School Religious Studies Trip to Delhi

Explore the birthplace of a number of world religions on a religious studies school trip to Delhi!

Many dynasties have ruled India and Delhi is rich in their architecture. Diverse cultural elements absorbed into the daily life of the city have enriched its character and so exploring the city can be a fascinating and rewarding experience.

India has a multi-racial society with religions such as Hinduism, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhism and Christianity present, each leaving its own footprint on the country. Where better to gain greater knowledge of some of the world’s great religions than this ancient, fascinating country?

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Evening

Flight to India

Day 2

Morning

Arrive in Delhi and transfer to accommodation

Afternoon

Free time to explore

Evening

Evening meal at hotel or local restaurant

Day 3

Morning

Sightseeing in Old and New Delhi - visits include the Qutab Minar, the Iron Pillar, Humayun's Tomb and the Lakshminarayan Temple, India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhavan (the President's official residence)

Afternoon

Continue sightseeing - Parliament House, the Secretariat Building, the Raj Ghat, Jama Masjid (the largest mosque in India) and Chandi Chowk (the city's busiest commercial area)

Evening

Evening meal at hotel or local restaurant Enjoy a Bollywood movie at a local theatre

Day 4

Morning

Leave Delhi for Agra Visit the Bear Rescue Camp en route

Afternoon

Arrive in Agra

Evening

Evening meal at hotel or local restaurant

Day 5

Morning

Visit to the Taj Mahal at sunrise Visit the Agra Fort - inside, visit the Diwan-E-Am (House of Commons), mosques and royal pavilions

Afternoon

Free time to explore

Evening

Evening meal at hotel or local restaurant

Day 6

Afternoon

Depart Agra for Jaipur Visit the deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri en route On arrival, check in at the hotel

Evening

Evening meal at hotel or local restaurant

Day 7

Morning

Visit to Amber Fort Brief photography stop at Hawa Mahal - the Palace of Winds en route

Afternoon

Sightseeing tour of Jaipur including visits to Maharaja's City Palace and the Jantar Mantar, which is the largest stone and marble crafted observatory in the world

Evening

Evening meal at hotel or local restaurant

Day 8

Afternoon

Day at leisure before transfer to the airport

Evening

Return flight to the UK

Day 9

Morning

Arrival in the UK

24-hour assistance from Halsbury Travel in the UK
6 nights' full board accommodation
Airport tax and passenger duty at current rates
Airport transfers in resort
Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
Detailed information pack
Free staff place ratio 1:10
Local English-speaking guide during the tour
Programme as listed inclusive of transport and entrance fees
Return flights from London
VAT at current rates to tour operators

Curriculum

A Level

Influences of religion on society
Similarities and differences between religions
Multicultural societies
Religious pluralism in modern society
Religious heritage within art and architecture

GCSE

Influences of religion on society
Key beliefs and practices of Buddhism
Key beliefs and practices of Islam
Freedom of religious expression

Accommodation

City Park Hotel

Cutting an impressive landmark out of the native sandstone of the area, Hotel City Park offers travelers hospitality of an international standard. The hotel’s plush and warm interiors, decorated with traditional works of art, hand picked local artifacts and tasteful furnishings, is coupled with the excellent service from staff who care.

Howard Park Plaza

Howard Park Plaza International, Agra, offers travellers 83 first class rooms and suites. The hotel’s cuisine is renowned for its taste and splendour. Howard Park Plaza guests can enjoy a view of the Taj Mahal from the rooftop-viewing gallery. All the rooms are equipped with Minibars, STD & ISD Direct Dialling and 24hrs Room Service.

Park Prime Hotel

Park Prime Hotel offers a serene refuge of comfort and hospitality where Indian tradition and modern services are blended. The hotel has now become one of the landmarks of the city with its highly professional and delightful service.Facilities include a roof top swimming pool, an international restaurant and currency exchange amongst others.Rooms at the hotel are well equipped with an electonic safe, tea and coffee making facilities, central air conditioning, mini bar and much more.

