Kolkata, Bodhgaya & Varanasi Tour (7 Days)

Itinerary

Day 1: Kolkata

Pass By: Kolkata District, Kolkata District, West Bengal
On arrival at Kolkata airport meet with our office executive assistance and transfer to hotel (hotels check in time 1200hr afternoon, early check in subject to room’s availability). Rest time free for personal activities relax.

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at hotel.

Day 2: Kolkata

Stop At: Netaji Bhawan, 38/2 Lala Lajpat Rai Sarani, Kolkata (Calcutta) India
Breakfast at hotel, full day city tour of kolkata. Visit Fort William - built during the early years of the Bengal Presidency of British India. Extends over an area of 70.9 hectares on the eastern banks of the River Hooghly, its of Kolkata's most enduring Raj-era edifices. Victoria Memorial - the immaculate white memorial bounded by verdant greenery and broad roads is dedicated to Queen Victoria. Inside the memorial there is a museum where you can see the dresses of the queen as well as different kinds of weapons used during that era. Netaji Bhawan - a building maintained as a memorial and research center to the life of the Indian nationalist "Netaji" Subhas Chandra Bose in Kolkata. The house, built by Bose's father in 1909, is owned and managed by the Netaji Research Bureau and includes a museum, archives and library.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Howrah Bridge, Jagganath Ghat 1, Strand Road, Kolkata (Calcutta) 700001 India
Further drive on Howrah Bridge one of the most popular bridges of India also known as the gateway of Kolkata. Built on the river Hooghly it is one of the major Kolkata attractions and people from different part of the country come here especially to witness this amazingly structured bridge. Visit Dakshineswar Kali Temple - one of the major pilgrimage center in the city that is dedicated to Goddess Kali. Located on the bank of River Hoogly, the temple compound maintains a large courtyard with rooms along the boundary walls, twelve shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva, a bathing ghat on the river and a shrine dedicated to Rani Rashmoni.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at hotel.

Day 3: Kolkata - Bodhgaya (flight)

Stop At: Mahabodhi Temple, Bihar 824231, Bodh Gaya 824231 India
Breakfast at hotel, transfer to airport to board flight for Gaya. On arrival at Gaya airport assistance and transfer to hotel.
Bodhgaya, the most important Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Siddhartha Gautama attained full enlightenment after sitting and meditating under the Bodhi tree for 49 days. The primary points of homage here are the Bodhi tree (the current tree is a descendant of the original tree); the Vajrasana, or “diamond seat,” under the tree; and the Mahabodhi Temple, whose 52-meter spire rises up to the skies. The diamond seat, the oldest monument at Bodhgaya, is believed to have been erected by Ashoka to mark the spot where the Buddha gained ultimate liberation. The Mahabodhi Temple Compound includes a number of other shrines where the Buddha spent seven weeks immediately following his experience of nirvana.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Bodhi Tree, Bodh Gaya India
Bodhgaya, now a World Heritage Site and a thriving tourist center, draws devotees from all over the world, who meditate, chant, offer flowers and incense, do prostrations, and engage in their respective rituals with great devotion and concentration. For many, sitting in meditation under the Bodhi tree, where the Buddha himself sat, is a profound spiritual experience.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at hotel.

Day 4: Bodhgaya

Stop At: Rajgir, India
Breakfast at hotel, visit Mahabodhi Temple. Later excursion to visit Rajgir & Nalanda.
Rajgir - was the largest city in Majjhimadesa during the Buddha’s time. Among the many notable places in the area are the tranquil Vulture’s Peak (Gijjhakuta), where the Buddha meditated, and the Sattapanni Cave, where the First Council was organized after the Buddha’s passing.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Nalanda, Nalanda, Nalanda District, Bihar
Nalanda - the Buddha spent time in Nalanda, and his two chief disciples, Sariputta and Moggallana, also came from its vicinity. Later, the acclaimed Buddhist monastic university thrived here until its destruction by invaders at the end of the 12th century. Today there is a new Nava Nalanda university as well as a beautiful memorial honoring the 7th-century Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang (Hsüan-tsang), whose work was indispensable for preserving India’s Buddhist heritage. After sightseeing drive back to Bodhgaya.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at hotel.

Day 5: Bodhgaya – Varanasi (250kms/ 5hrs approx.)

Stop At: Dashashwamedh Ghat Road, Dashashwamedh Ghat Rd, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001, India
Breakfast at hotel, drive to Varanasi check in at hotel. Evening walking tour of Ghats’s temples & mosque on ghats. Also attend Holy Ganga Aarti, a magical aarti performed at Dasashwamedh Ghat at sunset. Halt your boat right at the steps for the best view.
Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at hotel.

Day 6: Varanasi

Stop At: Sarnath Via-Anlabereni, Varanasi 759026 India
Breakfast at hotels full day to explore Sarnath & Varanasi.
Sarnath - here the Buddha delivered his first discourse, the Dhammacakka Pavattana Sutta (Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion), which explains the four noble truths and the noble eightfold path. It was also in Sarnath that the Buddha appointed his first group of disciples (sangha) to propagate his new teaching. Among the most notable monuments at Sarnath are the Dhamek Stupa, originally built by Ashoka, and the Ashoka Pillar, whose inscription points out the necessity of unity within the sangha. The ruins of various stupas and monasteries at Sarnath bear witness to of the monastic tradition that flourished here for over 1,500 years; among the new temples is the Mulaghandhakuti Vihara, built in 1922 by Anagarika Dharmapala. Today, hundreds of pilgrims visit the Vihara every evening to chant the Dhammacakka Pavattana Sutta, acknowledging with their voices the wisdom and compassion that began to emanate from Sarnath with the Buddha’s first sermon.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005 India
City tour of Varanasi visit World famous Banaras Hindu University, The Ramnagar Fort Palace & Many Temples.
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at hotel.

Day 7: Varanasi – Kolkata/ Delhi/ Mumbai (Flight)

Pass By: Kolkata (Calcutta), Kolkata (Calcutta), Kolkata District, West Bengal
Breakfast at hotel, as per flight schedule transfer to airport to board flight for Kolkata/ Delhi/ Mumbai.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.