Day 01: Arrive Hyderabad

Arrive Hyderabad by IT 802 at 1105 hrs. You will be meet by our representative outside the custom lounge and escorted till you check in at hotel Hampi Shri Plaza.

Afternoon sight seeing tour of city.

The capital city of Hyderabad has become an ideal destination for tourists with its heritage structures and sites vying for attention with modern high rise buildings. Wide roads, acres of green busy bazaars, a thriving pearl trade and delectable cuisine have made it a tourist heaven.

Hyderabad has many heritage attractions, pleasant bazaars, modern shopping malls around the city. One of the rullers Mohamad Qutab Shah built the modern city of Hyderabad with the Charminar as its center in 1592. The Charminar is another protected monument and has after a gap of 17 years been thrown open to the public recently.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 02: In Hyderabad

Morning after breakfast full day excursion to Golkonda Fort.

The Golkonda fort just outside the city has a long and chequered history. It was the capital of the kingdom by that name over four centuaries ago. Golkonda today retains most of its charm and has an impressive sound and light show there recalling the glory of the Qutab Shahi era.

Day 03: Hyderabad / Bidar by surface (150 Kms / 04 hrs drive)

Morning after breakfast leave Hyderabad for Bidar. On arrival check in at hotel Sapna International.

Afternoon sight seeing of city. Bidar tours would take you to the tourist attractions in and around Bidar. Tours to Bidar should include the numerous monuments dating back to the flourishing Bahmani and Barid Shahi dynasty. The Bidar Fort, built in 1428 by Ahmed Shah Bahmani, stands proudly epitomizing the grandeur of the Bahmani dynasty. Five darwazas (gates) with imposing bastions lead into a little town nestling within the ramparts. The Rangin Mahal, the royal residence, was built by Ali Barid (1542-1580) and features exquisite wood carvings and fascinating glazed tile mosaics.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 04: Bidar / Gulberga by surface (121 Kms / 03 hrs drive)

Morning after breakfast leave Hyderabad for Gulberga. On arrival check in at hotel Sun International.

Afternoon sightseeing tour of city. Gulbarga tours will help you delve deep into the legacy of royal dynasties. Tour of Gulbarga is a journey into the past of the Gulbarga city.

The Gulbarga fort was originally built by Raja Gulchand, a feudatory of the Orangal Kakatiyas. As Gulbarga gained prominence as the Bahmani capital, the fort was fortified by Alauddin Bahman. Alao viist Jumma Masjid Nestled within the ramparts of the Gulbarga Fort, the Jumma Masjid bears a striking resemblance to the great mosque of Cordova in Spain. Built by Muhammed Bahmani in 1367, the Persian architecture of the mosque features stilted domes and narrow entrances. The mosque's unique feature is the roof which contains 68 domes that resemble a collection of gigantic pots. Historians reckon that the Jumma Masjid was built to commemorate Gulbarga's status as the Bahmani capital and is one of the earliest mosques in South India.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 05: Gulberga / Bijapur by surface (145 Kms / 3 ½ - 4 hrs)

Morning after breakfast leave Gulberga for Bijapur. On arrival check in at hotel Madubhan International.

Afternoon sightseeing tour of city.

A city of domes and minarets is a walled, medieval city 613 km from Bangalore, having over 50 mosques, 20 tombs and several palaces. Its founders called it the ‘city of victory’. The seven storeyed Sat Manzil –the pleasure palace built in the 17th century, the Jama Masjid – one of the finest mosques in India, with its graceful onion dome and slender, towering minarets and the Asar-i-Sharif Palace, believed to contain the Prophet’s relics, are some of the monuments tourists can see here.

Visit Gol Gumbaz, the impressive mausoleum of Muhammed Adil Shah who ruled in the 17th century. The enormous dome of the tomb is the second largest in the world, it is 37.8 m in diameter, only 4.5 m less than St.Peter’s in Rome ! There is an arched entrance to each façade and a tiered turret at each angle. The inside is bare except for four tall arches supporting the dome.

10th Apr.’09: Bijapur / Badami by Surface (135 Kms / 3 – 3 ½ hrs)

Morning after breakfast leave Bijapur for Badami. On arrival Check in at hotel Badami Court.

Afternoon sightseeing tour of city.
The capital of the Early Chalukyas, Badami is picturesquely situated at the mouth of a ravine between two rocky hills. Badami is famous for
its four cave temples - all hewn out of sand stone on the precipice of a hill.

Half day tour of Badami visiting the caves, the first cave temple - past Shiva's door keepers - and the eighteen-armed Nataraja striking 81 dance poses. The largest and most ornamental is the third cave temple dedicated to Vishnu. Overlooking the cave temples is a reservoir dotted with temples dedicated to Vishnu and Shiva.

