| Day 01:Chennai
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Arrive Chennai - the gateway to southern
India, established in 1639 by the East India Company, is one
of the oldest cities of the
country. Assistance and transfer to hotel.
After
lunch at hotel, half day
sightseeing tour,
visiting Gandhi Memorial, Kala Kshetra,
Mylapore temple and Marine beach.
Dinner and overnite at hotel.
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| Day 02:Chennai(Excursion - Tirupathi,154kms/3.5hours)
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After breakfast, proceed to
Tirupathi. Lunch at local
restaurant Tirupathi is a temple town known for the
famous ancient temple
of Lord Venkateswara (Lord of seven hills or Balaji, as he is
affectionately known ) on the top of the
860mts high
Tirumala hills. The temple of Lord Venkateswara is not only
believed to be amongst the oldest temples in the country, but
also the
richest of them all
.Legend has
it that
Lord Venkateswara borrowed money from the divine treasurer Kubera
for his wedding expenses. He is still paying back this debt which is why
the pilgrims donate generously to the temple funds.
In the evening return
to Chennai for dinner and
overnite stay.
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| Day
03:Chennai/Kanchipuram/Mamallapooram |
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After breakfast drive to Kanchipuram ( 76
kms/01.50 hrs )
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 paintings on the walls.Temples of Ekambaswara ,
Kailasanatha, Sri Kamakshi
and Varadarajaswamy are
of interest. Kanchipuram is also famous for its silks. Lunch at local
restaurant and later drive to Mamallapooram and check in at hotel.
Afternoon visit the city - built in 7th century, earlier
called Mahabalipooram, this ancient Pallava port, is today the sight of
several antique sculptural marvels. In this ancient seaside town ,
shrines and huge sculptures cut-out of rocks more than 1200 years back
during the reign of Pallava Kings in the
region can be
seen. The rock
carvings depicting
mythological episodes - of demons, Gods and animals in battle and
others - are truly poems in stone. The only shore temple which remains
here is the
spectacular two - spired shrine, unique
because it houses both Lord Shiva and the Lord Vishnu in its
sanctum-sanctorum. Dinner and overnite at hotel.
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| Day
04:Mamallapooram/Tiruvannamalai/Pondicherry
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After breakfast drive to Tiruvannamallai(112kms/03hrs)- a
pilgrim centre with an ancient temple of Lord Shiva. After lunch at local
restaurant, proceed to Pondicherry (131kms/
3.5hrs), which carries a strong whiff of the French presence in
India. This erstwhile French colony on the east coast of South India
merged with the rest of the country in 1954. Legend says that Pondicherry
is the place where St.Agasthaya settled down. Checkin ,dinner and overnite
at hotel.
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| Day 05:Pondicherry
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After breakfast drive to visit Aurbindo Ashram, the city
of dawn, which
is 10kms
north of
Pondicherry. This
ashram promotes Aurbindo's ideas in bringing about a
synthesis of Yoga and
modern science,
so as to unite the
spirit and
matter. After lunch at hotel, visit Auroville - a unique experiment
in international living and in creating
a new environment
where men and women of all nationalities live together in harmony. Dinner
and overnite at hotel.
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| Day
06:Pondicherry/Chidambaram/Tanjore
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Afterbreakfast
drive to
Chidambaram(65kms/1.5hrs) also called as Thillai, which has the famous
Nataraja temple with the root of the sanctum-sanctorum covered with golden
plates is located in the centre of the town covering an area of 40 acres.
In this temple, postures from the Bharatnatayam form of dance are depicted
in sculpture. Natraja is Lord Shiva as a cosmic dancer. After lunch at
local restaurant, drive to Thanjavur (104kms/03hrs) enroute visiting the Brass factory at
Kumbakonam.
Tanjore once the capital of Chola Kings, has the Brahadeswara temple(or
the big temple of God).The temple tower rises to
a height of 15mts from a square base of 29 mts and then tapers off, making
a total of 66mts.Checkin, dinner and overnite at hotel .
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| Day 07:Tanjore/Trichy(54kms/02hrs)
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After breakfast leave for
Trichy, short name of Trichurapalli, situated on the banks of Kaveri River is a blend of history
and tradition as well as pilgrim centre, it is famous for Ranganath
temple at Srirangam. Checkin at hotel.
After lunch city tour visiting Rock fort and its temple at
a height of over 23mts. Also visit Srirangam
and Jambukeshwar Temple. Dinner and overnite at hotel.
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| Day 08:Trichy/Madurai(133kms/3.5hrs)
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After
breakfast proceed to Madurai and checkin at hotel. The
ancient city of Madurai, some 2600 years old is laid
out in the banks of river Vaigai as a lotus flower with
the Meenakshi temple in the centre. After lunch city tour visiting
- Meenakshi temple, King Tirumala's Palace, Great tank and Gandhi museum.
Dinner and overnite at hotel.
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| Day
09:Madurai(Excursion-Rameshwaram,154kms/04hrs)
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After
breakfast proceed to Rameshwaram-
the most sacred temple town of
India is an island hallowed by the epic Ramayana, where Lord Rama is said to have
visited before going into battle of
Srilanka. Legend has it that Lord
Rama sent Hanuman to Mount Kailash to bring a Lingam for worship when he
set foot after defeating Ravana. As Hanuman did not return when the
auspicious hour was approaching, Sita made a sand Lingam so that worship could be performed in time, which is where the present day Ramanatha Swamy Temple stands
close to sea on the eastern side of the island. One of the
twelve Jyotirlingam shrines is also well known for
its magnificent
corridors and the massive sculptured pillars lining them. Lunch at local
restaurant. Return to Madurai for dinner and overnite stay at hotel.
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| Day
10:Madurai/Trivandrum ( 329 kms/08.50 hrs )
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After breakfast drive to Trivandrum and check in at
hotel. Afternoon at leisure.
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| Day 11:Trivandrum(Excursion Kanyakumari
87
kms/02.00
hrs )
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After breakfast proceed for Kanyakumari is the
lands end of India where the water of the Arabian Sea , the Bay of
Bengal and the Indian Ocean meet. An important pilgrim centre of India ,
it is famous for the Amman Temples a symbol of unity and sanctity
deidicated to the virgin Goddess , Kanya Kumari. To its South East
lies the famous Vivekananda Rock Memorial , a blend of all the
architectural styles of India. Lunch at local restaurant. Evening enjoy
the beautiful sun set and later return to Trivandrum. Dinner and overnite
at hotel.
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| Day 12: Tivandrum/ Back Home
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After breakfast transfer to airport to connect flight for
onward journey. End of our services. |