 14-Day Tour Itinerary |
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Visit the ashram of Ammachi--Amritananda Mayi--in Amritapuri |
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Day 01 Welcome to Chennai Fly overnight to
India or, if continuing from North India tour, fly from Delhi to
Madras (Chennai). Transfer to hotel. Overnight at hotel.
Location: Located in an exclusive residential enclave, in the heart of the city and close to the city commercial centres. 11 km from the airport,13km from the railway station & 3 km from the city centre. T.T.K. Road, Chennai, Nadu, India. Accommodation: 283 rooms, including 38 suites & 123 towers room. Executive club, a unique concept in accommodation, pioneers a tradition of corporate hospitality, setting a premium on discreet efficiency and business- related services. |
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Day 02 Explore Chennai After breakfast,
full day sightseeing of Chennai. Overnight at hotel.
Kalikambal Temple - The Kalikambal temple located in Thambu Chetty Street in the heart of George Town in the business district of Chennai is among the most visited temples in the metropolis. This temple enshrines Kalikambal (Kamakshi) and Kamateswarar and a host of parivara devatas. The history of the temple goes back to a few hundred years. The great Maratha ruler Shivaji is said to have visited the Kalikambal shrine in Chennai, during his tour of the southern region of the Indian subcontinent. It is said that the original location of this temple was closer to the seashore and that it was relocated to its present location during the period of British rule in India. It is also believed that a firece ugra form of the Goddess was held in worship earlier, and that this form was replaced with the Shanta Swaroopa form of Kamakshi, along with a Meru in the recent past. This temple has a rich tradition of festivals, which are celebrated in splendor even today in the limited space that is available in the neighborhood. The Kinnitter - a chariot lined with metal cymbals is unique to this temple, and the kinnitter procession in the month of Vaikasi attracts large crowds. The Navaratri and the Vasanta Navaratri festivals are also of a unique nature here. This temple has grown in popularity exponentially over the last two decades. Unprecedented crowds throng the neighborhood on Fridays and during special celebrationsand the last two decades have seen major construction activities within the temple complex. Evening: Visit to yoganandamayi matha (ashram) in chennai for a program of discourse,yoga and meditation. |
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Day 03 Chennai/ Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram After breakfast,
drive to full day excursion
to Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram. Dinner and overnight at
Hotel.
  The sculpture here is particularly interesting because it shows scenes of day-to- day life, in contrast with the rest of the state of Tamil Nadu, where the carvings generally depict gods and goddesses. Mahabalipuram art can be divided into four categories : open air bas - reliefs structured temples, man-made caves and rathas ('chariots' carved from single boulders, to resemble temples or chariots used in temple processions). The famous Arjuna's Penance and the Krishna Mandapa, adorn massive rocks near the centre of the village. The beautiful Shore Temple towers over the waves, behind a protective breakwater. Sixteen man-made caves in different stages of completion are also seen, scattered through the area.   Kanchipuram is among the most famous of the 'temple cities' of Tamil Nadu. Its temples house different Hindu sects. Though today it is only a destination for pilgrims, and a repository of major architectural monuments, in antiquity it occupied a more preeminent place in the history of South India. The city was the political capital of the Pallava rulers during the 7th - 9th centuries. It remained an important city during the succeeding Chola and Vijayanagara periods.The Kailasanatha temple is the finest structural project of the Pallava ruler Rajasimha. The temple is almost entirely constructed of sandstone and is integrated into a coherent complex. A large variety of Shaiva images adorns the outer walls; the inner walls were once painted. A polished linga (phallus, the symbol of regeneration associated with Shiva) is enshrined within. |
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Day 04 Mahabalipuram/ Tanjore After breakfast leave by coach to
Tanjore enroute visit Chidambaram and Gangaikondacholapuram. Arrive
Tanjore and check-in at Hotel. Dinner and overnight at the
Hotel.
