South India Temple Tours
Chennai - Kanchipuram - Mahabalipuram - Pondicherry - Tanjore - Trichy - Madurai – Chennai
Overview
India has got a number of shades and one of these shades is the temples. They are distinctive in their colour, architecture and designs. Out of all the temples one finds in India, most distinctly designed are the South Indian Temples. Mostly temples are unique and based on Dravidian architecture like Chennai Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram is classified as UNESCO World Site. Tirupati Temple is one of the richest temples of the world and so on! This itinerary of 8 Days South India Temple Tour helps you to explore the most famous temples of South India like Chennai, Tirupati, Mahabalipuram, Tanjore, Trichy and Madurai etc.
Highlights
Visit Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Kalakshetra, Fort St. George - Chennai
Explore ancient temple of Lord Sri Venkateshwara at Tirupati
See the caves of Govardhan Dhari and Shore temple - Mahabalipuram
Visit Sri Manakula Vinayagar Temple at Pondicherry
Explore Brihadishwara Temple and Royal Palace of Tanjore
Visit Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and Rock Fort Temple in Trichy
Explore Meenakshi Amman Temple and Tirumala Nayak Palace – Madurai
Day 01 Arrival at Chennai
On the very first day of your tour, when you will reach Chennai, the representative of Vacationsol Travel will meet you and greet you ‘Namaste’. A traditional process of warm welcome will be held, after that you will be assisted by our representative to the pre booked hotel for check-in.
There you will be handed over with all the tour related documents and will be given a short explanation about the tour by him. You can relax in the hotel for the rest of the day.
Day 02 Around Chennai
On the 2nd day of the tour, we shall take you around some of the prominent places of Chennai. So, soon after a good South Indian breakfast, we shall visit Kapaleeshwarar Temple - One of the most impressive temples of Chennai, its architecture is beyond words! Take a good “darshan” of this temple. After this we move on towards Kalakshetra – a leading school of Tamil Classical Dance and Music. Enjoy the South Indian form of dance here as students keep on practicing.
After enjoying the dance form, we shall take you to San Thome Cathedral. Founded by Portuguese, it has one of the finest Gothic paintings around. Story of “Doubting Tomas” is famous of this place. Once you finish visiting this place, enjoy your lunch at one of the finest restaurants of Chennai. After lunch, get on the car to reach Fort St. George. Established by Britishers, today it houses Tamilnadu’s Legislative Assembly, Secretariat and other buildings. A relic to see in itself! In the evening we shall take you for shopping spree. Late evening, we shall return to the hotel for dinner and night stay.
Day 03 Chennai – Tirupati – Mahabalipuram (approx 325 kms / 8-9 hrs)
On the third day of the journey get up real early before sunshine to reach Tirupati temple. The famous Vedic temple in the town of Tirumala happens to be one of the richest temples of the World. This ancient temple of Lord Sri Venkateshwara is made in Dravidian style of architecture. Take a guided tour of this temple and enjoy the serenity here. Soon after the “Parikrama” and “Darshan”, have your lunch in Tirupati.
Soon after lunch, we shall set off towards Mahabalipuram. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it contains monolithic temples. Out of the temples which are famous include Anjuna’s penance, caves of Govardhan Dhari and Mahishasura Mardini. The five Rathas and the Shore temple too are famous of this place. Stay overnight at Mahabalipuram Hotel.
Day 04 Mahabalipuram – Pondicherry – Tanjore (approx 265 kms / 7 hrs)
Next day get up to a refreshing breakfast soon after which we shall move towards Pondicherry. It’s a 2 hours drive down the lane and on reaching here we shall show some of the famous Churches. Pondicherry is basically a land of quiet lanes. Here we shall take you to Sri ManakulaVinayagar Temple – famous for its elephants inside the temple grounds! After getting blessed by one of the elephants here, we will reach the seafront.
Rest a little and enjoy your lunch at one of the sea – side restaurants. After lunch we move on to Tanjore. On reaching Tanjore, check – in your hotel and take a good South Indian dinner. Night stay will be in the hotel at Tanjore only.
Day 05 Tanjore – Trichy (approx 65 kms / 2 hrs)
A place for aesthetic Dravidian styles; it has got one of the finest temples around. So, soon after breakfast, we shall see Brihadishwara Temple. It’s a different kind of temple – in the morning hours its rocks turn into white and in the evening it has shades of red, yellow, orange and pink! And that’s the reason why we will be here – twice – in the morning and in the evening. Do not forget to capture the change of colours in your eyes once you are here!
After taking Darshan in this temple, we will take you to Royal Palace of Tanjore! Take a good look at the paintings which are so different from the North Indian miniature paintings, see the relics and the rock – cut architecture. After this we shall serve you lunch at one of the best restaurants around! Soon after lunch we will move towards Trichy which is an hour’s drive! On reaching Trichy, check in the hotel and take rest as we serve you tea and then dinner!
Day 06 Trichy – Madurai (approx 172 kms / 3 hrs)
The synonym for Trichy is Temples. Trichy is filled with temples. The 1st temple we will see here is SriRanganathaswamy Temple. One of the biggest temples of India, it has 49 separate shrines of Lord Vishnu. One needs to pass through 7 Gopurams to reach the main temple! After seeing this, the next temple is Rock FortTemple. With over 400 stone – cut steps to reach the temple, it was a heaven for Pallavas and Pandayas.
On reaching here, move around the temple complex which gives the feeling of a small Fort in every sense! Lunch shall be served here. After this we will take you back to the hotel. Enjoy famous South Indian Filter Coffee and take rest as we serve you dinner. Next morning we shall set off to Madurai.
Day 07 Madurai
On the seventh day of the tour, get up and enjoy a relaxed breakfast. After breakfast, get on the coach to reach Madurai – just 1 and 1/2hrs away. On reaching here, check in. After lunch we shall show you around Madurai – one of the oldest cities of Tamil Nadu. The first thing we will see here is Meenakshi AmmanTemple.
The architecture of this Temple is often compared with that of Taj Mahal of North India! A must see! After seeing the temple, we will take you to TirumalaNayak Palace. It’s massive scale architecture and colourful design is worth the watch! In the evening take a stroll in the local market and shop for world famous south cotton and silken fabric. In the evening, be back in the hotel for dinner and night stay.
Day 08 Madurai – Chennai
On the last day of the tour, get up for an early breakfast; as we shall proceed towards Chennai by flight.
Inclusions
Accommodation in standard category of rooms at all hotels
Meal Plan on Bed & Breakfast at all places accordingly
VIP entry in Tirupati Temple
Night ceremony at Madurai
English speaking guide as per places mentioned in itinerary.
All transfers sightseeing as per itinerary by air-conditioned private vehicle for the entire tour
All applicable current taxes for hotels and transport
Exclusions
Air Fare / Rail Fare
Expenses of personal nature such as laundry / tips / shopping / telephones / Medical etc.
Any other expenses not mentioned in the inclusions mentioned above
Entry fees to Monuments specifically
Charges in hotels for additional services
Photography and video making fees at the sites
Personal insurance
Tips and gratuities