South India Temple Tour

Travel Duration : 09 Nights- 10 Days
Destinations to be covered : Chennai- Tirupati- Kanchipuram- Mahabalipuram- Pondicherry- Thanjore- Madurai- Trichy

DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 01: Arrive Chennai
On Arrival at Chennai airport, our representative would meet and greet you & will also assist you with the check in process at the hotel. He will brief you about the tour.

Chennai is known for its cultural heritage & architecture. The region was served as an important administrative, military, & economic centre dating back to the 1st century. When the Portuguese arrived in 1522, they built a port, the region then passed into the hands of the Dutch, who established themselves near north of the city in 1612. On 22 August 1639, British East India Company was granted land, as a base for a permanent settlement.
Overnight stay in Chennai

Day 02: Chennai
Today take a tour of Chennai, touching Fort St. George, built in the year 1640 AD by the British EKumarakom, Keralast India Company, under the direct supervision of Francis Day & Andrew Cogon. This bastion achieved its name from St. George. Within the fort we visit St. Mary's Church, built in the year 1680 & oldest Protestant Church in the East contains several antiquities, not the least being the oldest British tombstones in India. Fort Museum, with 10 rooms displaying the old uniforms, coins, padlocks, old prints & palanquins. Santhome Cathedral derives its name from St. Thomas, the apostle of Christ who is believed to have visited Madras sometime during 52 AD. He was killed on St. Thomas Mount just in 78 AD & was interned in Santhome beach, where church was built. Several years later, another church was built & his mortal remains were transferred to the new one. Museums, established in 1857, it is undoubtedly one of the country's finest museums. It has sections devoted to geology, archaeology, anthropology, botany, zoology, sculpture & numismatics.
Overnight stay in Chennai

Day 03: Chennai- Tirupati (150 kms. - 4 hrs. Approx)
Morning drive to Tirupati. The history of the temple dates back to as far as 9th Century A.D, when Pallavas, the rulers of Kancheepuram, patronized this shrine. But it was not until the time of Vijayanagara dynasty in 15th Century AD that the temple got recognition, and the contributions started pouring in. From 1843 AD, when the Empire started rising in India till 1933 AD, the administrative activities of the Tirumala temple were overseen by Mahants of the Hatiramji Mutt. In 1933, the Madras government took over and handed the reins of administration to an autonomous body known as the Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Committee. Again in 1951, the TTD was reconstituted with a board of trustees, while an Executive Officer operated as its administrative head.
Darshan at the Temple....
Overnight stay in Tirupati

Day 04: Chennai- Kanchipuram- Mahabalipuram (150 kms. - 4 hrs. Approx)
Morning drive to Mahabalipuram, to visit 7th century port city of the South Indian. It is believed to have been named after the Pallava king Mamalla. It has various historic monuments built largely between the 7th & the 9th century, & has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monuments are mostly rock-cut & monolithic, constitute the early stages of Dravidian architecture wherein Buddhist elements of design are prominently visible.

Enroute : Visit Kanchipuram, is one of the seven holy cities in the country. It was a city of learning for both Tamil & Sanskrit, & was believed to be visited by Hsuan Tsang. In ancient times it was called Kachi. Once had over a thousand temples & today there are more than a hundred extant. It is also known for its temples & silk sarees. We visit Kailasanatha Temple, built in 8th Century AD. It is built in the typical Pallava style, with a pyramidal tower, a pillared hall & vestibule, enclosed by a wall. The temple is famous for exquisite carvings & attracts devotees & tourists alike. There are 58 small shrines situated around the main shrine, as a compound wall. Fresco style paintings adorn the inner walls of the temple.

Next, visit Ekambaranatha, ancient temple is dedicated to lord Shiva. The 57 metres high Raj Gopuram is one of the tallest towers in South India. The 3000 year old mango tree inside the temple has 4 branches each yielding different variety of mangoes.

Also visit Kamakshi Amman Temple, built in 12th century AD, as an important Shakthisthalam, known as Parabrahmaroonpini. The main deity is seated on Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Eswara & Sadasiva.
Overnight stay in Mahabalipuram

Day 05: Mahabalipuram
In Mahabalipuram, Visit Shore Temple, one of the oldest temples in South India. It belongs to the 7th Century AD & is a good example of the first phase of the structure of temples constructed in the Dravidian style. Designed to catch the first rays of the rising sun & to illuminate the waters after dark, the temple ended up with an unusual lay-out.

Arjuna's Penance is the world's largest bas-relief. This huge whale-back shaped rock contains figures of gods, demigods, men, beasts, birds. Next we visit Rathas, monolithic temples fashioned as chariots. They remain an architectural mystery, for each is apparently a faithful reproduction of a structure built of wood. In fact, even the grain of the timber beams & rafters has been simulated in stone.
Overnight stay in Mahabalipuram

Day 06: Mahabalipuram- Pondicherry (110 kms. - 2 hrs. Approx)
Morning drive to Pondicherry, the land of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, the serene world of distinct spiritual vibration & thus renowned as Sacred Land. Upon arrival check-in hotel.

Proceed for Sightseeing of French colonial buildings and beaches..
Overnight stay in Pondicherry

Day 07: Pondicherry- Tanjore (180 kms. - 5 hrs. approx)
Morning drive to Tanjore, flourished during the rule of the Nayaks & Mahrattas. It has been the treasure house of art for centuries. It is called the Rice Bowl of Tamilnadu. Thanjavur is well-known throughout the world for its exquisite handicrafts like the Art Plate, pithwork, bronze icons, Thanjavur paintings & the classical South Indian musical instruments.

Visit Brihadeshwara temple, also known as Big Temple, built by Rajaraja Chola I was completed around 1010 CE. This 10th century temple is one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a brilliant example of the Dravidian style of temple architecture. The beautiful Chola Fresco paintings on the inner walls of the temple are no way less than Ajanta paintings.
Overnight Hotel in Tanjore

Day 08: Tanjore- Madurai (200 kms. - 4 hrs. Approx)
Morning drive to Madurai, rich cultural heritage passed for more than 2500 years old & has been an important commercial centre as early as 550 AD. It is the oldest city in Tamil Nadu & was originally known as Kadambavanam.

Further drive to Madurai. Upon arrival, Check in at Hotel.

Evening visit to Meenakshi Sundareshwar was first built 2000 years ago & was substantially expanded between the years (1623-55 AD). Initially there was only the Shiva temple. A striking feature of the temple is the astonishing structure known as Ayiramkaalmandapam or the Hall of a thousand pillars in the outermost corridor.
Overnight stay in Madurai

Day 09: Madurai- Trichy (140 kms. - 2.5 hrs. Approx)
Morning drive to Trichy, which has very historic temples, monuments & churches. It was an important town in the days of the later Cholas, Nayaks as well as during the early days of the British East India Company.

Visit Srirangam Temple, surrounded by the waters of the River Kaveri on one side & its tributary Kollidam on the other is a 600-acre island-town enclosed within the seven walls of the gigantic Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. There are not less than 21 Gopuram here in this temple, one of which is the tallest in South India.

Later visit Rockfort most famed landmark is an 83 m high rock which is the only outcrop in the otherwise flat land of the city. The most amazing fact about the rock is that it is one of the oldest in the world approximately 3,800 million years, which makes it as old as the rocks of Greenland & older than the Himalayas.
Overnight stay in Trichy

Day 10: Trichy- Departure
Morning you will be transferred to the airport to board the flight for your onward destination.

Our tour concludes: Caper Travel would like to thank you for your patronage & look forward serve you again in near future.