| |
|
|
| Trip
Overview |
| |
|
| CHENNAI
- TRICHY - MADURAI - PERIYAR - COCHIN - BANGALORE - MYSORE -
CHENNAI
|
|
| Day-1 |
|
| Departure
from Home Country |
 |
| |
|
Day-2 Chennai (Madras) Arrival |
| On
arrival at Chennai you will be met by our representative and
transferred to hotel, where we will be holding the rooms on
ready occupancy |
| basis.
|
| |
|
| Day
03 :- Chennai (Madras) - Trichy (Tiruchirapalli) |
|
| Today
in the morning we start a sightseeing tour of Chennai covering
Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram. We will check out by 12:00 |
| Mahabalipuram:
64 kms from chennai. The name “Seven Pagodas” has
served as a nickname for the south Indian city of Mahabalipuram, |
|
also called Mamallapuram. The phrase “Seven
Pagodas” refers to a myth that has circulated in India,
Europe, and other parts of the world |
| for
over eleven centuries. Mahabalipuram’s Shore Temple built
in the 8th century CE under the reign of Narasimhavarman II
stands at the |
 |
| shore
of the Bay of Bengal . Legend has it that six other temples
once stood with it. Apart from this, there are a number of other
monuments |
| here,
such as the cave temples, monolithic rathas (chariots),
sculpted reliefs and structural temples. Most of these monuments
display |
|
Dravidian style of architecture. The pillars
exhibit Dravidian art, whereas sculptures are excellent specimens
of Pallava art. |
| Kanchipuram
: 76kms from Chennai. Kanchipuram is sacred to Shaivites( devotees
of Shiva) as well as to vaishnavites (Worshippers of |
|
| Vishnu).
The town is thus divided into two distinct zones, with the Shaivite
temples to the north and the vaishnavite temples to the Southeast. |
|
| It
also has an important Devi (goddess) temple the Kamakshi Temple
situated north east of the bus stand.Dedicated to kamakshi or
the |
 |
| "loving-eyed"
Parvati, the temple was rebuilt in the 14th Century, during
the Vijayanagar Period. It has four colourful gopuras and the
main |
| sanctum
has a gold-plated roof. The Kailasanatha Temple: The
Kailasanatha Temple to the west of the bus stand, is the oldest
and |
| greatest
structure in the town. Built in the early 8th century by rajasimha
the last great Pallavi King. The Great Ekambaresh vara
Temple: |
| The
Great Ekambaresh vara Temple on car Street, constructed originally
by the pallavas, has a 16-pillared mandapa, in front of it,
was added |
|
|
later by the Vijayanagar Kings. The Vaikuntha
Perumal Temple : The Vaikuntha Perumal temple near
the railway station, is one of the |
|
| 18
temples dedicated to Vishnu erected by Varman II ( 731-96).
This unique structure has three main sanctums, built one on
top of the other. |
|
| The
Varadaraja Temple : The Varadaraja Temple on Gandhi
Road, is the town's main Vishnu temple. The chief deity in the
form of Vishnu |
 |
|
is known as varadaraja (The "King who Bestows Benediction").
kanchipuram is also famous for its silks. Evening transfer to
rail-station for |
| Trichy
night train. Night on board. |
|
|
|
Day 04 :- Trichy(Tiruchirapalli) |
|
| Arrive
in Jaisalmer and check-in to hotel. In the afternoon we start
a sightseeing tour of trichy. Tiruchirappalli, situated on the
banks of the |
|
| river
Cauvery is the fourth largest city in Tamil Nadu. It was a citadel
of the early Cholas which later fell to the Pallavas. The most
famous |
|
|
land mark of this bustling town is the Rockfort Temple. It was
one of the main centers around which the wars of the Carnatic
were fought in |
| the
18th century during the British-French struggle for supremacy
in India. It was one of the main centers. Overnight
Trichy |
|
| |
|
| Day
05 :- Trichy (Tiruchirapalli) - Madurai |
| After
breakfast, enjoy a drive to Madurai. In the afternoon proceed
on a sightseeing tour of Tanjore. Tanjore
is the "Rice bowl of Tamil Nadu" |
|
and famous for the Brahadeeswarar Temple. The temple was constructed
more than thousand years ago by the King Rajarajan, is |
|
architect's marvel. It is a flourishing centre for bronze sculpture
and painting. One of the best temples in South India, the Brihadeeswarar
|
|
|
Temple or the Big Temple built by the greatest Chola emperor
Raja Raja Chola, is that dynasty's finest contribution to Dravidan
temple |
|
|
architecture. The sikhara, a cupola dome, is octagonal and rests
on a single block of granite, a square of 7.8m weighing 80 tons.
