Mahabalipuram - Kanchipuram - Tiruvanamalai - Auroville - Pondicherry - Chidambaram - Kumbhakonam - Tanjore - Madurai - Kanyakumari - Poovar - Varkala - Kollam - Alleppey - Bangalore
Arrival in Chennai by flight @ 16h45 pm, on arrival welcome & drive to Mahabalipuram.
This ancient seaport of the Pallava dynasty of the 7th century AD has its monuments hewn out of solid granite. Though ravaged by sea and wind through these many centuries, the monuments bear testimony to the magnificent heritage of Dravidian architecture. Among the legacy of the Pallavas at Mamallapuram is the Shore Temple, the oldest in South India, standing on the seashore with its paved forecourts, Arjuna's Penance, an immense bas-relief, 27m long and 8m high, intricately carved and rock-cut temples excavated from the hillside with large carved panels depicting stories from Indian mythology.
Overnight in Mahabalipuram.
After breakfast leave for the silk city of Kanchipuram, famous as the city of a thousand temples. Kanchipuram has been considered as the religious capital of the country due to the presence of several famous temples and the establishment of the Kamakoti Peetham by the religious leader Adi Sankara. Apart from this, Kanchipuram has been synonymous for its silk sarees which have come to be known as Kanchipuram Sarees.
Overnight in Tiruvannamalai.
Morning visit to the Ramana ashram and after woods, a climb of 1.5 km to Virupaksha cave. We visit the Kora of Holy Mountain on foot, approx 4 km, 1 hr walk, afternoon : free, attend evening Arti at Lord Shiva Temple.
Tiruvannamalai Successive kings of South India have given great importance to Tiruvannamalai and the temple of Arunachala. For a thousand years these kings have built prakaras outlying temples, gopurams and compound walls, dug ponds, offered jewels and donated gold for the upkeep of temple lands. Historically famous kings like Raja Raja Chozhan, Rajendra Chozhan, Harihara Bukkar, Krishna Deva Rayar as well as kings of Chera, Chozha, Pallava, Pandya, Rashtrakotta, Hoysala and Naik dynasties were proud to have Tiruvannamalai as part of their kingdom. Some of them made it their Capital. Though caught in political crisis and engaged in battles, they continued to hold onto Tiruvannamalai, which they considered vitally important to them.
Overnight in Tiruvannamalai.
Morning visit of Ramana Ashram, approx 10.00 am, leave for Pondicherry. On the way, we visit and have lunch in Auroville, late afternoon visit Shri Aurobindo Samadi, then Ganesh temple, evening arrival in hotel, dinner in hotel "Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity" It proposes to realize this unity in diversity and not in uniformity. It will bring together those who believe in a progressive universal harmony and want to work for it. In fact "the first condition for living in Auroville is to be convinced of the essential unity of mankind and the will to collaborate in the material realization of that unity". Named after Sri Aurobindo, Auroville literally means the 'City of Dawn.
Overnight in Pondicherry.
After breakfast leave for Chidambaram and visit Ganga Kunda Cholla Puram temples on the way to Kumbhakonam.
Chidambaram
The Land of Wisdom the city of Chidambaram is located in the east central part of Tamil Nadu and is the most important pilgrim spot for the devotees of Lord Shiva. The word Chidambaram comes from words 'Chit' and 'Ambaram', which literally means the sky infused with an atmosphere of intelligence and wisdom. Spread over an area of 5 sq. km Chidambaram has a population of around 60 thousand most of them speaking Tamil and English. It totally has a plain topography with the highest point just 6m above sea level. Chidambaram had been the northern frontier of the ancient Chola kingdom. Now Chidambaram is famous for its cluster of temples and their Dravidian style of temple architecture, with few of them being absolute gems in the architectural domain. Visit the temple town and find out by yourself why they are so renowned and talked about. The most known of all is the Natraja temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temples in the city are generally Dravidian style.
Natraja Temple- Natraja temple is one of the ancient temples of Tamil Nadu. It is exclusive not only due to its tremendous structural excellence, but also its unique concept. The temple is dedicated to Shiva, also known as the 'The Cosmic Dancer'. This is one of those rare temples that represent Lord Shiva in an idol form rather than a Lingam. The Nataraja temple is said to be the venue of a divine dance competition between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy. It is built of granite and was constructed during the rule of the Chola King Bira in the 10th century. The temple of Nataraja, blends piety, tradition, history and art to an outstanding level. The temple sees devotion by millions of Hindus not only in India but also in Sri Lanka where its influence is very prominent. The art and architectural lavished on the temple is just remarkable. The temple located in the center of the town covers an area of around 40 acres and has a gopuram on all sides
Overnight in Kumbhakonam.
