Guru Nanak Dev, the first of the ten Sikh Gurus, was born in North
India in 1469. The Sikh Khalsa, the formal community of the faithful,
was inaugurated by the last Guru, Gobind Singh, in 1699. The story of
that founding, in the holy town of Anandpur on the feast day of
Vaisakhi, is commemorated annually in huge processions wherever the Sikh
community is established.

Sikhism is a peaceful faith with a growing following in the West. It
is not, however, a missionary faith, and remains firmly rooted in the
Indian State of Punjab. Here are its famous takhts (shrines and
seats of authority), and numerous gurdwaras of astonishing beauty.

On this tour you will visit three of the five takhts. You will
meet and engage with Sikhs, and learn about the history and current
issues of Sikhism and the Punjab. You will walk barefoot through the
marble precincts of the great Golden Temple at Amritsar, and breathe the
air of the fertile Punjab countryside, the breadbasket of India.

Day 1

Evening departure from Heathrow on direct British Airways flight

Day 2

Midday arrival in New Delhi. Stay at Oberoi Maidens Hotel
(4*).

Day 3

Visits to Delhi gurdwaras, and to the Red Fort and
Jama Masjid.

Day 4

Morning train to Chandigarh, and short tour of the city
designed by Le Corbusier. Drive via the shrine of Fategarh to
Ropar, to stay at the Pincasia Tourist Complex (3*).

Day 5

All day visit to Anandpur, where the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh,
instituted the Khalsa in 1699.

Day 6

Drive to the holy city of Amritsar. Stay at Mohan
International Hotel (4*), or Ritz Plaza Hotel (4*).

Day 7

All day visit to the Golden Temple, the central shrine of Sikhism,
and one of India's most fabulous monuments.

Day 8

All day visit to the nearby shrines of Tarn Taran and
Goindwal, in the Punjab countryside.

Day 9

Early train to New Delhi, to connect with flight to Patna,
second seat of Sikh authority, in the Eastern State of Bihar. Stay at
Hotel Maurya (4*).

Day 10

Visit the birthplace of the final Guru, Gobind Singh, now the most
important takht after Amritsar.

Day 11

Morning visit to Patna museum. Afternoon train to Varanasi,
holiest Hindu city. Stay at Taj Ganges Hotel (5*).

Day 12

Dawn boat ride on the sacred river Ganges. Afternoon flight to
Agra. Stay at Taj View Hotel (5*). Sunset visit to the Taj Mahal.

Day 13

Enjoy a second visit to the Taj Mahal before the drive back to New
Delhi. Time for shopping in Delhi. Late evening transfer to airport for
direct British Airways flight to London.

Day 14

Early morning arrival at Heathrow.