Jaya Bharat – Lab2 Travel Program
Flights
The day has arrived! Going to Guarulhos (GRU) Saturday night, November 28th, for a flight in the early morning of November 29th. Have a great flight!
Arrival
Walk
Lakshmi Narayan Temple
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib
Welcome to India! In your At the arrival You will be assisted by our local partners who will be waiting with a sign bearing the name of the trip (Chörten Jaya Bharat) in the area we agreed upon at the airport (as shown in the image above and on the Delhi Arrival page). here). We monitor the arrival of each Chörten Traveller, maintaining telephone contact with our airport representatives from before their plane lands until the moment we speak to them. This is so that you can be 100% sure that we are monitoring and ensuring that your arrival is being well taken care of.
Transfer to the hotel with assistance (approx. 35-45 min), located in a central area with interesting possibilities for sightseeing and cultural activities. As our flight is scheduled to arrive early in the day and we must arrive at the hotel before 14 PM, we will speak with the hotel in advance, requesting, if available, that we can check in earlier than the hotel's formal check-in time. On our first day, we will be arriving, adjusting to the time zone, and trying, despite the fatigue from the hours of flight, to sleep at the right time. Not during the day as we might want to due to the time difference we are used to. For these reasons, the suggestion for the first outings is that they be quite light., as we are still not processing the information very well but we want to stay awake.
Also close to our hotel is the Hindu temple Lakshminarayan, known as Birla (an important Indian family) Mandir (temple in Hindi). We will see many Hindu temples during the trip, from the smallest on the sidewalks and in front of houses, to the largest, as in this case. These are opportunities to learn and reflect a little on the knowledge, wisdom, and learning methods that have been practiced for millennia throughout the Asian subcontinent: from the Indus River Valley (from Mt. Kailash in Tibet, crossing part of India, to Pakistan), extending through the Gangetic Plain (from Rishikesh to Kolkata), passing through the entire Himalayas to South India. An opportunity to converse about Hinduism, perhaps with the temple's frequenters, including the priests. We hear different answers, under different approaches and levels of understanding of this knowledge, from the most beginner to the most accomplished, from the most popular to the most academic.
Also close to our hotel, a visit to the Sikh temple, a 16th-century religion from the Punjab region of India, is certainly a good option. In the beautiful Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, we will hear their chants (see the translation on the monitors inside the temple), we will observe how they say their prayers in the temple and around the sacred tank. We will also be able to visit the kitchen where volunteers provide meals for thousands of people daily, regardless of social class and religion.
Let's see how hungry the group is for our first meal in Delhi!
Lotus Temple
National museum
Gandhi Smriti
Jantar Mantar
Kartavya Path (Rajpath)
Today we will start our day further south of the city, where we will visit the beautiful Lotus TempleBuilt in the shape of its name, it belongs to the Bahá'í Faith, founded in the 19th century in ancient Persia. Upon visiting, visitors are invited to remain silent for a moment. An interesting opportunity and experience amidst this large, bustling city. After visiting the temple, which is sometimes open to the public, there is an exhibition about the history of this religion. It's interesting to take a look and learn about brief expositions of its teachings.
Returning to more central Delhi, a very interesting visit in Delhi is the National museumIt's possible to spend many hours or days appreciating each hall and exhibition about the history, arts, and peoples of India. A good way to take advantage of this opportunity is by visiting (1) the hall about the Indus culture, Saraswati, the cradle of Indian culture, with cities dating from 3500 and 1500 BC. A second special visit is (2) to the Buddha relics. Your backpack needs to be left in a locker before entering the museum building (small women's handbags or fanny packs are usually allowed). Enjoy the museum!
Another special visit for our day is the last house where Gandhi lived, known as Birla House or Gandhi SmritiWe will learn a little about this important part of the nation's history, such as the life and final moments of this great leader, an example of the practice of Ahimsa (non-violence) and the culture of peace that continues to this day throughout the world. We will suggest the most important parts of the museum for us to visit, thus balancing our time in Delhi to visit so many other interesting and important places as well.
Built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur, starting in 1723, the observatory Jantar Mantar The one in Delhi is one of three that he used to measure the stars. The other two are in Jaipur (also well-preserved) and Varanasi (only a small piece remains, which we can see from the boat at sunrise). The instruments are very interesting. Guaranteed fun!
Near our hotel is the esplanade built by the English in the 20th century, called Kartavya Path (until recently called Rajpath). Here you will find India Gate, a landmark of the city, built in honor of the fighters in the great war, where you can get off to take some photos. On the other side of Kartavya Path is the house of the current president of India.
Car trip
Agra Fort
After our breakfast, we will travel today along a new road to Agra (approx. 4 hours).
O Agra FortThe mosque, more beautiful and with more history than the one in Delhi, was first used by Babur, the first Mughal emperor, in the 16th century, and built in its current form by Akbar. We will visit its gardens, the public and private audience halls, the mosque and apartments, including the one where Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son and the one Akbar built for his son, with symbols from all the main religious and philosophical traditions of the time.
For those who are interested, we can go to an area behind the Taj Mahal, on the other side of the Yamuna River, to see the... Sunset.
Taj Mahal
Fatehpur Sikri,
Today we will visit the Taj MahalBuilt by Shah Jahan for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, in the 17th century, thousands of workers and architects from around the world spent 20 years using India's famous white marble and precious stones. Our local guide will share many stories about this important monument.
Near Agra, we will also visit the city Fatehpur Sikri, , built by the Mughal emperor Akbar. A scholar of the philosophy of the great religious traditions, he was the first Mughal emperor to not levy higher taxes on those outside his religion, and to have a Hindu general command his army. In addition to visiting his city, which was used for a very short period, we will also visit the emperor's Jama Masjid (Friday mosque) and the mausoleum of a Sufi saint from the time of this empire.
Train
Walk
At the start of our day we will go to the station of train From Agra, we embark on a beautiful journey to a region that was part of many empires. After our train ride, it's time for lunch at our hotel and, if there's time, a walk around the area.
Western Temples
Eastern Temples
The history of Khajuraho begins when it was part of the Vatsa kingdom, just south of the Ganges, with its capital on the banks of the Yamuna River, at least 2500 years ago.
We will begin our visits with the Western temple groupBuilt during the Chandela Dynasty, from the 19th to the 11th centuries, they are very famous for the beauty of their architecture and sculptures. They are: Lakshmana, Matangeshwara, Varaha, Kandariya Mahadev, Chitragupta, Parvati, Vishwanatha, and Nandi.
We will also visit the temples that are more scattered throughout the region, more to nimble and on From Khajuraho, including a very interesting Jain temple. We will have many good opportunities to discuss the rich meanings of this variety of gods and teachings that we will encounter during our day.