
to suit the art-deco theme of the architecture and furniture
in the palace. The grounds of the palace are huge and
towards the back, there is a bougainvillea garden, perhaps
the only of its kind in the world, and at the end, a
Baradari, a pillared pavilion where the maharajas held
Mehfils, entertainment courts. Within the palace the
courtrooms are more formal, while the ballrooms resounded,
till recently, with the sounds of revelry, now captured
in the whispered conversations of tourists.
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Day 05:Sawai Madhopur (Sunday)
Arrive at 04.00 hrs, steam into Sawai Madhopur, to spend
the day in the wilds of Ranthambhor where your hosts
are, of course, royal.
Since the best time to visit the park is early morning,
the train arrives at 04.00 hrs, and leaves for its destination,
Chittaurgarh at 11.00 hrs.
Arrival at Chittaurgarh at 15.30 hrs. Chittaurgarh is
India's most valorous fort, its history an unending
saga of passion, chivalry and romance. Within its sprawling
ramparts were beautiful palaces, but few of them remain,
the fort having been sacked by invaders.
Lunch and dinner are served on board the train.
About Ranthambhor
Ranthambhor National Park is home to the Royal Bengal
Tiger, the most majestic of the big cats, and magnificent
in its agility and grace. As it moves through the underbrush,
its tawny gold hide striped with black bands, merges
with nature, and the jungle stands to attention.
Ranthambhor is also very picturesque. A number of lakes
from the shallow lands where tiger sightings are quite
common, and where herds of deer can be seen foraging,
while crocodiles bask in the sun. The lofty hills ring
the park, and in the distance, the ramparts of Ranthambhor
fort create a dramatic silhouette. Once, this was the
scene for fierce battles, and for fiery Jauhars, but
all that is of the past now, though former hunting lodges
such as Jogi Mahal, close to the lakes, is still retains
its former grandeur and glory.
Ranthambhor is particularly well known for its tiger
sightings because the undisturbed ambiance and the spreading,
shallow lakes provide them the surroundings best suited
to their needs, and therefore sightings by day time
are quite common. Various conservationists and wildlife
photographers have worked at length here to document
the life cycle of the tigresses of Ranthambhor, even
giving them names, so that they are now a part of the
regional lore.
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Day 06: Chittaurgarh and Udaipur (Monday)
Arrive at 16.00 hrs, Chittaurgarh and Udaipur, the capitals
of the Sisodia Maharanas, enjoy pre-eminence among the
Rajput clans of Rajasthan.
Spend the day sight seeing at Udaipur. Lunch is at Lake
Palace, the beautiful island palace built as a summer
resort by the royal family, and now converted into one
of the world's finest hotels.
The train departs again at 20.00 hrs, and dinner will
be served on board.
About Udaipur
Maharana Udai Singh, laid the foundation for a new kingdom-Udaipur-situated
by Lake Pichola, where the impressive City Palace was
lavished with aesthetic and imaginative works of art,
and the art of miniature painting was encouraged as
decor-et-al . Subsequently, the princes built the seemingly
floating Island Palace, the royal summer retreat, offering
a spectacular view of the lake and surrounding mountains.
Besides the Lake Palace, there are other such retreats
that have been converted into modern hotels, one of
them, Shiv Niwas, being run by the current head of the
family. A graceful, valorous race, the Sisodias and
their city bring alive the excitement of a medieval
kingdom as it once was, and with a little imagination,
can still almost be...
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Day 07: Bharatpur, Fatehpur Sikri and Taj Mahal (Tuesday)
If it's Tuesday, it must be Bharatpur. Arrive at 06.30
hrs at a royal kingdom where the Jats, rather than the
Rajputs, ruled.
About Bharatpur
Bharatpur's Jat history is not too old, with Suraj Mal
establishing a firm stronghold in a region contested
by both the Rajputs and the Mughals. Suraj Mal's exploits
are legendary, and the fort, Lohargarh, or Iron Fort,
has a history that recounts it with pride. The only
fort in the state to have bastions of mud, these proved
meritorious because they simply swallowed up the cannon
shells, not allowing them to impact.
