This tour is now fully subscribed.

THIS TOUR HAS GOT FULL ON DAY 1, but you may still sign up for the waitlist while passport pages & deposits are received from registrants and in the case of withdrawals or cancellations.

This study tour is designed around three premier Unesco World Heritage sites in Madhya Pradesh (M.P., India’s “Middle State”), a region historically known as Malwa. We will begin our journey in M.P.’s lakeside capital, Bhopal. First, we will visit India’s most important prehistoric site, Bhimbhetka, to see astonishingly well-preserved and unique 10,000 year-old hunter-gatherer paintings in Stone Age rock shelters which were discovered only 60 odd years ago. On the way, we will see the enormous, unfinished 11^thc Bhojeshwar Temple, with perhaps the largest Shiva lingam in India, a relic from the time of Raja Bhoj and the Paramaras. In Bhopal, we will appreciate one of the country’s best archaeological collections at the modern State Museum, especially fine Hindu temple sculptures from across the state, and also the stunning Tribal Museum of art.

Next, we will travel deep into the historic Vidisha district to visit India’s single most ancient Buddhist stupa and monasteries complex that exists intact atop a hill at Sanchi, noted for its instantly-recognisable, great domed stupa and four exceptionally carved gateways recounting Jataka tales and stories of the Buddha’s life. Originally built of brick at the core by Emperor Ashoka in the 3^rd c BC, Sanchi’s main stupa and other monuments were clad in stone over centuries by later patrons, the Guptas of India’s Golden Age, and further expanded till the 12^th c. The fine lion capital of the broken Ashoka Pillar stump by the stupa and several superb Gupta Buddha images will be viewed at the Sanchi Archaeological Museum near the site.

In Vidisha, we also will visit Chandragupta II’s 5^th c. Hindu rock temple-caves at Udaygiri, renowned for late Gupta period relief carvings, notably the enormous, famed Varaha, boar avatar of Vishnu, and the 2^nd c. inscribed Pillar of Heliodorus, dedicated to Vasudeva by a Greek Hindu from Taxila.  

We will end our travels in the sacred town of Khajuraho, to visit its magnificent 10^th-11^th c Chandela dynasty Vishnu, Shiva and Devi temples with their legendary, mysterious erotic sculptures and carvings – among the finest temple art in the world.

A small Archaeological Museum, anchored by the well-known, wonderful Dancing Ganesha, will allow us to take a closer look at excellent sculptures from the various extant and once-standing temples which have not survived.

This tour has been planned to coincide with the acclaimed annual Khajuraho Dance Festival, and we will watch an evening performance of classical dance by internationally-known Indian dancers against the exquisite backdrop of the temples.  

We will stay in the best posible hotels in Bhopal, Sanchi and Khajuraho. Transport vehicles will be comfortable and safe, and we will have good guides to accompany us. It should be a memorable journey for old India hands and general travellers alike.

The approximate cost is SGD $3,800 which includes airfare, twin-share accommodation, all meals, bottled water, transport, guides, entry fees, tips, travel insurance and a contribution to the FOM general fund. It does not include visa and personal expenses such as alcoholic beverages, laundry, camera fees or internet charges.

To register for the tour, please ensure your FOM membership is current.

1. read, agreed to and signed an online FOM Release Form and Responsibility Statement;
2. agreed to send a photocopy of the first page of your passport (containing relevant details) directly to the Tour Leader; and
3. agreed to make an initial deposit payment of SGD$1500 to FOM by PayNow (UEN number: T04SS0218E) or PayPal or cheque made payable to “Friends of the Museums Singapore”.

If you wish to pay the deposit by cheque, kindly mail it to:

FOM Study Tours: Central India

Friends of the Museums

61 Stamford Road

#02-06 Stamford Court

Singapore 178892

PLEASE NOTE:

Cancellations incur penalties and at times we can accommodate only partial or no refunds, so please register only if you are sure you can travel next February.

Information and reminders re further payments will be sent out later with a detailed itinerary to registered participants.                                                                                                                                               

Deposit: SGD $1500 SGD per person 

Final payment: $2300 due by October 31, 2022

Notice for pre-travel meetings will be sent to registrants once all sign-ups are done.

This tour is now fully subscribed.

This unique tour to three key cities in Germany, Munich, Dresden and Berlin, is specially designed to capture sites that hold huge cultural and historical backgrounds with in-depth knowledge provided by local English-speaking guides. Some highlights will be the very important collections of Dukes and Kings  as well as prominent individuals who have collected artefacts from China, India and SEA throughout the centuries. 

