Varanasi Ayodhya Prayagraj Chitrakoot Tour

On arrival in Varanasi, you will be picked up from airport / railway station and transferred to the hotel. Relax for rest of the day. In the evening, you will be taken to Dashashwamedh Ghat to attend mesmerizing ‘aarti’ of River Ganga, considered as mother and worshipped as a goddess. Watching Ganga Aarti in Varanasi is an altogether unique experience of lifetime. Overnight stay is scheduled in Varanasi hotel.

Early in the morning, approximately about dawn hours, you will be taken for boat ride in the Ganga. The boat will be sailed along the ghats of Varanasi. These ghats are theatre of day - to – day activities of the pilgrims and devotees. Common people, devotees, pilgrims and saints can be spotted taking holy dip, offering ‘arghya’ to God Sun, worshipping Mother Ganga, chanting ‘mantras’ and performing several rituals. Definitely, it will be a mystic and spiritual experience. Come back to hotel for breakfast.

Post breakfast, proceed on a full day Varanasi temple tour. Varanasi is known as city of temples. Temples in Varanasi garner great reverence of the devotees. Kashi, known as Shiva Nagari (City of Lord Shiva) is home to Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one of the Dwadash Jyotirlinga. You shall be visiting Vishveshwara Temple, Annapurna Temple, Vishwanath Temple in BHU, Bharat Mata Temple, Durga Mandir, Sankat Mochan Temple, Tulsi Manas Temple etc. Overnight stay is scheduled in Varanasi hotel.

After breakfast, proceed on to an excursion to Sarnath, a Buddhist monastery in ramshackle condition. Sarnath is one of the pilgrimages of the Buddhist as Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon and commenced Dharmachakrapravartana. Among the prominent attractions in Sarnath are the Buddha temples, the Dhamekha stupa, Chaukhandi stupa and an archaeological museum, popularly called Sarnath Museum.

After exploring Sarnath, drive towards Ramnagar. Ramnagar in Varanasi, across Ganga, is famous for Ramnagar Fort and Vyas Temple. Built in 17 th century, Ramnagar Fort is still in possession of the royal family of Banaras. It houses a museum with ancient artefacts, relics, weapons, astrological clock etc. Ramnagar is reached in normal days via a bridge but during monsoon days it is reached by the ferries. After exploring heritage of Varanasi, return to hotel for overnight stay.

Having enjoyed delicious breakfast, depart for Ayodhya, erstwhile capital city of Koshala and birthplace of Lord Ram. Ayodhya, since the centuries, has been a sacred city for the Hindus. Situated on the banks of the River Saryu (Ghaghra), it is one of the Saptpuri of ancient India. On arrival at Ayodhya, check in at the hotel. After relaxing a bit, proceed on for sightseeing of Ayodhya that includes visit to several famous temples like Ram Janma Bhumi, Ramkot, Hanuman Garhi, Kanak Bhawan Temple, Nageshwarnath Temple & Ramkatha Museum. There are many ‘math’ and ‘ashramas’ in Ayodhya and one can visit them too. The pilgrims mostly prefer to take bath in the holy River Saryu before visiting temples. It is a belief among the devotees that taking bath in Saryu absolves one from sins. Overnight stay is scheduled in Ayodhya hotel.

After breakfast, depart for Prayagraj, the holy city also called ‘Teerthraj’. Prayagraj, earlier called Allahabad, is located on the banks of the holy rivers Ganga & Yamuna and Triveni Sangam (the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and invisible Saraswati). On arrival at Prayagraj, you will be transferred to the pre-booked hotel. Having relaxed a bit, you will be taken to Sangam to have holy dip there. Many pilgrims and devotees get their hairs shorned off and perform religious rituals. Hereinafter, visit Bade Hanuman Ji or Lete Hanuman Ji temple, located adjacent to Allahabad Fort, right on the bank of Yamuna. Now, visit Swaraj Bhawan or Anand Bhawan, the ancestral house of the former Prime Minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru. Mrs. Indira Gandhi was born here. Overnight stay is scheduled in Prayagraj hotel.

After early breakfast, depart for Chitrakoot, a holy place associated with Lord Ram. Ram, Sita and Laxman spent eleven years of exile in the forest of Chitrakoot in Tretayuga. Chitrakoot has been a favourite destination of hermits. The river Mandakini flows through Chitrakoot. Several ghats and temples are located on its banks. Among the famous religious sites to be visited in Chitrakoot are Ram Ghat, Hanuman Dhara (a temple of Lord Hanuman in a wooded hill), Kamadgiri (a holy mountain that is circumambulated by the pilgrims and is associated with Lord Brahma’s havan here), Gupt Godavari cave, Sphatik Shila and Atri-Anusuya Ashrama. After exploring Chitrakoot, return to Prayagraj to have overnight stay therein.

After breakfast, drop to Prayagraj / Varanasi railway station/airport to board flight / train for your onward journey.