South India Festival Tour

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Duration: 6 Nights / 7 Days
Places Covered: - Mahabalipuram - Tanjore - Tirchy - Madurai - Chennai

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Day 1: Chennai
Arrive Madras by international flight. Assistance on arrival and transfer to the hotel. Afternoon sightseeing tour. Madras, the capital city, popularly regarded as the 'Gateway to the South' represents a culture that is distinctly different from that of northern India.

Day 2: Chennai - Kanchipuram - Mahabalipuram
Morning drive to Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram, 70 kms west of Mahabalipuram, this city of thousand temples lies. One of the seven sacred cities of Hindus, it was the capital of the early Cholas as far back as the 2nd century BC. Kanchi was a major seat of Tamil learning as well as an important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists, Jains and Hindus. Overnight at the hotel in Covelong. Kanchipuram, the capital of the Pallava and dynasty is one of the serene sacred cities of India. It is situated 76 kms from Madras, 35 kms from Chingleput & 64 kms from Mahabalipuram via Chingleput. Places of Interest: Kailashnath Temple, Shri Vaikuntaperumal Temple, Shri Varadaraja Temple, Ekambareshwara Temple and Shri Kamakashi Temple.

Day 3: Mahabalipuram - Tanjore
An early departure for Tanjore visiting enroute Pondicherry.
Pondicherry - Although the French influence is gradually fading, Pondicherry retains a few Gallic accents. Pondicherry's main sights are the Rai Nivas, the Sacred Heart Church and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) also close to Chennai (Madras) is on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, along the eastern coast. Mamallapuram known for its rocks carvings and monolithic sculptures has the famous shore temple, the only one to have survived the ravages of nature. Also known as the Seven Pagodas (temples), six now lie submerged in the sea. Known as the Pallava Art, this was built during the period 830 - 1100 AD.

Day 4: Tanjore - Trichy
Morning sightseeing tour of Tanjore. Tanjore - The home of Carnatic music, musical instruments, dance and traditional hadicrafts, Tanjore (Thanjavur) is famous for the Brahadeeswarar Temple. The temple constructed more than a thousand years ago by the Chola King Raja Rajan is an architect's marvel. Brahadeeswara Temple at Tanjore (Thanjavur), dedicated to Lord Shiva, also called the Big Temple, belongs to the architecture of the Chola period. Built in the 10th Century A.D., by Raja Raja Chola, the Temple Tower is capped by an 81.3 tonnes round monolithic cupola. This enormous piece of stone is said to have been was moved into position by moving it along an inclined plane 6 kms. long. The temple is considered an engineering skill of the Chola architects who planned its construction in such a way that the shadow of the cupola never falls on the ground.

Day 5: Trichy - Madurai
Morning visit Rock Fort Temple. The Rock Fort situated on the banks of the Kaveri river, Trichy's most famed land mark is an 84 m high rock, one of the oldest in the world aprox.3,800 million years. The attraction is not for fort itself but the temple at the summit. 344 steps hewn out of rock lead to the top where are the inscriptions dating back to the 3rd century B.C. Later drive to Madurai and on arrival, check-in at the hotel. Overnight stay. Madurai is one of the oldest cities of India, with a history dating all the way back to the Sangam period of the pre Christian era. The glory of Madurai returned in a diminished form in the earlier part of this millennium; it later on came under the rule of the Vijayanagar kingdom after its ransack by the ravaging armies of Delhi (Malik Kafur). During the 16th and 18th centuries, Madurai was ruled by the Nayak Emperors, the foremost of whom was Tirumalai Nayakar. The Sangam period poet Nakkeerar is associated with some of the Tiruvilayaadal episodes of Sundareswarar - that are enacted as a part of temple festival traditions even today.

Day 6: Madurai - Chennai
Morning sightseeing tour of Madurai Madurai, known as Athens of the East, it is the second largest city on the banks of the River Vigai. The city believed to be more than 2500 yeras old. The city got its name from the drops of nectar (Mathuram) that fell from Shiva's locs when he came to bless its people for constructing a temple for him. Madurai where the people wake up at the chant of hymns is proud of magnificent 'The Meenakshi-Sundareswara Temple.

Day 7: Madurai - Chennai
Transfer to the airport for flight to Madras.