BHOPAL – The capital of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal was built on the site of the 11^th century city of Bhojapal. It was founded by the legendary Raja Bhoj who is credited with having constructed the lakes around which the city is built. The present city was laid out by the Afghan chief Dost Mohammed Khan, who was in charge of Bhopal during Aurangzeb’s reign, but took advantage of the confusion following Aurangzeb’s death in 1707 to carve out his own small kingdom. Rest of the day free  for independent activities.  

Day 07:BHOPAL / BHIMBETKA / SANCHI / BHOPAL:  
Morning :  In Early morning after breakfast depart for sightseeing tour of the city. Taj -ul -Masjid is built by Shah Jahan Begum, is one of the largest mosques in India. It's huge pink mosque with two massive white domed minarets and three white domes over the main building.  Temples- Lakshmi Narayan Temple & Birla Museum there are good views over the lakes to the old town from the Lakshmi Narayan Temple, also known as Birla Mandir, Van Vihar Safari Park-this 40 hectare park is more of a zoo than a Safari park. Excursion to SANCHI – 46 kms north of Bhopal, Sanchi is topped by some of the oldest and most interesting Buddhist structures in India. Although this site had no direct connection with the life of Buddha, it was the great Emperor Ashoka, Buddhism’s most famous convert, who built the first stupas here in the 3^rd century BC. As Buddhism was gradually absorbed back into Hinduism in its land of origin, the site decayed and was eventually completely forgotten. In 1818 a British officer rediscovered the site, but in the following years amateur archaeologists and greedy treasure hunters did immense damage to Sanchi before a proper restoration was commenced in 1881. 

Afternoon : Excursion to BHIMBETKA – Like the Aboriginal rock paintings in the outback of Australia,  the Bhimbetka caves are a must. Among forests of teak and sal in the craggy cliffs of an almost African setting 45 kms south of Bhopal, some 1000 rock shelters have been discovered. Almost half contain ancient paintings depicting the life and times of the different people who lived here. Because of the natural red and white pigments which the painters used, the colours have been remarkably well preserved and it’s obvious in certain caves that the same surface has been used by different people at different times. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 08 : BHOPAL – INDORE : 
Morning : Drive to Indore 265 kms / approx 6 hrs.  Upon arrival in Indore, check-in at Hotel.

INDORE – Indore is called the ‘mini Mumbai’ of India. A town that has seen rapid growth in the last 10 years, it is an important business and industrial centre. Apart from its industrial importance, Indore is the gateway to Ujjain and Mandu both having ancient Hindu temples. The importance of Indore as a growing city can be assured by the fact that all major domestic airlines have started flying into the city. Afternoon :  Free for the own activities.         Overnight at Hotel.

Day 09: INDORE – UJJAIN – MANDU – INDORE:  
Morning : In early morning after breakfast move to sightseeing of the city. Rajwada- In the old part of town, multistory gateway of the Rajwada or Old Palace looks out a mixture of French, Mughal and Maratha styles, the palace has been up in flames three times in its 200-year history. Lal Bagh Palace- In the south-west of the city, surrounding gardens, lies the grand Lal Bagh Palace built 1886-1921. It has all the usual over-the-top touches like entrance gates that are replicas of those at Buckingham Palace, a wooden ballroom floor mounted on springs, marble columns, chandeliers, stained-glass windows and stuffed tigers.  Excursion to UJJAIN – 56 kms from Indore, ancient Ujjain is one of India’s holiest cities for Hindus. It gets its sanctity from a mythological tale about the churning of the oceans by the gods and demons in search of the nectar of immortality. When the coveted vessel of nectar was finally found, there followed a mad scramble across the skies with the demons pursuing the gods in an attempt to take the nectar from them. Four drops were split and they fell at Haridwar, Nasik, Ujjain and Prayag. As result, Ujjain is one of the sites of the Kumbh Mela, which takes place here every 12 years.  Despite its relative obscurity today, Ujjain ranks equal as a great religious center with such places as Varanasi and Gaya. Ujjain really comes alive during festival time, but the devotional vibe makes it a pleasant town year-round. 

Afternoon : Excursion to MANDU – The extensive and now mainly deserted hilltop fort of Mandu is one of the most interesting sights in central India. It’s on an isolated outcrop separated from the tableland to the north by a deep and wide valley, over which a natural causeway runs to the main city gate. To the south of Mandu the land drops steeply away to the plain far below and the view is superb. Deep ravines cut into the sides of the 20 sq kms plateau occupied by the fort. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 10: INDORE / AURANGABAD:
Morning : Drive to Aurangabad, 380 kms / approx 08 hrs . Upon arrival check-in at Hotel.

AURANGABAD – Aurangabad has a number of attractions and could easily stand on its own were it not overshadowed by the famous Ellora and Ajanta caves nearby. The city is named after Aurangzeb, but earlier in its history it was known as Khadke. This city is northern Marharashtra’s largest city though it is remarkably uncrowded and quiet except for the occasional political rally. Rest of the day free for the own activities. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 11: AURANGABAD -  ELLORA - AURANGABAD:
Morning :In early morning after taking breakfast begin sightseeing tour of the city. Bibi-ka- Maqbara the so-called 'poor-man's Taj Mahal' was built in 1679 as a mausoleum for Aurangzeb's wife, Rabia-ud- Daurani. It's a cheap imitation of the Taj in both design and execution- it simply looks awkward compared with the elegance and symmetry of the Taj; Panchakki- Panchakki (water wheel) takes its name from the mill that, in its day, was considered a marvel of engineering. Aurangabad Caves- Although they're easily overlooked in favour or the Ajanta and Ellora caves 2 km north of the Bibi-ka-Maqbara. They were carved out of the hillside around the 6th or 7th century AD. The 10 Caves are all Buddhist; caves 1 to 5 are in the western group and caves 6 to 10 are 1 km away in the eastern group. Excursion to the ELLORA CAVES – The world-heritage listed cave temples of Ellora, about 30 km from Aurangabad, are the culmination of Deccan rock-cut architecture. In all there are 34 caves at Ellora – 12 Buddhist (600-800 AD), 17 Hindu (600-900 AD) and five Jain (800-1000 AD). The southernmost 12 caves are all Buddhist viharas, except cave 10 which is a chaitya. While the earliest caves are quite simple.

Afternoon : Drive back to Aurangabad. Enroute visiting  DAULATABAD FORT – The fort is surrounded by five km of sturdy walls, while the central bastion tops a 200m high hill, which was originally known as Devagiri, the Hill of the Gods. In the 14^th century it was renamed Daulatabad the City of Fortune, by Mohammed Tughlaq. This some what unbalanced Sultan of Delhi conceived the crazy plan of not only building himself a new capital here, but marching the entire population of Delhi 1100 km south of populate it and 17 years later he turned round and marched them all back to Delhi. The fort remained. Overnight at Hotel.
                   
Day 12: AURANGABAD – AJANTA – AURANGABAD:
Morning : Excursion to AJANTA CAVES – The Buddhist caves of Ajanta – 166 km north-east of Aurangabad, date from around 200 BC to 650 AD. As Ellora developed and Buddhism gradually declined, the Ajanta Caves were abandoned and gradually forgotten. But in 1819 a British hunting party stumbled upon them, and their remote beauty was soon unveiled. Their isolation contributed to the fine state of preservation in which some of their remarkable paintings remain to this day. Ajanta is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.              Afternoon : Drive back to Aurangabad.  Overnight at Hotel.