Day 01: Arrive Chennai

You arrive in Chennai, upon arrival assistance and check-in hotel for overnight stay. (B)

Day 02 Chennai – Tirupati (150 kms – 04 hours)

Half day tour
Today we take a tour of Chennai, visiting Fort St. George, the first bastion of British power in India & built in the year 1640 AD by the British East India Company. Within the Fort we visit St. Mary's Church, built in the year 1680 & oldest Protestant Church in the East. Fort Museum has 10 galleries & displays armoury, old uniforms, crockery & silverware, coins, palanquins, paintings, letters, old prints, etc. San Thome Cathedral, built in 1504, is said to house the remains of St. Thomas the Apostle, who is believed to have visited Madras (Chennai) sometime during 52 AD.
National Art Gallery, established in the year 1857, is undoubtedly one of the country's finest museums. It has sections devoted to geology, archaeology, anthropology, botany, zoology, sculpture & numismatics. Government Museum has a fine archaeological section representing all the major South Indian periods including Chola, Vijaynagar, Hoysala & Chaulakya. The bronze gallery has a superb collection of Chola art especially the bronze statue of Ardhanareeswara, the androgynous incarnation of Shiva. Its most prized possessions are the relics from 2nd century AD Buddhist site of Amaravathi & the prehistoric antiques of South India.
Later we drive to Tirupati. Later we the temple for darshan. Overnight hotel – Tirupati (B)

Day 03 Tirupati – Mahabalipuram (180 kms / 05 hours)

Today we again visit the temple for darshan.
Later we drive to Mahabalipuram, town of temples, sand & sea. It is world renowned for its beautiful Shore Temple & other temples. It was once the main port & naval base of the great Pallava kingdom & was later made the capital of this dynasty. Most of the temples here are dedicated to Lord Shiva & Vishnu. These structures were built by three successive Pallava Kings, between 630 A.D & 728 A.D, who developed the Dravidian style of temple architecture within the short span of a hundred years. The monuments are mostly rock-cut & monolithic, constitute the early stages of Dravidian architecture, wherein Buddhist elements of design are prominently visible. It is known especially for its rathas (temples in form of chariots), mandapas (cave sanctuaries) & giant open-air bas-reliefs & has been classified as UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Overnight Hotel – Mahabalipuram (B)

Day 4 Mahabalipuram

Excursion to Kanchipuram (70 km - 02 hr)
Today, we take a guided tour of Mahabalipuram, visiting Shore Temple, one of the oldest temples in South India. It belongs to the 7th Century AD & is a good example of the first phase of the structure of temples constructed in the Dravidian style. Designed to catch the first rays of the rising sun & to illuminate the waters after dark, the temple ended up with an unusual lay-out.
Arjuna's Penance is the world's largest bas-relief. This huge whale-back shaped rock contains figures of gods, demigods, men, beasts, birds. Next we visit Rathas, monolithic temples fashioned as chariots. They remain an architectural mystery, for each is apparently a faithful reproduction of a structure built of wood. In fact, even the grain of the timber beams & rafters has been simulated in stone. Of the eight Rathas, five have been named for the Pandava brothers, the heroes of the epic Mahabharata.
Later we take a day excursion to Kanchipuram, is one of the seven holy cities in the country. It was a city of learning for both Tamil & Sanskrit, & was believed to be visited by Hsuan Tsang. In ancient times it was called Kachi. Once had over a thousand temples & today there are more than a hundred extant. It is also known for its temples & silk sarees. We visit Kailasanatha Temple, built in 8th Century AD. It is built in the typical Pallava style, with a pyramidal tower, a pillared hall & vestibule, enclosed by a wall. The temple is famous for exquisite carvings & attracts devotees & tourists alike. There are 58 small shrines situated around the main shrine, as a compound wall. Fresco style paintings adorn the inner walls of the temple. Next we visit Ekambaranatha, ancient temple is dedicated to lord Shiva. The 57 metres high Raj Gopuram is one of the tallest towers in South India. The 3000 year old mango tree inside the temple has 4 branches each yielding different variety of mangoes.
Before returning to Mahabalipuram we visit Kamakshi Amman Temple, built in 12th century AD, as an important Shakthisthalam, known as Parabrahmaroonpini. The main deity is seated on Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Eswara & Sadasiva.
Overnight Hotel – Mahabalipuram (B)

Day 05 Mamallapuram – Thiruvannamalai (170 Kms / 4 Hrs)

