Nanded, Basara & Aurangabad Darshan Yatra

Our driver meets you at Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) airport or railway station at the agreed time and drives you to the hotel in an air-conditioned private vehicle. After settling in, visit Bibi Ka Maqbara, the marble-and-stucco mausoleum often compared with the Taj Mahal; entry tickets are paid at the ASI counter.

Then drive about 25 km to Khuldabad for the Bhadra Maruti temple, one of the few shrines where Hanuman is shown lying down. Return to the hotel for the night; dinner is at your own arrangement.

Overnight: Aurangabad

After breakfast, a drive of around 100 km, two and a half to three hours, brings you to the Ajanta Caves, where thirty Buddhist cave shrines and monasteries are cut into a horseshoe cliff above the Waghora river. The painted caves are the highlight. Allow three to four hours, including the shuttle bus from the parking area. Return to Aurangabad by evening.

• Ajanta is closed on Mondays; we plan the day order around it.
• Lots of walking and steps in the open: carry a hat, water and good footwear.
• Entry tickets and camera fees are paid directly.

Overnight: Aurangabad

A short drive of about 30 km brings you to Ellora, whose Hindu, Buddhist and Jain caves include the Kailasa temple, carved from a single rock from the top down. The morning is spent here; Ellora is closed on Tuesdays.

Grishneshwar, the twelfth Jyotirlinga, is barely a kilometre away. Join the darshan queue in the afternoon, when it is usually shorter. Male devotees are asked to remove their shirt or upper garment before entering the inner sanctum. Queues are long on Mondays and in Shravan. Return to the hotel in the evening.

Overnight: Aurangabad

After breakfast and check-out, drive east through Jalna and Parbhani to Nanded on the Godavari, roughly 280 km and six to seven hours, with a lunch stop at your own cost on the way.

After check-in, in the evening, walk to Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib, one of the five Takhts of the Sikh faith, for the evening prayers and to see the gurdwara lit up. Heads must be covered and shoes removed; scarves are available at the entrance. Langar is served to everyone in the community kitchen.

Overnight: Nanded

A full day for the historic gurdwaras around Nanded linked with Guru Gobind Singh's final months: Gurdwara Nagina Ghat, Banda Ghat, Hira Ghat and Shikar Ghat along the Godavari, Mata Sahib Devan Ji, Sangat Sahib and Mal Tekri Sahib. The vehicle takes you from one to the next.

The day ends with a return to Hazur Sahib for a longer, quieter visit to the main shrine. Keep a head covering with you all day, and do not carry tobacco or alcohol. Lunch can be at a gurdwara langar.

Overnight: Nanded

An early start for the drive of about 100 km across the Telangana border to Basara on the Godavari. Take darshan at the Gnana Saraswati temple, one of the very few in India dedicated to the goddess of learning, and, if you wish, perform the Akshara Abhyasam, the first-writing ceremony, for a child; tickets are bought at the temple counter.

Please note: since 5 July 2026, darshan has been held at a temporary shrine (Balalayam) while the main temple is being rebuilt, so the setting may look different from older photos.

Visit the smaller Mahalakshmi and Maha Kali shrines in the complex and the riverside before driving back to Nanded. The temple sees heavy crowds during Navratri.

Overnight: Nanded

After breakfast and check-out, our driver drops you at Nanded railway station or airport for your onward journey. Train or air tickets from Nanded are not part of the package.

Driver allowance, fuel, tolls, parking and inter-state taxes for the whole yatra are already included. Pack prasad from Grishneshwar, Hazur Sahib and Basara carefully in your hand bag. If you would like extra nights or more local darshan before leaving, please tell us in advance, as these are charged separately.

Overnight: Not included (yatra ends)