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Day
05 Tanjore |
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Day 06 Tanjore/ Madurai Morning leave by coach to
Madurai, enroute visit Trichy. Arrive and check-in at Hotel Taj
Garden Retreat. Rest of the day free. Dinner and overnight at the
Hotel. Hotel Location: Atop the Pasumalai hill, with a panoramic view of the Temple city and the Kodai hills, a century old celebrated property sprawling over 62 acres of landscaped gardens. l5 km from the airport, 6 km from the railway station, and a 15-minute drive from the famous Meenakshi Temple and city centre. Accommodation: 34 rooms. T.P.K. Road, Madurai.   Amenities: Front Desk, Business Center, Complimentary Breakfast, Bar, Restaurant, Safe Deposit Box, Coffee Shop, Room Service, Room-Service 24 Hours, Wheel Chair Access, Bus Parking, Post, Laundry, Travel Desk, Beauty Salon, Currency Exchange, In room telephone service, Express Check-In, Express Check-Out, Florist, Gift Shop, Guest Laundromat, Maid Service, Wake up service
Dining Room: Serves Continental, Indian, Mughlai, and Chinese cuisine and alcoholic beverages. Lawn service in the evenings. Open from 7 a.m, to 11 p.m. Recreation & Other Services: Swimming pool, tennis and badminton courts, indoor games, sightseeing tours. Telex/cable/facsimile facilities. Travel desk, car rental, currency exchange, safe deposit lockers, doctor-on-call and baby sitting.
Ranganathar: This superb temple complex at Srirangam, about three kms from the Rock Fort is surrounded by seven concentric walls with 21 gopurams and is probably the largest in India. Most of it dates from the 14th to 17th centuries, and many people have had a hand in its construction, including the Cheras, Pandyas, Cholas, Hoysalas and rulers from Vijayanagar. The largest gopuram in the first wall on the southern side was completed as recently as 1987, and now measures 73m. The main temple is dedicated to Vishnu. Even muslims are said to have prayed here after the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire. Non-Hindus are not allowed into the gold - topped sanctum, but they are allowed into the sixth wall.  The whole place is fascinating. Bazaars and Brahmins' houses fill the space between the outer four walls, and you don't have to take your shoes off or deposit your bicycle until you get to the fourth wall. Just past the shoe deposit is an information centre, where you buy the ticket to climb the wall for a panoramic view of the entire complex. A temple guide will unlock the gates and tell you what's what. It's worth engaging one of these guides as there is much to see and you could easily spend all day wandering around the complex. There's also a small museum containing sculptures. An annual Car Festival is held here in January during which a decorated wooden chariot is pulled through the streets between various walls. In mid-December, the Vaikunda Ekadasi, or Paradise Festival will be celebrated in the Vishnu Temple. Viralimalai: (30 km) : The temple of Lord Subramanya is situated on a hillock. There is also peacock sanctuary here.   Vayalor: (8km) : Located on the outskirts or Tiruchi. There is a small Lord Muruga Temple set in the midst of lush green vegetation. Samayapuram: (20 km) : This is a very important place of pilgrimage, famous for its temple dedicated to the Goddess Mariamman. Jumbo: The Sri Jambukeshwara Temple is dedicated to Lord Siva and has five concentric walls and seven gopurams. It is built around a Siva lingam partly submerged in water that comes from a spring in the sanctum sanctorum. Non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple. The complex was built at the same time when Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple was also built. It is open daily between 6 am and 1 pm and between 4pm to 9.30 pm. Sri Kokarneswarar Temple: The rock-cut cave temple of Sri Lokarneswarar Brahadambal at Thirukokarnam is of Mahendravarma Pallava's period. Uthamar Koil: Uthamar Koil in Karumbanur is one of the most famous shrines in 108 Vaishnavik Padalshtalam. This temple is situated eight kilometres north of Trichy Fort Station, 4 km north of Srirangam railway station. Here is the temple where the Lord Creator - Brahma, the lord for the well being of the universe - Vishnu and the destroyer of universe - Siva take their abode. This place is also known as " Kadambavanam" or "Trimurthishektram". |
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Day 07 Madurai
Close to the Meenakshi temple is the Mariamman Teppakulam tank with the idol of Vinayaka or Vigneshwara at the centre of the platform. The Mariamman Teppakulam tank of Madurai happens to be the venue of the annual Teppakulam float festival. Near by is the Tirumalai Nayak Mahal. The architecture of the palace will surely sweep you off your feet. Then there is the Gandhi Museum in the old palace of the Rani Mangammal that provides insight into the life and times of Mahatma Gandhi. Eight kilometers ahead of Madurai are the Pandyan rock-cut shrines of Thirupparankunram. At a distance of two kilometres is the Koodal Alagar temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The magical Madurai is indeed a temple town worth more than a visit. 
