Destinations Covered: Chennai – Mahabalipuram – Kanchipuram – Tanjore – Trichy – Madurai – Rameshwaram – Trivandrum
Duration: 07 Nights / 08 Days
Day 01 / Arrive Chennai Arrive Chennai. Meet assist at the airport and transfer to hotel. Night stay in Chennai.
Day 02 / Chennai Morning proceed for city tour of Chennai. It is the fourth largest city in India. The sprawling city which is divided in two by the cooum River, has few tall buildings to mark the impression of an easygoing market town. The gracefulness is present in Madras in such liberal quantities is propriate. Visit the Fort St. George – Still surrounded by cannon-proof walls. Within the fort, visit St. Thomas Mount, San Thome Cathedral, Kapaleeswar Temple and the National Art Gallery. Night in Chennai.
Day 03 / Chennai – Kanchipuram – Mahabalipuram Drive Chennai to Kanchipuram, which is 76 kms. & 2 hrs. drive. 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. Afternoon drive to Mahabalipuram, which is 65 kms. and approx. 1½ hrs. drive. Transfer to hotel. Night stay in Mahabalipuram.
Day 04 / Mahabalipuram – Pondicherry 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-long burst of creative enthusiasm, starting in the reign of Narasimhavarman 1 (AD 630-68). End the visit by photography of the beautiful Shore temples at sunset. Afternoon drive to Pondicherry, which is 132 kms. & approx 04 hrs. drive. Transfer to hotel. Night stay in Pondicherry.
Day 05 / Pondicherry – Thanjavur After breakfast proceed for sightseeing tour of Pondicherry which includes visit to the Vardaraja Perumal Temple, Vedapureeswarar Temple & Manakula Vinayagar Temple. Afternoon drive to Thanjavur, which is 177 kms. & approx. 06 hrs. drive. Transfer to hotel. Night stay in Thanjavur.
Day 06 / Thanjavur – Thiruchirapalli Morning proceed for sightseeing tour of Thanjavur which includes visit to the famous Thanjavur temples, the Brahadeeswarar Temple. Afternoon drive to Thiruchirapalli, which is 55 kms & approx 1½ hrs. drive. Transfer to hotel. Night stay in Tiruchirapalli.
Day 07 / Thiruchirapalli – Madurai Morning proceed for sightseeing tour of Thiruchirapalli including visit to the Ranganathan Temple at Srirangam, 10 kms away from Trichy. Afternoon drive to Madurai, which is 142 kms & 05 hrs. drive. Transfer to hotel. Night stay in Madurai.
Day 08 / Madurai – Chennai – Departure Sightseeing tour of Madurai visiting the Meenakshi Sundareswara Temple, Tirumalai Nayak Palace & the Vandiyur Mariamman Tank. Afternoon fly from Madurai to Chennai. On arrival in Chennai connect flight for onward destination.
