Southern Enchantment

Chennai Arrival

Welcome to India! Upon arrival, meet our representative and transfer to the hotel.

Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is the capital of Tamil Nadu, the exotic state famous for temple architecture. It is the fourth largest city in India and the base of South India's classical music and dance performances. Overnight.

Mahabalipuram - Pondicherry

After breakfast, visit the temple complex at Mahabalipuram. The open-air museum of Tamil art in living rock is the work of students under the patronage of the Pallava rulers.  Strewn along the coast are some outstanding examples of 7^th century sculpture – cave temples, an enormous bas-relief depicting scenes from the Indian epic the Mahabharata, and an amphitheater of chariot shaped temples.  The landmark of this marvelous collection is the Shore Temple, a world heritage monument.

Later, drive to Pondicherry (3 hours) and transfer to your hotel.

Pondicherry, a former French colony, presents a unique 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 deco buildings. At leisure and overnight.

Kumbakonam

After breakfast, visit a school (Sankara mutt) where young children live and train to become priests. Apart from strict conformance to traditions, the children are taught the Vedas (ancient Hindu religious text) in classes from early morning until evening. It takes seven years to complete the education after which they become priests of the temples in the cities where they reside. If you inform the priest in advance, you can listen to a prayer recited by the students of the school. To hear close to thirty students reciting with earnest is a special experience.

Afternoon with your hosts to visit the community temples, explore local markets, and sample the famous sweets from this area. Evening at leisure and overnight.

Tanjore - Chettinad

In the morning, drive to Chettinad via Trichy (2 hours). In Trichy, visit the Rock Fortress. A climb of 434 steps leads to the ancient temple of Ganapati with a further climb to the Shiva Temple.

Situated between Pudukottai in the north and Sivagangai in the south, the 74 villages of Chettinad stretch over mostly arid land with a splash of green at irregular intervals. From the days of trading diamonds, gems, and salt under the Cholas, these townsfolk have made great progress. As a visitor, when you ramble through the narrow streets, there is so much untouched by tourism. Today there is a curious mix of old stately mansions, English-styled bungalows, wedding halls, shops, temples, and schools.

Evening at leisure and overnight.

Madurai

Rise and shine! Start a little early today to visit the famous wholesale flower market in the city. Just north of the Sri Meenakshi Temple, the daily flower and vegetable market is a labyrinth of bustling laneways strewn with aromatic herbs and vegetables. In the thick of it, on the 1st floor of a nondescript cement building, is the gorgeous flower market. Vendors dexterously heap mountains of marigolds and jasmine onto scales for the temple flower sellers.

Also visit the Thirumalai Nayaka Palace, built in 1636 in the Indo Mughal style. Its Celestial Pavilion, an arcaded octagonal structure, is curiously constructed in brick and mortar without supporting rafters.  The original complex had an armory, a theatre, royal quarters, and a shrine.  Only a quarter remains since Thirumalai’s grandson removed sections to build another palace in Tiruchirapalli. 

Afternoon at leisure to explore the handicraft markets and sweet shops that line the streets of Madurai. Overnight.