However, it is not for its fort, or palace, or even
the close by fortified resort of Deeg that passengers
of the Palace on Wheels are here; Their attention is
drawn to the bird sanctuary, one of the finest in the
world. The Keoladeo Ghana National Park was developed
by a royal edit when dykes were created so that water
could be canalized for the hunting preserve at the maharaja
of Bharatpur wished to create. In the early decade of
this century, Bharatpur became famous among visiting
British royalty and aristocracy for the amount of game
the visitors bagged. These days, thankfully, only shooting
by cameras is permitted in this sanctuary with over
three hundred species of birds, many of them migrant
species that come from parts as distant as Siberia and
China.
After visiting the Park in the morning, visitors travel
by luxury coach to Fatehpur Sikri, the red sandstone
city build by Emperor Akbar on a lavish scale, but which
he had to abandon soon after because of shortage of
water.
From here to Agra, first for lunch at Hotel Jaypee Palace
and then for a visit to the world's most well-known
monument and well worth its fame; The Taj Mahal. Built
in the memory of his beloved empress by Emperor Shah
Jahan, this marble mausoleum is the greatest gesture
of love known to mankind, and is breathtakingly, bewitchingly
beautiful. Land for the building of the Taj Mahal in
Agra came from the maharaja of Jaipur and the marble
used in its construction was from the mines of Makrana,
also in Rajasthan. The precious stones used in its inlay,
and the craftsmen employed for the twenty-two years
its construction took, came not only from India, but
from all over the World.
The Taj Mahal is the perfect finale to your Royal Sojourn.
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Day
08: Delhi (Wednesday)
Wednesday, and you're back in Delhi as early as 06.00
hrs where, after breakfast on the train, you descend
to the humdrum existence of modern life, with only royal
memories to retain for the rest of your lifetime.
Tour Ends |
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DECCAN ODYSSEY: 07 nights/08
days
Mumbai(1N) - Jaigadh, Ganapatipule, Ratnagiri (1N)
- Sindhudurgh, Tarkarli, Sawantwadi (1N) - Goa(1N)
- Pune(1N) - Aurangabad and Ellora caves tour (1N)
- Ajanta caves and Nasik travel (1N) - Mumbai tour
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Deccan Odyssey, a luxury train that takes you across
the land of the brave Marathas - a unique experience.
It is a journey back in time to relive the luxury of
a regal age in India.
As the whistle of the Deccan Odyssey luxury train blows
and its wheels roll along the track, you are set to
start on an exciting luxury train journey, on a Deccan
Odyssey India tour.
Through this tour you will
visit beautiful beaches in Goa and Maharashtra,
see the grand forts and palaces of the Marathas and
the Osho Ashram in Pune
travel
through beautiful sceneries and heritage destinations
visit
historic sites of Ajanta, Ellora and Aurangabad.
Your luxury train ride brings you back to the modern
city of Mumbai, at the end of your magical Deccan Odyssey
luxury train ride.
It is an opportunity to experience the cultural riches
of the Deccan through this unforgettable Deccan Odyssey
tour. |
Day 01: Mumbai (Wednesday)
Start your journey at the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus
in Mumbai and enjoy your dinner on the luxury train,
as your Deccan Odyssey begins. |
Day 02: Jaigadh, Ganapatipule, Ratnagiri (Thursday)
See Jaigarh Fort, have lunch on the beautiful sandy
beach at Ganapatipule and tour the historic Ratnagiri
Fort.
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Day 03: Sindhudurg, Tarkarli and Sawantwadi (Friday)
Visit the Sindhudurg Fort, enjoy Konkani cuisine at
Tarkarli Beach and shop at the crafts village at Sawantwadi.
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Day 04: Goa (Saturday)
Arrive in Goa, have fun on the beautiful beaches, tour
the churches and taste Goan food on your Deccan Odyssey.
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Day 05: Pune (Sunday)
Tour the markets, museums and Rajneesh Ashram in Pune.
See the Aga Khan Palace and enjoy the sound and light
show at the Shaniwarwada Palace.l.
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Day 06: Aurangabad and Ellora caves (Monday)
Travel to Aurangabad and Daulatabad. See Ellora, Biwi
ka Maqbara, Shivaji Museum and the Aurangabad Caves.
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Day 07: Ajanta caves and Nasik (Tuesday)
See the historic Ajanta Caves, travel to Nasik and visit
a modern winery and see the scenic view at Gangapur
Dam. .
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Day 08: Mumbai (Wednesday)
Enjoy your breakfast on the Deccan Odyssey luxury train
as your tour ends in Mumbai.
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