Kumbhakonam - The temple city of Kumbhakonam is on the shores of River Kauvery on the North, and River Arasalar on the South. The Kumbhakonam temples are specially noted for their semi-erotic sculptures. The mythological origin of the Kumbhakonam town gives a totally varied story apart from the tales related to the birth of other places. A Kumbh (pitcher) that contained the “seeds of creation” was reached here on the occasion of a great flood. When Lord Shiva broken the pot, its contents sprouted out into “lingas” all along the countryside. It is widely believed that the reason of the presence of large number of temples in this region is the sprouted lingas. It is stated that Kumbhakonam was the Capital of Chola dynasty in the early centuries, which was confirmed by the British government, who stationed a New Zilla judge here from 1806 to 1863 for further studies on its historical details.
Overnight in Kumbhakonam.
After breakfast leave for Thanjavur, on arrival a morning visit to the temple. After lunch continue to Madurai, on arrival in Madurai transfer to hotel, dinner in hotel.
Tanjore - the pride of the Chola dynasty was the capital of the powerful Chola Empire. Rajaraja Cholan, the Great Chola king built The Bragatheeswarar (Peruvudaiyar) Temple, also known as Big Temple. "In the twenty-fifth year of Rajaraja Cholan (A.D 1009-10) on the 257th day of the year the king handed over the copper pot for the finial at the top of the Vimana". It weighed about 235 lbs., and was overlaid with gold plate of weight of 292.5 Kalanju or nearly 35 lbs Rajarajeswaram, as the temple was named by its founder, fills a large portion of the small fort (Sivaganga Fort), encircled by moat on the east and west, the Grand Anaicut Channel (Putharu) on the south and by the Sivaganga Garden on the north. The temple entrance has an imposing gateway on the east, on either sides of which stand two small shrines dedicated to Ganapathi and Murugan and further through there is another Gopuram 90 feet high. This way leads into an outer court. A second and magnificent Gopuram further leads into the main court in which the temple is built. The inner court is about 500 feet long and 250 feet broad, is well paved with brick and stone. The court is surrounded on all sides by a cloister. The western and northern wings have Sivalingams consecrated therein and there are paintings over these walls depicting sixty-four Nayanmars, sacred sport of Siva. The outer measurement of the temple is 793 feet by 397 feet.
Overnight in Madurai.
after breakfast leave for Madurai sightseeing tour, visit Raman Maharishi House & Meenakshi Temple, dinner at hotel, after dinner attend the evening Puja in Meenakshi Temple.
Madurai, in southern Tamil Nadu is the second largest city in the state and an important cultural and commercial centre. Over 2500 years old, Madurai was a seat of learning in the Sangam period 3500 years ago. Legend has it that when the Pandyan king was about to name his new city, Lord Shiva appeared and the drops of nectar falling from his locks gave the city its name - Madhurapuri - city of nector. Today, Madurai is noted for its splendid temple to the goddess Meenakshi and its imposing gopurams The Thirumalai Nayak Palace, was built in the Indo-Saracenic style by the Nayak rulers of Madurai in 1636 AD. Traditional crafts are still created here in age-old fashion and Madurai is noted for its fine handloom fabrics and beautiful brass lamps.
Overnight in Madurai.
After breakfast leave for Kanyakumari, on arrival transfer to hotel, evening visit to Swami Vivekananda Smarak by boat,
The southernmost tip of peninsular India is where the waters of the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea meet - a place from where one can see spectacular sunrises, colourful sunsets and the full moon rising from another part of the sky! A temple dedicated to goddess Kanyakumari is located close to the seashore. Off the coast, on a rocky island, is the memorial to that great Indian philosopher - Swami Vivekananda who sat in meditation here in 1892.
Overnight in Kanyakumari,
Morning sun rise at 6.00 am and meditation, after breakfast leave for Poovar Island, on arrival transfer to hotel.
Remark- we will provide 2 days Ayurveda treatment.
Overnight in Poovar.
Overnight in Poovar.
Morning after breakfast leave for Varkala, on arrival transfer to hotel, evening visit the Lord Vishnu temple.
Varkala It is an important Hindu centre of Pilgrimage. The final resting place of the great social reformer of the 20th century Shree Narayana Guru is near Varkala, atop a hill called Sivagiri on the Malabar Coast. The 2000 year old Sree Janardhana Swamy Temple (Lord Vishnu).
Overnight in Varkala.
Early morning breakfast, after breakfast leave for Kollam to board house boat, lunch on house boat, on arrival in Alleppey drive to Cochin, on arrival in Cochin transfer to hotel, dinner in hotel.
Kerala's backwaters are the most popular tourist attraction of Kerala. The total expanse of backwater stretches over 1500kms, with a network of 44 rivers, lagoons and lakes from north to south. Alleppey which forms the main part of this network has the peculiar Geographical feature of having the water in level with the land. This gives the advantage of getting a closer look at the village life on shore while on a backwater ride.
Overnight in Cochin.
Early morning checkout at 03.00 AM at Cochin airport, the flight will depart at 07:25 AM.
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