Duration: 12 Nights / 13 Days
Places Covered: Chennai - Trichy - Madurai - Cochin - Periyar - Mysore
- Chennai
Day
01: Departure from home country.
Day 02: Chennai
Arrive Chennai and transfer to hotel
Day 03: Mahabalipuram - Kanchipuram
Full day tour of Mahabalipuram & Kanchipuram. 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 rail-station
for Trichy night train. Night on board.
Day 04: Trichy
Morning arrive Trichy and transfer to hotel. Afternoon tour of Trichy. 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 05: 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 withthe help of a
6 km long ramp, an old technique used by the Egyptians forbuilding pyramids.
Its bronzes and handicrafts make Tanjore one of the highlights of a visit to
South India. Overnight Madurai.
Day 06: Madurai
Morning
visit the great Meenakshi Temple dedicated to the consort of Lord Shiva with
its towering gopurams. 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 07: Periyar
Morning drive to Periyar National Park. 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. Amongstthe animals
which can be seen are elephants, wild boar, sambar, tiger, leopard, wild dog,
langur monkeys etc. Overnight Periyar.
Day 08: Cochin
Drive to Cochin. Overnight Cochin.
Day 09: Cochin
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. Afternoon free. Overnight Cochin.
Day 10: Bangalore/Mysore
Morning transfer to airport for Bangalore flight. Arrive Bangalore and drive
directly to Mysore. Overnight Mysore.
Day 11: Mysore
Full day excursion to Belur and Halebid. The Chenna Kesava temple of Belur built
900 years ago is an exquisite example of Hoysala art. Halebid's 12th century
Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples are master pieces of Hindu art. On the
return, if time permits, visit Sravanbelgola. At Sravanbelgola,hewn out of a
single rock and visible from a distance of 25 kms is the statue Lord Gomteshwara
which is bathed with milk and honey once every 12 years. Overnight Mysore.
Day 12: Mysore
Morning visit the palace of the Maharaja built in 1911 - 1912. 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 and a
panoramic view of Mysore. On the way back, see the Nandi Bull. Afternoon free.
Overnight Mysore.
Day 13: Chennai
Transfer to rail-station for Chennai train. Arrive and transfer to Hotel. Overnight
Chennai.
Day 14: Morning free. Check-out at 1200 hrs. Transfer to airport for return
flight.
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