India Nepal With Varanasi

After breakfast in Hotel, leave for Rajgir. En-route visit Nalanda. Nalanda University was a great centre of learning around 1500 years ago from now. The University attracted the students from the world including Korea and China. Nalanda University flourished from 5 Century C.E. till 12 Century CE . The first residential university of the world as around 2,000 teachers and 10,000 students from different parts of the world lived and studied there. At present, ruins of Nalanda has been declared as a World Heritage Site. Later proceed further to Rajgir. Rajgir is of huge historical importance to both Buddhism and Jainism faith. Buddha gave many sermons in Rajgir and the then king Bimbisara of Magadha Dynasty was a disciple of Buddha. Lord Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankara of Jain faith spent around 14 years in Rajgir and Nalanda. In Rajgir, visit the Venuvana Vihar Monastery. This Monastery was built by Kind Bimbisara of the Magadha Dynasty for Buddha to reside. Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel.

After breakfast, drive for around 2.5 hours to reach Bodh Gaya. Bodh Gaya : We continue to follow the footsteps of Budhdha and reach Bodh Gaya, the place where Budhdha attained enlightenment under Bodhi Tree. At the age of 35 Buddha was enlightened after 6 years of practicing meditation and then later he continued to preach for another 45 years. Visit the Bodhi Tree under which Buddha attain the enlightenment and the Mahabodhi Temple, World Heritage Site. Sujata Temple, Sujata Stupa, Giant Buddha Statue (around 20 metres high) belongs to few more historical sites to visit. Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel.