After breakfast you will proceed to Thiruvannamalai. After checkin at hotel, you will proceed to visit Sri Arunachaleswarar temple – One of the five element of temple (Fire) and Sri Ramanshramam.
Over night stay at Hotel - Thiruvanmalai (B)

Day 06 Thiruvannamalai - Chidambaram- Swamimalai - Tanjore (260 Kms / 5 1/2 Hrs)

After breakfast you will proceed to Chidambaram to visit Natarajar temple – One of the five element temple (Space), Swamimalai God Murugan temple. And then you will proceed to Tanjore.
Overnight stay at Hotel - Tanjore (B)

Day 07: Thanjavur – Trichy – Madurai (260 Km / 06 hrs)

After breakfast, we leave at 0800 hrs to visit Brihadeshwara temple, also known as the 'Big Temple', built by the Chola emperor Raja Raja I (985-1013 AD). It was the ancient capital of Chola kings. This is the Chola dynasties finest contribution to Dravidian art. This massive temple is 216 feet high topped by a huge monolithic cupola weighing over 80 tones. The architectural wonder of this temple is that the shadow of it's cupola never falls on the ground. After that we visit Thanjavur Palace and Museum.
In the afternoon at 1300 hrs we leave for Trichy covering Srirangam Temple & Rockfort, Trichy's most famous landmark, which has a Temple, perched on the outcrop of Rock. Srirangam is an ancient and most sacred temple of Vaishnavites and is situated in an island formed by river Cauvery and its tributary Kollidam. The giant 13-storied gopuram (gateway tower) of the temple is seen from several miles away. This huge temple complex, which has 21 gopurams and numerous other interesting religious structures was built by Pallava, Chola, Pandya and other rulers.
Next we drive to Madurai for overnight stay in hotel. (B)

Day 08: Madurai

Madurai, also called the "city of nectar" is one of the oldest cities of India with a history dating back to 6th century B.C. and has been a centre of learning and pilgrimage for centuries. This sacred city attracts thousands of pilgrims and visitors from India as well as abroad. Later in the afternoon at 1500 hrs we visit Meenakshi Sundareshwar temple, one of the largest temple complexes in India built between the 16th and 18th centuries by Pandyan rulers. This 'living' temple is an example of Dravadian architecture with gopurams covered from top to bottom in a breathtaking profusion of multicoloured images of gods, goddesses, animals, mythical figures etc. There are two shrines, one dedicated to Sundereshwarar (Shiva) and the other to his consort Meenakshi (Parvati). The Hall of 1000 Pillars is the most striking feature in the temple, which was built in 16th century. Apart from the estimated 33 million sculptures there, the temple is absolutely absorbing with the endless rounds of ceremonies, prostration of countless devotees and glittering market stalls.
Overnight stay. (B)

Day 09 Madurai – Rameshwaram (170 Kms / 3 ½ Hrs)

After breakfast you will proceed to Rameshwaram. After checkin at hotel, you will proceed to visit Sri Ramanathaswamy temple, Dhanuskodi and Kothandaramaswamy temple.
Over night stay at Hotel - Rameshwaram

Day 10 Rameshwaram – Kanyakumari (330 Kms /07 Hrs)

After breakfast you will proceed to Kanyakumari enroute you can visit God Murugan temple. After checkin at hotel, evening you can enjoy sunset in the beach.
Over night stay at Hotel (B)

Day 11 Kanyakumari – Kovalam (120 Kms / 2 ½ Hrs)

After breakfast you will proceed to visit Sri Vivekananda Memorial, Thiruvalluvar statue and Kanyakumari Amman temple. Then you will proceed to Kovalam enroute you can visit Sucheendram Sri Thanumalayan temple (Huge Anjaneya Statue), Padmanabapuram palace and Thiruvanandhapuram Padmanaba temple.
Over night stay kovalam (B)

Day 12: Kovalam – Excursion to Trivandrum (16 Km / 30 Mins / One Way)

Today we leave for an excursion to Trivandrum, located on the South-western tip of India. Famous for its long shorelines with glorious beaches, historic monuments, backwater stretches and a rich cultural heritage, Trivandrum undoubtedly makes an ever-popular destination. We spend half a day here covering Padmanabha Swamy Temple, Shri Chitra Art Gallery and the Museum. Later we drive back to Kovalam.
Overnight stay. (B)

Day 13: Kovalam – Trivandrum Depart (16 Km / 30 Mins)