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Comprehensive South India

DESTINATION : 23 Nights / 24 Days
DURATION : CHENNAI - MAMALLAPURAM - CHIDAMBARAM - THANJAVUR - TIRUCHIRAPALLI - MADURAI - PERIYAR - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - ALLEPEY - COCHIN - MYSORE - BANGALORE - HASSAN - SRAVANBELAGOLA - HAMPI - HOSPET - BADAMI - PATTADAKAL - AIHOLE - BANGALORE - GOA - MUMBAI

Day 01 Arrive Chennai
Upon arrival meet and assist by our representative and then transfer to your hotel.

Day 02 Chennai - Mamallapuram - Chennai
After breakfast visit the city of Chennai covering the government museum and Fort St. George. After lunch an interesting excursion to Mamallapuram. Here we visit the shore temples that date back from the 8th century. Also see the rock cut monolithic temples including Arjuna’s Penance and Tiger cave. Night in your hotel.

Day 03 Chennai
Full day excursion to Kanchipuram visiting the Ekambaram temple and the Kailashnath temples dedicated to Shiva. The temples in this region date back to the 6th and 7th centuries. Lunch in Kanchipuram. Return back to Chennai by late afternoon. Night in your hotel.

Day 04 Chennai - Chidambaram
Board your car in the morning and drive to Chidambaram crossing the unparalleled scenic sights of Southern India. Chidambaram is also known as the “City of the Cosmic Dancer”. This city is also the centre of philosophy art and religion. Post lunch session unfurls the magic of this city of Nataraj - the Cosmic dancer. Visit Chidambaram temple planned and built by the Chola kings in the 11th century.

Day 05 Chidambaram - Thanjavur (Tanjore)
Morning en route Tanjore visit Gangaikondacholapuram and its monumental temple called Gangaikondacholisvaram built in 1020 AD.

A short distance away is the second capital of Tanjore district also the home of intellectuals especially Brahmins called Kumbakonam. Visit the Nageshwara temple by far the best architectural feat of Southern India. Lunch in Kumbakonam. Then continue towards Tanjore to reach by late afternoon.

Day 06 Thanjavur (Tanjore)
Visit the Brihadeshwara temple a masterpiece in itself built in 1000AD by the Cholas. Next to be seen is the Tanjore art gallery and the Saraswati Mahal Library with its unique collection of Chola art and rare illustrated manuscripts.

Day 07 Thanjavur - Tiruchirapalli - Madurai
A short distance away is the eternal city of Tiruchirapalli better known as Trichy. Here worth a visit is Srirangam temple the abode of Lord Vishnu in his reclining form. All the 1000 pillars in the hall are very intricately designed. Lunch at a restaurant and continuation towards Madurai.

Day 08 Madurai
Madurai famous for the Meenakshi Sundereswar temple is the epitome of South Indian temple cities alive and bustling with pilgrims and religious preoccupations. The temple of goddess Meenakshi houses the hall of !000 musical pillars known for their intricate work. Some free time later in the day to explore this cultural capital of South India.

Day 09 Madurai - Periyar
Just 135 kms away from Madurai is the famous Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary. Reach Periyar by early afternoon and after lunch get set for a jungle trail.

Day 10 Periyar - Trivandrum
Thiruvananthapuram or Trivandrum is the capital city of Kerala. This city is famous for its Padmanabhaswamy temple built entirely in Dravidian style but accessible only to Hindus. The main attraction here is the fabulous beach at Kovalam about 11km away. Today relax at the one of the most famous beaches of Southern India.

Day 11 Trivandrum - Alleppey - Cochin
Leave Trivandrum in the morning and reach Alleppey a short drive away. Alleppey was once known as the “Venice of the East”. Alleppey is at the centre of the famous backwaters. Here you can catch a glimpse of the Chinese fishing nets that are feast to the eyes. This backwaters of Kerala were used as a quick transport system by the British who also perfected the canal systems. A short distance away is the city of Cochin.