Overnight at hotel.

Day 06: Badami / Hospet by surface (310 Kms / 08 hrs including visit)

Morning after breakfast leave Badami for Hospet enroute visiting Aihole and Pattadakal.

Aihole
To the east of Belgaum and north-west of Hampi are the ancient temples of Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal, situated within a few kilometres of one another. At Aihole, the cradle of Hindu temple architecture, there are as many as 70 temples of which 30 lie in a single enclosure. Founded around 450 AD, the ancient capital of the Chalukyans has more than seventy temples dedicated to various deities of the Hindu pantheon. The Durga temple with its pyramidal root, has some remarkable sculptures. The prominent temples of Aihole are the Lad Khan, the Meguti, the Konti Gudi, the Durga and the Huchimalli

Pattadakal
29 km from Badami has ten temples, each displaying interesting architectural features. This is where the Chalukyan kings were crowned. The Papanath Temple (680 AD) was originally inspired by the north Indian style of architecture but later yielded to the more Dravidian Pallava style. The Virupaksha Temple at Pattadakal (740 AD) is the finest of the shrines built in the Dravidian style.
The Papanatha, Virupaksha and Mallikarjuna temples are examples of early Chalukyan art. Scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Bhagvatha Purana are depicted here.

Later proceed for Hospet on arrival check in at Malligi Tourist Home. Balance day at leisure.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 07: In Hospet

Morning after breakfast sightseeing tour of city.
The excavations at Hampi carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India in collaboration with the Karnataka Government in 1976 have revealed the ruins of a rich and flourishing empire.
The ruins of Hampi of the 14th Century lies scattered in about 26 sq. km area, amidst giant boulders and vegetation. Protected by the tempestuous river Tungabhadra in the north and rocky granite ridges on the other three sides, the ruins silently narrate the story of grandeur splendor and fabulous wealth. The splendid remains of palaces and gateways of the broken city tells a tale of men infinite talent and power of creativity together with his capacity for senseless destruction.
Overnight at the hotel.

Day 08: Hospet / Hassan by surface (422 Kms / 10 hrs drive)

Morning after breakfast leave Hospet for Hassan. On arrival check in at hotel Hoysalla Village. Balance day at leisure.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 09: In Hassan

Morning after breakfast full day sight seeing tour of Belur and halebid.

Belur is 39 km from Hassan, Belur was a flourishing city some 800 years ago under the Hoysala kings. The Belur Temple, also called the Chennakeswara Temple, has typical Hoysala architectural features. Its stone walls are covered with a profusion of intricate carvings, enough to take one’s breath away. Helebid 16 km from Belur, it is a double-shrine, more impressive than the temple at Belur constructed a decade after it. The temple here gives one the impression that it was created out of lace rather than of sandstone.

Overnight at hotel.

Day 10: Hassan / Mysore by surface (115 Kms / 4 hrs)

Morning after breakfast leave Hassan for Mysore. On arrival check in at hotel Sandesh The Prince.

Afternoon city tour of Mysore oncluding visit of Maharajas’s Palace - a synthesis of Hindu and Muslim architectural styles. Gateways, domes, arches, turrets, colonnades, sculpture - all are here in great profusion. Visit Chamundi Hill named after the Royal Family’s patron goddess and the site of summer palaces, an ancient temple and the 16-foot Nandi (Siva’s bull) carved out of a single huge boulder. The view from the hill offers a beautiful panorama of not only all Mysore, but also ranges of hills, lakes and the turrets of temples and churches.

Day 11: Mysore / Bangalore by surface Bangalore / Delhi by EVENING FLIGHT

Morning after breakfast leave Mysore for Bangalore enroute visiting Srirangapattanam.

The island fortress 16 km from Mysore, stands in the middle of an island between two tributaries of the Cauvery river and was once the capital of Hyder Ali and Tibu Sultan. It was from here that Tipu Sultan in alliance with the French waged war against the British. Inside the fortress is Tipu’s mosque with its twin minarets and also the dungeons where British officers were once imprisoned.

Visit the ruins of Tipu’s fort, the summer pleasure palace and the Gumbaz, his mausoleum. The inside of the Palace is handsomely carved with ornate arches and ceilings, liberally gilded wall panels and charming frescoes. The cream-coloured Gumbaz standing on its black marble pillars in the centre of a garden is an unforgettable sight. The interior is lacquered with Tipu’s tiger stripe emblem and the doors are of ebony inlaid with ivory.

Later proceed for Bangalore. On arrival transfer to airport to connect flight for Delhi. On arrival no hotel envisaged. Later in time transfer to airport to connect flight for onward destination leaving during early hours on Day 12.

End of Programme