Visit Northern India

On the 'Avatars Tour' for adventurous elderly people to comfortably travel to the most Holy places in India.

HOTEL ELEVEN BOULEVARD

Good staff: the hotel is new and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. They serve a great breakfast in the room. has a great location. The view was over Dal lake which was nice night & day. No restaurant but a nice foodcourt at the second level which is super convenient. More expensive hotel listings below.

Car and Driver Wake up Day 1 ... Visit the Harwan valley area and the Buddhist Monastery Ruins, great views of nearby mountains. Jesus was buried on a mountainside in the Harwan Valley. His tomb is in a cave. It says 'Jesu the Good Shepard' (Yuz) but has been covered by a landslide and is not identified: Have lunch, do a little shopping at some of the famous Kashmiri embroidry shops as well as wood carvings

In 1933 Meher Baba took his women disciples to the village of Harvan to a place near the fishery.

He showed them where he had sat in seclusion in 1929. Pointing to a place in the mountainous area, Meher Baba made the sign of the cross and remarked: "That is where Jesus' body is buried." Baba had stated that Jesus did not die on the cross but came to India, where he spent many years wandering from place to place doing his Universal work until he dropped his body in Kashmir. Pointing to a hill, Baba revealed, "There is the place where two of Christ's apostles, Bartholomew and Thaddeus, buried his body; they had accompanied him from Palestine." (he took then all to the Shalimar and Nishat Garden) .

Afternoon ride on shikara on Dal Lake is a popular boat ride. Back to your hotel for dinner.

Car and Driver... Day 2 Scenic drive up around Wular lake, or perhaps to Yuzmarg. the opposite direction from Harwan. Return to Harwan visit shops. Drive up to the Vivanta Dal View for their scenic early sunset view and dinner in the 'Jade Dragon' restaurant. Back to your hotel.

Car and Driver... Day 3. Breakfast. Morning drive to Gulmarg and take the Gondola ride up the mountain. First leg is fine. Second leg is too high for most people (14,000 ft.) You can pre-arrange tickets at the tourist office in Srinagar or stand in line once you get there ( could be a long wait). Drive back to Srinagar hotel.

Choice restaurants in Srinagar:

Best Chinese restaurants in Srinagar are: Lasha, Tibetan Bowl and Nun Kun.

Jade Dragon Vivanta Dal Views. Chinese, Asian, Oriental

Chinar at the Lalit Concepts from around the world

Ahdoos Authentic Kashmiri lamb dishes

Chinese Bakery!

Mughal Darbar. Indian, Mughlai, and Kashmiri.

Cafe de Linz Indian, Chinese and Kashmiri.

Arabian Barbecue top barbecue experience.

Shamyana banks of Dal Lake Asian, and Kashmir

Stream Restaurant Chinese, Indian, and Kashmiri

Day 4 ... around Srinagar. shopping, shikara, local sights OR morning drive to Yuzmarg (Yousmarg) meadow and back to Srinagar .

Kashmiri hand embroidery on wool shawls

In the (sometimes polluted) city, most highly rated with heat and elevator: The Kabo, CH2, Four Points by Sheraton and The Downtown. .. There are also countless budget lodgings, most have only stairs and no central heat. Check!

Last Day. Taxi to Srinagar airport to Delhi. *Remember you need an advance airline reservation from Delhi to Srinagar and from Srinagar to Lucknow. .. or to Delhi.

FLY to Delhi to continue journey. Drive from Delhi to Mathura, and Vrindavan....

General advice for India: Respect the religion, tradition and culture of where you are. Local kids can 'get away with' jeans, more than you! Whether to visit a temple, market or walk down the street in India have nothing exposed. Even if some Indian women can now can wear sleeveless sari tops, foreign ladies cannot go sleeveless! Always a good idea for women travelers to keep stole, long scarf handy in bag, to cover head and upper body in religious places.

Arriving at night best to stay near the airport. The Piccadilly Hotel is a good option near the airport. It would be an hours drive from the airport to a hotel in town, at night, in a strange town, but doable.

