AN EXCEPTIONAL JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF AN ANCIENT INDIA FORGOTTEN FOR NEARLY 2,000 YEARS
FROM TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2026 TO SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2026:
EXPERIENCE THE BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE FILMING OF BARABAR!
INDIA 12 DAYS/11 NIGHTS - MAXIMUM 25 PEOPLE
WHAT IF YOU JOINED US BEHIND THE SCENES OF OUR FILM BARABAR?
“I would dream of going with you to the sites.” How many times have we heard this sentence… That is why we decided to organize these journeys!
12 DAYS OF TIMELESS DISCOVERIES
Forget social media and the Western lifestyle to explore, investigate, and live a unique adventure at the heart of ancient India, alongside people just as curious as you to see with their own eyes the chambers of BARABAR and NAGARJUNI.
Because what we are offering is also an adventure doubled with an extraordinary human experience.
An unforgettable journey, perhaps the trip or one of the trips of your life, within a small group of maximum 25 people, allowing you special exchanges with the film crew.
12 DAYS THAT WILL FOREVER CHANGE YOUR PERCEPTION OF HUMANITY’S PAST… AND MAYBE OF YOURSELF.
DAY 1
Welcome at Mumbai Airport (formerly Bombay), the capital of Maharashtra, by Patrice and Jérôme, for the transfer to Aurangabad with a domestic flight.
DAY 2
Full day at Ajanta.
🚘 AURANGABAD → AJANTA CAVES (departure at 6:00 am)
🕌 Visit - Opening hours: 09:00 am to 05:00 pm
🛏️ HOTEL ENRISE BY SAYAJI
The site of AJANTA is a complex of 25 Buddhist temples (or vihāras) and 5 sanctuaries (or chaityas), some of which remain unfinished. All were carved into a long horseshoe-shaped basalt cliff, in two phases of construction: the first beginning around the 2nd century BCE and the second in the 5th century CE… on a scale that inspires humility, which is why this site is considered one of India’s greatest architectural treasures.
DAY 3
🚘 AURANGABAD → ELLORA CAVES
🕌 Visit – Opening hours: 06:00 am to 06:00 pm
🚘 ELLORA CAVES → AURANGABAD
🛏️ HOTEL ENRISE BY SAYAJI
ELLORA is a complex of 34 rock-cut halls carved between the 6th and 10th centuries, or 12th depending on the sources, stretching across nearly 2 kilometers. So, long after Barabar and Nagarjuni. Here, India’s spirit of religious tolerance is more clearly embodied – as in Bodhgaya – with 12 Buddhist temples, 17 Hindu, and 5 Jain. As in Ajanta, each is a masterpiece of architecture, with countless sculptures and bas-reliefs covering the walls, but the highlight of this site is undoubtedly the Kailasanatha Temple – also called Kailasa – where the rock was entirely sculpted to resemble Mount Kailash, the legendary residence of Shiva. A true feast for the eyes, this temple is overwhelmingly grand and simply sublime. It must be seen to be believed, for despite all its carvings, buildings, different levels, hundreds of statues, and columns, everything – absolutely everything – is in fact a single piece of basalt! After exploring the interior, we will head up the hill to admire it from the iconic viewpoint.
DAY 4
In the morning, visit of the temples of AURANGABAD, also carved into basalt, where one unfinished temple – abandoned after the rough shaping of its volume – will give you a true sense of the tremendous effort required to carve into solid rock… which would already be more than enough if the sole purpose were to create a simple “shelter from bad weather.” Among these temples, richly decorated with statues and magnificent bas-reliefs, you will discover cells and small spaces intended for meditation or chanting, where we will actually try – for those who wish – a sound experiment! The aim, once again, is to realize that it is not necessary to create symmetrical spaces with sloping walls polished like mirrors to appreciate the beauty of chants within temples.
After a lunch in Aurangabad, we will visit the BIBI KA MAQBARA. Nicknamed the “Taj Mahal of the Deccan,” it was commissioned in 1660 by Azam Shah, son of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, in memory of his mother. This mausoleum is often compared to the Taj Mahal in Agra, though it is smaller. Here, we are dealing with built architecture rather than rock-cut structures, and this temple is well worth a visit before taking the flight to New Delhi, the capital of India, for the second part of our adventure.
✈ AURANGABAD → NEW DELHI
🛏️ HOTEL COSY GRAND CHANAKYAPURI
DAY 5
To make the most of our time before our next flight in the late afternoon, we will visit the QUTB MINAR, the tallest minaret in India and the third tallest in the world, standing 72.5 meters high, with 5 stories and 379 steps! Built by the Muslims in 1199 and completed in 1220 – during the Delhi Sultanate – as a victory tower (Qutb Minar means “pillar or axis” in Arabic) to celebrate the arrival of Islam in India, it was commissioned by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first Sultan of Delhi, and later completed by his successor Iltutmish. With Islamic architecture influenced by Persian and Indo-Islamic styles, this stone tower is decorated with Quranic inscriptions and features five levels with projecting balconies. The first three levels are made of red sandstone, while the top two combine red sandstone and white marble, allowing us to admire the artistry of carving and sculpture.
