Day 01 : Arrive
Chennai (Madras)
Arrive Chennai; our representative will meet you at the airport and will
transfer to hotel.
Day 02 : Chennai - Trichy (Tiruchirapalli) bu Train
Morning excursion to Mahabalipuram & Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram (64 kms
from Chennai) is the ancient capital of the Pallavas famous as a city of
1000 Temples and still has 124 shrines. The first temple dedicated to Shiva
was built in the 7th and 8th century and has paintings on the walls. Temples
of Ekambaswara, Kailasanatha, Sri Kamakshi and Varadarajaswamy are of
interest. Kanchipuram is also famous for its silks. The city of
Mahabalipuram is famous for the seven pagodas. Here on the seashore is an
interesting group of ancient rock hewn temples which are the examples of
Dravidian style of Architecture. Evening transfer to railway station to
board train for Trichy. Overnight by train.
Day 03 : Trichy
Morning arrive at Trichy Railway station and transfer to hotel. Afternoon
city tour of Trichy. Trichy was the citadel of the Chola dynasty in the
medieval period. In the 18th century it witnessed the Carnatic wars fought
between the French and the English. Lord Robert Clive's house is still there
to see and so is the Danish Church. The Rock-Fort is the landmark of Trichy.
A climb of 434 steps leads to the ancient temple of Ganapati on top and a
further climb to a Shiva temple. Overnight Trichy.
Day 04 : Trichy - Madurai
Morning drive to Madurai visiting Tanjore enroute. At Tanjore, the
beautiful Chola Temple of Brihadeshwara is capped by a monolithic cupola
made of a single granite block weighing 80 tons which was taken to the top
with the help of a 6 km long ramp, an old technique used by the Egyptians
for building pyramids. Its bronzes and handicrafts make Tanjore one of the
highlights of a visit to South India. Overnight Madurai.
Day 05 : Madurai
Morning visit the great Meenakshi Temple dedicated to the consort of Lord
Shiva with its towering gopurams (rising high above the surrounding country
side). Later, visit the Tirumala Nayak Palace - A gracious building in the
Indo saracenic style, famous for the Stucco work on its domes & arches.
Also visit the Alagar Hills and Tirupara Kundran Rock temple. Afternoon
free. Overnight Madurai.
Day 06 : Madurai - Periyar (Thekkady)
Morning drive to Periyar National Park. Free time for game viewing. Set up
in 1934,it extends to 777 square kms & forms part of the high mountain
ranges, the Western Ghats. Wild life can be seen while cruising on Periyar
Lake in a motor boat. Amongst the animals which can be seen are elephants,
wild boar, sambar, tiger, leopard, wild dog, langur monkeys, etc. Overnight
Periyar.
Day 07 : Periyar - Cochin (Kochi)
Morning visit a spice plantation. Afternoon drive to Cochin and check into
hotel. In the evening watch katakali dance show. Overnight Cochin.
Day 08 : Cochin – Bangalore by train
Morning tour of Cochin. Cochin is the natural harbour created by the famed
underwater Malabar mud-banks whose quality ensures that the rougher the seas
are outside the calmer the waters are within the Harbour. Vasco-de-Gama
placed it on the world map. It has a Jewish synagogue, Portuguese churches,
mosques & Hindu temples. Watch the Chinese Fishing Nets. In the evening
transfer to railway station to connect train for Bangalore. Overnight on
board.
Day 09 : Bangalore
Arrive Bangalore in the morning. Leave for full day city tour visiting
museums, palaces, temples, etc. Major attractions include - the Vidhana
Soudha, the State Secretariat, adorned with delicate Dravidian architecture;
for nature lovers, there is the famous Cubbon Park, The Ulsoor Lake of
Bangalore is also well known for its beautiful locales and boating
facilities. Overnight in Bangalore.
Day 10 : Bangalore - Mysore
Morning drive to Mysore (143 kms / 3 hrs) and visit the palace of the
Maharaja built in 1911-12. The palace is of harmonious syntheses of the
Hindu and saracenic styles of architecture with archways, domes, turrets,
colonnades and sculptures which are magnificent. Visit the Art Gallery;
drive upto Chamundi hill to see Chamundeshwari Temple & a panoramic view
of Mysore. On the way back, see the Nandi Bull. Overnight in Mysore.
Day 11 : Mysore - Belur - Halebid - Hassan
Drive to Hassan. Full day excursion to Belur and Halebid which are into
ruins. Hoysala art is reflected at The Chenna Kesava temple of Belur built
900 years ago . Halebid's 12th century Hoysaleswara. Hoysaleswara and
Kedareswara temples are notable structures of Hindu art. On the return visit
Sravanbelgola. At Sravanbelgola, hewn out of a single rock and visible from
a distance of 25 kms is the statue of Lord Gomteshwara which is bathed with
milk and honey once every 12 years. Overnight at Hassan.
Day 12 : Hassan - Hospet
Morning drive to Hospet and visit Hampi. The once beautiful capital city of
Vijayanagar Empire - greater than Rome, had palaces, temples &
sculptures, spread all over. The city was razed to the ground by the
Sultanates of South in 1565. Some of the interesting ruins remaining are the
Virupaksha, Vittala and Hazara Rama temples huge Ganesha and Narasimha
images, the elephant stables, the Queen's Bath, carvings on the Ramachandra
temple & Lotus Mahal. Overnight Hospet.
Day 13 :Hospet - Badami
Morning drive to Badami stopping at Aihole & Pattadakal on the way.
Aihole is the cradle of stone temple architecture of the southern Dravida
School. Pattadakal, referred to as Petrigal, reached its pinnacle of glory
under the Chalukya kings from 7th to 9th centuries. The oldest in this group
is the Sanghameswara Temple. The Mallikarjuna Temple has pillars depicting
life of Krishna. Virupaksha temple has sculptures and panel scenes from the
epics, the Ramayana & Mahabharata. The Papanatha Temple has impressive
carvings on pillars and ceiling. Overnight Badami.
Day 14 : Badami
Morning tour of Badami. Badami also known as Vatapi is rich with Hindu and
Jain temples carved out of sand stone hills. The carved temples date back to
the 6th century. Of these, three are Hindu and one Jain. Sculptured out of
solid rock they are adorned with carvings. The Fort, on top of a hill
encloses large granaries, treasury & a watch tower. The Malegitti
Shivalaya temple set on the summit of a hill is built of stones without
mortar. Overnight in Badami.
Day 15 : Badami - Goa
Morning drive to Goa. Check into hotel. Evening free for leisure at the
beach. Overnight at hotel.
Day 16 : Goa
Full day tour of North and south Goa visiting various beaches, St Francis
Church, Kali Temple etc. Overnight at hotel.
Day 17 : Goa / Out
Morning free for leisure at the beach. Afternoon transfer to the airport
for onward flight.