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Day 08 Madurai/ Cochin Morning leave by coach to Cochin.
Arrive and check-in at hotel. Rest of the day free. Dinner and
overnight at the Hotel. Visit Goddess Sri Raja Rajeswari Temple, (considered to be 'Jala Durga') is the main deity of this centuries old temple. Even though authentic details are not available about the age of the temple, it is considered as one of the 108 Durga temples made by Lord Parasurama in kerala. It is believed that the name Palarivattom Devi originated from " Palachuvattile Devi " (Devi underneath the 'Pala' tree). Afternoon come back to hotel for lunch. After lunch goes to visit Chottanikkara Bhagawati Temple - Chottanikkara temple, located near Ernakulam enshrines Bhagawati - the mother Goddess, one of the most popular deities in Kerala. Enroute is the Poornatrayesa temple at Tripunittura. The Devi is worshipped along with Lord Vishnu. Together, they are known as Lakshminarayana. People who have mental illness seek refuge in the divine mother, who graciously cures all her devotees. Goddess Rajarajeswari is the presiding deity. This deity is worshipped in three different forms - as Saraswati in the morning - draped in white, as Bhadrakali at noon draped in crimson, and as Durga in the evening decked in blue. It is locally believed that the deity appeared in front of Vilvamangalam Swamigal, a saint associated with this shrine and with Guruvayoor. Vilvamangalam Swamy is said to have discovered Bhadrakali enshrined in Keezhkaavu. Angadipuram Temple - Located in Malappuram District of Kerala, this historical temple, steeped in legend, has been attracting devotees from all over the state. The temple itself is built upon a small hill, with a sunning view of Kerala's countryside for miles around. The deity is the Goddess Bhadrakali, an avatar of the Goddess Durga, Goddess of strength. The temple is known for its special ceremonies, which involve all the communities of the region, starting from the Valluvanad Rajas right up to the tribal population. The gory dance of the Komarams, the colourful kalampattu of the Kurups and the annual Pooram, with elephant parades, fireworks and cultural meets, all make this temple a meeting point for the cultural spirit of the region. |
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Day 09 Cochin Morning proceed for city
sightseeing tour of Cochin. Afternoon enjoy backwater boat cruise.
Dinner and overnight at the Hotel. Morning star drive to see Parakkad Bhagavathi Temple - Parakkad is situated on the banks of River Gayathri. The Bhagavathi is enshrined in a beautiful temple situated in the middle of Parakkad, an evergreen forest and is showering Her blessings on Her devotees. The Devi has done miracles over the past 200 years. The legend says that the demon 'Parasura' who was born during the Mookasura battle was living in the forest and the Devi killed him. Since the parasura was killed in the forest, the place was called 'Parakkad'. After killing the Asura the Devi became peaceful and started staying at Para Cheri. But soon She left the place and went to the Moolasthana at Kootala. Thereafter the Brahmins brought Her to the present place. Evening back to hotel for night stay. |
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Morning leave by coach to Kollam.
Arrive and check-in at Aquaserene. Eveving visit to Amritananda
Mayi Ashram.
Hotel Aquaserene: The Enchanting Backwater Resort: Serenity envelops you at an untouched paradise called Aquaserene. Tucked away in a peninsula surrounded by water. Aquaserene is a green, green planet of shimmering lagoon, meandering canals, whispering palms and the tang of the ocean. Aquaserene. It's another world. And it's waiting for you in God's Own Country - Kerala.   The architecture of Hotel Aquaserene is typical of Kerala and the traditional hospitality overwhelming as you step into the gracious hotel. Gurgling canals connected by arched bridges criss-cross the well-landscaped chattels shaded by coconut palms. Kerala in all her traditional splendor can be experienced at Hotel Aquaserene and the ambience is with Mother Nature. Naturally! Location: Kollam District , Kerala. 65 km from Thiruvananthapuram Airport Nearest Railway station, Paravur is 3.5 km away, Kollam Railway Station is 20 km.   Accommodation: There are 28 independent /heritage cottages and each of them is on an island of its own. These aesthetically laid out cottages have exteriors that blend with the surroundings and plush air-conditioned interiors complete with wooden ceilings, tiled flooring and cane furniture. The modern attached bathrooms with elegant fittings are in distinctive Kerala style with enclosed courtyards open to the sky.