Day 1. Early start: breakfast then check out. Have a car and driver, previously arranged, ( it could be pre-arranged by the hotel) to drive to Ayodhya and back. ( 2 1/2 hours each way) When you return (before dark a must).

There are no remains of any structure left in Ayodhta from the time Rama was King. After court battles and a lot of strife a magnificient new Ram Temple is being built. Ram Jamamaboji There are now many Ram temples to see. Ram was the epitome of goodness and taught us how to be morally correct. If you want another day in Ayodhya there are many hotels. Park Inn by Radisson Ayodhya $100.+. Elevators for accessibility. On-site dining, including an all-day dining restaurant and a breakfast buffet. Ramayya Family Hotel Ayodhya $30. Fully Air Condition and elevator. Ayodhya Airport is 4.3 miles from the property. Free pickup from train station. Airport shuttle. Delux Double room with private bathroom. Brkfst only..$30. Hotels in Faizabad, close to Ayodhya.: The heritage hotel Kohinoor Palace, and others.

Ayodhya was also known as Saket, it was the capital of the Kosala kingdom. Explore Ayodhya's cultural and religious heritage . Visit iconic sites like Ram Janmabhoomi Temple and Hanuman Garhi with a knowledgeable guide, gaining insights into the city's history and mythology. Ayodhya Sarayu River Experience the tranquility of a morning boat ride on the serene waters of the Saryu River at Saryu Ghat. Participate in the Saryu Aarti at Guptar Ghat, or simply enjoy the beautiful sights as you glide along the river.

Lucknow: Check into a hotel in the center. An elegant high-rise, full service hotel: The Renaissance TC. There are many hotels near the monuments and shops. A good hotel near the city center and shopping is Clarks Avadh.

Chikankari embroidery is the specialty in Lucknow and is unique. Vani Anand's Designer Boutique. Bhairavi's Chikan. Ada Chikan Designer Studio. Nazrana Chikan. Seva Chikan. Spirit by Raghav, are a few upscale ones.

SEWA: The Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) is an NGO started back in 1981 that has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. UNICEF and a Literacy House report, revealed how women and children working in the chikan industry were being exploited by middlemen. SEWA was founded to create a sustainable production system for them, with direct access to markets. The chikan store run by SEWA Lucknow is located in Halwasiya Market, near Habibullah Estate. You can also go to their factory outlet, which is located in Brahm Nagar. All other stores, which go by similar names, are not an enterprise of the SEWA

The very essence of spiritual India. Every enlightened master and millions of aspirants have been to Varanasi. The River Ganges is the destination of every Hindu, Jain, Seek and seeker. Varanasi (or Kashi) was the city of Shiva for millenium. Lord Buddha gave his very first sermon, 700 BC, during this time, in His ahram in the nearby 'deer park' town of Samath. Varanasi is strongly Hindu and is known as a city of Lord Shiva. When the Aryans migrated into India their first settlement in Kashi became a major centre of philosophy and art in the 6th century BC.

The three aspects of God: Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva the Destroyer.

The present Kashi Vishwanath temple was built in the 18th century by Rani Ahalyabai Holkar of Indore after Mughal emperor Aurangzeb destroyed the previous temple. The Temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganga, and is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, making it the holiest of Shiva temples. It was destroyed and re-constructed a number of times in several Islamic invasions. *There is now a strict dress code to be allowed entrance. Women must wear a saree. Men a 'dhoti-kurta'.

Priests and workers inside the temples dislike females who don't cover themselves properly. Female travelers are advised to wear a tunic with long sleeves , a pair of trousers or a salwar kameez, the Indian dress. If possible, cover your head as well. Always a good idea for women travelers to keep stole, long scarf handy in bag, to cover head and upper body in religious places. A few strict temples have decided not to allow the western outfits 'only to maintain spiritual ambience in the temple premises'.

Summer day temperatures can rise up to 45° C. Winter is comfortable with average day temperatures of around 25° C, nights around 7°C. The monsoons arrive at Varanasi in the months of June / July and it rains till end September & early October and the Ganges will be swollen.

