South India Rich Temples, Culture And Heritage Tour From Chennai 8 days

Day 1 Arrive Chennai

On arrival at Chennai airport, assistance & transfer to the hotel. Later city tour of Chennai. Visit Fort St. George & St Mary`s Church inside the fort, built by the British East India Company in 1640 AD. Kapaleeshwarar Temple is a holy shrine of Lord Shiva, originally built by the mighty Pallavas and rebuilt in the 16th century by the Vijayanagar kings. Vadapalani Murugan Temple is one of the most frequented places of worship for Hindus in Chennai. The Government Museum, built in the Indo-Sarcenic style it houses a rich collection of works of Raja Ravi Varma. Dakshinachitra Museum, one of the living-history museums. Santhome Cathedral is a historical and ancient pilgrim centre, which was built during the 14th to the 15th century AD by the then reigning Portuguese. Drive past Marina Beach, a 13 km long natural urban beach along the Bay of Bengal. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 2 Chennai - Kanchipuram - Trichy (350kms)

Drive to Trichy via visiting Kanchipuram, an ancient city famous as the city of a thousand temples. Visit Kailasanathar temple, an 8th-century temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Ekambareswarar temple, an ancient temple dedicated to Siva, has a 2500-year-old mango tree inside the temple has 4 branches, each yields different varieties of mangoes. Varadharaja Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Vaikundhaperumal temple is dedicated to lord Vishnu & Kamakshiamman temple is the ultimate form of Goddess Parvati. Continue driving to Trichy, and check in at the hotel. Later, visit Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, the largest functional temple in the world. The temple complex, along with the surrounding area, covers a total area of 156 acres. There are 22 gopurams, including India`s tallest, 72 meters, 13 storeys high. Many people have had a hand in its construction, including the Cheras, Pandyas, Cholas, Hoysalas and rulers from Vijayanagar. The 83m high Rock Fort Temple is the only outcrop in the flat land of the city. The rock is one of the oldest in the world-approximately 3800 million years, which makes it as old as the rocks of Greenland and older than the Himalayas. Also visit Jambukeswarar Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, which houses five concentric walls and seven gopurams. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 3 Trichy - Madurai (140kms)

Drive to Madurai, check in at the hotel. Later visit Meenakshi Temple, one of the largest temple complexes in India, built between the 16th to 18th centuries. Apart from the estimated 33 million sculptures there, the temple is absorbing with the endless rounds of ceremonies, prostration of countless devotees and glittering market stalls. The Thirumalai Nayakar Palace, built in 1636 AD by King Thirumalai Nayak, the palace depicts the perfect blend of Dravidian and Rajput styles. Also visit Alagar Koil, Tiruparankundram Murugan Temple & Palamuthirsolai Murugan Temple. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 4 Madurai - Rameshwaram (170kms)

Drive to Rameshwaram, check in at the hotel. Later, visit Ramanathaswamy Temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples with the world's longest corridor and immaculate carvings on pillars. The lingam in the Rameshwaram Temple was installed by Lord Rama, but the construction was led by several rulers over the centuries. Inside the temple, there are two lingams, Ramalingam and Shivalingam (only Hindus can enter the temple sanctum). Lakshmana Tirtham was constructed in the loving memory of Lord Lakshman, brother of Lord Rama. Several wonderful sculptures of Lord Lakshmana have been carved out from marble, and the temple has the statues of lord Rama and Goddess Sita too, which signifies the spirit of unitedness that existed between them. Also visit Adams Bridge, the chain of reefs, sandbanks and islets that almost connects Sri Lanka with India. According to legend, this is the series of stepping stones used by the monkey army, led by Hanuman, to cross the ocean in a bid to rescue Sita from the clutch of Ravana. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 5 Rameshwaram - Chettinad - Thanjavur (250kms)

Drive to Thanjavur. En route, visit Chettinad, the region well known for its 19th-century mansions, whose wide courtyards and spacious rooms are embellished with marble and teak. Construction materials, decorative items, and furnishings were mostly imported from East Asian countries and Europe. The marble was brought from Italy, chandeliers and teak from Burma, crockery from Indonesia, crystals from Europe and wall-to-wall mirrors from Belgium. Many of these mansions were built using a type of limestone known as Karai. They were built by men who once traded in everything from salt to gems. But in the mid-20th century, most Chettiar families moved to cities. Their palatial homes were left in the custody of caretakers, who maintained them for those rare occasions, such as weddings or Pongal, the Tamil harvest festival, when the family came to visit. Arrive at Thanjavur, check in at the hotel.

Later, visit Brihadeshwara Temple, built in the 10th century, which is an outstanding example of Chola architecture and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The shrine is a 216-foot structure, the sanctum is dotted with paintings from the Chola and Nayak periods and the statue of Nandi the Bull welcomes at the entrance. Vijayanagar Fort was built by Nayaks and partly by Maratha rulers during the early 1550 AD. The Thanjavur Art Gallery, located in the Thanjavur Palace, has an exquisite collection of ancient sculptures and coins. Saraswathi Mahal Library is another section of the Palace where over 30,000 palm leaf and paper manuscripts are preserved. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 6 Thanjavur - Darasuram - Gangaikonda Cholapuram - Chidambaram - Pondicherry (180kms)

Drive to Pondicherry via visiting The Great Living Chola Temples at Darasuram, a storehouse of art and architecture with an 85-feet-high vimana. The front mandapam itself is in the form of a huge chariot drawn by horses. The temple has some exquisite stone carvings. The main deity's consort, Periya Nayaki Amman temple, is situated adjacent to Airavateshwarar temple. And Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple was built in the Tamil style of architecture with a square plan. The temple complex includes Nandi Mandapa, Alankar Mandapa, Maha Mandapa, Mukha Mandapa and Ardha Mandapa. Also visit the Nataraja Temple dedicated to the dancing posture of Lord Shiva at Chidambaram. Constructed during the 10th century when Chidambaram used to be the capital of the Chola dynasty, the architecture of the temple represents the link between arts and spirituality. Arrive Pondicherry, check in & overnight at the hotel.

Day 7 Pondicherry - Mahabalipuram - Chennai (150kms)

Visit Auroville, an experimental community founded in 1968 by the spiritual leader Mirra Alfassa as a town where people from all over the world could live in harmony. Its focal point is the Matrimandir, a futuristic, spherical temple covered in gold discs. Pondicherry Museum houses a fantastic collection of bronze sculptures of gods and goddesses, a wide range of temple lamps, handicrafts and art. Drive past or walk through stunning French Quarters, charming mustard streets, colonial villas and vibrant Tamil settlements. Besides a very picturesque view of the lovely alleys and narrow lanes, you can also marvel at the gorgeous architecture of the French colonial settlements, which include the French consulate, Raj Nivas, Government Square, Churches & French schools.

Later, drive to Chennai en route, stop at Mahabalipuram. Visit Monolithic Temples, Five Rathas, an excellent example of the evolution of Dravidian style architecture. Krishna's Butterball is a gigantic granite boulder resting on a short incline. 7th century Cave Temples cut and decorated with panels in the Mamalla style. Shore Temple was built with blocks of granite in the 7th century during the rule of King Narsimha-Varman II Rajasimha. The temple complex consists of two Siva temples and a carving of Anantasayana Vishnu. The Arjuna`s Penance is an enormous rock-cut relief, one of the largest in the world. Continue driving to Chennai, check in & overnight at the hotel.

Day 8 Chennai - Departure

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