Cabinets of curiosities were filled with extraordinary objects, from ivory carvings to nautilus shells. The Wittelsbacher, the Bavarian dynasty, had through their connections unprecedented access to ‘world riches’, and thus today's museums are a treasure trove to be discovered, from magnificent coin cabinets to the stunning porcelain collection at Castle Schleißheim.

Porcelain was, of course, one of the Chinese products everyone coveted, so much so, that August the Strong traded 600 of his soldiers for 151 large vases from China, till today they are known as ‘Dragoon Vases’, which can be seen at Dresden's magnificent art collection. His love of porcelain eventually resulted in the founding of the first European porcelain manufacture. 

The Silk Road always fascinated people and one is Albert Grünwedel who went on the first German research expedition to Xinjiang. After documenting his archaeological finds he brought back some frescos and these you can see in an incredible exhibition in the newly created Humboldt Forum for Asian Art, together with many other Silk Road artefacts. 

Collections like the Pergamon Altar, or Sanssouci in Potsdam are a must too, as well as some recreational river cruises around Berlin and Dresden, the oldest German castle, the spectacular Gothic, Renaissance or Baroque churches and castles which make up the rich heritage of Germany. 

Trip cost is approx. S$4.500, which includes hotels (double-sharing basis), train rides, public transport, entrance fees, meals, F&B, tips to guides, and a contribution to the FOM general fund, but excludes the flight to and from Germany, personal expenses such as visa fees, telecommunications, laundry and extras at planned meal such as wine, beer or soft drinks. Travel insurance can be arranged, however is not included in the expense. 

Please note that while cancellations after the sign up are possible however, it might not be possible to grant refunds once tickets are bought. 

We will continue to monitor the Covid situation in Germany, which at the moment is stable, however since the tour is only in autumn, the situation might change. 

The single room supplement is approx. S$1000.

To register for the tour, please ensure your FOM membership is updated and then follow instructions to register.

By registering online, you will have:

1. read, agreed to and signed an online FOM Release Form and Responsibility Statement;

2. agreed to send a photocopy of the first page of your passport (containing relevant details) directly to the Tour Leader; and

3. agreed to make an initial deposit payment of SGD$2.000 to FOM by PayPal or cheque made payable to “Friends of the Museums (Singapore)”.

If you wish to pay the deposit by cheque, kindly mail it to:

FOM Study Tours: Germany 2022

Friends of the Museums

61 Stamford Road

#02-06 Stamford Court

Singapore 178892

PLEASE NOTE:

Cancellations incur penalties and at times we can accommodate only partial or no refunds, so please register only if you are sure you can travel in October.

Information on further payments will be sent out later with a detailed itinerary to registered participants.

You may sign up by clicking on the red Registration Tab that appears below the box describing the Study Tour you wish to register for.

Please use your FOM membership email and password to sign up, and also read and virtually sign the Release and Responsibility Statement which will now appear online. No printing and sending of the Release is required any more.

After 24 hours following the first meeting of the registrants with the Tour Leader, you will receive an email from the FOM office with a PayPal link to make your deposit payment. You are requested to pay this deposit amount within 3 days to confirm your spot on the tour. Please note that you do not need to have a PayPal account to make the payment via PayPal. You may also pay by PayNow to FOM's UEN number: T04SS0218E.

If you wish to make the deposit payment by cheque, please send it in to the FOM office within 3 days of registering online so that it can be banked 24 hours after the first meeting with the Tour Leader.  

Kindly make your cheque payable to "Friends of the Museums Singapore", write the Study Tour name on the back, and mail or drop it off to the FOM Office at: 

Friends of the Museums

61 Stamford Road, #02-06 Stamford Court

Singapore 178892

In addition, please send the Tour Leader directly a copy of the first page of your passport (B&W or colour) upon registering online. You may scan and email this to the Tour Leader.

(New, improved procedure - passport copies do not need to be sent to the FOM Office, but straight to the Tour Leader). 

Note: On all tours, participants are confirmed on a first-come basis, based on the order in which the registrations are done online and the deposit payments and passport copies are received. A Health & Safety Questionnaire is sent to registrants by the Tour Leader and is required to be filled in by all participants to ensure their fitness and suitability for the tour. FOM members living in Singapore have priority over overseas FOM members during the first 1 week of the registration period.

*If not too certain how to use the new activity sign up system, click here for full information.