The Grand South India Tour

Day 1 :- Arrival at Chennai Airport - Mahabalipuram

Reception at Chennai airport (ex Madras) by our local representative or your driver. Delivery of your travel documents (hotel reservation, domestic plane ticket, train ticket, etc.). With details of your program and your travel itinerary. Then drive to Mahabalipuram, a village located 50 km south of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, which houses an archaeological site and temples of primary importance built under the Pallava dynasty between the 7th and 8th centuries.

Day 2 :- Mahabalipuram - Pondicherry

After breakfast, visit the magnificent Shoreline temple, built from 700 to 728 in the Pallava dynasty and which owes its name to the fact that it is built by the sea, on a promontory jutting out into the Gulf of Bengal. It has been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1984.

Then visit the Panch Rathas (or five Chariots), a set of incredible sanctuaries where each of the five monuments of the complex resembles a chariot. Before leaving Mahabalipuram for Pondicherry, visit the Tiger Cave.

Arrival in Pondicherry, a French colony until 1954, now a small town in Tamil Nadu. Transfer to the hotel, evening at leisure take a walk by the sea.

Day 3 :- Pondicherry- visit all day

Day in Pondicherry to admire the architecture and charm of the former French colony, with its tree-lined streets, its mustard-colored colonial villas and its upscale boutiques. Visit the famous churches and museum on French culture at the time of the colonies.

Then drive to Auroville where you will see the famous temple dedicated to meditation: the Matrimandir. It consists of a huge golden sphere 36 meters in diameter. Its construction, undertaken in 1972, without any work equipment, is certainly the one that required the most labor (Aurovillian and Indian). Return to Pondicherry with the visit of the markets. And the discovery of the city on foot. Meal in a good little restaurant located by the sea.

Overnight at the hotel.

Day 4 :- Pondicherry- Thanjavur

Early riser and departure for Thanjavur. On the way, visit the Hindu temple of Chidambaram dedicated to the god Shiva. You will admire many sculptures from the Chola period, a very old dynasty from South India. On the way, stop at Gangaikondacholapuram to visit the masterpiece of the Chola dynasty: the Brihadisvara temple (12th century) known for its large statue of “Nandi” and its exceptional architectural quality.

Then drive to Chidambra, a medium-sized city known throughout India for its sanctuary of Naṭarāja, the “cosmic dancer”, one of the most famous representations of the god Shiva performing his “blessed dance”. Continue to Thanjavur and transfer to the hotel.

Day 5 :- Thanjavur - Chettinad

After breakfast at the hotel, visit the Brihadesvara temple built by Rajaraja Chola, an important ruler of the Tamil Chola dynasty, from 985 to 1014. This temple, a masterpiece of religious architecture, in Dravidian style and listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, is dedicated to Shiva.

Then drive to Trichy and its magnificent temples. Visit the temple of Sriranganathaswam, the best known of all, a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. Continue through the countryside to Chettinad, the land of the Chettiars (a thriving business and banking community in the 19th and early 20th centuries) and overnight at the hotel.

Day 6 :- Chettinad - all day tour

Day in the small town of Chettinad, well known for its cuisine, its beautiful mansions and its temples. Visit the museum on the history of the region, discover sumptuous palaces and old forgotten residences of the Chettiars, a rich Tamil shopping community.

Today, many still belong to the descendants but most are emptied to be simply kept, without furniture. Insofar as their maintenance is expensive, some are dismantled in order to sell the building materials which compose them.

Two French architects, Bernard Dragon and Michel Adment, created an NGO in the early 2000s to defend their conservation with the government of Tamil Nadu. They finally obtained the inscription of three villages in a UNESCO protection list. Return and overnight at the hotel.

Day 7 :- Chettinad - Madurai

Road to Madurai, the second most important city and the cultural capital of the State of Tamil Nadu, recognized to shelter many temples and to be a sacred city and a high place of Hindu pilgrimage. Visit the famous Hindu temple Meenakshi, dedicated to Shiva and his wife the goddess Pârvatî. This temple is known to be one of the masterpieces of Dravidian architecture and one of the most important working temples in India.

Then visit the Gandhi museum and the Nayaks palace (dating from 1636). This palace has been largely destroyed and all that remains is the courtyard and its portico, the imposing 12-meter high pillars, the theater and many statues. The whole is well worth a visit. In the evening, walk to the market where you can buy your souvenirs. Return to the hotel.

Day 8 :- Madurai - Munnar

Discovery of the fascinating temple of Minakshi-Sundareshvara, with these portal towers called “gopurams”. They are characteristic of Dravidian architecture. The gopurams feature a pyramidal structure with many floors, covered with thousands of colorfully painted stucco statues of animals, gods and demons.

After the visit, drive through the countryside to the Nilgiris, the Blue Mountains, covered with jungles and plantations. Arrival and installation at the hotel. Several activities will be offered to you (to be paid on site at the hotel). Night at the hotel.

Day 9 :- Munnar Full Day Tour

Day 10 :- Munnar - Periyar

Departure for Periyar National Park, a real sanctuary for the protection of many wild animals and their natural habitat, which covers an area of ​​777 km². In this part of Kerala, the vegetation is rich and the forest is dense.

Take a walk in the village, bazaar or enjoy your stay at the resort. Night at the hotel.