08 Dec 2015 : Cochin /Munnar

Pick up from Hotel in the morning and drive to Munnar (140 kms , 4.5 hrs).

Munnar is a beautiful hill station on the Western Ghats at about 1600 metres
above sea level.There are lakes, reservoirs, forests and several tea estates in
Munnar. Famous Tata Tea estate and factory is in Munnar. There is a wildlife
sanctuary in the Eravikulam –Rajamala area in the Munnar forest division.Munnar
was the summer resort of the British Government in the South.Rajamala is the
right place to spot Nilgiri Thar (a rare breed of Mountain Goats in the world).

Lunch at the hotel . Afternoon proceed for a sightseeing of Munnar. Visit the tea
plantations and the tea museum.

Dinner and Over night at Munnar.

09 Dec 2015 : Munnar / Madurai

After breakfast drive to Madurai (165 kms , 04 hrs 30 mts)

Madurai
Over 2500 years old, Madurai is the second largest city of Tamil
Nadu. It is an important cultural and commercial centre. It was
once the seat of Tamil learning and still the place where the
Tamil language is spoken in its purest form. The city is planned
in the shape of a lotus. Modern Madurai is a burgeoning
industrial centre, even though the vast stretches of paddy fields,
dusty roads and crowded bazaars make it seems like an
overgrown village. Modernity has reached the city of Madurai,
but not at the cost of its rich tradition and culture. Lunch at the hotel.
Afternoon visit the Tirupara Kundram rock temple and Tirumalanayak palace.

21 00 Hrs. Witness the “Palli Arai” ceremony at the Meenakshi Temple.The great
Meenakshi temple dedicated to the consort of Lord Shiva with its towering
Gopurams.

Dinner and Overnight at Madurai

10 Dec 2015 : Madurai/Chettinad

Breakfast and leave for Chettinad (02 hrs).

Chettinad occupying the hot and dusty coastal

plain, south of Trichy, is home to some of South
India’s wealthiest merchant families. Many of the
villages are now semi-deserted but they retain a
charm and distinctive style that repays a visit.

Afternoon visit the Attangudi tiles factory and the temple

Over night at Chettinad

11 Dec 2015 : Madurai/Tanjore

Morning drive to Tanjore (170 kms , 02 hrs 30 mts). Lunch at the Hotel .

TANJORE
The city was once the great capital of the Chola Empire. Visit the most spectacular
of Tanjore temples, the Brihadishwara capped by a monolithic cupola made of a
single granite rock weighing 80 tons. The temple itself is decorated with carved
panels depicting mythological events. An immense Nandi 6 mts long carved out of
a single piece of granite stands in front of the shrine. Also visit Saraswati Mahal
Library and Art Gallery with a large collection of Chola bronzes- a unique example
of Hindu architecture.
Dinner and Overnight at Tanjore.

12 Dec 2015 : Tanjore/Darasuram/Kumbakonam/Chidambaram/Pondicherry

Morning drive to Darasuram (40 kms)

Visit Darasuram Kumbakonam Temples

Darasuram Airavatesvara Temple is situated in the south west direction of

Kumbakonam. This temple was built by Raja raja - II during 1146 - 1163 AD. This
temple is famous for Art and Architecture. This is one of the oldest of Chola
temples. There is a separate Amman temple for Goddess Deivanayagi Amman.
The main deity Linga named Airavatesvarar. The Linga was worshipped by the
Devendran's elephant named Airavatham and hence the name Airavatesvarar.
This temple is renovated and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Later drive to Chidambaram (60 kms , 01 hr)

CHIDAMBARAM: Between two rivers in a 40-acre temple-complex, lay the

temples of Chidambaram, one of the oldest, most venerated and magnificent
temples of South India. Shiva Nataraja or the Dancing Shiva stands in his cosmic
dance pose in the golden rooted sanctum sanctorum. Fanking the temple are 108
sculptured illustrations of Bharat Natya Shastra. In Akash Lingam hidden by a veil,
lies the real secret of Chidambaram.

Lunch at a local Restaurant .Later drive to Pondicherry (85 kms , 1.75 hrs)

Dinner and Overnight at Pondicherry

13 Dec 2015 : Pondicherry

Pondicherry
Pondicherry, a former French colony, presents an unusual combination of
European culture and Indian traditions. Its history can be
traced back to Agastya, the revered sage of the south who built
his hermitage here in 1500 BC. It became a part of India in
1954, but traces of its history as a French colony still remain in
its churches, cuisine, grid-pattern streets and some colonial
buildings.

Morning visit the French quarter of Pondicherry. Also visit the town of Auroville,
an oasis of peace and enlightenment.

Lunch at a local restaurant at Pondicherry

Dinner and Overnight at Pondicherry.

14 Dec 2015 : Pondicherry/Mahabalipuram

Morning drive to Mahabalipuram (110 kms , 02 hrs , 30 mts). Lunch at the Hotel

Mahabalipuram
An erstwhile port of the Pallava dynasty, its stone carvings, caves and rock cut
temples also attract tourists. A crocodile farm, a snake venom extracting centre,
schools of art and sculpture and many resorts draw holiday seekers all around the
year, especially during the dance festival held in January

Afternoon Visit Shore Temple, which is now a World Heritage Monument and
other stone Carvings and rock-cut temples.

Dinner and Overnight at Mahabalipuram.

15 Dec 2015 : Mahabalipuram/Kancheepuram/Mahabalipuram

After breakfast leave for Kancheepuram. (55 km , 01 hr 15 mts)

Kancheepuram
The City of Thousand Temples is one of the seven sacred cities and considered as
the second holiest place in India. The great Buddhist Vhikku Bodhidharma lived
and worked here. Kancheepuram is also famous for its hand-wooven silk fabrics.

Lunch at a Local restaurant . Drive back to Mahabalipuram.

Afternoon relax at the beach resort. Dinner and Overnight at Mahabalipuram

16 Dec 2015 : Mahabalipuram/Chennai

Morning at leisure. In the afternoon transfer to Chennai (60 kms , 1.75 hrs)

END OF TOUR