The silk weavers of Varanasi are famous. Handwoven silks are exquisite. Machine woven silks are more common.

Hotel choices are difficult and important. So many options! Near the ghats, overlooking the ghats, Sarnath. Traffic is very congested and a major factor in choosing a hotel. Driving across town to the ghats is very congested. At the southern end of the Ghats, Assi ghat is a great location, maybe the best location. A room with a window or balcony overlooking the Ganges River would be ideal.

Visit Sarnath: Buddha Ruins. Buddha came to Sarnath 650 BC, after His awakening in Ceylon. He trained his disciples here, who later spread his teachings to every corner of the Eastern World. Various Buddhist Temples from many countries surround the Buddhist 'Deer Park'. A nicely maintained monument, the archaeological museum at Sarnath is a must visit for visitors. Archaeological Remains are in the museum. Over 6,832 sculptures and artefacts. There are nice hotels right in Sarnath, Fern Residency is good, if you wish to spend more time than just a day visit. It can be an hours congested drive to the ghats.

Buddhist Temples of Sarnath: Sarnath Buddhist Temple, Buddha Temple, Tibetan, Tibetan Monastery, Wat Thai Sarnath Temple, Jambudvipa Sri Lanka, Dharma Chakra Vihar, Burmese, Chackma, Chinese, Maha Bodhi Society of India, Korean and Japanese Buddhist Temples.

The Holy River Betwa, a place of Pilgrimage, runs along Orchha. Do not miss the aarti at the Ram Raja temple. The temple built by the king is the adjoining Chaturbhuj temple which towers around the monument. The other monuments in Orchha crowd around the Ram Raja temple. The courtyard is now an open bazaar. You can eat in nearby restaurants.

Visit the Taj Mahal , Closed on Fridays to non Muslims. Presently Closed Saturdays and Sundays due to the pandemic. Possibly see the Taj by moonlight! Agra Hotel for two nights. Meet your pre-arranged car and driver who will stay with you until you return to Delhi to fly to Pune.

You can go inside the Taj Mahal building! .. If you have a “High Value Ticket”, you completely skip that line and go right to the center of the Taj Mahal inside the mausoleum itself, just as you skipped the line to get into the main doors to the courtyard.

Fatehpur Sikri is a one hour drive from Agra. Built during the second half of the 16th century by the Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of the Mughal Empire for 10 years but due to water shortage the Mughal capital moved to Lahore (now in Pakistan).

Keoladeo National Park. You can drive to Bharatpur . Spend a night in Bharatpur and visit the Keoladeo Bird Reserve in the morning or late afternoon. Visit the Reserve in an open bIcycle rickshaw. Richshaw drivers are experienced guides and can be hired by the main entrance of Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary. 2 persons max. Open throughout the year. A few hours to see the city center is good as well.

It is possible visit the the elephant Care and Conservation Center. +91 96900 09792 on the way from Agra to Mathura.

The Agra Bear Rescue Facility is the largest Sloth Bear Sanctuary. You can visit again, when it re-opens to the public, post pandemic.

ARRIVE IN MATHURA Lord Krishna was born in Mathura. His earliest years were in Gokul and childhood in Vrindavan.. Krishna later moved to Dwarka.

The ghats of Vrindavan and Mathura were built by Raja Himmat Bahadur 600 years ago on the Yamuna river front. On the banks of the Yamuna river, few kilometers from each other, are the towns of Mathura and Vrindavan. Both sacred for devotees of Krishna

Among the two, Mathura is the biggest: a city of 600.000 people, Mathura is also one of the seven sacred cities of Hinduism, and the birthplace of Lord Krishna. Main attraction and core of the city is the amazing Vishram Ghat.

Vrindavan, with only 60,000 inhabitants, is 11 kms North of Mathura. Despite its size, Vrindavan is home to around 5,000 Hindu temples. Vrindavan is also famous as a shelter for Indian widows, who, after their husband’s death, can be kicked out of their house by their relatives and end up living in the streets. Vrindavan was Krishna's childhood home, where he played the flute for his Radha and gopis, until he left Vrindavan.

