Day 01 Arrive Chennai
Arrive Chennai & You will be met by our representative on arrival at airport & will escort you till check in at hotel.
Chennai is the cultural heartland & gateway to the South India. Here on the east coast , ancient traditions of classical dance, music arts, handicrafts, literature, philosophy and religion have taken root and spread over India and to many parts of the world. In exchange , global influences flowed and were integrated.
The Dravadians who have had the greatest influence on the life style of the people of Chennai were originally a Mediterranean race of same stock as the people of create, the pre Hellenic Aegeans of Greece, and even the Pharaonic race of ancient Egypt. After they had migrated to India many millennia ago they absorbed some of the folkways and love of the earlier. Negroids and Austrics who had laid the foundation of Indian civilization. Later when Indo –Iranians, or Aryans percolated into Southern India, their social systems also had a significant and lasting impact on established customs and rituals.
Afternoon short city sightseeing tour of Chennai.
Visit Fort St. George, completed in 1653 and today filled with reminders of the past, including St. Mary’s, the first church consecrated on Indian soil. The National Art Gallery has many excellent bronzes including the famous Chola period bronze Nataraja, the God Shiva, in the cosmic dance pose. The Government Museum (closed on Fridays), which contains sculpture and architecture produced by the Dravidian dynasties. Drive along the Marina, an elegant promenade and proceed to the old Indian section of Mylapore.
Overnight at hotel
Day 02 In Chennai
Full day excursion to Kanchipuram & Mahabalipuram.
The Golden City of Kanchipuram has about 125 shrines, all of them centuries old, dating back to the early Cholas of 200 B.C. It was successively capital of the Cholas, the Pallavas and the Rayas of Vijayanagara. The height of Kanchi’s glory was when it was capital of the far-flung empire of the Pallavas from the 6th to the 8th centuries when Mahabalipuram and Mylapore were its great ports. All that is left are its magnificent temples. Kanchipuram‘s other claim to fame is its silk, renowned for more than four centuries. A unique system of weavers makes and sells Kanchi saris which are the richest saris in India and certainly the most sought after.
Mahabalipuram is a beautiful beach resort which consists of a the tiny village by the sea in which all else is dwarfed by a dream world of awesome Tamil art, an open air museum of sculpture in living rock. The piece de resistance is Arjuna’s Penance or the Descent of the Ganga, the world’s largest bas-relief, 764 ft. by 288 ft. (27m by 9m). It is a beautiful composition of hundreds of celestial beings, human and animals all hurrying to a natural rock cleft that divides the giant stone. The best known landmark of Mahabalipuram, is the Shore Temple, which has stood by the sea for 12 centuries. Its twin spires are pure poetry in granite.
The other wonders of Mahablipuram are the mandapams, each a cave scooped from a hillside of solid rock and ornamented with pillars, sculptured with panels and with rathams (monolithic rock-cut shrines) that have inspired generations of South Indian temple-builders. The five rathas, named after the Pandava brothers, the heroes of the Mahabharata, and their wife Draupadi, are part of an amphitheatre of art. Each temple though incomplete, remains a gem. Also in this area are a magnificent elephant and an exquisite Nandi, the sacred bull.
Day 03 Chennai-Pondicherry
Morning drive to Pondicherry
Pondicherry was the former capital of the French territories in India. Landmarks include the Raj Nivas, The Pondicherry Museum, Aurobindo Ashram, the best known landmark of Pondicherry.
Afternoon city tour.
Overnight at Hotel.
Day 04 Pondicherry-Tanjore
Morning drive to Tanjore enroute visiting Darasuram & Chidambaram.
Check in upon arrival.
Overnight at hotel
Day 05 Tanjore
Morning full day visit Tanjore & Trichy.
Trichy is a historical town and was for a period the capital of the Chola rulers. Visit the Rock Fort, 300 ft. (90 m) high, which dominates the landscape. A fine view of the city can be had from the fort. Visit the island of Srirangam across the River Kaveri - 3 miles (5 km.) away. The temple here is practically a town in itself with several residential streets within its 1 sq. mile together with a number of shopping streets.
City tour of Tanjore.
Visit the famous Brihadeeswara Temple, which has gopurams over 90 ft. (27 m) high and are exquisitely sculpted & the Saraswati library..
Overnight at hotel.