It is a |
| monolithic
Nandi weighing about 25 tonnes, and is about 12 feet high and
20 feet long. Overnight Madurai |
|
|
|
Day 06 :- Madurai |
|
| Morning
will go for sight seeing of Meenakshi Temple. The
ancient city of Madurai, more than 2,500 years old, was built
by the Pandyan |
 |
|
king, Kulashekarar, in the 6th century B.C. The most
beautiful buildings in the city including its most famous landmark,
the Meenakshi |
|
temple, were built during the Nayak rule. Located in
the heart of the city of Madurai, the Meenakshi- Sundareshwarar
temple is dedicated |
|
to goddess Meenakshi, the consort of lord Shiva. King
Thirumalai Nayak : It built the Thirumalai Nayak Palace
in 1636 AD and was |
|
designed by an Italian architect. The palace is situated 2 km
south east of the Meenakshi Temple. The building, which can
be seen today, |
|
|
was the main Palace where the king lived. The Palace was the
classic example of the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture.
The palace was |
|
divided into two major parts, namely Swargavilasa
and Rangavilasa. Alagar Hills: Alagar Koil
is a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is |
|
situated at a distance of 21 km from Madurai, on foot
of Alagar hills, amongst the natural beauty of the woods. The
Vaishnavite temple is |
| famous
for its beautiful sculptures and exquisite 'mandapams'.s.
Tirupara
Kundran Rock temple : The temple is thronged by devotees |
 |
| throughout
the year, as it is one of the holy abodes of Lord Murugan. This
temple was built by Pandayan King in the 8th century. The |
| innermost
shrine is cut out of a solid rock. Apart
from Lord Subramanya, there are also separate shrines for Lord
Shiva, Lord Vinayaka, |
| Goddess
Durga, Lord Vishnu and other deities. The entrance of the temple
has cubical pillars with lotus medallions.Overnight
Madurai |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Day 07 :- Madurai - Periyar (Thekkady) |
| |
After breakfast, enjoy a drive to Periyar National Park.
Set high in the ranges of the Western Ghats, in God’s
Own Country, Kerala, is the |
| |
Periyar
National Park and Tiger Reserve. Periyar wildlife sanctuary
has a picturesque lake at the heart of the sanctuary. Apart
from |
| |
Elephants,
the other animals to be seen in the Periyar sanctuary are Gaur,
Wild Pigs, Sambar, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Dole or Indian
|
 |
| |
Wild
Dog and very rarely, a Tiger. There are, now, an estimated 40
tigers here. Overnight Periyar |
| |
|
| |
Day
08 :- Periyar(Thekkady) - Cochin (Kochi) |
| |
Enjoy
a drive to Cochin. Overnight Cochi |
|
| |
|
 |
| |
Day 09 :- Cochin(Kochi) |
| |
In the morning will go for sight-seeing of Cochin. Kochi
(colonial name Cochin) is a vibrant city situated on the south-west
coast of the |
| |
Indian
peninsula in the breathtakingly scenic and prosperous state
of Kerala, hailed as 'God's Own Country'. Its strategic importance |
| |
over the centuries is underlined by the sobriquet Queen
of the Arabian Sea. Informally, Cochin is also referred to as
the Gateway to Kerala. |
| |
After this we will see few more places. Jewish
Synagogue : The Jewish Synagogue in Kochi was built
in 1568 AD. In Cochin, Synagogue |
|
| |
Jewish
Monument is the oldest existing synagogue among the common wealth
countries of the world. The Synagogue Jewish Monument |
|
| |
stands
out as an evidence of mutual harmony in the state for centuries.
Portuguese churches : St Francis Xavier's Church
at Fort Kochi |
 |
| |
was
built in the year 1503, by the Portuguese traders. They came
here with Admiral Pedro Alvarez de Cabral, via the same route
taken |
| |
by
the legendary Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, who landed
at Calicut in 1498. The Church is actually a quite modest, unpretentious |
| |
structure.
Architecturally, this church is not very jazzy, but it stands
as a landmark of history and church architecture of India. Later,
many |
| |
churches
were built in India keeping the Saint Francis Xavier Church
of Cochin in mind. Mosque : The mosque is situated
at Kanjiramattom, |
|
| |
30
km from Kochi. It is believed that the mosque was erected over
the mortal remains of a Muslim saint, Sheikh Parid. Another
great |
|
| |
Muslim
saint, Baver is supposed to have prayed here and attained salvation.
