7 Jyotirlinga Tour Package from Bhopal (10 Days)

Reach Dwarka by train from Bhopal, where our driver meets you. Check in at your hotel in Dwarka. Check in and rest, then visit the Dwarkadhish Temple in the late afternoon. Phones and bags are not allowed inside, so leave them at the hotel. Walk down to Gomti Ghat for sunset and stay for the evening aarti. Overnight stay in Dwarka.

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   Dwarkadhish Temple

   The five-storey temple of Lord Krishna, one of the Char Dham, on the shore of the Gomti.

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   Gomti Ghat

   The bathing ghat where the Gomti meets the sea, at the foot of the 56 steps behind the temple.

Start early for Nageshwar, the first Jyotirlinga of the yatra, about 17 km from Dwarka. Continue to Bet Dwarka over the Sudarshan Setu bridge, and stop at Gopi Talav and the Rukmini Devi Temple on the way back. The evening is free. Overnight stay in Dwarka.

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   Nageshwar Jyotirlinga

   The Jyotirlinga with a giant seated Shiva statue in its garden; the lingam is in an underground sanctum.

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   Bet Dwarka

   The island believed to be Krishna's home, now reached by road over the Sudarshan Setu.

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   Rukmini Devi Temple

   The finely carved 12th-century temple of Krishna's consort, just outside Dwarka.

Today's travel: from Dwarka to Somnath (about 237 km, 4 hrs 45 min). Drive down the coast to Somnath, about five hours away, with a lunch stop in Porbandar. Visit the Somnath Temple in the evening for the 7 pm aarti, and stay on for the light and sound show on the temple grounds. Phones are not allowed inside the temple. Overnight stay in Somnath.

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   Somnath Jyotirlinga

   The first of the twelve Jyotirlingas, standing right on the Arabian Sea, rebuilt in 1951 in the Chalukya style.

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   Light and Sound Show

   An hour-long evening show that tells the story of the temple against its walls.

Today's travel: from Somnath to Veraval (about 7 km, 15 min). Attend the 7 am aarti at Somnath if you like, then visit Bhalka Tirth and the Triveni Sangam, both linked to the last days of Lord Krishna. After lunch, transfer to Veraval station for the overnight train towards Ujjain. In the evening, board the overnight train from Veraval to Ujjain.

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   Bhalka Tirth

   The place where Lord Krishna is believed to have been struck by a hunter's arrow.

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   Triveni Sangam

   The meeting point of the Hiran, Kapila and the mythical Saraswati rivers.

Arrive in Ujjain in the morning by the overnight train; our driver meets you at the station. Check in, rest after the journey and visit Mahakaleshwar in the afternoon. The Shri Mahakal Lok corridor next to the temple is lit up beautifully after dark. End the day at the Kshipra aarti at Ram Ghat. Overnight stay in Ujjain.

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   Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga

   The only south-facing Jyotirlinga, famous for its pre-dawn Bhasma Aarti.

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   Shri Mahakal Lok

   The new corridor of statues and murals from Shiva's stories, beside the temple.

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   Ram Ghat aarti

   The evening aarti on the Kshipra river.

Today's travel: from Ujjain to Omkareshwar (about 134 km, 2 hrs 45 min). If you have booked it, attend the Bhasma Aarti at Mahakaleshwar before dawn. After breakfast, visit Kal Bhairav and Harsiddhi temples, then drive to Omkareshwar, about three hours away. Walk over the bridge to the Om-shaped island in the evening and watch the Narmada aarti. Overnight stay in Omkareshwar.

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   Kal Bhairav Temple

   The temple of the guardian of Ujjain, where liquor is offered to the deity.

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   Harsiddhi Temple

   A Shakti Peetha with two tall lamp towers lit on festival evenings.

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   Narmada aarti, Omkareshwar

   The evening aarti on the ghats of the Narmada.

Today's travel: from Omkareshwar to Indore (about 78 km, 1 hr 45 min). Have darshan at Omkareshwar early, before the crowds, and at Mamleshwar on the opposite bank; together they count as the Jyotirlinga. Drive to Indore, about two and a half hours away, have dinner at Sarafa Bazaar if time allows, and board the overnight train to Nashik. In the evening, board the overnight train from Indore to Nashik.

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   Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga

   The Jyotirlinga on Mandhata island, which is shaped like the sacred symbol Om.

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   Mamleshwar Temple

   The temple on the southern bank, visited together with Omkareshwar.

Arrive in Nashik in the morning by the overnight train; our driver meets you at the station. Today's drive: from Nashik to Trimbak (about 30 km, 30 min) and from Trimbak to Nashik (about 30 km, 30 min). Drive from the station to Trimbakeshwar, at the source of the Godavari, for darshan; men need a dhoti for the inner rituals. Return to Nashik and see Ram Kund and the Kalaram Temple in Panchavati, where Lord Rama is believed to have lived during his exile. Overnight stay in Nashik.

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   Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga

   The Jyotirlinga with three small lingas for Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

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   Ram Kund, Panchavati

   The holy ghat of Nashik, busy at the evening aarti.

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   Kalaram Temple

   The black-stone temple of Lord Rama.

Today's travel: from Nashik to Ellora (about 172 km, 3 hrs 30 min) and from Ellora to Aurangabad (about 31 km, 30 min). Drive to Grishneshwar, about four hours away, the last Jyotirlinga of the twelve, where men remove their shirts before entering the sanctum. Next door are the Ellora Caves; give yourself at least two hours for the Kailasa temple and the main caves. The caves are closed on Tuesdays. Continue to Aurangabad for the night. Overnight stay in Aurangabad.

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   Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga

   The red-stone temple of the twelfth Jyotirlinga, beside Ellora.

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   Ellora Caves

   Thirty-four rock-cut Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves, with the Kailasa temple carved from a single rock.

Start very early for the long drive to Bhimashankar in the Sahyadri forest, the seventh Jyotirlinga of the yatra; the last stretch climbs through thick woods. After darshan and lunch, continue home. Drive from Aurangabad to Bhimashankar (about 280 km, 5 hrs 30 min) and from Bhimashankar to Pune (about 111 km, 2 hrs 15 min). Board the train from Pune back to Bhopal (about 831 km), and the tour ends.

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   Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga

   The Jyotirlinga at the source of the Bhima river, in a wildlife sanctuary.

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   Drive on to Bhopal.