Architecture, Temple & Beach 10 days

Day 1 Bangalore

On arrival at Bangalore airport, assistance & transfer to the hotel (check in/out time 12 pm).

Visit Lal Bagh Garden, Cubbon Park, Bangalore Fort, Tippu Summer Palace & Bull Temple. Drive past Vidhana Soudha & Secretariat.

Day 2 Bangalore - Hassan (200km) (B)

Drive to Hassan en route to visit Shravanabelagola, one of the most important Jain pilgrimage sites. Visit Vindhyagiri Hill, where a 17m high naked Lord Bahubali (Gommateshwara), the world's tallest monolithic statue, is placed. And Chandragiri Hill, which is also a seat of several ancient Jain centres, is much older than the Gommateshwara statue.

Arrive Hassan, check in and O/n at the hotel.

Day 3 Hassan - Hampi (330km) (B)

Drive to Hampi en route to visit Belur, once the capital of the Hoysala Empire is known for its exquisite temples. The celebrated temple of Chennakeshava, built by the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana in 1117 AD, is one of the finest examples of Hoysala architecture. Everything is carved in black stone, looking like metal. Kappe Chennigaraya Temple is another majestic 12th-century CE temple built next to a pond. The stone architecture has splendid carvings and bas-relief work. The temple complex includes two ornate pillars, one of the Garuda built during the Vijaynagar period and one with a lamp built during the Hoysala period. Lakshmi temple, Sowmyanayaki temple & Ranganayaki temple are other temples in the same complex.

In Halebedu, visit the Hoysaleswara Temple built in the 12th CE, surrounded by ponds, mantapas and lakes. It is well known for the sculptures and architecture of the Hoysala period, standing on a platform like a casket, richly endowed with the most finely detailed scroll work in stone. The walls of the temple are covered with an endless variety of gods and goddesses. Other temples in Halebedu are Kadareswara Temple, Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Ishvara Temple, Koravangala Temple, Lakshmi Devi Temple & Hulikere Pond. Also, visit the Jain basics.

Continue driving to Hampi, and check in at the hotel.

Day 4 Hampi

City tour of Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage site dotted with numerous ruined temple complexes from the Vijayanagara Empire. Visit Hazara Rama Temple, Kings Balance, Mahanavami Dibba, Royal Enclosures, Statue of Ugra Narasimha Temple, Virupaksha Temple, Vithala and Lotus Mahal, Vithala Temple Complex and ASI Museum. O/n at the hotel.

Day 5 Hampi/Vijayanagar - Hyderabad

As per the flight schedule, transfer to the airport to board the flight for Hyderabad. On arrival, assistance and transfer to the hotel. Rest time for personal activities and relaxation. O/n at the hotel.

Day 6 Hyderabad

City tour of Hyderabad, explore a 400-year-old metropolitan city teeming with bustling bazaars & Muslim monuments. Visit Golconda Fort, renowned for its diamond mines that have given the world-famous Kohinoor and Darya-i-noor diamonds. The ancient fort complex of Golconda will charm you with its history, tinged with legends and anecdotes. Qutub Shahi Tombs is a group of small and big mosques and tombs built by the rulers of the Qutub Shah dynasty on a raised platform and have a dome-shaped structure. Charminar, built in 1591 by Quli Qutub Shah, is an identifying landmark of Hyderabad. It is also famous for the market that sprawls around it called the Laad Bazaar. Salar Jung Museum (Friday closed) is a treat for tourists, famous for being the third largest museum in the country, having the largest antiques collection dating back to the first century. Chowmahalla Palace (Friday closed) is the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, where the Nizams entertained their official guests and royal visitors. Birla Mandir, made of pure white Rajasthani marble, is a temple whose beauty leaves you awestruck. Also drive past Hussain Sagar Lake, one of the largest man-made lakes, renowned for its monolith of Lord Buddha placed right at the centre of the lake. O/n at the hotel.

Day 7 Hyderabad - Puri (65km) (B)

Transfer to the airport to board the flight for Bhubaneswar.

On arrival, meet your guide and driver. Visit Lingaraja Temple, the 11th-century temple described as a fusion of dream & reality, a rare masterpiece, and one of the finest examples of a purely Hindu temple. Every inch of the 55 m-high Lingaraja temple is covered with elaborate carvings. Sculpture & architecture fused elegantly to create a perfect harmony. Mukteshwara Temple, built in the 7th-8th century AD, is one of the most ornate temples in Bhubaneswar. The intricate carvings of the deities stand testimony to the influence of the Hindu, Buddha & Jain style of architecture. The carvings on the roof are especially striking. Parashurameshwara Temple, a small but richly decorated shrine of Shiva that was built in the 7th century. It is one of the best examples of the Orissa style of temple architecture.

Drive to Puri, check in & O/n at the hotel.

Day 8 Puri - Chilika - Konark - Puri (130kms round)

Excursion to visit Chilika Lake, the second largest brackish water lagoon in the world after the New Caledonian barrier reef. It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent & home to several threatened species of plants and animals. Enjoy a pleasant boat ride amidst the colourful migratory birds and the quaint water.

Drive back to Puri and visit the Konark Sun Temple, a 13th-century Temple in the form of a chariot with 24 wheels, heavily decorated with symbolic stone carvings and led by a team of six horses. It was constructed from oxidizing weathered ferruginous-coloured sandstone by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is one of the most renowned temples in India and is a World Heritage Site as a cultural property under category (i). O/n at the hotel.

Day 9 Puri - Bhubaneshwar (65km)/ Bangalore (B)

Drive to Bhubaneshwar airport via visiting Dhauli, where Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great renounced bloody warfare & embraced the teachings of Buddha after victory over the kingdom of Kalinga. Visit Peace Pagoda, known as Shanti Stupa, built in the early 1970s by the Japanese. Also visit two ancient rock edicts, today eclipsed by the presence of the Pagoda dating from 260 BC, which outline Ashoka`s detailed instructions to his administrators to rule with gentleness & fairness. Udaigiri & Khandgiri caves, the largest Buddhist Complex in Orissa. These hills provide some solid examples of the Jain & Buddhist art of the 2nd Century BC. There are monasteries, Chaitya & Stupas that represent a vibrant culture that flourished in these hills.

After sightseeing, transfer to the airport to board the flight for Bangalore. On arrival, assistance & transfer to the hotel. O/n at the hotel.

Day 10 Bangalore - Departure (B)

As per the flight schedule, transfer to the airport to board the flight for the onward destination.