An
Archaeological Study Tour
Northern
India
December
26, 2010 - January 15, 2011
Led
by Professor J.
Daniel White
This tour will explore the processes of cultural synthesis
among the major religious civilizations of India’s
past, Jain, Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim. The great stupa
at Sanchi and the monastic remains at Sarnath, together
with the elaborately carved temples at Ranakpur, will
testify to the vigor of Buddhist and Jain offshoots from
early Hinduism. The many facets of later Hindu civilization
will be manifest in the elaborate temples of Khajuraho,
the Rajput fortified palaces of Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaipur,
and the thriving pilgrimage center at Varanasi. The Mughal
contribution to India will be seen at Agra, Fatehpur Sikri
and Delhi, while New Delhi will display British power.
We will also examine prehistoric and tribal cultures and
study the best of northern Indian art in superb museums
and at world-famous monuments. Our stays in several palace
hotels will provide an intimate experience of royal lifestyle.
We will sample the foods of each region visited and attend
several evenings of traditional dance and music. There
also will be time to explore on our own and to relax and
reflect on all we have seen. Although there is “never
enough time” in India, we have selected cities and
sites that we feel will provide a comprehensive understanding
of the best of Indian art, architecture and history.
Sunday, Monday, December 26 & 27: DELHI: Independent
departures from our home cities. Upon arrival into Delhi
we will be met and transfered to the Taj Palace Hotel,
our centrally located hotel for the next three nights.
Tuesday,
December 28: DELHI: After a relaxing morning to recover
from our flights, we will begin our touring at the National
Museum. Rich with archaeological artifacts and art from
the last 5,000 years, the museum also houses Sir Aurel
Stein’s booty from his travels along the Silk Road.
This evening we will gather for an introductory lecture
followed by dinner in the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Wednesday,
December 29: DELHI: Today’s touring to Delhi’s
major Mughal sites includes the exquisitely carved minaret
of Qutb Minar, built by Aibak in 1199, the lovely Jama-i
Masjid, decorated with polychrome stonework, Humayun’s
Tomb, the first tomb of the great Mughals, and the recently
restored water system, as well as the grand Lal Qila,
known as the Red Fort.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Thursday, Day 5: VARANASI: We fly to Varanasi and
begin our touring at the remains of the monastic center
at Sarnath. It was here, around 528 BCE, that Buddha preached
his first sermon after he had received enlightenment.
We will also explore the site and its small museum, which
houses India’s official symbol, the Ashoka pillar,
carved with back-to-back lions.Taj Ganges Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Friday, Day 6: KHAJURAHO: Our
day begins with an early morning boat trip on the Ganges
as Hindu pilgrims flock to the ghats to perform their
ablutions. After completing our touring, we fly to Khajuraho,
where we will spend the next two nights at the lovely
Taj Chandela Hotel, set amidst 11 acres of beautifully
landscaped gardens. The temples of this region celebrate
the joy of life and love, portraying woman in all her
sensuality and vanity, and are considered to be the epitome
of Hindu sculpture. Of the original 85 temples, 22 have
survived. We will spend the remainder of this day at the
Southern Temple Group, ending at the Archaeological Museum.
Meals:
Breakfast & dinner
Saturday,
Day 7: KHAJURAHO: We continue our touring to the Eastern
Temple Group, including the architectural masterpiece
Parsvanatha Jain temple. Its charming sculptures include
a scene of a woman applying eye makeup and another removing
a thorn from her foot, giving us the sense of being present
at an intimate moment in their lives. After visiting the
Western Temple Group, we will have an afternoon at leisure
to revisit our favorite sites or relax at the swimming
pool.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Sunday, Day 8: ORCHHA: We get an early start on
our drive to Orchha, giving us an afternoon to visit some
of its wonderful temples and palaces. The deserted medieval
town is a former capital of the Bundela rajas and continues
to be an architectural gem. Our touring will include the
Raj Mahal, whose opulent royal quarters still preserve
fragments of mirror inlay and vibrant painting, and the
Jahangiri Mahal, built to honor the visit of the Mughal
emperor. Lastly, we will visit Lakshminarayan Mandir,
which houses fine 17th- and 19th-century paintings. Orchha
Resort.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Monday, Day 9: BHOPAL:
A
short drive to Jhansi, where we board the Shatabdi Express
Train that will take us into Bhopal, arriving in the early
afternoon. Built on seven hills and around three lovely
lakes, Bhopal is one of the centers of art and culture
in India. Our hotel, Jehan Numa Palace, built in the 1920s
as the residence of the eldest daughter of H. H. Nawab
Hamid Ullah Khan, is now a small, comfortable hotel that
overlooks Bhopal Lake. The remainder of the day will be
spent visiting the the Van Vihar Zoological Park, which
is five square kilometres of near-natural habitat for
leopards, Indian tigers, panthers, long-nosed gharial
and the famous white tiger. The park also houses Himalayan
bears, cheetal, sambhar, blackbuck and blue bull as well
as a huge variety of birds. Most of the animals are either
orphaned or were exchanged from other zoos. No animal
is deliberately captured. As we travel through this wildlife
sanctuary we shall be enclosed in our vehicle while many
of the animals will roam freely.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Tuesday,
Day 10: BHOPAL: A short drive to Sanchi, whose magnificent
Buddhist monuments will provide us with another sensational
day. Set on a hilltop, these impressive buildings span
almost the whole range of Indian Buddhist art. We will
study the Buddhist sculpture and the many stupas, the
first of which was built by Ashok in the 3rd century BCE.