Tour highlights

Visit the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is considered the jewel of Muslim architecture in India and is also a symbol of the love that the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had for his favourite wife. When Mumtaz Mahal died at the age of 37 in childbirth, her husband, Shah Jahan, had the Taj Mahal built as her mausoleum. Shah Jahan’s reign is viewed as the golden age of Mughal architecture – other buildings he commissioned include the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid, but the Taj Mahal remains his most famous contribution. It’s estimated that it took over 20 years to build the Taj Mahal, and even longer to complete the other buildings in the complex. Over 1,000 elephants were used to transport materials and more than 22,000 labourers and craftsmen were involved in its construction.

Did you know?

Scaffolding has been erected around the building several times to protect it during wartime – first in 1942 for fear of aerial attacks by the Japanese, and then again in 1965 and 1971 during the India-Pakistan wars

See the Qutab Minar

Considered one of the finest Islamic structures ever raised, the Qutab Minar has inspired many subsequent minarets throughout India. Part of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque in Delhi, one of the earliest surviving mosque complexes on the Indian subcontinent, this 12 th century minaret is of huge cultural significance. At 72.5m it is the highest brick minaret in the world, and there are 379 steps inside. A visit here offers your students the opportunity to learn more about the rise of Islam in India.

Did you know?

There is some dispute over who the minaret was named after – it seems likely that it was either Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of India, or Khwaja Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiar Kaki, a Sufi saint.

Visit the Buddha Jayanti Park

This lovely park was built to celebrate the 2,500th anniversary of Gautama Buddha’s enlightenment! Buddha Jayanti is an annual Buddhist festival that commemorates the birth of Prince Siddartha Guatama, who went on to become the Gautama Buddha and founder of Buddhism. It also celebrates the enlightenment and death of the Buddha. At the centre of the park sits a beautiful gilded statue of the Buddha, sheltered by a magnificent pavilion on its own little island.

Did you know?

Sri Lanka gifted a sapling of the Bodhi tree which grow in Anuradhapura to the park. And that tree is said to be the southern branch of the historical Sri Maha Bodhi, under which the Gautama Buddha achieved enlightenment.

Educational Activities

Bahai Temple

The Baha'i temple in New Delhi is known locally as the Lotus Temple, as it was built to resemble the

Buddha Jayanti Park

Buddha Jayanti Park was founded on the auspicious eve of 2500 years of completion of Buddha's salvation. A plant of

Hawa Mahal

Hawa Mahal is a major landmark and famous tourist attraction in Jaipur. The splendid Rajputana architecture still speaks of the

Humayun's tomb

Humayun's tomb is a complex of buildings of Mughal architecture. It encompasses the main tomb of the Emperor Humayun as

India Gate

At the centre of New Delhi stands the 42m high India Gate, an "Arc-de-Triomphe" like archway in the middle of

Red Fort

The largest of old Delhi's monuments is the Lal Quila, or the Red Fort, whose thick red sandstone walls, bulging

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, built under the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of

Supporting you every step of the way

Creating your perfect trip

Your quote will be put together by an experienced Tour Adviser who’ll be an expert in the subject area and will know the destination really well too. They’ll work with you to create a trip to suit your group’s needs and meet your learning objectives.

Launching your trip to parents and students

The next step is to get your trip approved and then get students signed up to it. Our ‘Trip Launch Pack’ will help you with this step. This is full of resources (all free to download) designed to make your life easier at this crucial point in the trip planning process.

After you’ve booked

Once you’ve booked, your dedicated Itinerary Coordinator will start work on the finer details. They’ll make sure your itinerary makes the most of your time and they’ll take on most of the admin tasks for your trip (freeing you up to do what you do best – teach).

Support while you’re away

From lost property to properly lost, we’ll always be on the end of the phone while you’re out on the trip. You’ll get a final info pack before you go, as well as access to all your trip documents via the Vamoos app.

After your trip

We’ll ask you for feedback, so we can improve our service. Let’s start planning your next trip too, so parents have plenty of time to pay (and so it’s less stressful for you). And don’t forget to head to our resources hub to continue the learning back in the classroom.