Footsteps of Lord Buddha Tour

Day 01 : Arrive Mumbai
Meet on arrival at Airport and transfer to hotel. Overnight stay at hotel.

Working day 02 : Mumbai
Morning right after breakfast check out Elephanta Caves - one hour boat experience across Mumbai Harbour provides lush green Elephanta Island. Here, pay a visit to some of the big and intricately carved Elephanta Caves that date back to the 8th century. Afternoon, city tour of Bombay - visiting 'Gateway of India' overlooking the Harbour, the 'Towers of Silence', 'Marine Drive', the 'Colaba Causeway' - the business heart of Bombay and the Dhobi Ghat, the special and colourful outdoor 'laundry'. Generate upto the Malabar Hill to the beautiful 'Hanging Gardens' along with the Kamla Nehru Park from exactly where you are going to obtain a fantastic see of Mumbai plus the Arabian Sea, distribute out prior to you.

Day 03 : Mumbai - Aurangabad
Morning transfer to railway station to connect train # 7617 Tapovan Express dep. Mumbai at 06:10 hrs ar. Aurangabad at 13:30 hrs. Arrive Aurangabad transfer to hotel. Afternoon town tour of Aurangabad visiting Bibi-Ka-Muqbara, Aurangabad Caves and Daulatabd Fort. Evening transfer to hotel. Overnight remain at hotel.

Day 04 : Aurangabad - Excursion to Ellora Caves
Early morning go to Ellora Caves - thirty kms from Aurangabad lie the greatest rock minimize cave temples of Ellora - 10th & 11th century, which encompasses the three religion - Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. With the 34 caves that are both monasteries and temples, the most remarkable is the magnificent Kailasa temple. The entire structure was carved out of the monolith and took over 100 years to complete. (Ellora Caves closed on all Tuesdays). Drive back to Hotel. Evening free for leisure. Overnight remain at hotel.

Working day 05 : Aurangabad - Jalgaon - Bhopal
After breakfast generate to Ajanta Caves - located 100 kms, a 2½ hour drive, northeast of Aurangabad in the Waghora valley. These magnificent rock-cut caves, thirty in amount, date from 2nd BC to 7th Century AD. They are exclusively Buddhist, one of a kind in that they combine three forms of Art - architecture sculpture and painting.

Day 06 : Bhopal - Agra
Sightseeing tour of Saanchi Stupa. A lot of Buddhist travellers across the world pay a visit to this serene hill crowned by a group of stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars dating from 3rd century BC to 12th century AD. Afternoon connect Train # 2001 Bhopal Shtabadi Express dep. Bhopal at 14:50 hrs arrive Agra at 20:35 hrs. Transfer to hotel. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 07 : Agra - Varanasi (overnight train)
Early morning sightseeing tour going to the magnificent Taj Mahal, which is entirely made of white marble and its walls are decorated with exquisite Pietra Dura (stone inlay) work. Post lunch tour from the imposing Agra Fort - built of red sandstone and marble is a hilltop citadel with fabulous courtyards, fountains and gates. Night transfer to the Railway station for Varanasi. Overnight stay at hotel. (Taj Mahal is closed on all Fridays).

Working day 08 : Arrive Varanasi
Arrive Varanasi in the early morning and transfer to hotel going to Sarnath enroute, the place exactly where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon. Afternoon proceed for that city tour going to various temples including The Vishwanath Temple, built by the Birlas, was planned by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya. The Bharat Mata Temple houses, instead of gods and goddesses, a substantial relief map in marble of the whole of Indian subcontinent.

Sarnath enjoys the extraordinary privilege of Lord Buddha delivering his first sermon immediately after attaining enlightenment 2500 years ago. It is about ten km from Varanasi and holds several Buddhist sites that include the famous Dhamekh Stupa, the seat of the holy 'Buddha'.

Working day 09 : Varanasi / Bodhgaya (242 Kms / 07 hrs)
Morning take a Boat cruise at the river Ganges to observe the way of life of pilgrims by the Ghats and later we drive to Bodhgaya. Arrive Bodhgaya and check - in at hotel. Bodhgaya - most sacred place for Buddhists as it has a Peepul tree under which Gautama the Buddha attained enlightenment some 2500 years back again. Overnight remain at hotel.

Day ten : In Bodhgaya
After breakfast start sightseeing tour of Bodhgaya going to Mahabodhi Temple - depicting the various phases of Buddha's journey towards enlightenment, showing different aspects of his life; Bodhgaya Archaeological Museum - houses a small collection of Buddhist sculpture from the 1st century B.C, to the 11th century A.D; Jagannath Temple close by has a four armed statue of Shiva in black stone. Evening transfer to hotel. Overnight remain at hotel.
Bodhgaya is 1 from the most important and sacred Buddhist pilgrimage center in the world. It was right here under a banyan tree, the Bodhi Tree, Gautama attained supreme knowledge to become Buddha.

Day 11 : Bodhgaya / Patna (109 Kms - 4.5 hrs)
After breakfast drive to Patna. Enroute pay a visit to Gridhakuta Hill and Bimbisara Jail in Rajgir. Proceed to Nalnada (14 kms from Rajgir) which was one from the oldest Universities from the world and International Centre for Buddhist studies. Arrive Patna. Post lunch city tour going to Har Mandir Sahib - also known as Patna Sahib consecrates the place exactly where the 10th Guru in the Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh was born in 1776; Golghar - is a huge dome-like structure from exactly where 1 can have a fine view in the Ganga as well as the surroundings from the metropolis; Patna Museum - has a rich collection of Mauryan and Buddhist sculptures, terracotta and other interesting items of the items. Overnight remain at hotel.