The South India temple tour offers pilgrimage tour to various South Indian temples.
South India Temple Tours
Destinations Covered: Chennai - Tirupati - Madurai - Kanyakumari - Kovalam - Cochin - Bangalore - Puttaparthi - Bombay
Tour Package Duration: 10 Days/ 09 Nights
Tour Package Duration: 10 Days/ 09 Nights
Day 01: Arrival at Chennai
Upon arrival, the guest will be met by our representative and transferred to hotel. Stay overnight at hotel.
Day 02: Chennai
Morning city tour of Chennai - 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. Visit the Fort St. George - Still surrounded by cannon-proof walls the fort was rebuilt several times between 1642 when its original bastions were completed and 1749 when the French left, it remains - moats and all - pretty much today as when first made the seat of empire. Declared a national monument in 1948, most of its buildings have been converted into government offices, notably the Legislature and Secretariat. At various times the fort was home of Robert Clive, Elihu Yale and Sir Arthur Wellesley. Within the fort, visit the little St Mary's Church the oldest Protestant church east of the Suez and the first Anglican one in India. Stay overnight at hotel.
Day 03 Mahabalipuram - Kanchipuram
You will be taken for a full day sightseeing tour of Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram.
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.
Mahabalipuram 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. Stay overnight at hotel.
Day 03: Chennai - Tirupati
You will be taken for a full day trip to Tirupati (154 km). The "holy hill" of Tirumala in the extreme south of Andhra Pradesh is one the most important pilgrimage centers in India, and is claimed to be the busiest in the world - eclipsing Jerusalem, Rome and Mecca in its sheer number of pilgrims. Tirumala is an engrossing place where you can spend the whole day just wandering around. It's one of the few temples in India, which allows non-Hindus into the sanctum, but, despite this, the place sees few foreign visitors.
Venkateshwara Temple - Pilgrims flock to Tirumala to visit the ancient temple of Venkateshwara, an avatar of Vishnu. This is the god whose pictures graces the reception areas of most lodges and restaurants in Southern India and garlanded in so many flowers that only his feet are visible. Stay overnight at a hotel.
Day 04: Tirupati - Chennai - Madurai
Morning drive to Chennai airport (154 km) to connect flight Chennai/Madurai. Upon arrival our representative will transfer you to hotel.
Madurai
Madurai is an animated city packed with pilgrims, businesspeople, bullock carts and legions of rickshaw- wallahs. It is one of southern India's oldest cities, and has been a center of learning and pilgrimage for centuries. Madurai's main attraction is the famous Sri Meenakshi Temple in the heart of the old town, a riotously baroque example of Dravidian architecture with gopurams covered from top to bottom in a breathless profusion of multicoloured images of gods, goddesses, animals and mythical figures. The temple seethes with activity from dawn till dusk, its many shrines attracting pilgrims from every part of India and tourists from all over the world. It's been estimated that there are 10,000 visitors here on and one day!
Visit the Meenakshi temple one of the biggest temple complexes in India - 46 ft. long by 790 ft broad built in the 17th Century. It is a rectangular twin shrine - the southern temple dedicated to Meenakshi (the consort of Shiva) and the other to Shiva. It is Madurai's greatest landmark - a virtual city within a city. The complex includes a bazaar that bustles from dawn to nightfall.
Overnight will be at hotel
Day 05: Madurai - Kanyakumari
Morning, drive to Kanyakumari (240 km / 5 hours).
Kanyakumari - meeting point of three oceans, the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. Kanyakumari is famous for its beautiful views of sunrise, sunset and moonrise over the waters. Kanyakumari is also a popular pilgrimage destination and has great significance to Hindus. Stay overnight at hotel.
Day 06: Kanyakumari - Kovalam
Early morning view the rising sun. Thereafter you will drive to Kovallam (70 km / 1 ½ hours). Upon arrival you will transfer to hotel.
Kovallam - Kovallam is one of India's most spectacular beaches with the boundless blue of the Arabian Sea and the unwinding miles of fine - sanded beaches washed by the surf, which roars and hisses at the feet of the stalwart palms. Located in idyllic surroundings, it's a beautiful getaway for relaxation & recuperation. Rest of the day at leisure for own activities and enjoy the facilities of the hotel or at the beach. Overnight will be at hotel.
Day 07: Kovallam - Cochin - Bangalore - Puttaparthi
In the morning drive to Cochin airport to connect flight Cochin / Bangalore (1450 / 1545 hrs.). Upon arrival in Bangalore you will be driven to Puttparthi (170 km / 3 ½ hours). Stay overnight at hotel.
Day 08: Puttaparthi
You will spend the day at Puttaparthi. Overnight will be at Ashram / hotel.
