Temples Tour Of South India 12 Night - 13 Days

Morning after an early breakfast we will go on an excursion to Tirupati. Upon arrival in Tirupati proceed for Tirupati Temple Darshan.

Tirupati is located in Andhra Pradesh. Tirupati is an ancient Hindu temple town having historical references in Puranas. The temple of Lord Venkateswara is located on the Tirumala hill and Tirupati is at the footsteps of the Tirumala hills. Every day around 1 lakh people visit this place. It has great reputation for famous temples.

Later in the afternoon return to Chennai for night stay.

After breakfast drive to Mahabalipuram En-route we will visit Kanchipuram, known as the city of thousand temples. It is one of the seven sacred cities of Hindus, and was the capital of the early Cholas as far back as the 2nd century BC. Kanchipuram was a major seat of Tamil learning as well as an important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists, Jains and Hindus. Apart from temples, the city is also famous for its silk weavers, who settled here some 400 years ago and have given it an enviable reputation.
Later continue drive to Mahabalipuram. Upon arrival check into the hotel. After fresh-n-up we will proceed sightseeing around Mamallapuram, drive to explore UNESCO World Heritage Monumental tour in Mahabalipuram, an ancient port city of the Pallavas. Visit the famous World Heritage UNESCO sites of Mahabalipuram. First, to the Sea Shore Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and Vishnu, and then to Five Rathas "Five Chariots", a monolithic structure, representing an unique style built by the Pallavas, then finally to Arjuna's Penance, Varaha Cave and Krishna's Butter Ball. Have a walk in the artisan's streets who makes stone sculptures. Return back to the Hotel. Have a rest in the beach resort. Overnight Stay in Mahabalipuram.

After breakfast, you will continue your journey via Tiruvannamalai then later to Pondicherry.

Tiruvannamalai is one of the most significant Saivite shrines in Tamil Nadu, India, on a sprawling 24-acre temple campus, drawing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every full moon. The hill here is considered to be a manifestation of Shiva. Later visit the Arunachaleshwarar Temple located in the centre of town covering 10 hectares and is one of the largest in India. The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Annamalaiyar (the form in which Shiva is worshipped here) and Unnamulai Amman (his wife Parvati) being the most prominent. Later continue to Pondicherry. On arrival at leisure and overnight stay.

After breakfast in the morning start your Pondicherry City Tour. Have a visit to Sri Aurobindo Ashram, an Ashram dedicated to Sri Aurobindo & "The Mother". Have a visit to "The Church of Sacred Heart" and "Notre dame des Anges", French Colony and markets. Have a Rickshaw ride in the commercial streets have a visit to Goubert Market. Then drive to Auroville. Visit the famous "Matrimandir", only the exterior view and visit some boutiques.

Sri Aurobindo Ashram: The Sri Aurobindo Ashram located on rue de la Marine, is one of the most well-known ashrams in India. The ashram was set up in 1926 by one of India’s famous sons Sri Aurobindo, who originally came to Pondicherry to escape persecution by the British. Sri Aurobindo, a saint-yogi, philosopher-poet, taught Integral Yoga, a new system of mind development, a synthesis of yoga and modern science. Madame Mirra Richard Alfassa, a French painter-sculptor-musician who had followed the same path on her own, joined him later. She is now known as the Mother. After the death of Sri Aurobindo, "the Mother" continued the social work till she died in 1973 at the age of 93. The idea of Auroville or the "City of Down" was conceived by 'The Mother'.

The Pondicherry Museum: The Pondicherry Museum is located on Saint Louis street and is open between 10.00-17.00 hrs on all days except Mondays and national holidays. The museum is located in the former residence of the French Administrator. The museum has a collection of rare bronzes and stone sculptures from the Pallava and Chola dynasties, objects found in Arikamedu site (an ancient port just 7km from city that traded with the Roman empire), Greek and Roman jars, 200 year old beads made from glass and precious stones, a wide collection of temple lamps and even objects from the Tsung period in China.

Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, located on the South Boulevard, Subbayah Salai, is a white and brown neo-gothic church. It was built by French missionaries in the 1700’s. It is one of Pondicherry’s finest Catholic churches.

Manakula Vinayagar Koil Temple: This temple is more than 300 years old and is dedicated to Ganesha. It has a golden spire.

Return back to Pondicherry. Have a rest in the hotel and night stay in Puducherry.

