Kolkata (Calcutta) Trip Overview
The private tour will begin in Kolkata a historical city dotted with many monuments of British Raj. Travel by train to reach Deoghar a Jyotirlinga Temple. From here drive to visit the Buddhist pilgrimage site of Nalanda an ancient seat of learning and Bodhgaya city of enlightenment. Continue to Varanasi the oldest serviving city in world dotted with nearly 2000 temples on holy river bank and monuments of Budhist faith in nearby Sarnath where Budhha set the Wheel of Dhamma in motion.
Additional Info
Duration: 7 days
Starts: Kolkata (Calcutta), India
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Kolkata (Calcutta) Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal, India
The private tour will begin in Kolkata a historical city dotted with many monuments of British Raj. Travel by train to reach Deoghar a Jyotirlinga Temple. From here drive to visit the Buddhist pilgrimage site of Nalanda an ancient seat of learning and Bodhgaya city of enlightenment. Continue to Varanasi the oldest serviving city in world dotted with nearly 2000 temples on holy river bank and monuments of Budhist faith in nearby Sarnath where Budhha set the Wheel of Dhamma in motion.
Itinerary
Day 1: Kolkata
Pass By: Kolkata (Calcutta), Kolkata (Calcutta), 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: Fort William, Brigade Parade Ground & Race Course, 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.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Victoria Memorial Hall, 1 Queen’s Way, Kolkata (Calcutta) India
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: 1 hour
Pass By: 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.
Stop At: Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Near Bali Bridge P.O. :Alambazar, Kolkata (Calcutta) 700035 India
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: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at hotel.
Day 3: Kolkata – Deoghar (Train No. 12023, JANSHATABDI EXP, HWH 1405 / JSME 1817hrs
Pass By: Deoghar, Deoghar, Deoghar District, Jharkhand
Breakfast at hotel. Morning free afternoon transfer to Howrah railway station to board Satabdi trin to Deoghar (Jasidih Jn).
On arrival meet with your driver and transfer to hotel. Rest time free and easy to relax.
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at hotel.
Day 4: Deoghar – Nalanda – Rajgir – Bodhgaya (268kms/ 5hrs approx)
Stop At: Baba Baidyanath Temple, Shivganga Muhalla, Deoghar 815353 India
Breakfast at hotel. Visit Baba Baidyanath Dham – The most prominent temple in town that draws devotees in hordes every year. The Baba Baidyanath Temple is revered as both a jyotirlinga (devotional representation of Lord Shiva) and a shaktipeeth (devotional shrines where the severed body parts of Goddess Shakti fell). It also houses idols of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Parvati. Prayers begin at 4 am and first the head priest worships with shodashopachar (sixteen services). Then, devotees are allowed to worship the Lord. Legend has it that this is the place where the king of Lanka, Ravana, sacrificed his ten heads one by one to Lord Shiva. Seeing this, the Lord descended on earth and healed Ravana’s injuries. Thus, Shiva is called ‘vaidhya’ meaning doctor or healer. While there are several such legends associated with this sacred land, history too proves its importance. A mention of the temple can be found from 8th century AD, during the rule of the last king of the Gupta dynasty, Adityasena Gupta. During the Mughal period, Raja Man Singh, the ruler of Amber, is said to have built a pond here, which is known as Mansarovar. The temple faces the east and is a plain stone structure with a pyramidal tower, which is 72 ft high. Atop it are three compactly set gold vessels, along with a punchshula (five knives in a trident shape). There is also an eight-petaled lotus called Chandrakanta Mani.
Duration: 2 minutes
Stop At: Nalanda University Ruins, Nalanda 803101 India
Later drive to Bodhgaya via visiting Nalanda & Rajgir.
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.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Rajgir, Rajgir, Nalanda District, Bihar
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.
Continue drive to Bodhgaya, check in at hotel.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at hotel.
Day 5: Bodhgaya – Varanasi (250kms/ 5hrs approx)
Stop At: Mahabodhi Temple, Bihar 824231, Bodh Gaya 824231 India
Breakfast at hotel sightseeing in Bodhgaya. Visit Mahabodhi Temple an UNESCO World Heritage Site, encompassed by an ancient railing dating back to 100BC. Bodhi Tree: where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. Also visit Tibetan Monastery, Burmese Temple, Chinese Temple and Monastery, Buddhist Monastery of Bhutan, Thai Temple and Monastery, and many more. Rest time to relax, evening attend temple aarti.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Gaya, Gaya, Gaya District, Bihar
Gaya is a holy city beside the Falgu River. It’s known for 18th-century Vishnupad Mandir, a riverside temple with an octagonal shrine. Close by, ancient Mangla Gauri Temple is set on a hilltop. To the north, Hindu devotees bath in a Brahma Kund pond before honoring their deceased ancestors atop Pretshila Hill.
After sightseeing drive to Varnasi check in at hotel.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at hotel.
Day 6: Varanasi
Stop At: Dasaswamedh Ghat Road Bangali Tola, Varanasi 221001 India
Early morning boat ride and Ghat visit along the Ganges and catch the scene of devotees bathing and praying in the sacred water.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple (Golden Temple), Lahori Tola, Varanasi 221001 India
Visit Kashi Vishwanath Mandir – the temple complex consists of a series of smaller shrines, located in a small lane called the Vishwanatha Galli, near the river. The main temple is quadrangle and is surrounded by shrines of other gods. There are small temples for Kaalbhairav, Dhandapani, Avimukteshwara, Vishnu, Vinayaka, Sanishwara, Virupaksha and Virupaksh Gauri in the complex. There is a small well in the temple called the Jnana Vapi also spelled as Gyaan vapi (the wisdom well). The Jnana Vapi well sites to the north of the main temple and during the invasion by the Mughals the Jyotirlinga was hidden in the well to protect it at the time of invasion. It is said that the main priest of the temple jumped in the well with the Shiv Ling in order to protect the Jyotirlinga from invaders.
Return to hotel for breakfast. Thereafter full day to explore Sarnath & Varanasi.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Sarnath Deer Park, Varanasi India
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: 2 hours
Stop At: Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005 India
City tour of Varanasi visit World famous Benaras Hindu University, The Ramnagar Fort Palace & Many Temples.
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 7: Varanasi – Departure
Pass By: Varanasi, Varanasi, Varanasi District, Uttar Pradesh
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.
