Temple Tour of South India

Day 01 Abroad - Chennai On Arrivalat Chennai International airport get welcomed by our representative and transferred to hotel. Relax overnight at hotel.

Day 02 Chennai In the morning after breakfast enjoy sightseeing tour of Chennai.Chennai is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is India`s fourth largest metropolitan city. It is alsocalled as "Gateway to South India", it is well connected internationally and to other parts of India. The sprawling city which is divided in two by the cooum River, has few tall buildings that give the impression of an easygoing market town. The dignity is present in Madras in such liberal quantities is appropriate. Visit Fort St. George- An edifice named after Saint George- patron saint of England during the times of English colonization over India. Still surrounded by cannon-proofwalls the fort was rebuilt several times between 1642 when its original bastions were completed and 1749 when the French left, it remains - moats and all - pretty much today as when first made the seat of empire. Declared a national heritage monument in 1948, most of its buildings have been converted into government offices, notably the Legislature and Secretariat. At a number of times the fort was home of Robert Clive, Elihu Yale and Sir Arthur Wellesley. Within the fort, visit the little St Mary's Church one of the oldest Protestant church east of the Suez and the first Anglican one in India. Overnight stay is at hotel.

Day 03 Chennai - Kanchipuram - Mahabalipuram - Chennai In the morning after breakfast leave for full day sightseeing tour of Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram Kanchipuram is known as the Golden City of a Thousand Temples, is one of the oldest towns in India. It is renowned for both its temples, many of them which have been well preserved.It is also renowned for its hand-woven silks. Kanchipuram is one of the seven sacred holy 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. Take a tour of the local homes of the weavers and watch them create magic out of silk thread into saris. Carry on with your onward journey to Mahabalipuram. This is a small, quiet seaside resort with a unique 7th-century Shore Temple, a lovely beach and some of the most fine-looking rock-cut temples in the world. Situated on the shore of the Bay of Bengal, Mahabalipuram was already a famed seaport in the 1st century AD. This town also used to be workshop for temple building. Visit the seven pagoda-style Shore temples, lashed by the waves of the sea giving a picturesque view.See the seven rathas or temple chariots, a group of monolithic monuments & animal figures sculpted out of solid rock, the earliest known examples of Dravidian architecture. They were made in a single century-long burst of creative zeal, starting in the reign of Narasimhavarman 1 (AD 630-68). Spend the evening photographing the beautiful Shore temples at sunset. Proceed for an overnight stay at hotel.

Day 04 Chennai - Tirupati In the morning after breakfast drive to Tirupati (154 kms). Upon arrival in Tirupati, check into your hotel. The "holy hill" of Tirumala in the extreme south of Andhra Pradesh is one the most important pilgrimage destinations in India, and is one of the busiest places in the world - eclipsing Jerusalem, Rome and Mecca in its sheer number of pilgrims. Tirumala is an enthralling place where you can spend the whole day just moving around. It's one of the few temples in India which allows non-hindus into the sanctum but, regardless of this, the place sees few foreign visitors. Venkateshwara Temple - Pilgrims flock to Tirumala to visit the ancient temple of Venkateshwara, an avtar of Vishnu. This is the god whose pictures graces the reception areas of most lodges and restaurants in Southern India and garlanded in so many flowers that only his feet are visible. Among the powers attributed to Venkateshwara is the granting of any wish that is made in front of the idol at Tirumala; and so the millions come. This temple is frequented by 5000 pilgrims here at any one time and, in single day, the total is often as high as 100,000. The temple houses a staff of around 6000 people. Overnight stay is at hotel.

Day 05 Tirupati - Chennai - Madurai In the morning after breakfast drive to Chennai airport (154 kms) to connect flight to Madurai. You are received by our representative and transferred to hotel. Madurai - It's one of the most pleasant Indian cities, and situated on the River Vaigai, surrounded by lush paddy fields and coconut groves. 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 one of the Madurai's most remarkable landmark - a file city within a city. The complex comprises 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. Drive (walk is recommended ) through the fascinating bazaar that is bustling from dawn to nightfall. Take some time from you schedule to visit the palace of Tirumala Nayak which is an example of the architectural mastery of the Nayaks - a mixture of Hindu and Saracen architecture. It's gigantic roofed arcade supported by 48 foot high stoned pillar still stands. Overnight stay is at hotel.

Day 06 Madurai - Kanyakumari Take morning, drive to Kanyakumari (240 kms / 5 hours). Upon arrival in Kanyakumari, check into your hotel. Kanyakumari is the meeting point of three oceans, the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. Kanyakumari is famous for its enchanting views of sunrise, sunset and moonrise over the waters. Kanyakumari is also a popular pilgrimage destination and of great importance to Hindus Overnight at hotel.

Day 07 Kanyakumari - Kovalam Early morning enjoy the picturesque view the rising sun. Return to the hotel for a refreshing breakfast. After having breakfast take a drive to Kovallam (70 kms / 1 ½ hours). Upon arrival check in at hotel. Kovalam - Kovalam is one of India's most spectacular beach with the boundless blue of the Arabian Sea and the unwinding miles of fine - sanded beaches washed by the surf which roars and hisses at the feet of the stalwart palms. Geographically located in idyllic surroundings, it's a beautiful getaway for relaxation & recuperation. Return to the hotel and enjoy rest of the day at leisure for own activities and also relish the facilities of the hotel or at the beach. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 08 Kovalam - Trivandrum - Bangalore - Puttaparthi In the morning after breakfast drive to Trivandrum airport to catch flight to Bangalore. Upon arrival in Bangalore - drive to Puttparthi (170 kms / 3 ½ hours). Relax overnight at Ashram / hotel.

Day 09 Puttaparthi Spend a day relaxing at Puttaparthi. Ovenright at Ashram / hotel.

Day 10 Puttaparthi - Mumbai In the morning get transferred to the airport to take a flight to Mumbai. Upon arrival met and transferred to the international airport for flight back home.

Day 11 Mumbai - Delhi Depart Mumbai for journey back to Delhi.