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Day 1: Chennai
Arrive Madras by international flight.
Assistance on arrival and transfer to the hotel.
Afternoon sightseeing tour. Madras, the capital
city, popularly regarded as the 'Gateway to the
South' represents a culture that is distinctly
different from that of northern India.
Day 2: Chennai - Kanchipuram - Mahabalipuram
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Morning drive to Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram, 70
kms west of Mahabalipuram, this city of thousand
temples lies. One of the seven sacred cities of
Hindus, it was the capital of the early Cholas as
far back as the 2nd century BC. Kanchi was a major
seat of Tamil learning as well as an important
place of pilgrimage for Buddhists, Jains and
Hindus. Overnight at the hotel in Covelong.
Kanchipuram, the capital of the Pallava and
dynasty is one of the serene sacred cities of
India. It is situated 76 kms from Madras, 35 kms
from Chingleput & 64 kms from Mahabalipuram via
Chingleput. Places of Interest: Kailashnath
Temple, Shri Vaikuntaperumal Temple, Shri
Varadaraja Temple, Ekambareshwara Temple and Shri
Kamakashi Temple.
Day 3: Mahabalipuram - Tanjore
An early departure for Tanjore visiting
enroute Pondicherry.
Pondicherry - Although the French influence is
gradually fading, Pondicherry retains a few Gallic
accents. Pondicherry's main sights are the Rai
Nivas, the Sacred Heart Church and the Sri
Aurobindo Ashram. Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
also close to Chennai (Madras) is on the shores of
the Bay of Bengal, along the eastern coast.
Mamallapuram known for its rocks carvings and
monolithic sculptures has the famous shore temple,
the only one to have survived the ravages of
nature. Also known as the Seven Pagodas (temples),
six now lie submerged in the sea. Known as the
Pallava Art, this was built during the period 830
- 1100 AD.
Day 4: Tanjore - Trichy
Morning sightseeing tour of Tanjore. Tanjore -
The home of Carnatic music, musical instruments,
dance and traditional hadicrafts, Tanjore (Thanjavur)
is famous for the Brahadeeswarar Temple. The
temple constructed more than a thousand years ago
by the Chola King Raja Rajan is an architect's
marvel. Brahadeeswara Temple at Tanjore (Thanjavur),
dedicated to Lord Shiva, also called the Big
Temple, belongs to the architecture of the Chola
period. Built in the 10th Century A.D., by Raja
Raja Chola, the Temple Tower is capped by an 81.3
tonnes round monolithic cupola. This enormous
piece of stone is said to have been was moved into
position by moving it along an inclined plane 6
kms. long. The temple is considered an engineering
skill of the Chola architects who planned its
construction in such a way that the shadow of the
cupola never falls on the ground.
Day 5: Trichy - Madurai
Morning visit Rock Fort Temple. The Rock Fort
situated on the banks of the Kaveri river,
Trichy's most famed land mark is an 84 m high
rock, one of the oldest in the world aprox.3,800
million years. The attraction is not for fort
itself but the temple at the summit. 344 steps
hewn out of rock lead to the top where are the
inscriptions dating back to the 3rd century B.C.
Later drive to Madurai and on arrival, check-in at
the hotel. Overnight stay. Madurai is one of the
oldest cities of India, with a history dating all
the way back to the Sangam period of the pre
Christian era. The glory of Madurai returned in a
diminished form in the earlier part of this
millennium; it later on came under the rule of the
Vijayanagar kingdom after its ransack by the
ravaging armies of Delhi (Malik Kafur). During the
16th and 18th centuries, Madurai was ruled by the
Nayak Emperors, the foremost of whom was Tirumalai
Nayakar. The Sangam period poet Nakkeerar is
associated with some of the Tiruvilayaadal
episodes of Sundareswarar - that are enacted as a
part of temple festival traditions even today.
Day 6: Madurai - Chennai
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Morning sightseeing tour of Madurai Madurai,
known as Athens of the East, it is the second
largest city on the banks of the River Vigai. The
city believed to be more than 2500 yeras old. The
city got its name from the drops of nectar (Mathuram)
that fell from Shiva's locs when he came to bless
its people for constructing a temple for him.
Madurai where the people wake up at the chant of
hymns is proud of magnificent 'The
Meenakshi-Sundareswara Temple.
Day 7: Madurai - Chennai
Transfer to the airport for flight to Madras.
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