Hindu temples : The Sree Krishna temple here
is very |
 |
| |
famous attracting close to ten million pilgrims every
year. This is regarded as the first Hindu temple to open its
gates to all Hindus |
| |
irrespective of caste.In the end we will watch Chinese
Fishing Nets. The Chinese fishing nets in Cochin Harbor were
set up between |
| |
1350 to 1450. The beaches of Cochin are beautifully lined
with these Chinese nets. Chinese fishing nets abound in the
Vasco-da-Gama |
| |
Square
near the Fort Kochi. They can also be seen in and around Bastion
Bungalow, Santa Cruz Basilica and VOC Gate. |
|
| |
Afternoon
free. Overnight Cochin |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Day
10 :- Cochin (Kochi) - Bangalore - Mysore |
 |
| |
We
ll catch the flight for Banglore, from Banglore we will move
to Mysore by road. Free time. Overnight Mysore. |
| |
|
| |
Day
11 :- Mysore - Belur - Halebid - Hassan |
| |
In the morning will go for sight-seeing of Belur
and Halebid. Belur was once the capital of a powerful empire
on the banks of River Yagachi, |
| |
now
called the Banaras of the South, aka Dakshina Varanasi. Belur's
main temple, Chennakeshava (dedicated to Lord Krishna and set
in a |
|
| |
compound
with several smaller temples and a pond) was
commissioned by King Vishnuvardhana in 1117 AD to celebrate
Hoysala military |
|
| |
victories.
Halebid (Hale’beedu) literally means ‘the ruined
city’. During the 12th and 13th centuries AD, it flourished
as the capital of the |
 |
| |
Hoysala
Dynasty for about 150 years. It was then known as Dwarasamudra
(gateway to the seas). However, it was twice attacked by |
| |
invaders
who robbed it of its treasures, leaving behind the ruins of
the once-magnificent Shiva temple. The Hoysalas then shifted
their to |
| |
Belur,
leaving behind Halebid, a city once grand and since reduced
to poverty and ruins. If we get time so we will visit Sravanbelgola |
| |
Sravanbelgola
: The term 'Shravanabelagola' in literal sense means
'the land of pond' as the town is having some of the grand ponds |
|
| |
right
amidst the city-center. Shravanabelagola is also an important
tourist destination. The major tourist attraction in Shravanabelagola
|
 |
| |
is
undoubtedly the famous Gomteshwara statue. Having a height of
around 17 mts, this statue of Lord Bahubali is the tallest |
| |
monolithic
statue in the world. Overnight Mysore |
| |
|
| |
Day
12 :- Mysore |
|
| |
Mysore
is a city of palaces, but the most magnificent of them all is
the Mysore Palace sometimes known as the Main Palace as well. |
|
| |
One
of the most unforgettable images of the city is the image of
the illuminated Mysore Palace against the dark black sky. It
takes ninety |
|
| |
seven
thousand light bulbs to produce this enchanting image of the
Palace. The Palace is situated in the middle of the city and
is a |
 |
| |
reminder of the grandeur of a bygone era and is today
an invaluable national treasure. Art Gallery : The
Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery |
| |
in
Mysore is considered one of the best art galleries in South
India because of its excellent collection of paintings and artifacts
that |
| |
once belonged to the Wodeyars of Mysore. This collection
is so unique that such works of Rembrandt can be found nowhere
in the world |
| |
except in Russia. Chamundi Hill : The
Chamundi Hills on the outskirts of Mysore city is another famous
landmark of the city. The |
|
| |
Chamundi
Hills is about 3km from the city. It is at a height of 1065
meters above sea leave and about 800 feet above Mysore city.
On the |
|
| |
top
of the hill is the Chamundeshwari temple that dates back to
the 11th century. Goddess Chamundeshwari is an incarnation of
Goddess |
 |
| |
Parvathi
who took this form to destroy the demon king Mahishasura. Nandi
Bull : The temple houses a huge monolith of Nandi -
a divine |
| |
bull
of Lord Shiva. Nandi Bull is 4.8m high sculpture carved out
a single granite rock, initially the bull was of gray in color
but due to the |
| |
application of coconut oil by the devotees, the color
transformed into black. Overnight Mysore |