Day 09: Puttaparthi - Bombay
You will transfer to the airport for flight Puttparthi/Bombay flight (1450 / 1610 hrs.) Upon arrival our representative will transfer you to the international airport for flight back home.
Day 10: Bombay - Abroad
You will catch the flight back home.
Upon arrival, the guest will be met by our representative and transferred to hotel. Stay overnight at hotel.
Day 02: Chennai
Morning city tour of Chennai - 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. Visit the Fort St. George - Still surrounded by cannon-proof walls the fort was rebuilt several times between 1642 when its original bastions were completed and 1749 when the French left, it remains - moats and all - pretty much today as when first made the seat of empire. Declared a national monument in 1948, most of its buildings have been converted into government offices, notably the Legislature and Secretariat. At various times the fort was home of Robert Clive, Elihu Yale and Sir Arthur Wellesley. Within the fort, visit the little St Mary's Church the oldest Protestant church east of the Suez and the first Anglican one in India. Stay overnight at hotel.
Day 03 Mahabalipuram - Kanchipuram
You will be taken for a full day sightseeing tour of Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram.
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.
Mahabalipuram 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. Stay overnight at hotel.
Day 03: Chennai - Tirupati
You will be taken for a full day trip to Tirupati (154 km). The "holy hill" of Tirumala in the extreme south of Andhra Pradesh is one the most important pilgrimage centers in India, and is claimed to be the busiest in the world - eclipsing Jerusalem, Rome and Mecca in its sheer number of pilgrims. Tirumala is an engrossing place where you can spend the whole day just wandering around. It's one of the few temples in India, which allows non-Hindus into the sanctum, but, despite this, the place sees few foreign visitors.
Venkateshwara Temple - Pilgrims flock to Tirumala to visit the ancient temple of Venkateshwara, an avatar of Vishnu. This is the god whose pictures graces the reception areas of most lodges and restaurants in Southern India and garlanded in so many flowers that only his feet are visible. Stay overnight at a hotel.
Day 04: Tirupati - Chennai - Madurai
Morning drive to Chennai airport (154 km) to connect flight Chennai/Madurai. Upon arrival our representative will transfer you to hotel.
Madurai
Madurai is an animated city packed with pilgrims, businesspeople, bullock carts and legions of rickshaw- wallahs. It is one of southern India's oldest cities, and has been a center of learning and pilgrimage for centuries. Madurai's main attraction is the famous Sri Meenakshi Temple in the heart of the old town, a riotously baroque example of Dravidian architecture with gopurams covered from top to bottom in a breathless profusion of multicoloured images of gods, goddesses, animals and mythical figures. The temple seethes with activity from dawn till dusk, its many shrines attracting pilgrims from every part of India and tourists from all over the world. It's been estimated that there are 10,000 visitors here on and one day!
Visit the Meenakshi temple one of the biggest temple complexes in India - 46 ft. long by 790 ft broad built in the 17th Century. It is a rectangular twin shrine - the southern temple dedicated to Meenakshi (the consort of Shiva) and the other to Shiva. It is Madurai's greatest landmark - a virtual city within a city. The complex includes a bazaar that bustles from dawn to nightfall.
Overnight will be at hotel
Day 05: Madurai - Kanyakumari
Morning, drive to Kanyakumari (240 km / 5 hours).
Kanyakumari - meeting point of three oceans, the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. Kanyakumari is famous for its beautiful views of sunrise, sunset and moonrise over the waters. Kanyakumari is also a popular pilgrimage destination and has great significance to Hindus. Stay overnight at hotel.
Day 06: Kanyakumari - Kovalam
Early morning view the rising sun. Thereafter you will drive to Kovallam (70 km / 1 ½ hours). Upon arrival you will transfer to hotel.
Kovallam - Kovallam is one of India's most spectacular beaches with the boundless blue of the Arabian Sea and the unwinding miles of fine - sanded beaches washed by the surf, which roars and hisses at the feet of the stalwart palms. Located in idyllic surroundings, it's a beautiful getaway for relaxation & recuperation. Rest of the day at leisure for own activities and enjoy the facilities of the hotel or at the beach. Overnight will be at hotel.
Day 07: Kovallam - Cochin - Bangalore - Puttaparthi
In the morning drive to Cochin airport to connect flight Cochin / Bangalore (1450 / 1545 hrs.). Upon arrival in Bangalore you will be driven to Puttparthi (170 km / 3 ½ hours). Stay overnight at hotel.
Day 08: Puttaparthi
You will spend the day at Puttaparthi. Overnight will be at Ashram / hotel.
Day 09: Puttaparthi - Bombay
You will transfer to the airport for flight Puttparthi/Bombay flight (1450 / 1610 hrs.) Upon arrival our representative will transfer you to the international airport for flight back home.
Day 10: Bombay - Abroad
You will catch the flight back home.
