| DAY
02 - Chennai - Vellore - Chennai
Today we shall take you for a day excursion
trip to Vellore, which is 145 km from Chennai
& is a semi rural bazaar town. There we
shall visit the Vijayanagar Fort and its temple,
which are in an excellent state of preservation
and are worth visiting. The famous rivers Palar
and Ponnar flow through this City. The town
also has a modern church built in an old British
cemetery, which contains the tomb of a captain
who died in 1799 during the glorious campaign,
which ended in the defeat of Tipu Sultan. After
touring the quaint town of Vellore, we shall
head back to Chennai. Overnight stay at the
hotel.
DAY 03 - Chennai
- Pondicherry
Today we shall drive you down to Pondicherry,
the town well known as once a French colony,
which is just 162 kms from Chennai. History
has it that, Francois Martin, a Frenchman, established
the modern city of Pondicherry between 1673
and 1680 when most of the trade with France
was through this port.
After checking into the hotel we shall take
you out for a visit to the Aurobindo Ashram. The
main building comprises the houses of Shri Aurobindo
and The Mother (Mirra Alfassa, a French woman
who accepted Aurobindo as her spiritual mentor
and guide and later became his most important
disciple). In the courtyard are the samadhis
of Aurobindo and The Mother where their mortal
remains have been enshrined. We would then proceed
on to visit The French Institute that has separate
sections on science, technology, ecology, cartography,
pedagogy, Indian languages and culture &
is perhaps the only permanent link of France
in Pondicherry. The visit would include the
Botanical Garden, temples, churches & other
places of tourist interest. Overnight stay at
the hotel.
DAY 04 - Pondicherry
- Auroville - Po
Today we shall take you for a days'
trip to Auroville that is at the outskirts of
Pondicherry. This city of dawn was designed
by the French architect Roger Arger and was
started as an experimental commune where people
of all nationalities irrespective of caste,
creed or religion would live together in harmony.
About 550 people from different countries live
in the 40 settlements of Auroville. It is advisable
to hire bicycles to look around, as the village
is too large to wander through on foot. Surrounded
by lakes and gardens, the sphere shaped Matri
Information Centre at Promesse, the first stop,
a 25-hectare farm and orchard where
organic agriculture are being practiced successfully,
are worth watching places.
These farm products are used in the kitchens of Auroville
as well in the Ashram. We shall
then drive back to Pondicherry. Overnight stay
at the hotel.
DAY 05 - Pondicherry
- Tiruvannamalai - Sathanur - Gingee - Pondicherry
Today the full day has been planned for
visiting the nearby tourist destinations
including Tiruvanamalai, Sathanur & Gingee.
Situated at the foot of a hill in Tiruvannamalai
is one of the most important Shiva temples in
the south. The Arunachaleswara temple is dedicated
to Lingodbhava or Jyothy Lingam i.e. God incarnated
as Fire. The tall imposing outer gopurams of
the temple are a magnificent sight, conveying
as they do, an impression of great dignity and
majesty.
The beautiful thousand-pillared hall of the
temple is noted for its intricate carvings.
During the Karthigai Deepam festival, celebrated
in November-December, a huge flame is lit atop
the hill and devotees flock to the temple and
ashram of saint Sri Ramana Maharishi,
that is 3 kms from the temple.
In Sathanur, a dam is built on the River Pennar
situated amidst the forested hills. Apart
from its scenic beauty and cool climate, other
attractions in Sathanur are, a swimming
pool and a crocodile park.
Next in the line is Gingee, which is one of
the finest forts in South India. Its origin
dates back to the 9th century, when it was a
stronghold of the Cholas but the fort as it
looks today is the handiwork of the Vijaynagara
kings who made it an impregnable citadel.
After paying a visit to the entire tourist sites
all around, we shall head back to Pondicherry. Overnight
stay at the hotel.
DAY 06 - Pondicherry
- Kumbakonam
Today we shall drive you to
Kumbakonam, another famed South Indian religious
city in Tamil Nadu. The name of this 2000 year-old
town is derived from the holiday for which it
is famous, the Kumbh Mela. Every 12 years, hundreds
of thousands of tourists, from across India descend upon
the town's Mahamakham Tank, into which the waters
of nine sacred rivers are believed to flow.
After checking into the hotel, we shall take
you out for the Kumbeshwara Temple, which is
the most important Shiva temple in this region.
The Linga inside it is believed to have been
shaped by the hands of Lord Shiva himself. We
then proceed on to the Sarangapani Temple. It
is one of the three most sacred Vishnu shrines
in India, along with Srirangam near Trichy &
Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. Next on the line
is Nageshwara Temple, built in 10th century &
dedicated to Lord Shiva, this temple is thought
to be the oldest temple in Kumbakonam region.
Last but not the least we shall visit the Mahamakham
Tank. The sacred nectar from Brahma's kumbh,
broken by Shiva was collected here. Overnight
stay at the hotel.
DAY 07 - Kumbhakonam
- Thanjavur
Today we shall drive you down to Thanjavur,
the capital of the imperial Chola dynasty, a
thousand years ago. After checking into the
hotel we shall take you for a visit to the magnificent
Brahadeeswarar temple dedicated to Lord Siva,
that bears witness to the glory of Chola architecture,
sculpture and paintings. A museum in the temple
courtyard has interesting Chola artifacts. We
shall also take you to the Saraswathi Mahal
Palace, the Palace Library instituted by Maharaja
Serfoji that has a collection of 30,000 palm
leaf manuscripts and many rare European books.
We shall also visit the Thanjavur Art Gallery
that houses priceless collection of bronze icons
and granite sculptures dating from the 9th century
AD. Rest of the day would be free for shopping
as Thanjavur is a good place to shop for Thanjavur
Art Plates, handicrafts, handwoven silk, bronze
icons, intricately inlaid brass work and bejeweled
paintings. Overnight stay at the hotel.
DAY 08 - Thanjavur
- Trichy
Today morning we shall drive
down to Trichy, which is a fine blend of temples
and monuments. After checking into the hotel
we shall take you out for a city tour. To begin
with we shall head for Srirangam the district's
most important pilgrim centre, that is located in
an island just 7 km from Trichy. Surrounded
by the river Kaveri on one side and
its tributary Kollidan on the other, this 600-acre
island-town is enclosed within the seven walls
of the gigantic Sri Ranganathaswami Temple.
Later we will visit the Rock Fort, one
of the oldest lumps of rock anywhere in the
world & this site was developed as a citadel
long ago by the Pallavas & later by the
Nayaks. Overnight stay at the hotel.
DAY 09 - Trichy-
Madurai
Today we shall drive you down to Madurai. According
to legends, Shiva himself once stood over Madurai
to dry his matted hair; the nectar that fell
from his holy locks soaked the city & gave
it its name, derived from the Tamil word Madhuram
[sweetness]. After checking into the hotel, we
shall take you for a visit to the beautiful Meenakshi Amman Temple,
drawing more than 10,000 people every day. We
shall also visit the other tourist sites in
the city. Overnight stay at the hotel.
DAY 10 - DEPARTURE
Today we shall transfer you to the airport, so that you
can catch the flight back to Chennai. |
