Private New Delhi tour with Change of Palace Guard Ceremony

You will be picked up from your hotel in New Delhi and your guide will escort you in an air conditioned vehicle to Rashtrapati Bhawan, the official residence of the president of India.

The President's Bodyguards (PBG), started in 1773, is the senior most Regiment of the Indian Army. It is a Regiment carrying out ceremonial duties for the President of India. The PBG personnel are excellent horsemen, capable tank men and paratroopers.

The Change of Guard ceremony is a military tradition - guards and sentries at palaces, forts and defense establishments change periodically to enable a fresh body of troops to take charge. At Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Ceremonial Army Guard battalion is responsible for providing ceremonial guards and sentries for the President of India.

The thirty minute ceremony commences with the PBG troops, astride their caparisoned, powerful and well groomed steeds advancing from behind the Jaipur Column to the tunes played by the Army Brass Band. Thereafter the Parade Commander marches in, on whose ‘word of command’ the guard of the 8th Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (Siachen), marches in. After inspection, the new guard takes position along the old guard and both the guards exchange the national salute. Thereafter the new guard takes over the duties of guards and sentries. The ceremony ends with an equestrian display by the PBG and playing of the National Anthem. Post ceremony you will be dropped back to the hotel.

Post ceremony, embark on a half day tour of New Delhi. Drive along Rajpath - the capital's broadest avenue. Along the way you will see Parliament House, a low, circular structure that covers more than five acres of land. You will also see India Gate, a 138-foot-high, arch-shaped structure that stands at the eastern end of Rajpath. It is inscribed with the names of 85,000 Indian Army soldiers who lost their lives in World War I. Below burns the Amar Jawan Jyoti, the Eternal Flame, in tribute to all martyred soldiers of India. Next, proceed to Humayun's Tomb, commissioned by Humayun's widowed queen, Haji Begum, in the sixteenth century. Architecturally it is the forerunner of the world-famous Taj Mahal. You will also have a chance to visit Qutab Minar, a soaring, 238-foot-high stone tower, which was built by Qutab-Ud-Din Aibak in the twelfth century. At its base is the Quwwat-Ul Islam Mosque, the first mosque to be built in India. A twenty-three-foot-high iron pillar, which was built in the fourth century, stands in the courtyard of the mosque. After viewing Qutab Minar, you will move on to Birla Temple, which is one of the major landmarks of New Delhi. The temple, built in 1939, is dedicated to Vishnu and enshrines almost all the deities of the Hindu pantheon. At the end of your tour you will be escorted back to your hotel in New Delhi in your air conditioned vehicle.