TEMPLE TOURS
Duration: 5 Nights/6 Days
Places: Chennai → Pondicherry → Kumbakonam → Tanjore → Trichy → Madurai → Chennai
Day 1: Chennai
Chennai city, like the state of Tamil Nadu, is known for some awe inspiring temples. The Kapaleeswarar Temple is a very ancient temple. The original temple was submerged under the sea & the current temple structure was a later construction. This temple is an emblem of Dravidian style and architecture. The notable feature of this structure is the 37-meter tall gopuram. As you enter the temple you can view a sculpture, which has an interesting story behind it. It is believed that a saint known as Gnanasambandar sung and brought a dead girl back to life.
Day 2: Pondicherry
Pondicherry is a place of attraction for many faiths. The city has a number of temples, churches and other spiritual places but the most popular attractions being the Sri Manakula Vinayagar Temple, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville. The Sri Manakula Vinayagar Temple is more than 300 years old and is dedicated to Lord Ganesha. It has a golden spire and walls portraying forty different forms of Lord Ganesha. The temple compound also plays host to ‘Lakshmi’, the temple elephant, who uses her trunk to dispense blessings and to collect coins from the devotees.
Day 3: Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam is famous for its festival of Mahamaham which is celebrated every 12 years at the Mahamaham tank in Kumbakonam. The town is known for its temples, intricately carved panchaloha idols, exquisite brass wares especially lamps, silk and betel leaves. Of the many temples in Kumbakonam, the most striking is the Lord Sarangapani Temple, a Vaishnavite temple. This twelve storied 147 feet high temple was built by the Nayak Kings during 15th century. The Ramaswamy Temple which depicts the paintings of Ramayana is another important Vaishanavite temple in Kumbakonam.
Day 4: Tanjore
Thanjavur or Tanjore, is well-known throughout the world for being the home of the Brahadeeswara temple. The temple is enclosed in two courts, surmounted by a lofty tower and includes the exquisitely decorated shrine of Subrahmanya. Among the other historic buildings is the Vijayanagar fort, which contains a palace that was expanded by the Maratha king with an armoury, a Bell Tower and the Saraswathi Mahal Library, which contains over 30,000 Indian and European manuscripts written on palm leaf and paper.
Day 5: Trichy & Madurai
Trichy is known for its ancient temples like the Rock Fort, Srirangam & Thiruvanaikovil. The most famous is the Rock Fort Temple, a spectacular monument perched on a massive rocky out crop that towers over the old city. Madurai has functioned as an important commercial center as early as 550 AD and was the capital city of the Pandya kings of South India. The Meenakshi-Sundareswarar temple, which stands today as one of India’s cultural and architectural landmarks, was originally built by the early Pandya King Kulasekara. The ancient city of Madurai was supposed to be laid out in a lotus-like formation.
Day 6: Chennai
Transfer to Chennai and proceed to onward destination.