Chennai (Madras) - Trichy - Madurai - Periyar - Cochin
- Bangalore - Mysore - Hassan - Hospet - Badami - Goa - MumbaiDay
01 Arrive MadrasArrive 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 / MaduraiDrive 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 MaduraiMorning
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 / PeriyarMorning 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 / CochinMorning 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 CochinMorning
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 MysoreMorning 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 / GoaMorning 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 GoaFull 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.