In the afternoon we will visit the Udaigiri Caves, just
outside of Sanchi. These rock-cut Gupta shrines date from
320 to 606 CE, some with quite wonderful early Hindu sculpture.
After our very full day we return to Bhopal.
Meals: Breakfas & lunch
Wednesday, Day 11: AGRA: We
will spend the morning at Bhimbetka, where over 500 caves
with rock paintings have been discovered. The paintings
actually span periods from upper Paleolithic to the early
historic and medieval, the earliest at least as old as
those found in the Pyrénées. This afternoon
we board an afternoon train to Agra, arriving in time
for a late dinner at our hotel. The Gateway Agra Hotel.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Thursday,
Day 12: AGRA: It is said that one must see the Taj
Mahal at sunrise and in pure daylight. We will have ample
time to do both. Today’s touring includes visits
to the Taj Mahal and the mausoleums of Akbar and Itimad-ud-Daulah,
as well as the red-sandstone Agra Fort, built by Akbar
and his grandson, Shah Jahan, between 1565 and 1573. This
amazing complex of royal pavilions, palaces and court
buildings is built in the grand style of Akbar using all
of the finest materials. As we drive through the city
we will see several buildings of interest for their Mughal
architecture.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Friday, Day 13: JAIPUR:
En route to Jaipur we stop to visit Fatehpur Sikri, the
deserted red sandstone city built by Emperor Akbar as
his capital in the late 16th century to commemorate the
birth of his son. After using 10,000 artisans to create
this Hindu-Persian masterpiece, Akbar utilized the city
as his principal capital for only 15 years and eventually
moved to Lahore. Our three-night stay in Jaipur will be
at the lovely Taj Jai Malhal Palace Hotel.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinners
Saturday,
Day 14: JAIPUR:
Our city touring begins with the intricately carved marble
Old City Palace built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh in 1728,
with later additions by subsequent rulers. Within the
palace is the Textiles and Costumes Museum, housing lovely
examples of Rajput dress, and in the coronation hall are
wonderful cultural and family artifacts from the maharajas
who have lived here. We will also visit the Jantar Mantar
(Observatory), the largest of five built by Jai Singh
II, and the Palace of the Winds, renowned for its delicate
lattice screens. This evening our special Rajastani dinner
will include foods of the region and a performance of
the fire dance.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinners
Sunday,
Day 15: JAIPUR: A short drive brings us to Amber and
the magnificent fort-palace that nestles on the rocky
hill rising above Maota Lake. We will spend the morning
visiting the palace’s jeweled interior, whose rooms
become more lavish as we travel deeper into the building.
To enhance the interior walls, powdered marble, egg shells
and even pearls were added to the plaster. We then return
to our hotel for an afternoon at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Monday, Tuesday, Day 15 & 17: JODHPUR: A short
flight will bring us to Jodhpur, a sandy, colorful town
lying at the edge of the Thar Desert. During our two-day
stay at the Taj Hari Mahal Hotel, we will visit the fabulous
fort city of Meherangarh with its wonderful ramparts,
halls, courtyards and museums, and still have time to
explore the town famed for its charming blue-painted houses
and exotic bazaar.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Wednesday, Day 18: UDAIPUR: A fascinating drive
brings us to Ranakpur. This multishrine 15th-century Jain
complex includes the three-story Chaturmukha Temple, with
1,444 columns, no two alike. We continue to the romantic
city of Udaipur for a three-night stay at the elegant
Lake Palace Hotel. This lovely city of whitewashed havelis,
winding streets and traditional gardens will be ours to
explore over the next three days.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Thursday,
Day 19: UDAIPUR: A morning excursion takes us to Nagda
to visit the exquisitely carved 10th-century Hindu temples,
continuing to Eklingji, a complex of 108 temples dedicated
to Shiva, patron deity of the Udaipur royal house. We
return to Udaipur for an afternoon at leisure to enjoy
our beautiful hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Friday,
Day 20: UDAIPUR: We complete our touring this morning
with visits to the lovely gardens of Sahelion Ki Bari,
the Royal Burial Gardens and the palace of the Maharana
Udai Singh. The remainder of the day is at leisure. This
evening our farewell dinner will be accompanied by classical
Indian music and dance.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Saturday, Day 21: We take a afternoon flight to
Delhi, where we have dinner before our international flights
home late this evening.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
