PROGRAM
01
DAY/MON » BANGALORE – CHENNAI
Meeting
point at the Leela Palace in Bangalore at 12.00 hrs. After a
good lunch depart for sightseeing of the metropolitan city of
Bangalore. Towards the evening check In at the Bangalore
Railway Station on your hotel train "The Golden Chariot" your
comfortable home for the next week. Depart from Yeshwanthpur
railway station. Later in the evening arrive Chennai. Dinner
& overnight on Board.
Arrive
Chennai this morning. After breakfast, enjoy an excursion to
Mamallapuram, an ancient coastal port, south of Chennai, world
famous for its shore temple. The whole of Mamallapuram is a
fabulous open-air museum of sculptures. The famous temples of
the Rathas, the Penance of Bhagirath, the Shore Temple and the
eight Mandapams. (Shallow, rock cut halls) are also located at
the beach. Enjoy lunch at Mamallapuram. After lunch proceed to
visit Chennai - India's fourth largest city, and is the
capital of the state of Tamil Nadu. The tour begins from the
'St. Mary's Church', built in 1678 – 80, was the first English
Church in Chennai. The Saint Thomas Cathedral, built in 1504,
and then re-built in neo-gothic style in 1893, this Roman
Catholic Church is said to house the remains of St. Thomas the
Apostle. Also visit the Kapaleeshwarar Temple, an ancient
Shiva Temple, constructed in pure Dravidian style. The Sri
Parathasarathy Temple, dedicated to Lord Krishna, built in 8th
century during the reign of the Pallavas. Also visit National
Art Gallery and Museum. Drive past the High Court Building,
Fort St. George and the famous film studios. Towards the
evening return to the train and depart for Pondicherry. Dinner
& overnight onboard.
03
DAY/WED » PONDICHERRY
Arrive
Pondicherry this morning. After breakfast, visit Pondicherry:
formerly a French colony settled early in the 18th century,
Pondicherry became part of the Indian Union in the early 50's
when the French voluntarily relinquished control. French is
still widely spoken, and seaside villas and cobbled streets
are more reminiscent of the South of France than the South of
India! Sightseeing tour of Pondicherry includes visit to
Auroville. Conceived as a tribute to Sri Aurobindo, Auroville
is an entirely new concept in education and urban living. The
Aurobindo Ashram is known to the world over as the "Centre of
Integral Yoga". Depart for Tiruchirapalli. Dinner &
overnight on board.
04
DAY/THU » TIRUCHIRAPALLI & THANJAVUR
Arrival
in Tiruchirapalli early in the morning. After breakfast visit
Trichy (Tiruchirapalli) - Situated on the banks of the River
Kaveri, just 320 kms from Chennai, Trichy was a Chola Citadel
during the Sangam Age when the Pandyas and Pallavas held sway
over this region for short periods. The most famous landmark
is 'The Rock Fort Temple', a spectacular monument perched on a
rock outcrop which rises abruptly from the plain to tower over
the old city. Proceed for a sightseeing tour of Tanjore where
you will visit temples built during the 10th and 14th
centuries. These later became a part of the Vijaynagar
Kingdom, which subsequently passed into the hands of the
Marathas and went to the British. The most famous landmark is
the Brihadeshwara temple, which is now a world heritage site.
Depart for Madurai. Dinner & overnight onboard.
05
DAY/FRI » MADURAI
Arrive
Madurai this morning. After breakfast, visit Madurai –an
animated city packed with pilgrims, vendors, business people,
bullock carts and legions of under employed rickshaw pullers.
It is one of the Southern India's oldest cities and has been a
center of learning and pilgrimage for centuries. Proceed for a
sightseeing tour of Madurai – The primary interest is the
Meenakshi Temple, where Dravidian temple architecture may be
considered to be at its best. Its Hall of a thousand Pillars
is fabulous and is filled with worshippers at all hours of the
day. The tour also includes a visit to the – Thirumalai Nayak
Palace & Thiruparangundram temple. Depart for
Thiruvananthapuram. Dinner & overnight onboard.
06
DAY/SAT » THIRUVANANTHAPURAM AND POOVAR
Arrive
Thiruvanthaouram this morning. After breakfast visit "The
Padmanabhaswamy Temple", which, was constructed in the
Dravidian style, by the Maharaja of Travancore in 1733. Only
Hindus are allowed inside this temple. It has a 7 storey high
tower with a curious pagoda – Shaped Peak. Later also visit
the Napier Museum, housed in a bizarrely attractive, decaying
Indo-Saracenic building dating back to 1880. Also visit the
Sri Chitra Art Gallery, which houses paintings of the Rajput,
Mughal and Tanjore schools. For lunch we continue to Poovar a
beautiful island just off the coast of the Arabian Sea. Lunch
in a nice hotel and time to explore the beaches. Evening Gala
dinner with music and dance. Overnight onboard.
07
DAY/SUN» BACKWATERS & KOCHI
Arrive
Kochi this morning. After breakfast, visit Alappuzha, enjoy a
traditional boat ride on the bewitching Vembanad lake, the
largest backwater stretch in Kerala. Cruise to Kumarakom – a
small backwater village, which is a cluster of islands, has a
life of its own, with a slow, serene rhythm. The sights,
sounds and fragrances will simply captivate you. After lunch
at Kumarakom drive to Kochi. The tour of Kochi begins from
"The Dutch Palace also known as Mattancherry Palace, built by
Portuguese in 1555, which is famous for its murals depicting
scenes from the Ramayana and the puranic legends. Adjacent to
the palace is the Jewish Synagogue (closed on Fridays &
Saturdays) built in 1568. Vasco Da-Gama was buried in the
courtyard of this European church built in India. Other
attractions include the traditional fishing hamlets and the
fisher folk in their colourful costumes. Also visit the
seaside where one can see the, nearly a century old Chinese
fishing nets, which, are still in use. In the evening enjoy
Kathakali dance performance followed by dinner. Depart for
Bangalore. Overnight onboard.
08
DAY/MON» ARRIVE BANGALORE
Arrival
at Bangalore in the morning. After breakfast departure to your
next destination.
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