After breakfast, visit Maya Devi Garden in Lumbini. Later drive to Chitwan. Lunch in the Hotel in Chitwan. CHITWAN The name 'Chitwan' has several possible meanings, but the most literal translation of the two NEPALI words that make it up: chit or chita (heart) and wan or ban (jungle). Chitwan is thus 'the heart of the jungle'. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, cultivation in the valley was deliberately prohibited by the government of Nepal in order to maintain a barrier of disease-ridden forests as a defense against the invasion of diseases from the south. Then for the century between 1846 and 1950, when the Rana prime ministers were de facto rulers of Nepal, Chitwan was declared a private hunting reserve, maintained exclusively for the privileged classes. Penalties for poaching were severe - capital punishment for killing rhino - and the wildlife in the area thus received a measure of protection. The Park consists of a diversity of ecosystems-including the Churia hills, Ox-bow lakes, and the flood plains of the Rapti, Reu and Narayani Rivers. The Churia hills rise slowly towards the East from 150 m. to more than 800 m. The western portion of the Park is comprised of the lower but more rugged, Someshwor hill. The Park shares its eastern boundary with the Parsa Wildlife Reserve. The Chitwan valley consists of tropical and subtropical forests. Sal forests cover 70 percent of the park. Sal leaves are used locally for plates in festivals and religious offerings. Later in the afternoon have a village tour. Dinner at the hotel. Tharu Cultural Show about 1 hour. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. Sightseeing tour of Patan Durbar Square, Kirtipur, Swoyambhunath Stupa. PATAN DURBAR SQUARE Patan is situated in the center of Patan city, also known as Lalitpur, houses the residence of the former Patan royal family. Patan Square and its surroundings are good specimen of ancient Newari architecture. The city of Patan is believed to have been built in the third century B.C. by the Kirat dynasty. It was expanded by Lichhavis in the 6th century A.D. and again by the Mallas in medieval period. The Malla kings ruled the Kathmandu Valley until the ascension of the Shah dynasty. In 1768, King Prithvi Narayan Shah began his campaign to unify Nepal and Patan became a city in the kingdom of Nepal. Krishna temple of red stone, dedicated to Hindu Lord Krishna was erected in the 17th century. The temple is considered to be the first one to be constructed in Shikara architecture. Thanks to this attribute, it holds a commanding position in the durbar square. The elegant shikhara-style temple is ranked as one of the gems of Durbar Square. The temple is compared with sacred Mount Meru, which is abode of the god Shiva according to Hindu scriptures. It is also a destination for connoisseurs of fine arts, which is filled with wood and stone carvings, metal statues, ornate architecture, including dozens of Buddhist and Hindu temples. KIRTIPUR Kirtipur is one of the oldest Human settlements in the Kathmandu Valley. This tiny town is recorded as an ancient capital of Nepal. Kirtipur means “a famed town” in Nepali language is also known as “kipu” and “kyapu”. The location of this small town is different from the other main towns of the valley in the same that occupies the top of a steep rocky hill. This city of glory is inhabited and also dominated by Newars which are the earliest settlers in the Valley with their own language and cultural norms and values. Originally a Newari foundation, it is no doubt that Kirtipur is still a centre of Newari culture. It has been merged with surrounding villages to form the municipality of Kirtipur . However now a days people of differest casts and religion stay in this place. So it consists of many temples, Gumbas and Churches as well. SWOYAMBHUNATH STUPA Swayambhunath or more commonly known as Monkey Temple. The place has a lot of monkeys... This temple complex offers spectacular views of the entire Kathmandu Valley. The temple is up the hill. From the temple, you can have the whole city view from the temple. The Buddhist Stupa at the top is impressive that has eyes painted onto it. The Stupa is a golden spire crowning a conical wooded hill. It is the most ancient and enigmatic of all the holy shrines in Kathmandu Valley. It has a lofty white dome and a glittering golden spire that are visible from all sides of the valley. Historical records found on a stone inscription give evidence that the Stupa was already an important Buddhist pilgrimage destination by the 5th century A.D. i.e. before the coming of Buddhism in the valley. Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. Sightseeing tour of Pashupatinath, Bhaktapur and Boudhanath Stupa PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE This massive temple complex sits alongside the banks of the holy Bagmati River. Only Hindus are allowed to enter the courtyard of the temple, whereas tourists can see the temple from the eastern side of the Bagmati River. It is a place where century-old Hindu rituals are practiced in their astonishing initial form, giving a chance to the visitors to feel the unique spirit of Hindu traditions of life, death and reincarnation. According to a legend recorded in local texts, especially the Nepalamahatmya and the Himavatkhanda, the Hindu Lord Shiva once fled from the other gods in Varanasi to Mrigasthali, the forest on the opposite bank of the Bagmati River from the temple. There, in the form of a gazelle, he slept with his consort Parvati. When the gods discovered him there and tried to bring him back to Varanasi, he leapt across the river to the opposite bank, where one of his horns broke into four pieces. After this, Shiva became manifest as Pashupati (Lord of Animals) in a four-face (chaturmukha) linga. BOUDHANATH STUPA There is nowhere quite like Bodhnath. Boudhnath Stupa pulses with life as thousands of pilgrims gather daily to make a kora (ritual circumnavigation) of the dome, beneath the watchful eyes of the Buddha, which gaze out from the gilded central tower. Tibetan monks in maroon robes and with shaved heads wander the prayer flag–decked streets while pilgrims spin prayer wheels and stock up on yak butter and tsampa (roasted barley flour). This is one of the few places in the world where Tibetan Buddhist culture is accessible and unfettered, and the lanes around the stupa are crammed with monasteries and workshops producing butter lamps, ceremonial horns, Tibetan drums, monks’ headgear and the other paraphernalia essential for Tibetan Buddhist life. BHAKTAPUR DURBAR SQUARE Founded in the 12th century by King Ananda Malla, Bhaktapur was the capital city of the Greater Malla Kingdom until the 15th century and was an independent kingdom from then until the 18th century. The last three Malla rulers of Bhaktapur were Jitamitra Malla, Bhupatindra Malla, and Ranjit Malla. These rulers played key roles in building the palaces and temples of Durbar Square. In 1744, Prithvi Narayan Shah, descendent of Dravya Shah, who was the founder of the Gorkha dynasty, began a conquest march in the Kathmandu Valley, capturing and unifying Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur, and the smaller towns of the Valley under one rule. After a period of instability and a bloody coup in 1846, Jang Bahadur Kunwar Ranaji took control of Nepal. Dinner and Overnight at the hotel.