Temples of South India

TRIP SUMMARY

Arrival Transfer

Chennai Sightseeing

Lunch during sightseeing

Dinner options

Kanchipuram Sightseeing

Lonch Optional

Dinner options

Mahabalipuram Sightseeing

Lunch during sightseeing

Dinner options

Pondicherry Sightseeing

Lunch during sightseeing

Chidambaram Sightseeing

Dinner options

Thanjore Sightseeing

Lonch Optional

Trichy Sightseeing

Dinner options

Lonch Optional

Madurai Sightseeing

Dinner options

Arrive Chennai

Chennai - Kanchipuram - Mahabalipuram (120kms/ 3hrs approx)

Mahabalipuram - Pondicherry (100kms/ 2hrs approx)

Pondicherry - Thanjore (170kms/ 4hrs approx)

Thanjore - Trichy (60kms/ 1.5hrs approx)

Trichy - Madurai (140kms/ 3hrs approx)

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Madurai - Periyar (Thekkady) (160kms/ 3hrs approx)

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ARRIVE CHENNAI

Arrival TransferOn arrive at airport meet with our office representative assistance and transfer tohotel. (Hotel check in out time 1200hrs afternoon early check in subject to roomsavailability)

Chennai SightseeingVisit the San Thome Cathederal, built on the site of a 16th century Portuguesebasilica which is said to be the tomb of the apostle Thomas, who is reputed to havebrought Christianity to India in the 1st century AD. The tour also includes StThomas Mount, the Little Mount Shrine, the Fort St George, St Mary's Church,and the Fort Museum which has a collection of objects from the tenure of the EastIndia Company in Chennai including letters from Robert Clive. The Marina Beachis the second longest in the world. Walk along the surf-kissed edge, coast along theDrive, relax in your shorts, take the kids to the aquarium, sip coconut water, butworshippers of the sun, beware! You’ll offend everyone if you bring out your bikini.Rumours of sharks and sharp eddies keep all but the bravest away. The academyof classical dance and music, Kalakshetra or 'Temple of Art’ is in Thiruvanmayur.Run on the ancient lines of gurukul education, it frequently presents recitals ofclassical music and Bharatnatyam in town. The Government Museum and ArtGallery has objects of art, sculptures and carvings from the Chola, Pandya,Pallava, and the Vijayanagar periods. Overnight at hotel.

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Lunch during sightseeingLunch during the tour at your choice of restaurant on direct payment basis. Ourguide can suggest the restaurant of your choice meal and within your budget.

Dinner optionsDinner at your choice of restaurant or at your hotel on direct payment basis.Overnight at hotel.

CHENNAI - KANCHIPURAM - MAHABALIPURAM (120KMS/ 3HRSAPPROX)

Breakfast at hotel, sightseeing of Chennai if not done on day 01. Later drive toMahabalipuram en route visit Kanchipuram Temples.

Kanchipuram SightseeingKanchipuram the City of Thousand Temples and The Silk City. It is also called as“Silk City” as silk saris are being manufactured here. Kanchipuram is known for its

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culture and civilization. Visit Kailasanathar temple: It is dedicated to Lord Shiva,dates back to 8th century. This temple is noted for its architecture and sculptures.There are 58 small shrines situated around the main shrine as compound wall.Sandstone was used in the construction of this temple. Ekambareswarar temple:This temple represents one of the five elements called Earth (Prithvi). Anotherancient temple of the city dedicated to Siva. The 2500-year-old mango tree insidethe temple has 4 branches each yields different varieties of mangoes. Varadharajatemple - This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is noted for itswonderful sculptures. This is one of the 108 sacred Shri Vaishnavite temples.Vaikundhaperumal temple: It is dedicated to lord Vishnu. It is also one of the 108Divyadesams. Kamakshiamman temple: It is dedicated to Goddess Kamakshi –the presiding deity. It is one of the holy Sakthi worship places in India. It is closelyassociated with Sri Adi Sankaracharya. Handloom industry: Kanchipuram isalso famous for handloom Silk Sarees. The main profession of people inKanchipuram is weaving silk sarees.