Vishram Ghat Main ghat of Mathura is on the banks of the River Yamuna, and is central to 25 other ghats. The traditional parikrama starts and ends at Vishram Ghat. This is the place Lord Krishna bathed in order to celebrate his killing of the demon Kansa. People bathe, rest and worship.

Krishna Janma Boomi Mander. Mathura. Constructed where Krishna was born. It was a prison cell that belonged to Kansa, Krishna’s maternal uncle. The prison cell is a stone walled cell that reminds people of King Kans’s cruelty in those days. Beautiful and well-maintained temple. limited hours.

Govardhan Hill place of Hindu Pilgrimage the place where Lord Krishna grew up. The Govardhan Parvat is mentioned in a number of religious and sacred texts, a number of tales about Lord Krishna. It is said that Lord Krishna lifted the mountain to protect the villagers of Mathura from a raging thunderstorm. In addition to this, a number of 16th century monuments are situated on the hill, and the view of the surrounding villages is breathtaking from the top.

Kusum Sarovar. Govardhan is believed to be the place where Radha along with gopis used to collect flowers and meet Lord Krishna. Kadamba trees are found all over. A simple earthen pond till 1675, it was properly built by ruler of Orchha, Veer Singh. Later surrounded by magnificent structures constructed by the king of Bharatpur in the middle of 18th century, The main tomb has beautiful paintings on its ceiling depicting the pastimes of Krishna and the lotus feet of Krishna engraved on the floor. The interior of these buildings is breathtaking.

The water of the Sarovar is ideal for swimming . Kusum Sarovar has a number of ashrams and temples nearby and evening aarti.

Keshi Ghat. Vrindavan is an embankment of the River Yamuna, and is one of the most beautiful spots in the whole of Vrindavan. Idyllic for watching sunrises and sunsets. Evening Aarti 4:30pm is something. Perfect to just sit in peace, as the serenity of this place is comparable to none other. Banke Bihari Temple, built in 1862

Radha Raman temple Vrindavan is dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radha, the love of his life. Constructed in 1542, this is one of the most exquisitely crafted Krishna temples. The original deity of Krishna with Radharani is in this temple. The aarti is loud chanting of Lord Krishna’s name.

Radha Damodar Temple. Vrindavan. One of the oldest temples in Vrindavan, is a reflection of the glory of architecture in ancient India. Built in the year 1524

Iskcon Temple. Vrindavan. Built by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness or ISKCON. One of the major temples of the organization. The temple is dedicated to the divine brothers Krishna and Balaram, and was built in 1975. The aarti is something that should not be missed it is quite a sight to see.

Whether your hotel is in Mathura or Vrindavan, does not matter, they are equal distance from Govardhan. There are more hotels in Vrindavan.

After Krishna moved his disciples to Dwarka in Gujarat, he married Rukmini. Krishna was king and Rukmini was queen

Lord Krishna was King in Dwarka, on the coast of the Arabian Sea, western Gujarat. Lord Krishna moved with his companions to ancient Dwarka after he killed the evil Kansa. Krishna felt it was no longer safe around the Mathura area. The wars of the Mahabarata were fought from there.

To visit: Avatar Meher Baba Samadhi Tomb Shrine. Fly from Delhi to Pune. There are many hotels in Pune, which is a 2 hour drive from Meherabad (Ahmednagar). There are a few new hotels in Ahmednagar with restaurants. The car ride from town to Meherabad is 15 minutes. There is a pilgrim guest house in Meherabad available for people genuinly interested in Meher Baba, only with prior reservations through the Trust Office.

The Samadhi can be visited directly from either Pune or Ahmednagar. You need to hire a car with a driver who knows how to drive to the parking up the hill, near the Samadhi. Open to everyone from 7 am to 7 pm.

------DISCLAIMER: This is not a commercial site. We offer nothing but the opportunity for you to see a way to make this trip work. Information only. No gaurantee the info is correct. Have tried my best, but I'm no expert. ---------------- I have not taken the *photos on this page-------