Day
01/ Arrive Chennai
Arrive Chennai. Meet assist at the airport and transfer to hotel.
Night stay in Chennai.
Day 02/ Chennai
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.
Day
03/ 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.
Day 04/ 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.
Day 05/ 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.
Day 06/ 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 07/ 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 08/ 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.