Alankar: Arts in India Study Tour
Community Tour Information

Alankara: Arts in India Cultural Tour
With this flexible tour your can take your pick. Take the two week trip and see the North or the South or see both regions over the whole month.

Embrace the Experience
India is an intricate tapestry of diverse art forms, architecture, traditions, cultures, and landscapes. Arts in India will offer a unique experience for those who wish to understand the beauty and complexity of Indian culture through its arts.

The Asian Arts and Culture Program at the Fine Arts Center presents the unique opportunity of a fully escorted tour of South and North India. If you enjoy immersing yourself in a culture filled with all the sensual pleasures of sight, sound, and taste, then India is one of the most intricate and rewarding dramas unfolding on earth.

We are always working to make the trip better and more interesting. Here is a brief sample of what you are likely to see. The final tour itinerary will be determined in the Fall of 2005.

Leaving from New York City, the group arrives in the gateway city of Mumbai.

Traveling from there to Kochi and several other cities in the beautiful tropical state of Kerala, to Madurai in Karnataka to see the famed temple and on to Chennai in Tamilnadu to visit temples at Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram. In each city, a variety of cultural and entertainment activities have been organized including visits to museums, art galleries, monuments, bazaars, concerts, and the opportunity to meet with local artists, crafters, teachers, and community. The Southern tour ends when the group returns to Mumbai. The group will stay in unique and elegant hotels.
Mumbai we will take the ferry on the Arabian sea to the Elephanta Island cave temple, visit the Victoria and Albert Museum, see historic buildings, Malabar Hill, Crawford Market etc.
Kochi visit will include sightseeing the Jewish Synagogue, Fort Mattancherry, Kathakali masked dance performances among others. Relax on the boat for a backwaters cruise to Coconut Lagoon resort to enjoy Kerala style hospitality, arts and Aryuveda therapy.

Kochi to Chennai. A day trip to Kanchipuram from Chennai will reveal the beauty of the 125 shrines dating back to 200 BC. Once a flourishing capital of the Chola dynasty, only the temples remain to tell the past glories. Kanchi silk is the most famous and coveted silk for saris in India. A day trip to the sea coast of Mahabalipuram to see the world’s largest bas relief sculpture with carvings of thousands of celestial beings, flora and fauna fill one with wonders of India.
North India tour begins with members arriving in Mumbai from New York. They will join the tour director in Mumbai and leave for a special extended tour of the desert region-traveling to historic cities Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaipur. Visit the unique Ranakpur temples, with an optional tour to an exciting overnight stay at the Osian camel camp on the sand dunes. Travel to Agra to view the eternal beauty of the Taj and then onto the capital city, Delhi. In each city, a variety of cultural and entertainment activities have been organized including visits to museums, art galleries, monuments, bazaars, concerts, and the opportunity to meet with local artists, crafters, teachers, and scholars. The group will stay in elegant five-star hotels.
Udaipur, a city nestled like a gem in the Aravalli hills. Enjoy a boat ride on the clear blue waters of lake Pichola with a delicious meal at the picturesque Lake Palace hotel. Visit Ranakpur Jain temples set deep in a secluded valley on way to Jodhpur, a city famous for old palaces, buildings whitewashed with a blue tint and puppeteers.
Optional supplement: In Osian, enjoy the camel safari camp with camel rides, folk music, dancing by fires lit on the sand dunes
Jaipur known as the pink city, is a blend of monumental Hindu architecture and the grandeur of Mughal and Jain royal influences. Ride the elephants up to the Amber Fort and shop in the Jauhari Bazaar for enamel and precious gem jewelry. Visit the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), study stars and planets at the Astrological Observatory and enjoy the splendors of the City Palace.
Agra The world is divided between those who have seen the Taj Mahal and those who haven’t. Visit Agra and see the epitome of love’s labor erected on the bank of the Yamuna River. In addition, visit Fatehpur Sikri- an architectural wonder built in red sandstone by Emperor Akbar in the year 1569.
Delhi, the cultural and political capital of India, is full of historical monuments, colorful bazaars, narrow streets and India’s finest shopping. Visit the National Museum for its bronzes, terracotta and wood sculptures dating back to the 3rd century B.C. Also has exhibits of miniature and mural paintings, tribal costumes and jewelry. Craft Museum, a unique center that hosts crafters from all over India, the Gallery of Modern Art for contemporary art. Shop, enjoy music and dance performances and take guided tours of the city’s historic sights- Qutab Minar, Lotus temple, Jama Masjid and others. The tour group will stay at the luxurious Le Meridien.

What’s Included?
The cost of the tour includes roundtrip international air, land travel, all hotels with three meals per day with daily choices of Indian, Asian and continental cuisine, transfers and transportation in India via private motor coach, and economy class domestic air. The cost also includes entrance fees to historical monuments with services of a professional tour guide in each city, entrance fees for museums, tickets to performances, and departure taxes. Escorting this study tour will be your Fine Arts Center host Ranjanaa Devi, Director of Asian Arts and Culture Program at the Fine Arts Center.

What’s not included?
Not included in the costs are optional tours both in North and South, visa and passport fees, telephone and fax calls, internet access, meals not specified in the itinerary, optional excursions, alcoholic and other beverages not specified as included with the meals, film and processing costs, laundry, and items of a personal nature.
All hotel accommodation cost is per person, based on double occupancy. Single rates are available, and are subject to a supplemental charge.

For more information:
Please call for a detailed itinerary and register now for the trip of a lifetime!
Call 1-413-545-1980
or email: aacp@acad.umass.edu

The Arts in India Tour for community is presented by the Asian Arts & Culture Program in partnership with the Travel Corporation (India), India’s Largest Destination Management Company.

This tour is presented in partnership with the Travel Corporation India
India’s Largest Destination Management Company

“Professor Ranjanaa Devi and the Asian Arts & Culture Program should be applauded for this innovative educational venture. It has changed my life forever.”
Jessica Maya Marglin - student

“The trip was completely engaging of my mind and my senses and my feelings.”
Sue McGowan-Community member