INDIA Day 1 Depart London Heathrow 0845 on Air India via Delhi. Arrive Delhi 2225 and check into Hotel Ibis for overnight.
Odisha
Day 2 Depart Delhi 1105, arriving Bhubaneswar 1305. Transfer to Mayfair Lagoon Hotel, Bhubaneswar for three nights. Introductory talk: The World of Orissa.
November 21 – December 5, 2020 from £4295 per person | with Annie Owen
Day 3 Excursion to Chandaka Elephant Sanctuary followed by visit to the early rock-cut Jain monastic cell of Udayagiri and Kala Bhoomi Crafts Museum. Day 4 Morning: Lingaraja Temple, the 10th century Muktesvara Temple, and the 11th century Rajarani temple. Afternoon: optional visit to Sisupalgarh. Day 5 Transfer to Puri via Pipili. Rickshaw tour of Puri including 12th century Jagannath temple. Transfer to Puri for three nights at Mayfair Heritage Hotel. Day 6 Excursion to Konark for Sun Temple followed by late afternoon drive deep into countryside.
Lingaraja Temple
DISTANT DESTINATIONS
• Explore the tribal heritage of the Indian state of Odisha • Discover craft villages including Dandasahi, to see Pattachitra painting, and the weaving village of Nuapatna • Watch the sunset rituals performed by the monks at the Joranda monastery One of India’s most distinctive regions, Odisha (Orissa) stretches along the Bay of Bengal and the flanking hill country. Enriched by ambitious medieval kings but then neglected by both Mogul and British conquerors, it remains a byword for traditional oratory and poetry, dance, crafts, rites and religious architecture. Less widely appreciated is that much of this heritage draws on tribal roots of the deepest antiquity. The state capital, Bhubaneswar, is both a proud Modernist monument to India’s independence, and Odisha’s ancient ‘Temple City’, with scores of shrines and sacred ponds, from the towering Lingaraja sanctum to the Muktesvara Temple, known as the ‘gem of Odisha architecture’. Puri is a busy coastal town with the large, soaring medieval temple of Lord Jagannath at its centre, drawing pilgrims and devotees from all parts of India as one of the subcontinent’s four axial shrines. Further up the coast we reach Konark’s unparalleled Sun Temple, now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Further afield we explore ancient Jain rock carvings, find the remains of long-lost Buddhist universities and visit villages in shady tranquillity amidst fertile fields and coconut groves. The villagers preserve the region’s tradition in weaving, metalwork and cuisine. Some of them are still steeped unconsciously in tribal custom and traditional agricultural methods. We end our tour with a visit to the fringes of Chilika Lake, a beautiful, tranquil haven for countless migratory birds. We will stay in comfortable hotels in Bhubaneswar, Puri and Dhenkanal. Please note some details may be subject to confirmation nearer to departure.
This tour will be led by Annie Owen, BA, a photographer, illustrator and printmaker with a passion for the Indian subcontinent where she has travelled regularly and extensively, and where she has led many tours. Annie is a trustee of the Kariandusi School Trust, a small but active charity which builds primary schools in rural Kenya. FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour will include some long journeys and visits that involve walking over rough, steep and uneven terrain. Participiants must have a good level of fitness.
Day 7 Visit to Dandasahi village for visit to the house of master Pattachitra painter to see Pattachitra processes. Continue to view Gotipua dancers complete their make-up, then watch Gotipua dance performance in idyllic coconut grove setting. Day 8 Return to Bhubaneswar for visit to Odisha State Museum, followed by visit to Tribal Research Institute Museum. Transfer to Mayfair Lagoon Hotel, Bhubaneswar for two nights. Evening lecture by special guest speaker. Day 9 Excursion to Prachi Valley: Chaurasi and Madhava. Picnic lunch at Kenduli Sasan. Day 10 Transfer to Dhenkanal via Nuapatna weaving village. Transfer to Dhenkanal Palace homestay for three nights. Late afternoon drive to Joranda monastery to watch sunset rituals performed by the monks. Day 11 Visit to the ruins of the ancient Buddhist monasteries of Ratnagiri and Lalitgiri. Day 12 Excursion to Kapilash followed by rural village walk through Santals and Saoras villages. Free afternoon with optional drive to palace farm. Day 13 Transfer to Trident Hotel, Bhubaneswar for overnight via tribal village making Dhokra. Late afternoon excursion to Tangi village and dusk at Chilika Lake (boat trip with possibility of seeing wildfowl). Day 14 Visit to tantric temple at Hirapur, peace monument and Emperor Ashoka’s Kalinga War memorial at Dhauli. Depart Bhubaneswar 2120, via Delhi. Day 15 Depart Delhi 0215, arriving Heathrow 0630. Cost of £4295 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast, seven lunches (one packed), twelve dinners with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities. Not included: visa, travel insurance, single room supplement £885. TOUR CODE: ODIS20
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