Lonch OptionalLunch at hotel after check in or at your choice restaurant during sightseeing. Ourguide can suggest the restaurant of your choice meal and within your budget.

Dinner optionsDinner at your choice of restaurant or at your hotel on direct payment basis.Overnight at hotel.

MAHABALIPURAM - PONDICHERRY (100KMS/ 2HRS APPROX)

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MAHABALIPURAM - PONDICHERRY (100KMS/ 2HRS APPROX)

Breakfast at hotel.

Mahabalipuram SightseeingVisit the Cave Temples: which excavated by scooping out the scarp of the hill. Thescooping work starts from front to back. The cave temple is usually divided intoinner & outer mandapas, distinguished by the difference in levels. The frontmandapa will have pillars & plasters numbering 4,6,8,10. The inner mandapacontains single, triple or five cells. The cave temple with little modification iscategorized as Mamalla style. The pillars under this style are slender & taller withsquatting lion at their base. The pillar is divided into distinct parts known as kalasa,tadi, kumba, padma etc. Monolithic Temples: are locally known as Rathas. Theywere executed by chiseling out the exterior face of the boulder. Work started fromtop to bottom. The pyramidal vimana with sikhara at the top is an important featureof this style. It can be rightly said that these monolithic temples must have paved theway for the structural temples with elaborate architectural & sculptural details in thesubsequent stage. There a total number of 8 monolithic temples found inMamallapuram. The five rathas in one place, Ganesha Ratha, Valayankuttai Ratha& Pidari Rathas. Shore Temple: The Shore Temple on the Bay of Bengal wasconstructed in the 7th century during the rule of King Narsimha-Varman II Rajasimha(c. 690-728).The Shore temples is a temple complex consisting of two Sivatemples and a carving of Anantasayana Vishnu. The temple facing east is enteredby a small gopura. On plan, it consists of a small sanctum & a front mandapa & is atwo-tired vimana. The sanctum is housing a linga. The Somaskanda panelconsisting of Siva & Parvati with baby Skanda is on the back wall of the sanctum.The dhara linga & Somaskanda panel on the back wall of the sanctum are thefeatures of the Pallava temples only.

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Lunch during sightseeingLunch during the tour at your choice of restaurant on direct payment basis. Ourguide can suggest the restaurant of your choice meal and within your budget.

Later drive to Pondicherry check in at hotel. Rest time free and easy to relax.Overnight at hotel.

Dinner optionsDinner at your choice of restaurant or at your hotel on direct payment basis.Overnight at hotel.

PONDICHERRY - THANJORE (170KMS/ 4HRS APPROX)

Breakfast at hotel sightseeing of Pondicherry.

Pondicherry SightseeingVisit Shree Aurobindo and The Mother, his most eminent disciple, set up theAurobindo Ashram, Auroville in 1926. Together they explored the possibilities ofyoga and meditation as a path to salvation. At the Ashram residents continue to

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practice their teachings and run a lot of the cultural activity in Pondicherry. There isan educational centre, which occasionally hosts lectures, screens films and holdsplay performances. The sun, surf and sand are best at the beaches a little outsidetown. Called Serenity, Quiet and Reppo they manage to live up to their name. Thetown beach has a 4-meter high statue of Mahatma Gandhi and French World War Imemorial. There is a 150-year-old lighthouse also. The French Institute is in astylish colonial building. It has some remarkable old French books that are veryrare. The Romain Rolland library has over 60,000 volumes and overlooks the sea.Along with the ‘kepis’ capped cops and its streets being called ‘rue’, it is thechurches that help the town retain its European charm. Thechurch of Our Lady ofthe Immaculate Conception or Notre Dame de la Conception is almost 300years old. The church to Our Lady of Angels is famous for an oil painting that wasgifted by Napoleon III. The most magnificent however is the grand gothic SacredHeart Church with 3 stained glass panels of the life of Christ. Just outside town isa copy of the Basilica at Lourdes. Many temples around Pondicherry are dedicatedto Ganesh, the half man half pachyderm god who is the Destroyer of all Obstacles.The oldest ones date back to the 10th century Chola Empire. The VinaynagarManakula temple has a golden dome and a collection of 40 beautiful friezes.

