TAMILNADU, A cultural Empire

Duration: 13 Nights / 14 Days

Destination Covered: Chennai – Kanchipuram – Mahabalipuram – Pondicherry – Thanjavur – Trichy – Madurai – Rameshwaram – Madurai – Chennai

OVERVIEW

The south Indian state of Tamil Nadu abounds with various tourist attractions, whose large chunk is occupied by man-made marvels especially temples. With its well-planned ‘Complete South India Tour’ package, Empire India Tours takes you some of the most sought-after destinations of this south Indian state.

You get a chance to explore popular cities such as Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram, Pondicherry, Trichy, Madurai and Thanjavur. Visit to popular temples like Rameshwaram temple, Krishna Mandapam temple is one of the major highlights.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Visit Mahabalipuram atemple
• Visit pondichari Sri Arabindo Asram
• Visit Meenakshi temple
• Visit Rameswaram & Ramasetu

ITINERARY DETAILS

Day 1: Arrival in Chennai

Upon arrival in Chennai, meet our representative who’ll assist you in smooth transfer to the hotel for overnight stay.

Day 2: Chennai

On day 2 of the tour, leave your hotel for a city tour. Fondly known as the ‘Gateway of South’, Chennai is home to a number of tourist attractions. The list of attractions that you cover during the sightseeing includes the Theosophical Society, Sri Parthasarathy Temple, Kalakshetra, the St. Mary’s Church, Kapaliswara Temple, San Thomas Cathedral Basilica, Mylapore, Fort St. George and houses the Secretariat and Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. The evening is at leisure. Stay overnight.

Day 3: Chennai –Kanchipuram- Mahabalipuram

On the 3rd day, leave for Kanchipuram, by road.  Around 70 km westwards of Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram is referred to as one of the 7 sacred cities of Hinduism. The Chola capital during the 2nd century, Kanchipuram today is an important place where people come to gain knowledge about Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism.

You may visit the city’s popular temples such as Kamakshi Amman temple, Ekambareswarar temple and so on. Also visit the silk weavers of the city, residing here from past four centuries. Thereafter, continue towards Mahabalipuram. On arrival, complete the check-in formalities at the hotel. Overnight stay.

Day 4: Mahabalipuram

The 4th day is scheduled for sightseeing in Mahabalipuram.  Also known as Mamallapuram, it has been the ancient port of the Pallava rulers. During their reign, the Pallava rulers constructed a number of architectural marvels such as caves, sculptural panels, temples and Monolithic rathas.

One of such attraction that you will visit today includes Krishna Mandapam. Dedicated to Lord Krishna, it is the world’s largest cave-cut Hindu temple. The walls of this temple consist of several figures, including those of Lord Krishna, humans, birds and demi-gods.

The other attraction will be the Shore temple. Dating back to the 8th century, this temple is one of the finest examples of Dravidian style of architecture.

The last attraction of the day is the Five (Paanch) Rathas. Also called the Paandava Rathas, it is a group of 5 monolithic temples, each erected in a different architecture styling. Back to the hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 5: Mahabalipuram – Pondicherry

Today, get an assisted transfer to Pondicherry by car. On reaching, check-into the hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to partake in the activities of your interest.

You can interact with the locals, can relish sumptuous local delicacies, can explore the surroundings on your own, can visit the local market and more. back to the hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 6: Pondicherry

On day 6 of the tour, get all set for sightseeing in Pondicherry. The attractions that you visit today include the Sacred Heart Church, the Rai Niwas and Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Apart from being a religious site, Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an oriental specimen of Gothic style of architecture.

The other attraction, Raj Niwas, is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry.  The last attraction of the day is Sri Aurobindo Ashram, founded by Sri Aurobindo, way back in the year 1926. This spiritual community is flocked by a huge number of visitors all round the year. Stay overnight in Pondicherry.

Day 7: Pondicherry – Thanjavur (Tanjore)

Today, get all set to leave for Tanjore in the morning, by car. En-route halt at Chidambram. This quaint town of Tamil Nadu is known as the seat Lord Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer. Here, you visit Chidambram Temple, which is spread in around 40 acres of land

. Also called Thillai Nataraja temple, it has a distinct feature of 5 sabhas. Thereafter, continue to Tanjore. On arrival, check-in at your hotel. After some rest, the rest of the day is for sightseeing in Tanjore including the very well-known Brihadeeswarar Temple.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a temple that is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The other attractions of the day include the Saraswathi Mahal Library and the Art Gallery. Overnight in Tanjore.

Day 8: Thanjavur – Trichy

The morning of day 8 is for an assisted on-road transfer to Trichy or Tiruchirappali. As you reaching Trichy and complete the check-in formalities, you are free to spend the day as per your own liking.

You can explore the surroundings and the nearby attractions, can visit the local market to shop for souvenirs, can interact with the locals, can relish tasty food and more. Back to the hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 9: Trichy

Partake in visiting and exploring the prime attractions of Trichy today. The first visit is to the Srirangam, located at a distance of around 5 km from Trichy.

Here you visit Sri Ranganathaswami temple, which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and boasts of having one of India’s largest temple complexes. Your next visit is to the Tiruchirapalli Rock Fort, placed on the banks of the River Kaveri. Stay overnight.

Day 10: Trichy – Madurai

On the 10th day leave by road for Madurai, also famed as the Athens of the East. As you arrive, check-into the hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. You can partake in the activities of your interest.  Visit the local market to indulge in shopping and relishing the local food, indulge in the facilities of the hotel, have an interaction with the locals and more. Overnight stay in Madurai.

Day 11: Madurai

The morning of the 11th day is for visiting the prime attractions of Madurai. Placed on the banks of Vidai River, this popular city of Southern India is around 2500 years old. Visit the splendid Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple.

This magnificent temple is dedicated to Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva. While the Goddess is known as Meenakshi in this part of the country, the Lord is known as Sundareswarar.

This magnificiebt temple has 14 gopurams. The afternoon is at leisure. Attend the wonderful evening prayer ceremony at the Meenakshi Temple. Stay overnight in Madurai.

Day 12: Madurai – Rameshwaram – Madurai

Day 12 is scheduled for a day-trip to Rameshwaram for darshan at the Rameshwaram temple. If history is to be believed the island and the temple got their names from the event when Lord Rama worshiped Lord Shiva to gain penance when he was coming from Lanka, after killing Ravana. Back to Trichy hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 13: Madurai – Chennai

In the morning, get an assisted transfer to the railway station to go on-board a train for Chennai. As you reach, get transferred to the hotel. Spend the rest of the time relaxing in your hotel room. Stay overnight.

Day 14: Departure from Chennai

Today is the last day of the tour.With a memorable experience of Southern Empires tour get transferred to the airport to board your flight back home.  Namaskar

Note: Tour price depends on type of transport, type of hotel.

This is just a suggested itinerary indicative of what could be possible. Empire India Tours.com tailor holidays for your specific needs. Contact us if you want modifications so that we could tailor a holiday to suit your need for an unforgettable India tour.

WHICH INCLUDES:

• All accommodation on twin sharing basis with breakfast
• Air con taxi – from arrival till departure with toll, taxi tax, driver fooding, night halt charge.
• Entry fee at all entrance due places
• Mineral water during journey
• Community contribution
• Service tax

PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:

Any personal expenses, air ticket, hard and soft drinks, room services.