South India Temple Tour

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival Chennai

Stop At: Chennai (Madras), Chennai (Madras), Chennai District, Tamil Nadu
Meeting and assistance at the airport. Our representative will meet to welcome and escort you by a private chauffeur driven transport to the Hotel. Whilst the room keys and check-in is organized, our representative will also hand over the “Welcome Folder” documents and brief you the tour program.
Afternoon city tour visiting, Kapaleeshwarar Temple: A masterpiece of Dravidian architecture, this ancient Shiva temple, is the biggest in Chennai. Fort St.George: Located on the seashore near the harbor, Fort St. George was built for the East India Co. in 1960 AD. Marina Beach: the pride of Chennai is the second longest beach in the World and has a wide sandy foreshore. Other attractions are Fort Museum and St. Mary's Church and Little Mount Shrine. Overnight at Hotel.
Duration: 8 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at the 3-star hotel.

Day 2: Chennai to Knachipuram and Mahabalipuram

Stop At: Mahabalipuram, Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu
After breakfast depart by surface to Madurai, en-route visit Kanchipuram,On arrival check-in at Hotel.
Visiting Arjuna’s Penance. The magnificent Shore Temple, built by king Rajasimha in the seventh century, is a unique temple that houses the shrines of both Shiva and Vishnu while the Varaha Cave is a rock-cut mandapam with two incarnations of Vishnu—Varaha and Vamana—besides scenes of kings and queens. The Krishna Mandapam has a bas-relief of Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhan hill in his fingertips. Other important attractions of Mahabalipuram include the Mahishasuramardini Cave, Kotikal Mandapam, Ramanuja Mandapam, and the Dharmaraja Cave. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at the 3-star hotel.

Day 3: Mahabalipuram To Pondicherry

Stop At: Pondicherry, Pondicherry, Union Territory of Pondicherry
After breakfast depart by surface to Pondicherry, On arrival check-in at Hotel.
Afternoon city tour visiting Shri Aurobindo Ashram:Shri Aurobindo, the great seer, poet and prophet of the twentieth century, made Pondicherry his home from 1910 till his death in 1950. His vision and ideals continue to draw people from all over the world, Pondicherry Museum: On display are the findings of Arikamedu, the Chola bronzes and sculptures, glimpses of French heritage, specimens of modern and traditional handicraft, paintings, armories, carvings and many other things of historical interest, Eglise De Sacre Coeur De Jesus: Dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, this church is noted for its gothic architecture and stained glass panels which depict the entire life of Jesus Christ, Botanical Garden: Established by C.S. Perrotet in 1826, it preserves a large variety of exotic species of plants from all over India and abroad. Overnight at the hotel.

Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at the 3-star hotel.

Day 4: Pondicherry to Tanjore

Stop At: Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India
After breakfast depart by surface to Tanjore, On arrival check in at Hotel.
Tanjore is famous for many reasons since the time of Cholas. The name itself has many interesting legends related to it. According to one of them, Tanjore probably was called Tanjai. The other legends attribute the name of the city to Tanjam, a demon who was haunting the locality and was destroyed by God Vishnu. However, apart from these legends Tanjore also has a sound history of different dynasties that ruled over it. The Cholas conquered Thanjavoor in about 850 A.D. replacing the Mutharayar Chiefs and made it their capital. The Cholas ruled over, Pandyas and Cheras. Overnight at Hotel.

Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at the 3-star hotel.

Day 5: Tanjore to Trichy

Stop At: Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
After breakfast depart by surface to Trichy, On arrival check-in at Hotel.
Tiruchirappalli, universally known as Trichy, is a sprawling but extremely enjoyable city with two extraordinary temples – one perched high above the town on a rocky mount – and many travelers find Trichy more enjoyable than the clamor of the more renowned Madurai. Trichy’s long history dates back to before the Christian era when it was a Chola citadel. During the 1st millennium AD, both the Pallavas and Pandyas took power many times before the Cholas regained control in the 10th century. When the Chola empire finally decayed, Trichy came into the realm of the Vijayanagar emperors of Hampi until their defeat in 1565 by the forces of the Deccan sultans. Overnight at Hotel.

Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at the 3-star hotel.

Day 6: Trichy to Madurai

Stop At: Madurai, Madurai, Madurai District, Tamil Nadu
After breakfast depart by surface to Madurai, On arrival check-in at Hotel.
Madurai is called the temple city of India, which makes it one of the most visited religious destinations of southern India. Madurai is also the modern industrial city of the state. The political capital of the Pandyan and the Nayakan dynasties, Madurai has also been the centre for learning and the heart for South Indian culture and tradition for the last 2,500 years. The magnificent gopurams of the Meenakshi Temple are the first and main attraction of the city. Spread across six hectares of area, the temple is situated in the middle of the town. Apart from the massive Meenakshi temple, the Mariamman Teppakulam, Tirumalai Nayak Mahal, Gandhi Museum, Thirupparankunram, Azhagar Koil and Koodal Alagar Temple are some of the other important sites to visit in Madurai. Moreover, as Madurai makes a good base point to visit some of the exotic destinations nearby, you can also decide on spending some more time here to complete your visit to the southern India. Overnight at Hotel.

Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at the 3-star hotel.

Day 7: Madurai Depart

Pass By: Madurai, Madurai, Madurai District, Tamil Nadu
In time transfer to Kolkata airport to board flight for onward destination.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.