Here, we will also observe a curiosity: the famous iron pillar… which does not rust, and is over 1600 years old! The Iron Pillar of Delhi measures more than seven meters including the buried section and the capital, and weighs over six tons…
✈ NEW DELHI → GAYA – flight: 2:45 pm – 4:20 pm
🛏️ HOTEL THE IMPERIAL in Bodhgaya
DAY 6
🚘 BODHGAYA
🕌 Visit of the sacred MAHABODHI temple, where you will find the throne and a pillar of Ashoka: the “diamond throne,” called Vajrasana, probably placed here by Emperor Ashoka between 250 and 233 BCE, located beneath the tree where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment – perhaps after visiting Barabar and Nagarjuni, who knows!
🚘 BODHGAYA
🛏️ HOTEL THE IMPERIAL
DAY 7
🚘 GAYA → SITAMARHI
🕌 Visit
After a countryside picnic in the Indian fields, we will head to the small village of Sita Marhi. A fair warning: it’s so tiny that we won’t all fit inside at the same time! Try not to shed a tear at the sight of drill holes used to hang lamps or of that curious altar covered with trash… well, yellow tiles. What can we say? Traditions get lost, especially when there is no awareness at all of the immense effort required to build such a structure. Despite its cluttered floor and soot-covered walls, you will appreciate its unique shape, halfway between Vapiyaka and Vadathika at the Nagarjuni site—so much so that it would easily fit into the logical sequence of forms, if only it weren’t located so far from Barabar and Nagarjuni. Its entrance passage, however, is different… welcome to the heart of reflection, a true field investigation, magnifying glass and flashlight in hand!
Back in France, you will then have the opportunity—if you wish—to request changes to its Wikipedia page (unless someone has already done it by then) to correct the drawing that depicts it as ogival in shape, which is not and never has been the case, yet has been repeated for decades in publications copying other publications. This is the risk of writing about a site one has never visited… you will then be able to say: “I saw it with my own eyes, I know its true shape!”
Get ready for a memorable encounter with the inhabitants of the small village of Sita Marhi, unaccustomed to seeing Westerners but delighted by our presence—it is always a surprise! 🚘 SITAMARHI → SON BHANDAR
DAY 7
🕌 Visit
Sone Bhandar. Considered an intermediate step between the natural cave and Barabar according to the Indologist Gupta – who does not hesitate to dismiss the inscriptions used for dating with a stroke of the pen – here you will visit two chambers carved into metamorphosed schist: one more or less intact and the other half-destroyed. They will give you an idea of what a rock-cut chamber normally looks like – just like those you have already seen at Ajanta and Ellora – but with the particularity that carving these chambers in such a hard and unyielding material seems to have been imposed rather than truly chosen by the carvers… and strongly suggests that they were more inspired by those of Barabar and Nagarjuni rather than representing a preliminary technical stage (cf. the BARABAR film), imposed on masons who do not appear to have worked with much enthusiasm.
This will once again help you realize the exceptional and unique character of the chambers of Barabar and Nagarjuni – and above all, why we keep repeating it! You will also experience the difference between seeing photos and videos, and actually seeing with your own eyes, on site, touching the surfaces… since the greatest achievement at Barabar lies precisely in the transition from a very rough shape like these, to the “razor-sharp” perfection of Barabar and Nagarjuni…
🚘 SON BHANDAR → MAKSUDPUR Evening dinner in Maksudpur, then return to Bodhgaya
🛏️ HOTEL THE IMPERIAL in Bodhgaya
DAY 8
🚘 GAYA → BARABAR/NAGARJUNI
Barabar & Nagarjuni DAY 1. The very heart of this journey’s experience: discovering what cannot be said or conveyed in a film, because it goes beyond words and is unique to each person. On this day, you will finally encounter the chambers that brought you across so many kilometers, at the heart of forgotten ancient India, following in the footsteps of our distant ancestors—far beyond what History tells us when it claims these unmatched masterpieces were nothing more than simple shelters against bad weather. You will finally be able to admire them with your eyes, your hands, your voice! If you have never visited them, it is impossible to imagine the experience of being inside, closing your eyes, and vocalizing—outside of time.
On the first day, Patrice will guide you and show you the important technical details, according to us… but perhaps you will notice things we haven’t yet seen, as has happened during every shoot despite their apparent simplicity. Stay attentive: you will be as many pairs of fresh eyes, ready to collect new clues!
