India in Luxury - Leela Palace Trail

Delhi, India’s capital, is a compelling mix of ancient and modern, it holds the vestiges of at least seven great urban centres One of the most evocative places to gets one’s bearings has to be the Jama Masjid, the magnificent sandstone and white-marble ‘Friday Mosque’ constructed by Emperor Shah Jahan in Old Delhi. Climb one of its minarets for a matchless view over the surrounding roofscape to the ramparts of the Red Fort, where the Mughals held court in a hidden world of cusp-arched pavilions and pillared audience halls. From there, make the most of the city’s clean, efficient metro to travel across town to the National Museum, with its priceless collection of Indian antiquities, and on to Delhi’s southern fringes where the exquisitely carved Qtub Minar has dominated the skyline since 1202 AD.

Evenings may be spent listening to the infectious Sufi rhythms of qawwali at the shrine of Nizammuddin, souvenir hunting in the backstreets of Hauz Khas or dining in some of India’s most sophisticated Mughlai restaurants.

Made of white marble and crowned by a gilded onion dome, the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib and shimmering pool inside it are places of great sanctity for Indian Sikhs, and offer the most atmospheric introduction possible to the capital. The complex in its present form dates from the late-18^th century and was constructed at a place associated with the eighth Sikh Guru, Har Krishnan. At a Langar, or ‘canteen’, in the temple, visitors and devotees are fed nourishing, free meals of chapatis and black dal by volunteers. If you’re lucky, you may see groups of Akalis, members of a Sikh warrior sect, dressed in traditional ceremonial garb.

The narrow lanes of Old Delhi once formed the hub of the Mughal capital, formerly known as ‘Shajahanabad’ after the great Emperor Shah Jahan. Individual streets are given over to different trades in this atmospheric district and before setting off your guide will quiz you on your interests in order to choose the sights most likely to inspire, crafts workshops, or hidden architectural gems. Whatever your chosen itinerary, an obligatory stop should be the splendid Jama Masjid mosque, whose giant white domes dominate the skyline of the old city.

We have devised a tour based reflecting the cuisine of the former Mughal area Shahjahanabad’, and now ‘Old Delhi’. It is famous for specialties originally brought from Persia and Afghanistan by the Mughals invaders in the 16^th century. Many are based around meat – melt-in-the-mouth lamb kebabs, cuts of chicken marinated in spices and baked in tandoor ovens, and mutton slow-cooked overnight in huge terracotta pots. Vegetarian dishes too are abundant and an absolute treat, straight from the pan.  

New Delhi Walks

One of the most popular ways to explore New Delhi is among TransIndus guests visiting Delhi these days are heritage walks around central Delhi. Run by the Salaam Baalak Trust, the walks are guided by former street children who, apart from showing visitors around the historic sights and backstreets, also give a vivid account of what life is like for disadvantaged youngsters in the area. Income from the scheme helps the NGO fund its shelter and outreach problem and provides a living wage and a much-needed boost to the self-esteem of the enthusiastic young guides.

In over 30 years of creating holidays to India, we’ve never come across anyone who wasn’t enthralled by their first glimpse of the Taj Mahal. The gleaming white-marble mausoleum is without a doubt worth the price of a ticket to India alone and continues to astonish all who set eyes on it.

'A teardrop on the face of Eternity' is how the Bengali mystic poet, Rabindranath Tagore, famously described the Taj Mahal. Built-in the mid-16th century by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz, the mausoleum possesses an ethereal beauty that’s somehow undiminished by the crowds who spill through its gateway each day. View it through the delicate haze of early morning, when mist swirls from the adjacent Yamuna River or, best of all, under a full moon, reflected in the ponds lining the approach paths.

Perched on the rim of a dramatic escarpment, Amber Fort retains some of the finest interiors surviving from the 16^th and 17^th centuries in India, notably a glittering Hall of Mirrors lined with intricate mosaics, where the Maharaja and his consorts would enjoy music and poetry recitals.

Jaipur offers some of the best shopping in India and you may wish to include a guided tour of its top textile showrooms, fashion boutiques and jewellery shops in your afternoon’s programme. We particularly recommend Anokhi’s flagship Prithviraj Road store, which specializes in traditional, block-printed Rajasthani textiles, which Anokhi’s designers transform into gorgeous garments. If inclined your guide will also be able to suggest private jewellers & emporia where you could commission handcrafted custom pieces in silver or platinum using top of the range stones – from lapis lazuli and amber to emeralds, rubies, sapphires, aquamarine and diamonds – for delivery overnight while you enjoy Jaipur.

During this fun cooking class, ij the home of your instructor you’ll get a hands-on experience of every step in the preparation of delicious Rajasthani recipes.  A fusion of traditional vegetarian Indian dishes with influences of the rich meat-based dishes of the region's Mughal rulers, you will learn about the ingredients and spices used to create the array of flavors. The lesson will be followed by a meal, in which you can eat your creations as well as dishes prepared earlier by your instructor.

Udaipur’s City Palace, seat of the Sisodia Dynasty, holds a feast of Rajput architecture and yields magnificent views over Pichola Lake to the Aravallis. After visiting its museums, apartments and courtyard gardens, wander down to the Jagdish Temple nearby before heading into the old city to explore the markets in the company of your TransIndus guide. Late afternoon is the time to be at the water’s edge, soaking up the sunset colours and unique atmosphere of this romantic city.

Udaipur also boasts a bumper crop of breathtakingly beautiful palace hotels, and these provide regal bases for day trips to the many monuments scattered among the nearby Aravalli Hills, which include an eagle’s nest Monsoon Palace – one of Rajasthan’s great viewpoints – and a lively folk village, where top artisans from across the northwest gather to sell their wares, while troupes of musicians and dancers perform in front of reconstructed Rajasthani houses.

The city is also justly famous as one of the best places in Rajasthan to shop for souvenirs that range from silks to silver, wood carvings to block print textiles, and much more.

Horses have played a major role in the culture of Rajasthan for over a thousand years. In the 11^th and 12^th centuries, local rulers developed a distinct breed from a mixture of desert ponies and Arabian stallions. Known as the ‘Marwari’, it was famed for its resilience and courage in battle and later formed the mainstay of the 50,000-strong Mughal cavalry.

The breed fell out of favor in British times, but after Independence saw a revival as many aristocratic Rajput families began breeding programmes. Today, numerous stately homes retain stables of Marwaris, distinguished by their inward-turning ear tips and free-flowing gait. The horses make perfect mounts for rides in the flat, arid scrubland of Rajasthan.

Mumbai has been India’s busiest port and industrial centre since the opening of the Suez Canal in 1969. As famous today for its traffic jams as its record-breaking movie industry, the Maharashtrian capital tends not to feature high up most visitors’ ‘must see’ list, but as a point of arrival has a lot to recommend it.

Before the last British troops garrisoned in the country slow-marched past it to board their ships back to Blighty in 1947, the Gateway of India – a huge triumphal arch in the colonial Indo-Saracenic style – was the first landmark most new arrivals from Britain set eyes on. The second was the famous Taj Mahal Hotel beside it. Both still stand tall on the waterfront, as emblematic of the city today as they were in Victorian times.