Dining: A gourmet restaurant offers traditional Kerala fare. Multi cuisine a/c restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. Open 7 am to 10pm offering delectable continental, Indian, Chinese and traditional Kerala cuisine.   Recreation & Health: There is an exquisite antique shop here that is a treasure trove of ethnic arts and crafts. The charming swimming pool uniquely positioned inn the middle of a natural pond on the lakefront offers a splendid view of the backwaters and palm-fringed horizon. The effect is magical especially at twilight and at dawn. Fresh water swimming pool within natural pond. Accessible by a unique hanging bridge. The backwaters offer endless opportunity for fishing; aquatic sports and cruises. The unspoilt beach immediately beyond the backwaters is an added attraction, unique to this exotic setting. Sightseeing trips to historic/scenic places and staging of traditional performing arts are also available on request. Ojas is the exclusive fully equipped Ayurvedic health centre staffed by qualified Ayurvedic medical personnel offering soothing, invigorating and calming therapies for treatment of every kind of ailment. The in-house Ayurvedic physician can be consulted for expert advice. Treatments often vary in duration and intensity depending on the nature of the ailment. Treatments are usually a combination of diet, oil baths, steam baths and massages that relax and sooth every fiber in the body and provides immense relief especially for stress related disorders. Ojas is the place to rejuvenate your body mind and soul ecstatically.   |
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Day 11 Kollam/ Kannyakumar After breakfast visit Ammachi's
Ashram again and proceed by coach to Kannyakumar. Arrive and
check-in at Hotel. Afternoon visit the Temples. Evening witness the
sunset. Dinner and overnight in the hotel.
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Day 12 Kannyakumar/ Kovalam Early morning witness Sunrise.
After breakfast leave by coach to Kovalam. Arrive and check-in at
Hotel. Rest of the day free to relax on the beach. |
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Day 13 Trivandrum After breakfast proceed for
sightseeing tour of Trivandrum. Afternoon free to
relax. |
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Day 14 Trivandrum Transfer from Hotel to Airport in time to connect your return flight. Check-out from hotel: 12 Noon. END OF TOUR The tour fee
includes: The tour fee does
not include: |
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The Park Sheraton,with its lush putting green, fountains in
the lobby and luxuriously appointed rooms and suites, is a striking
feature of the most fashionable neighbourhood in Chennai. Equally
distinct is the Sheraton Towers. Where an exclusive six storey
block of 142 Towers rooms & suites along with the set of select
privileges pay a befitting tribute to the man who has arrived. In
addition there is the finest workout equipment in the Health Club,
shopping plaza, and other facilities. The Park Sheraton is the
ultimate in gracious 
living.
Chennai (previously known as Madras), the first
city of South India and the capital of Tamilnadu state, is a
historic land of ancient culture. India's most southerly city brims
with magnificent architecture, exotic pageantry, and age-old
traditions. The Dravidian dynasties of Pallavas, the Cholas and the
Pandiyas, all left their marks on the culture and architecture of
the region. Chennai, a thriving seaboard that did business with the
Chinese, Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, and Babylonians 2000 years
ago and later the French, Portugese, Armenians, and Arabs. Chennai
remembered history goes back to the 4th Century.
Immensely proud and aware of the classic antiquity
of their three thousand years old Dravidian Culture, respected by
the Aryans when they came in 1500 B.C., many modern day Tamils
still live largely the same life in many ways, not only in their
culture and language, but in their food and clothes as well. Tamil
-- one of the oldest languages known on the earth -- spoken by
majority of the people, today Chennai is a city that still sustains
a pure Tamil culture vibrantly alive with modern participation.
Inspite of successive invasions, the Tamil art, scriptures,
religion, dance, drama, vocal and instrumental music and
architecture have remained essentially untouched.