Day 12 Cochin
Visit the Fort Cochin built in British, Dutch and Portuguese styles reflect the architectural planning of the colonisers. The Church of St. Francis is also worth a visit where Vasco da Gama was buried in 1524.

Later visit the Mattancherry Palace with a collection of fine mural paintings and other masterpieces.

Day 13 Cochin - Mysore (via Bangalore)
In time transfer to the airport to catch your connection to Bangalore. Upon arrival in Bangalore transfer to Mysore. Evening visit to the famous Bridavan gardens.

Day 14 Mysore - Bangalore
In the morning visit the Maharaja’s palace with ornate interiors suggests the rich and extravagant lifestyle of the rulers of this region. Later visit Tipu Sultan’s Palace and capital at Srirangapatnam which holds a few mural paintings depicting life tales of Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali both a living terror to the British. Finally return back to Bangalore

Day 15 Bangalore - Hassan
Today you see the Administrative buildings of this beautiful south Indian city. Also see the botanical gardens with 1000 different varieties of flowers. This garden was done up by Hyder Ali in the 18th century. Lunch. Later reboard your coach to continue towards Hassan 3 hrs away. Reach Hassan and check into your hotel.

Day 16 Hassan
Hassan provides as the convenient base to visit the Hoysala temples of Belur and Halebid. Halebid was the capital of the Hoysalas from the 11th century. Here we see the Hoysaleshwara temple built in 1125 AD.

Belur was also the Hoysala capital for some time. Here worth mentioning is the Chenna Kesava Vishnu temple from 1117AD built by the Hoysala kings.

Day 17 Hassan - Sravanabelgola - Hassan
In the morning we take you to an interesting excursion to Sravanabelgola - the great centre for Jain pilgrimage in the south. The 20 mts high statue of Gometeshwara carved out of a single rock is very impressive. This great figure is visible for about 15 kms and was built in 980AD by the local ruler. The view from atop the Indiragiri is excellent. Return to Hassan by early evening and relax at your hotel.

Day 18 Hassan - Hampi - Hospet
Hampi is one of the magnificent ruined cities of the world and offers a totally different experience for the travelers. This city was the immense and a very rich capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Just outside the city limits lies Hospet on the site of the Tungabhadra Dam and dates back to the ancient ages of the Ramayana. It is believed that it is here that Rama met Hanuman the monkey god.

The Vitthal temple is an excellent example of the Vijayanagara school of architecture.

Day 19 Hampi - Badami
In northern Karnataka is the 6th century capital of Badami fortified by nature and the Chalukyan king Pulaskein I. Here you see the cave temple dating back to 6th and 7th century. The first to caves are dedicated to Shiva the third to Vishnu and the fourth cave is a Jain faith cave. Later visit the museum with artifacts dating back to the 1st century BC.

Day 20 Badami - Pattadakal - Aihole - Badami
Today in store is a full day excursion of Pattadakal and Aihole.

In Pattadakal the Sangameswara temple was constructed in 750 AD and bears a very strong resemblance to the Kailashnath temple of Kanchipuram as the architects were from the same area.

At Aihole there are a numerous Hindu and Jain temples that range in style from Cave to the simple well-evolved freestanding structures. The Ravala temple has the finest expression of art of that period.

Return back to Badami after a fun filled day.

Sculptures at the Ladkhan temple are considered to be the earliest of the surviving structures. The nearby Durga temple is also very impressive.

Day 21 Badami - Bangalore
Morning after breakfast drive to reach back Bangalore. Day at leisure.

Day 22 Bangalore - Goa
In time transfer to the airport to catch your flight to Goa the top beach resort in India. Visit the city and its churches before checking into the hotel. Leisure time to relax at the beach.

Day 23 Goa
Relax at the beach.

Day 24 Goa - Mumbai - Next Destination
In time transfer to the airport for your onward flight to Mumbai and then connect to your international flight back home