India & Nepal

Home to the Indus Valley Civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history.Four major world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated here, while Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived in the first millennium CE and shaped the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by the British East India Company from the early eighteenth century and colonised by the United Kingdom from the mid-nineteenth century, India became a modern nation state in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by widespread nonviolent resistance.

Morning proceed onto Bodhnath, the largest stupa in the world where from a towering golden pinnacle the painted eyes of the all-seeing Buddha gaze across the valley in every direction, then proceed onto the Pashupatinath temple situated on the banks of Bagmati temple which is the most holy temples of the entire Hindu world. As entrance into the temple precinct is permitted to Hindus only, visitors can clearly see the temple and the activities performed in the temple premises from the eastern bank of the Bagmati river. A sight of cremation being performed on the banks of the river is very common.