Day 06 Tanjore-Madurai
Morning drive to Madurai
Madurai known as the City of Festivals, Madurai is the most ancient home of culture and the first Tamil Academy was founded here by scholars and pious kings. The town has developed encircling the famous Meenakshi Temple built in the Dravidian style - one for Shiva and the other for his spouse Meenakshi. It is believed that if you place a literary work in the tank of this temple, it will sink if it is worthless and float, if worthy. The temple has beautiful sculptures of Shiva. The court of a thousand pillars built in 1560 AD also has lovely sculptures. From any side inside the hall, the visitor can get a kaleidoscopic view. Outside the temple, are the Musical Pillars, which produce different swaras or notes when tapped. To the east, is the Vasanth Mandapam with life-size statues of nayakas of Madurai.
Afternoon city tour.
Afternoon city tour of Madurai.
The `Temple City’ was the capital of the Pandya kingdom but it was during the reign of the Nayaks (10th to the 18th century) that the magnificent Meenakshi Temple Visit the Palace of Thirumalai Nayak, the most famous king of the Nayak dynasty. It has a great audience hall, a three-sided pavilion and a courtyard.
The evening “Aarti” is a must see for all visitors. The Consort of Goddess Durga - Shiva, is brought to her chamber in procession. This procession goes around the temple, and has various short ceremonies at different shrines, before the final prayer at the entrance of her chamber. The entire procession takes 45 mins.
Overnight at hotel
Day 07 Madurai-Periyar
Morning after breakfast leave Madurai for Periyar.
Periyar is spread out over an area of 300 sq. miles and one can see leopard, tiger, elephant, bison and wild bear.
On arrival transfer and check in at hotel.
Evening boat ride in Lake Periyar to view wild life.
Periyar Park encompasses 26 sq. km. artificial lake Take a boat ride on the lake to view wild life and water birds. Herds of elephants and bison come to the lake. Spotted deer and sambhar are also found here.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 08 Periyar – Kumarakom
Morning drive to Kumarakom
Kumarakom, a quaint little places on the backwaters of Kerala. It lies on the eastern shore of the Vembanad Lake, which is a bird sanctuary. Waterfowl, cuckoo and wild duck can be seen in abundance here. In winter, large flocks of migratory wild duck from Siberia come in spectacular formation to roost. Kumarakom lies in a timeless world of gentle, unhurried activity.
On arrival transfer and check in at hotel.
Balance day at leisure
Overnight at hotel
Day 09 Kumarakom – Cochin
Morning embark boat for Back water cruise. Disembark from boat and drive to Cochin.
Cochin, originally built by the Portuguese, has a natural harbour with lagoons, canals and fishing hamlets. One of the three biggest ports on the West Coast, it is also an industrially developed area. The coir industry is of special importance. There is golf and swimming for the sporty tourist. An excursion by boat through the backwaters is enchanting.
Overnight at hotel
Day 10 Cochin
Morning city tour visit the Mattancherry Dutch Palace - open from 10.00 to 15.00 hrs.(closed on Fridays and public holidays), which was built by the Portuguese in 1555 and renovated by the Dutch in 1663. In the ancient rooms are 17th century murals that relate in vibrant colour the story of the epic Ramayana. Visit a Jewish Synagogue - open 10.00 to 12.00 hrs. & 15.00 to 17.00 hrs.(closed on all Saturdays and Jewish holidays) in Jew Town and Fort Cochin Area - Legend dates Jewish trade with Kerala from the times of King Solomon. There are a couple of streets of picture-postcard houses out of another age, in 17th century Dutch and traditional Kerala styles. Visit St. Francis Church - open from 09.00 to 13.00 hrs. and 14.30 to 17.30 hrs.(closed for visitors on Sundays from 08.00 to 11.00 hrs.) the oldest European Church in India. It has several antiquities including a wealth of records. These include a palm-leaf title deed the local Raja gave the Portuguese in 1503. See the Chinese Fishing Nets, along the tip of Fort Cochin unique to this part of Kerala and living symbols of a centuries-old Chinese influence on this coast..
Evening witness the Kathakali dance show in an Auditorium
Overnight at hotel
Day 11 Leave Cochin
In time transfer to airport to connect flight for your onward destination.
** Imp: all our program's are 100% tailor made and can be modified as per the requirements.