Duration :
Place to See : Chennai (Madras) - Trichy - Madurai - Periyar - Cochin - Bangalore - Mysore - Hassan - Hospet - Badami - Goa – Mumbai
Day 01 Arrive Madras
Arrive Madras airport, where you be met and transferred to your hotel
Overnight at hotel in Chennai (Madras).
Day 02 In Madras
Morning : Breakfast at the hotel. Later Full day visit of Chennai / Madras.
Overnight at hotel in Chennai (Madras).
Day 03 Mahabalipuram & Kanchipuram
Morning : Breakfast at the hotel. Later full day excursion of Mahabalipuram & Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram (64 Kms from Chennai (Madras)) 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 & has paintings on the walls. 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.
Overnight on board
Day 04 Arrive Trichy
Morning arrive Trichy and transfer to hotel. Afternoon city tour. Trichy was the citadel of the Chola dynasty in the medieval period. In the 18th century it witnessed the Carnatic wars fought between the French and the English. 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 at hotel in Trichy
Day 05 Trichy / Madurai
Drive to Madurai visiting Tanjore enroute. At Tanjore, the beautiful Chola Temple of Brihadeeshwara is capped by a monolithic cupola made of a single granite block weighing 80 tons which was taken to the top with the help of a 6 km long ramp, an old technique used by the Egyptians for building pyramids. Its bronzes and handicrafts make Tanjore one of the highlights of a visit to South India.
Overnight at hotel in Madurai
Day 06 In Madurai
Morning visit the great Meenakshi Temple dedicated to the consort of Lord Shiva with its towering gopurams (rising high above the surrounding country side). 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 at hotel in Madurai
Day 07 Madurai / Periyar
Morning drive to Periyar. The earliest sanctuary to be 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. Amongst the animals which can be seen are elephants, wild boar, sambar, tiger, leopard, wild dog, langur monkeys, etc.
Overnight at hotel in Periyar
Day 08 Periyar / Cochin
Morning drive to Cochin. Enjoy the scenic beauty on the way. Arrive Cochin in the afternoon. Rest of the day at leisure
Overnight at hotel in Cochin
Day 09 In 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.
Evening enjoy Kathakali dances at the local theatre.
Overnight at hotel in Cochin
Day 10 Cochin / Bangalore / Mysore
Morning transfer to airport for Bangalore flight.
Arrive & drive directly to Mysore.
Overnight at hotel in Mysore
Day 11 In Mysore
Morning tour of Mysore. Visit the palace of the Maharaja built in 1911-12. 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 & a panoramic view of Mysore. On the way back, see the Nandi Bull. Afternoon free.
Overnight at hotel in Mysore
Day 12 Mysore / Belur / Halebid
Full day tour of 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 way also visit Sravanbelgola. At Sravanbelgola, hewn out of a single rock and visible from a distance of 25 Kms is the statue of Lord Gomteshwara which is bathed with milk and honey once every 12 years.
Overnight at hotel
Day 13 Hospet / Hampi
Morning drive to Hospet. Visit Hampi. The once beautiful capital city of Vijayanagar Empire - greater than Rome, had palaces, temples & sculptures, spread all over. The city was razed to the ground by the Sultanates of South in 1565. Some of the interesting ruins remaining are the Virupaksha, Vittala and Hazara Rama temples huge Ganesha and Narasimha images, the elephant stables, the Queen's Bath, carvings on the Ramachandra temple & Lotus Mahal.
Overnight at hotel
Day 14 Hampi / Hospet / Badami
Morning drive to Badami stopping at Aihole & Pattadakal on the way. Aihole is the cradle of stone temple architecture of the southern Dravida School. The oldest temple, Lad Khan goes back to the 5th century A.D. There are 70 temples in this group. The Durga temple is noted for its sculptures. The Meguti temple is built of 630 small stone blocks. The Ravanaphadi Cave has some beautiful carvings. Pattadakal, referred to as Petrigal, reached its pinnacle of glory under the Chalukya kings from 7th to 9th centuries. The oldest in this group is the Sanghameswara Temple. The Mallikarjuna Temple has pillars depicting life of Krishna. Virupaksha temple has sculptures and panel scenes from the epics, the Ramayana & Mahabharata. The Papanatha Temple has impressive carvings on pillars and ceiling.
Overnight at hotel
Day 15 In Badami
Morning tour of Badami. Badami also known as Vatapi is rich with Hindu and Jain temples carved out of sand stone hills. The carved temples date back to the 6th century. Of these, three are Hindu and one Jain. Sculptured out of solid rock they are adorned with carvings. The Fort, on top of a hill encloses large granaries, treasury & a watch tower. The Malegitti Shivalaya temple set on the summit of a hill is built of stones without mortar.
Overnight at hotel
Day 16 Badami / Goa
Morning drive to Goa. Goa hotels are not included in the cost has a seasonal rates which vary. Please choose the type/budget of hotels you need and we will quote accordingly.
Overnight at hotel
Day 17 In Goa
Full day at leisure in Goa.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 18 Goa / Bombay / Europe
Transfer to airport for Bombay flight. Arrive at the domestic airport. Transfer to the city centre. Later in the evening transfer to international airport.