Lunch during sightseeingLunch during the tour at your choice of restaurant on direct payment basis. Ourguide can suggest the restaurant of your choice meal and within your budget.

Drive to Thanjore en route visit Chidambaram.

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Chidambaram SightseeingVisit Nataraja Temple which is dedicated to the Nataraja or the dancing posture ofLord Shiva. This temple is located in the heart of the town and has undergonenumerous renovations under the reign of Chola and Pallava kings. In 1213 AD,Aragalur Udaya Iraratevan Ponparappinan rebuilt some of the parts of this temple.The Nataraja Temple is known for its attractive gopurams, carvings, fivemandapams and inscriptions. Built during the 10th century by Chola Kings, thistemple is known for huge walls, four tall shikharas in four directions and a bigSivagangai tank. The four tall shikharas are decorated with 108 carved dancepostures of Natya Shastra.

On arrival check in at hotel.

Dinner optionsDinner at your choice of restaurant or at your hotel on direct payment basis.Overnight at hotel.

THANJORE - TRICHY (60KMS/ 1.5HRS APPROX)

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Breakfast at hotel

Thanjore SightseeingVisit Brihadeshwara Temple & Fort: built by great Chola king in the 10th centuryit is an outstanding example of Chola architecture and is listed in world heritage.On the top of the apex of 63metres high, a dome is said to be constructed from asingle piece of granite, weighing an estimated 81 tones. Thanjavur Palace &Museum: the palace near the temple is a vast building of masonry built by theNayakas around 1550 and partly by the Maratha. The palace houses an art gallery,a library and a hall of music. The art gallery occupies the Nayak Durbar Hall. It has asuperb collection of Chola bronze statues from the 9th to 12th centuries. TheSaraswati mahal Library is next door to the gallery. Art Gallery: In the Palace thereare a number of granite and bronze statues of the Chola period. SaraswathiMahal Library: In another section of the Palace is the library where over 30,000palm leaf and paper manuscripts in India and European languages are preserved.

Drive to Trichy check ion at h

Lonch OptionalLunch at hotel after check in or at your choice restaurant during sightseeing. Ourguide can suggest the restaurant of your choice meal and within your budget.

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Trichy SightseeingVisit Rock Fort Temple: The 83m high Rock Fort is the only outcrop in theotherwise flat land of the city. The rock is one of the oldest in the world-approximately 3.800 million years, which makes it as old as the rocks of Greenlandand older than the Himalayas. The fort played an important part during the Carnaticwars and according to an inscription, mainly contributed to lay the foundations ofthe British Empire in India. At the top of the rock is the Uchipillaiyar Koil, a templededicated to Lord Vinayaka from where one can enjoy a panoramic view ofTiruchirappalli. A flight of steps leads to the Mathrubutheswarar ofThayumanaswami temple, dedicated to Lord Siva where the lingam is a projectionof the rock itself. Below the Siva temple are the two Pallava cave temples that havebeautiful sculptures of the 6th and 7th centuries. At the foot of the Rock Fort are atank and a pavilion which are used during the float festival of the temples. Near thetank is the house where Robert Clive lived when he was in Tiruchirappalli and thereis an 18th century Church built by Reverend Schwartz of Denmark. The Rock fortHillock is said to be 230 crore years old. The materials like Quartz used in glassmaking and felspar used in ceramic are found in this Rock formation.

