We’ll meet in Delhi to start our journey, visiting Humayun’s Tomb and Hazrat Nizamuddin auliya Dargah (Sufi shrine).  These are two magnificent works of medieval Mughal architecture, the dargah being the older of the two. We will attend the world-famous qawwali night here.

In Kolkata we will visit the famous Dakshineshwar Kali Mandir as well as Belur Math, headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission.  We will also visit the lesser-known Pathbari Ashram and the ancient Radha-Shyamasundar Jiu temple where Srī Nityananda prabhu once lived.

The village of Shantiniketan is known as the epicenter of the Baul tradition, made world famous by the nobel prize winning author and artist,  Rabindranath Tagore.  Tagore established a university in Shantiniketan, and the folk traditions of Bengal are vibrant and alive here. It’s here that we will attend the annual “Annadan” baul festival where the performances go from dusk til dawn, followed by a parade and feast the next day.

Ekachakra is a small village in the Birbhum District of West Bengal. Within Hindu tradition, the five Pandavas from the Mahabharata are described as staying in Ekachakra during their years in exile. It is also famous as the birthplace of Srī Nityananda prabhu (b 1474 CE), a principal religious figure in the Bengali bhakti tradition. We will visit the places of interest via a 2 mile walking tour.

Tarapith is a town and Hindu pilgrimage site located in Rampurhat subdivision of Birbhum district of West Bengal. The town is particularly known for the Tarapith Temple and its adjoining Hindu crematory ground. The tantric Hindu temple is dedicated to the goddess Tara Mā.We will visit the renowned Tarapith Temple, as well as the tantric saint Bamakhepa’s bhajan kutir while here.

Mayapur is a pilgrimage town in the Nadia district of West Bengal, India. The area is considered spiritually significant by those who follow the traditions of Bengali bhakti. While in Mayapur, we will take acouple day trips with a guide to visit some villages in the surrounding areas, where we will see important sites and ancient temples related to Bengali bhakti, as well as meet with descendents of close associates of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Puri, also known as “Jagannath Puri” is a coastal city in the state of Odisha in Eastern India. It is home to the 12th-century Jagannath Temple and is one of the original Char Dham pilgrimage sites for Hindus. This temple town has hundreds of Hindu religious mathas or monasteries, some of which we will visit in our short time there. We will also have some time to visit the beach while we are there :)

Vrindavan has about 5,500 temples dedicated to the worship of Krishna and his chief consort, Radha. It is one of the most sacred places for Vaishnava bhakti traditions, and forms a part of the "Krishna pilgrimage circuit.” We will visit many of the main temples of Vrindavan, as well as important pilgrimage sites in the surrounding areas, such as Govardhan Hill and Srī Radhakund. We will also go to some of the lesser known ancient temples that tourists do not normally get to see.