🚘 BARABAR/NAGARJUNI → MAKSUDPUR
In the evening, dinner in Maksudpur and we will answer your questions, if you have any.
🛏️ HOTEL THE IMPERIAL in Bodhgaya
DAY 9
🚘 GAYA → BARABAR/NAGARJUNI
Barabar & Nagarjuni DAY 2. On this day, we will make arrangements so that each of you can have a moment alone – or as a couple – inside one of the chambers. No one knows what you will experience there, and you will be free to share it with the group afterward… or not. It goes beyond words, into the unspeakable, for these sites are sacred—a dimension forgotten in our hectic modern Western world. By the end of this day, you will truly be able to say that you know what it feels like to experience the chambers of Barabar and Nagarjuni: this is the very purpose of the journey.
In the evening, our final dinner in Maksudpur will likely be a bit special, as you will see… sharing experiences will be welcome. Then we will return to Bodhgaya, whose very name means our “Mother Earth.”
Debriefing at the hotel about our experiences at Barabar and Nagarjuni.
🛏️ HOTEL THE IMPERIAL in Bodhgaya
DAY 10
🚘 GAYA → BARABAR/NAGARJUNI
Barabar & Nagarjuni DAY 3. A day dedicated to exploring the immediate surroundings of the site, with the possibility of gaining some height for a breathtaking view of the landscape.
🛏️ HOTEL THE IMPERIAL in Bodhgaya
DAY 11
🚘 GAYA → GAYA AIRPORT
✈ GAYA → NEW DELHI 2:15 pm – 2:05 pm
After our arrival in New Delhi, we will take a stroll and enjoy a rooftop dinner in Hauz Khas Village.
This will be the closing dinner of this experience, a special moment marking the end of this timeless bubble, this privileged journey you will have given yourself—far from the confusion and illusions of our modern world, following in the footsteps of those we have called “the Builders of the Ancient World” and their sublime thought materialized in stone! Namaste, as the Indians say.
🛏️ Final night at the HOTEL COSY GRAND CHANAKYAPURI in New Delhi before returning home.
DAY 12
✈ GROUP: NEW DELHI AIRPORT
Time to head back home with your mind filled with wonderful images!
YOUR ACCOMMODATIONS
AURANGABAD: HOTEL ENRISE BY SAYAJI - 3 nights
The Enrise by Sayaji Hotel in Aurangabad enjoys a strategic location near a main thoroughfare, offering easy access to local attractions. Its spacious and comfortable rooms are equipped with modern amenities to ensure a pleasant stay. The hotel also features a varied restaurant. Ideal for travelers seeking comfort and convenience, it stands out for its attentive service and welcoming atmosphere.
NEW DELHI: HOTEL COSY GRAND CHANAKYAPURI - 2 NIGHTS
The Cosy Grand Chanakyapuri Hotel, located in close proximity to Delhi Airport, is ideal for travelers with a late arrival or an early morning departure. This establishment offers comfortable, well-maintained rooms, perfect for a short stay before or after a flight. Its strategic location ensures quick access to the airport, with shuttle services also available. The staff is welcoming, ensuring a hassle-free stay for travelers in transit.
GAYA: HOTEL THE IMPERIAL BODHGAYA - 6 NIGHTS
The Imperial Hotel in Bodhgaya is an elegant establishment offering spacious, well-equipped rooms, perfect for a comfortable stay. Located on a main road, it provides easy access to the region’s major religious and tourist sites, such as the Mahabodhi Temple. The hotel features a restaurant serving a variety of cuisine, as well as concierge services to facilitate travel. With its strategic location and peaceful atmosphere, it is ideal for both pilgrims and travelers.
PRICE: €3950
THE PRICE INCLUDES:
The 4 domestic flight tickets. (Mumbai/Aurangabad, Aurangabad/New Delhi, New Delhi/Gaya, and Gaya/New Delhi)
10 nights in a double room.
Breakfasts, lunches, and dinners in all hotels, as well as lunches on site.
All entrance fees for all visited sites and activities mentioned in the itinerary.
Tips.
English-speaking assistance 24/7.
The rental of 3 air-conditioned and comfortable minibuses (Tempo Traveler type) with a private English-speaking driver for the entire duration of the stay, including the driver’s service, accommodation, fuel, tolls, parking fees, and insurance.
Personalized assistance with your departure logistics.
Visa fees.
Exclusive guidance by Patrice and Jérôme.
Taxes (GST 5%).
THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
International flights to and from your point of departure. (Free personalized assistance with the agency is available upon request for your ticket selection)
Meals not mentioned.
Drinks and personal expenses.
Single room supplement of €220.
Cancellation and repatriation insurance.
Anything not mentioned in “The Price Includes.”
OVERVIEW OF YOUR ITINERARY
Click on the icon below to the left of the map to open your itinerary.
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