Tiruvanaikkaval: The Jambukeshwara temple, here, is dedicated to Shiva, and ithouses five concentric walls, and seven gopurams. Once an elephant worshippedLord Shiva under the holy Jambu tree and hence the name Jambukeshwar.Srirangam Temple or Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple: Srirangam, situatedaround a distance of 7 kms this small island town in the Cauvery River is encircledby the temple walls. There are 22 gopurams including India’s tallest (72 meters, 13storey high), which was built in 1987 while the others date back to the 14thcentury.Many people have had a hand in its construction, including the Cheras,Pandyas, Cholas, Hoysalas and rulers from Vijayanagar. An annual Car Festival isheld here in January during which a decorated wooden chariot is pulled through thestreets between various walls. In mid-December, the Vaikunda Ekadasi, orParadise Festival will be celebrated in the Vishnu Temple. Ivory sculptures of LordVishnu in various poses and the images of Nayak Kings with consorts donated byNayak kings who ruled Madurai during the 17th century are available here.

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Dinner optionsDinner at your choice of restaurant or at your hotel on direct payment basis.Overnight at hotel.

TRICHY - MADURAI (140KMS/ 3HRS APPROX)

Breakfast at hotel, drive to Madurai check in at hotel.

Lonch OptionalLunch at hotel after check in or at your choice restaurant during sightseeing. Ourguide can suggest the restaurant of your choice meal and within your budget.

Madurai SightseeingVisit Meenakshi Temple: This temple is the city's main attraction. This temple isnearly 2000 years old placed in the heart of the old town - a splendid example ofDravidian architecture. A striking feature of the temple is the astonishing structureknow as “Ayiramkaal Mandapam” or the Hall of Thousand Pillars and each pillarfeatures high, ornate, bold sculptures that look life like. The present temple wasdesigned in 1560 by Vishwanatha Nayak and subsequently built during the reign ofTirumalai Nayak. There are four entrances to the temple with an area of six

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hectares. Each of its 12 towers has the height of 45 to 50 meters. The PotramaRaikulam or the Golden Lotus Tank is the place where the Tamil literacy society,called Sangam used to meet to decide the merits of the work presented to them.The temple museum has 985 richly carved pillars and each one surpasses theother in beauty.

Tirumalai Nayak Mahal: This Indo-Saracenic building was built in 1636 by theruler whose name it bears. The imposing edifice is famous for the “Stuccowork” onits domes and impressive arches. The Sorgavilasam (Celestial Pavilion),measuring 75m x 52m, constructed entirely of brick and mortar without the supportof a single rafter or girder, is a marvel of indo-Saracenic architectural style. Amongother striking features of the palace are the massive white pillars, several of whichline the corridor that runs along the courtyard. Connected by high decorated arches,these pillars measure 20m in height and have a circumference of 4m. Elsewhere,there are polished black stone pillars of varying heights. It was King ThirumalaiNayak’s grandson who demolished much of the fine structure and removed most ofthe jewels and woodcarvings in order to build his own palace in Tiruchirapalli.

Vaniyur Mariamman Teppakulam: This enormous temple tank is fed by waterfrom the Vaigai river. Mariamman Teppakulam is a beautiful square tank spreadover a huge area of almost 16 acres, located about 5Kms East of MeenakshiTemple. The tank is the scene of the colourful float festival held in January/Februaryto celebrate the birth anniversary of King Thirumalai Nayak, who built this tank. Thedeities of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are placed in a float, called “Teppam”,decorated with flowers and illuminated with hundred of lights. This float is takenaround the tank to the sound of traditional music. On the Northern side of the tank atemple is dedicated to Mariamman, a famous village deity of Tamil Nadu.

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Dinner optionsDinner at your choice of restaurant or at your hotel on direct payment basis.Overnight at hotel.

MADURAI - PERIYAR (THEKKADY) (160KMS/ 3HRS APPROX)

Breakfast at hotel.

As per flight schedule transfer to airport to board flight for Chennai. From Chennaiboard connecting flight for your onward destination

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