| Day 1 - Arrive Chennai |
Arrive Chennai. Meet assist at the airport and transfer to hotel. Day of leisure. Night stay in Chennai.
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Day 2 - Chennai
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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.
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| Day 3 - 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.
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| Day 4 - 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.
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| Day 5 - 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. |
| Day6 - 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 7 - 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 8 - 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. |