Modern
day Chennai sprawls over 174 square kilometers and is home of more
than 5 million people. This modern metropolis of Chennai,
Tamilnadu's principal port, offers excellent hotels and transport,
a terrfic range of food and some serious shopping for silks,
cottons, jewellery and handicrafts. And of course, magnificent old
Hindu temples that offer more than just a fabulous photo
opportunity to the discerning. More, you will hear the splendid
strains of classical music and sniff a heady compound of jasmines
and spices living traditions that are still savored from Chennai's
ancient past.
Mahabalipuram: Globally renown for its shore
temples, Mahabalipuram was the second capital of the Pallava kings
of Kanchipuram. 58 kilometres from Madras on the Bay of Bengal,
this tiny sea - side village of Mahabalipuram, is set in a boulder
- strewn landscape. Tourists are drawn to this place by its miles
of unspoiled beach and rock-cut art.
Standard Rooms: All rooms elegantly appointed in colonial
style, air-conditioned, with international direct dial facility,
channel music, colour television with in-house movies and satellite
programmes. Room service and laundry service. Direct Phone, Channel
Music, Shower/ Bath Tub, Safe Deposit Box
Rock Fort: The Rock Fort Temple tops on a 83m high outcrop.
This temple was built by the Pallavas as a small cave temple, but
the Nayaks made use of its naturally fortified Position. It is a
stiff climb, up the 437 steps cut into the stone to the top but
well worth the view. Non-Hindus are not allowed into the Vinayaka
Temple at the summit and at the bigger Sri Thayumanaswamy Temple
dedicated to Siva, halfway up. The monument is open daily from 6 am
to 8 pm.
Morning
sightseeing tour of Madurai. Afternoon free. Evening visit to
Meenakshi Temple to see the closing ceremony.
Madurai is a temple town on the banks
of the river Vaigai. Madurai - the industrial city of Tamil Nadu is
thronged by pilgrims from across the country. Madurai is the second
largest city in Tamil Nadu. It is more than 2,500 years old and is
an important cultural and commercial centre. Madurai, once the seat
of Tamil learning and still the place where Tamil language is
spoken in its purest form, is an ancient city planned in the shape
of lotus.The major landmark of Madurai is the Meenakshi
temple.
Meenakshi-Sundareswarar temple complex is literally a city-one of the
largest of its kind in India and undoubtedly one of the oldest.
Various kings have renovated it, adding convoluted corridors here,
larger-than-life sculptures there, polishing and honing an abode
suitable for Meenakshi, one of the many forms of goddess Parvati
(consort of Lord Shiva). Stonewalls and towers of the Meenakshi
temple rise out of the teeming streets of Madurai's city center.
From her rambling maze-like palace, the Goddess Meenakshi presides.
It is said that her image (all three and a half feet of it that's
tucked into the ancient and dark sanctuary, lit by a steady glow
from an oil lamp) is carved out of a single emerald.
Meenakshi temple happens to be one of the important
pilgrim places for the Hindus. There is a temple art gallery inside
the temple complex that should not be missed for its spectacular
stone and brass images.
Day
10 Cochin/
Kollam
Mata Amritanandamayi is said to be an
avatar--an incarnation of Mother Divine in human form. She is the
first Indian saint to give her blessings by hugging each aspirant
who visits her. To receive a hug from "Ammachi," as she is called
by her devotees, is to experience the nectar of divine love flowing
into your heart and illuminating your mind. This is something that
has to be experienced in order to understand its power. A feeling
of true spiritual grace is bestowed upon every person who visits
this wonderful saint.
Cape
Comorin, Land's End mainland India's southernmost point, where
three seas meet and where the shore temple to the virgin goddess
Kanyakumari stands. It is one of the sacred pilgrimage places of
the hindus. There are two significant memorials here. One is the
Gandhi Mandapam, built to commemorate the immersion of the ashes of
Mahatma Gandhi in the waters by the temple. The other memorial,
dedicated to Swami Vivekananda, is built on the rock 656 ft. from
the shore where he meditated in 1892 before taking the message of
the Hindu philosophy to the west. Swami Vivekananda was the
foremost disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.| CLICK HERE FOR INDIA TOUR FEES !!! |
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