Madras-Covelong-Pondicherry-Tanjore-Trichy-Madurai-Periyar-Kumarakom-
Cochin-Madras (10 Nights 11 days)
Day 01/ Arrival Madras
Arrive Madras, meet assist at the airport. and directly
proceed to Covelong. On arrival, transfer to
hotel. Night stay in Madras.
Day 02/ Covelong
Morning after breakfast proceed for full day sightseeing
tour of Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram.
Kanchipuram known as the Golden City of a Thousand
Temples, is one of the oldest towns in India. It is
famous for both its temples, many of them remarkably
well preserved and for its hand-woven silks. Kanchipuram
is one of the seven sacred cities of India and it
is the only one associated with both Shiva and Vishnu.
Visit Ekambareshwar Temple, Kailashnath Temple, Kamakshi
Temple, the Vaikunthaperumal Temple, all built in
the 7th and 8th centuries. With a weaving tradition
dating back to the Pallava era (when silk was the
royal cloth), Kanchipuram is justly famous for its
particularly fine silk saris, embellished with stunning
patterns. Visit the local homes of the weavers and
watch them create magic out of silk thread into saris.
Mahabalipuram This is a small, quiet seaside
resort with a unique 7th century Shore Temple, a lovely
beach and some of the most beautiful rock cut temples
in the world. Situated on the shore of The Bay of Bengal,
Mahabalipuram was already a famous seaport in the
1st century AD. This, town was a workshop for temple
building. Visit the seven pagoda style shore temples,
lashed by the waves of the sea and the seven rathas
or temple chariots, a group of monolithic monuments
& animal figures carved out of solid rock, the
earliest known examples of Dravidian architecture.
They were constructed in a single century a long burst
of creative enthusiasm, starting in the reign of Narasimhavarman
1 (AD 63068). End the visit by photography of
the beautiful Shore temples at sunset. Dinner
and overnight at hotel
Day
03/ Covelong – Pondicherry
After breakfast drive to Pondicherry (162 kms/4 hrs).
Pondicherry, which was up until the 1950s,
a far-flung outpost of the French maritime empire.
It is so different from the rest of Tamil Nadu that
one feels that one has entered another country! This
busy coastal town is divided roughly into two: the
old White Town of elegant French houses, restaurants
& administrative buildings and the Black Town
west of the canal where India takes over again. Later
proceed to visit Botanical garden, Eglise De
Sacre Coeur De Jesus and Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Later
visit township of Auroville or the city of Dawn.
Designed by a French architect Roger Arger, it is
an entirely new concept in education and urban living.
Night stay in Pondicherry.
Day 04/ Pondicherry – Tanjore
After breakfast drive to Tanjore (177-kms/4-˝ hrs).
Upon arrival transfer to hotel. Afternoon sightseeing
tour of Tanjore was the capital of the Chola Empire
from the tenth to the fourteenth centuries.
A Chola king, Raja Raja Chola, who held the throne
from 985 to 1016, built the greatest of the empire's
74 temples, the Brahadeeswarar, with its soaring tower
over the inner sanctum. This tower rises more
than 62 meters (200 feet). On its dome rests
a single block of granite weighing 80 tons. Night
stay in Tanjore.
Day 05/ Tanjore – Trichy – Madurai
After breakfast drive to Madurai (190-kms/5˝-hrs)
enroute visiting Trichy. City tour of Trichy includes
visit to the ‘Rock Fort Temple’ which rises abruptly
to a height of 273 ft. A steep staircase cut into
the rock leads upto the Fort. At the first level are
the remnants of a huge hall blasted into ruins in
1772. The next storey is the Mathrubhuteshwarer Shrine
dedicated to Shiva. Finally at the top of the hill,
the 'Uchhi Pillayar Koil' - a Ganesh Temple offering
a commanding view of the city. Arrive Madurai
& transfer to hotel. Evening visit the Meenakshi
temple. At 9 PM, attend the night ceremony at the
temple. This is a ceremony that takes place every
evening when the temple bronze of Lord Shiva is carried
to the bed chamber of Parvati. The procession is accompanied
by religious prayer and temple music. Night stay in
Madurai.
Day
06/ Madurai
Morning, visit the Meenakshi temple one of
the biggest temple complexes in India 46 ft.
long by 790 ft broad built in the 17th Century.
It is a rectangular twin shrine : the southern
temple dedicated to Meenakshi (the consort of Shiva)
and the other to Shiva. It is Madurai's greatest
landmark a virtual city within a city: the complex
includes a bazaar that bustles from dawn to nightfall.
The high point of the Meenakshi temple is Hall of
a "Thousand Pillars", built in the 16th
C which is as great a work of structural engineering
as it is of art. Also visit the palace of Tirumala
Nayak which is an example of the architectural mastery
of the Nayaks a blend of Hindu and Saracen architecture.
It's enormous roofed arcade supported by 48 foot high
stoned pillar still stands.Day at leisure to explore
on your own. Night stay in Madurai.
Day 07/ Madurai-Periyar
Morning after breakfast drive to Periyar (177 kms/5
hrs). On arrival transfer to hotel.
Periyar- Sprawling across 777 sq. kms. of the
Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats, Thekkady is the
home to one of the largest wildlife reserves in India.
Alive with exotic flora and vibrant wildlife, it is
the perfect getaway tucked away among hills. Night
stay in Periyar.
Day 08/ Periyar- Kumarakom
Early morning boat cruise on the Lake of the famous
Periyar wildlife sanctuary to see wild life.
Periyar an artificial lake or reservoir created
by a dam on Periyar River is the heart of the Wildlife
Sanctuary wild elephants, Asiatic Deer, Black Buck
and even Tigers come to shores of the lake for a drink.Return
to hotel for breakfast. Thereafter drive through the
winding "Ghats" lined with prosperous tea
plantations & then arrive the fascinating countryside
of low-lying palms and paddy fields to Kumarakom (
150 kms/ 4 hrs) enroute visit the tea estates. Kumarakom-is
a beautiful backwater village on the shores of the
enchanting Vembanad Lake, criss crossed with meandering
waterways and ancient cottages. Night stay in Kumarakom.
Day 09/ Kumarakom - Cochin
Morning at leisure. Then take a speed boat to
Alleppey & disembark at Puthenagady Jetty. On
arrival proceed directly to Cochin - Popularly
known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea. Cochin is the
oldest European settlement in India. Frilled with
backwaters and rich with old world charm, this city
has lured many a great voyager to its shores. From
time immemorial, Arabs, Chinese, Dutch, British &
Portuguese seafarers followed the sea route to Kochi
& left their impression on the town. Modern Kochi
is thus a splendid mosaic of these myriad influences.
Arrive Cochin & transfer to hotel. Night stay
in Cochin.
Day
10/ Cochin
Morning tour of Cochin or "Kochi"
the palm green, commercial captial of Kerala. Visit
the Dutch Palace, the Jewish Synagogue, the Church
of St. Francis, the Bolghatty Palace & the famous
Chinese fishing nets. Evening witness the Kathakali
dance performance + make up demonstration - Kathkali
is a unique dance which has a 2000
year old history with more than 100 different ‘mudras’
or gesture depicting deities, demons, heroes, heroines
and kings - each based on episodes from the Mahabharata
and Ramayana, the two epic Indian myths. Night stay
in Cochin.
Day 11/ Cochin - Madras - Departure
Morning at leisure. Afternoon transfer from hotel
to the airport for onward flight via Madras.
