INDIA (TAJ MAHAL) PAINTING HOLIDAY - 10 NIGHTS / 11 DAYS
Join the adventure!!! Based in a 5-STAR hotel in Agra with a swimming pool, situated just 6 minutes from the majestic TAJ MAHAL!!! Group transfer from New Delhi to Agra.
Tuition in Agra at monunents within minutes from the Taj Mahal (Step by step help for beginners. Learn or improve composition, colour dynamics, values, perspective and more.) Beginners welcome!
Art equipment (board, stool, optional easel)
Art materials (paints, brushes, paper…) CHOICE OF MEDIUMS: Recommended: Watercolours, drawing or gouache. More experienced artists: Acrylics, pastels, oils.
7 Nights Accommodation in a SINGLE ROOM in a 5-STAR hotel within minutes of the Taj Mahal!
Private van with a chauffeur for our excursions
All restaurant meals with wine at dinner included (except on the free day).
Fabulous painting sites 100% AGRA
Entry to sites
Theatre ticket to see a local dancing show!
Swimming pool at the hotel
YOUR DATES: (10 NIGHTS)
PRICES are per person: £175 booking payment + remaining balance below paid 90 days before Day 1 or less if booking late:
EVERYTHING LISTED INCLUDED IN THE HOLIDAY:
You are coming on your own. Ensuite Room in Single Occupancy:
Regular Ensuite: £2290 (10 NIGHTS/11 DAYS) Everything listed included. ALL MEALS INCLUDED (except on the free day).
SUPERIOR Ensuite: £2490 (10 NIGHTS/11 DAYS) Everything listed included. ALL MEALS INCLUDED (except on the free day).
DAY 1: Welcome to Agra, India!
Group pick-up at Delhi airport at 1.00 PM. Group and tutor will meet at the hotel’s reception at 6.30 PM for a group welcome and dinner!
DAY 2: Breakfast, handout of materials, fun participative painting demo, lunch, painting by the pool.
After a lovely buffet breakfast at the hotel, your tutor will hand out your provided materials and equipment for the week after which there will be a mid-morning step by step participative demo in watercolours, the recommended medium. More advanced participants or participants who have chosen other mediums will be able to test their materials and paint something of their own choice. Our first lovely lunch together. After lunch, there will be a painting session by the pool. Free time around 4.30 PM. Dinner at 7.00 PM.
DAY 3: Chini ka Rauza Let’s get painting out in Agra!!! After a late morning and an early lunch, group and tutor will be driven to Chini Ka Rauza for an afternoon painting session. We will stay onsite roughly 3 hours.
Chini Ka Rauza is a ‘highly paintable’ monument is situated on the eastern bank of the Yamuna River, just two killometers from the Taj Mahal. It is the peaceful resting place of Afzal Khan, a Persian scholar and poet who was the Grand Vizier of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. This monument dates back to 1635. The facade’s glazed tile work has suffered erosion through time leaving the monument with a highly paintable feel.
DAY 4: Itmad Ud Daulah (Baby Taj) A gorgeous day in perspective!!! Breakfast, morning visit of Itmad Ud Daulah, a 20 minute drive from our hotel. Lunch there, painting session there. Dinner.
Itmad Ud Daulah (Baby Taj): Situated in the city of Agra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, this monument is often referred to as the Baby Taj due to its ressemblance to the Taj Mahal. It is sometimes described as a jewel box and is called the Bachcha Taj.
Itmad Ud Daulah is made of a main building, outbuildings and also gardens. This mausoleum was built between 1622 and 1628, and represents a transition between monumental Mughal architecture built from red sandstone with marble decorations and white marble and ‘pietra dura’ inlay, used in the Taj Mahal.
DAY 5: Moti Masjid Great day ahead!!! Breakfast followed by a morning visit of Moti Masjid. Lunch there, followed by a painting session there. Dinner.
Moti Masjid is a mosque which was constructed between 1646-1653, period after which the Mughal residence had shifted to Shahjahanabad. The outside is clad in red sandstone, while the inside is entirely covered in marble. The centre of each wall holds a high entryway. The Eastern entrance serves as the main entrance. Inside the walls is square courtyard with an ablution pool and beautiful arcades.
DAY 6: FREE DAY
After breakfast, you will be have a free day to visit Agra and its surrounding. Our driver will be available to drop off and pick-up participants (as a group - no individual pick-ups) who have chosen a common activity. You will be on your own for lunch and dinner on this free day, perhaps with some other participants.
DAY 7: Sikandra Fort A gorgeous place to paint at!!! Late morning with those who wish to finish working on painting fully able to do so, then lunch. Afternoon visit of the Sikandra Fort followed by an afternoon painting session there.
Sikandra Fort: Situated in the suburbs of Agra just 15 kilometres from our hotel, this red mausoleum ,is the resting place to Mariam Uz Zamani (tomb in the basement) and was built by her husband Akbar, who was lagter buried there by their son, Jahangir. During a rebellion under the leadership of Raja Ram Jat, the momument was looted of its precious jewels, gold, silver and many adorned carpets. The grave was then opened and the king’s bones were burned. Completed restoration was ordained and completed in 1905.
DAY 8: Taj Mahal Glorious day coming up!!! Breakfast, morning visit of the magnificent Taj Mahal, lunch there, painting session. Dinner.
After breakfast, our driver will be waiting to drive you and your tutor to the Taj Mahal, just a few minutes from the hotel. Morning visit of this absolutely magnificent marbled jewel!!! After this incredible visit, group and tutor will have a lovely lunch. In the afternoon, we will paint the Taj Mahal from Mehtab Bagh, the “Moonlight Garden” on the other side of the river.
Taj Mahal: Its literal name means Crown of the Palace. It is a white marble mausoleum situated on the river bank of Yumana in the town of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. In 1631, this absolute jewel was commissioned by Shah Jahan, who was a Mughal emperor. He commission the Taj Mahal to house the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, his favourite spouse. It also holds Shah Jahan’s own tomb. The Taj Mahal is surrounded by a 17 hectare / 42 acres complex set in formal gardens with a mosque and a guest house. The construction of the mausoleum was completed in 1643, but work continued until 1653. The Taj Mahal is believed to have cost an estimated 1 billion dollars to biuld, employing 20,000 workers guided by the emperor’s court architect. Numerous types of symbols have been used in the Taj Mahal to represent divinities and the earth’s natural beauty. It was designated by UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being "The jewel of muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage". The Taj Mahal attracts more than 6 million visitors a year and was declared as 7th Wonder of the World in 2007.
DAY 9: Agra Fort Breakfast, morning visit of Agra Fort, lunch there, plein-air painting session on site in a calm area in the shade.
Agra’s Red Fort, situated just 2.5 km from the Taj Mahal, is a historical walled city in the city of Agra built by Mughal emperor Akbar from 1565 to 1573. It was once the main residence of the rulers of the Mughal dynasty until 1638 when Dehli became India’s capital, instead of Agra. Before being invested by the British, it was occupied by the Indian Marathas. UNESCO World Heritage recognised the Agra Fort In 1983.