After the breakfast, drive to enjoy the Kumbakonam Temples Tour. Enroute visit the famous visit the famous Shiva Temple at Gangaikondacholapuram which was built in the 11th century by the Chola dynasty, one of the World Protected UNESCO Site. Have a lunch in Kumbakonam city. In the late afternoon, visit the 12th century Chola temple Airavatesvara Temple in a small village named Darasuram. Then proceed your drive to Tanjore (Thanjavur). Overnight Stay in Thanjavur

This is the day for you to explore the Tanjore Sculptural Tour. In the morning, visit the famous Thanjavur Art Gallery which houses the collection of sculptures and statues, Saraswati Mahal Library Museum, Brihadeeswara Temple also known as Big Temple which is one of the World Heritage Monument built by the chola dynasty in the 10th century. In the afternoon, visit the Bronze Making Artisan's Village to see the Bronze Casting and Tanjore Paintings. Then drive to Trichy. In the evening climb the Rockfort Uchchipillayar Temple to visit the famous Ganesha Temple and have a panoramic view of the city.

The Rock Fort: Tirchy's most famous landmark is 83 mt high rock which is the only outcrop in the otherwise flat inland of the city. The most amazing fact about the rock is that it is one of the oldest in the world. The sheer abruptness of its rise is an attention grabber. But the actual centre of attraction is not the fort itself, of which very little remains, but the temple at the summit.
Have a rest in the hotel. Overnight stay in Trichy.

In the morning have a Cultural tour to the banks of River Cauvery to see the performance of the rituals by the Hindus and then proceed for Srirangam Spiritual Tour to Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam. Start your drive to explore the Traditional Tour in Chettinadu, the land of Chettiars. Explore the village ambience by walking around the village streets. Have a rest in the hotel. Overnight stay in Chettinadu.

This is the day to feast your eyes with Madurai Heritage Tour. In the late afternoon visit the famous Gandhi Museum where you can see lot of exhibits about the life of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of our Nation. Then have a visit to Thirumalai Nayaka Palace built in 16th century with grand pillars is the most attractive one. In the evening, visit the Meenakshi Amman Temple dedicated to Goddess Parvati and a thousand pillared hall with eye-catching sculptures.

Meenakshi Temple: Also known as Meenakshi Amman Temple is an ancient and one amongst the most important temples of India. Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple is dedicated to Sundareswar (form of Lord Shiva) and Meenakshi (form of Goddess Parvati). The term "Sundareswar" suggests "the beautiful lord" and "Meenakshi" means "the fish-eyed goddess". As per the Hindu folklore, Madurai is the same city where Lord Sundareswar (Shiva) appeared to marry Goddess Meenakshi (Parvati). Meenakshi Temple is regarded as one of the most sacred places of Parvati, other being Kamakshi at Kanchipuram, Akilandeswari at Thiruvanaikaval and Vishalakshi at Varanasi.

Overnight stay in Madurai

In the morning,drive to have a Holy Tour to Rameswaram. Have a visit to Pamban's Bridge, is a cantilever bridge on the Palk Strait which connects the Rameshwaram Town on Pamban island to mainland India. Then have a visit to the famous Ramanathaswamy Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located on Rameshwaram Island and a long corridor inside the temple is a remarkable one with beautiful grand pillars. Have a rest in the hotel. Overnight stay in Rameswaram

In the morning visit the famous Dhanushkodi located at south east of Pamban. See the ramparts of Dhanushkodi, the entire town was completely damaged by 1964 Cyclone. Drive to Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of Indian Peninsula, where Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal meet. Visit the famous Vivekananda Rock Memorial, a sacred place of a great saint and philosopher Swami Vivekananda. Then have a visit to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial and Kumari Amman Temple. It is possible to see both the sunrise and sunset in this town.

Swami Vivekananda’s Memorial: The great Indian Philosopher Swami Vivekananda’s memorial is built in a small island like rock 200 meters from the shore. A very great building and other halls are constructed in this rock.
Kumari Amman Temple: This temple is located near the sea shore and it is a beautiful scene for visitors who visit this site. Mythology says that Goddess Devi performed prayers to get Lord Shiva’s hand for marriage. When she did not get in hand to marry Lord Shiva, she promised ever to be a virgin which means Kanya in Tamil. The idol of the goddess in this temple has a nose ring studded with diamond which is visible even from the sea.
Thiruvalluvar Statue: Thirukkural is a precious gem among the classics, unique in the deliverance of code of conduct to the mankind to follow for all time to come. It enshrines in it 1330 couplets under 133 chapters, each chapter comprising 10 verses. The chapters again fall under three major divisions Virtue, Wealth and Love.
Overnight Stay in Kanyakumari.

In the morning drive to Trivandrum. Enjoy the Trivandrum City Tour. Enroute have a visit to the famous Padmanabhapuram Palace, a 15th century palace built by Varma dynasty. Continue your drive. In the evening see the outer view of Padmanabhaswamy Temple and a small museum closer to the temple. Have a rest in the hotel. Overnight stay in Trivandrum

After breakfast you will be transferred to Trivandrum International Airport, Trivandrum as per your flight schedule back to home!