Temple Tour South India

Start on 24th December, 2009 early morning for Thiruvanantapuram by flight,

Day 01: Thiruvanantapuram
Good morning at the capital city of Thiruvanantapuram. Check in at the hotel. After refreshment proceed for the
sightseeing tour of Trivandrum in the next half tour, visit the Padmanabhaswamy temple and Suchindram temple
famous in Trivandrum, covering Napier Museum, Chitra Art Gallery and Padmanbhapuram Palace. In the evening
depart for your onward destination to Kanyakumari. Drive to Kanyakumari, (87kms) Overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 02: Kanyakumari

Enjoy the confluence of Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal which also gives it the name Thriveni
Sangamam. The beach is known for its beautiful virgin beaches and breathtaking sunrise and sunset. The tourist
places in Kanyakumari are the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Gandhi Mandapam and Temple. Drive to Rameswaram
(152kms) Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 3: Rameshwaram
A full day excursion of Rameswaram, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India. The
holiness of this place is clear from the belief that even your trip to Kashi is
incomplete without your trip to Rameshwaram. The Ramnathswami temple here
dedicated to Lord Shiva is thronged by millions of pilgrims every year. Overnight
stay at the hotel.
Day 4: Madurai
Early morning start for Madurai,(142kms), known for 1000-pillared
Meenakshiamman temple. You are also taken to the special religious night
ceremony held in the temple. Also visit Thirumalai Nayak's Palace and Gandhi
Museum. Overnight stay at the temple.
Day 5: Kodaikanal
Early morning start for Kodaikanal (120 kms). Reach and check in the hotel. Have a sight-seeing of kodaikanal and
stay overnight.
Day 6 : Tanjore / Trichy
In the morning start for Tanjore (200 kms). Half day city tour of Tanjore covering the tourist places like Brahadeeswara
temple (the second largest monolithic sculpture Nandi (Bull)), the Royal palace complex, which houses library and
museums. Trichy was the citadel of the Chola dynasty in the medieval period. See the Lord Robert Clive's house,
Srirangam temple, Rock-Fort temple, Ganapati temple on hilltop and Shiva temple. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 07: Velankanni
Then move towards Velankanni (144kms) where you can offer prayers at the Sacred Arokkiya Madha Church.During
the months of August and September the festival organized at the place attracts a large crowd of devotees and
tourists. Drive to Chidambaram (74kms) home to the most popular Nataraja temple dedicated to the Lord Shiva. Have
a short excursion to Kumbakonam, a sacred town known for its four large temples dedicated to Sarangapani,
Kumbeswarar, Brahma, Nageswarar and Swamimalai. In the evening start for Pondicherry (72 kms).Stay overnight at
Pondicherry.
Day 08: Pondicherry
Pondicherry was once the French settlement, which is now home to the Aurobindo
Ashram and Auroville. Also go to the beach where you can relax perfectly for the
whole of the evening. Pondicherry is undoubtedly the seat of Yoga. In the evening
start for Mahabalipuram (162 kms) and stay overnight at hotel.
Day 09: Mahabalipuram
Morning relax and take breakfast at the hotel. Famous for its monolith temples that
made it a World Heritage Site; have an afternoon tour of these temples at
Mahabalipuram, the only shore temple surviving in India. After admiring the
prevalent and astonishing rock cut art and stay overnight at hotel.
Day 10: Kanchipuram / Mahabalipuram
Early morning from Mahabalipuram drive to Kanchipuram (65kms), one of the
sacred 7 cities of India famous for its thousand temples. Also visit the numerous
temples like Kailasanatha Temple, Vaikunda Perumal Temple, Varatharaja Temple and Ekambareswara Temple,
which give the city its name as 'the temple city'. Drive to Tirupati (110kms) to pray to Lord Balaji. The most famous
temple and one of the largest pilgrimage destination in the world. In the evening
start for Chennai (152 kms) and stay overnight at hotel
Day 11: Chennai
Sight seeing tour at the tourist places in Chennai namely, the Kapaleeswarar
temple, Ashtalakshmi temple, Santhome Church, Fort Museum and National Art
Gallery. In the evening start for Kolkata by flight.
Back to Kolkata on 3rd January, 2010 night by flight. Total Road journey is