Day
01 : Departure from Country
Departure from your own Country.
Day 02 : Arrive Madras
Arrive Madras. Transfer to Hotel. Overnight Chennai (Madras).
Day 03 : Mahabalipuram & Kanchipuram
Full day tour of Mahabalipuram & Kanchipuram. Check-out at 1200 hrs.
Kanchipuram (64 kms from Chennai (Madras)) is the ancient capital of the
Pallavas famous as a city of 1000 Temples and still has 124 shrines. The
first temple dedicated to Shiva was built in the 7th and 8th century &
has paintings on the walls. Temples of Ekambaswara, Kailasanatha, Sri
Kamakshi and Varadarajaswamy are of interest. Kanchipuram is also famous for
its silks. The city of Mahabalipuram is famous for the seven pagodas. Here
on the seashore is an interesting group of ancient rock hewn temples which
are the examples of Dravidian style of Architecture. Evening transfer to
rai-station for Trichy night train. Night on board.
Day 04 : Arrive Trichy
Morning arrive Trichy and transfer to hotel. Afternoon city tour. Trichy
was the citadel of the Chola dynasty in the medieval period. In the 18th
century it witnessed the Carnatic wars fought between the French and the
English. Lord Robert Clive's house is still there to see and so is the
Danish Church. The Rock:Fort is the landmark of Trichy. A climb of 434 steps
leads to the ancient temple of Ganapati on top and a further climb to a
Shiva temple. Overnight Trichy.
Day 05 : Madurai
Drive to Madurai visiting Tanjore enroute. At Tanjore, the beautiful Chola
Temple of Brihadeeshwara is capped by a monolithic cupola made of a single
granite block weighing 80 tons which was taken to the top with the help of a
6 km long ramp, an old technique used by the Egyptians for building
pyramids. Its bronzes and handicrafts make Tanjore one of the highlights of
a visit to South India. Overnight Madurai.
Day 06 : Madurai
Morning visit the great Meenakshi Temple dedicated to the consort of Lord
Shiva with its towering gopurams (rising high above the surrounding country
side). Later, visit the Tirumala Nayak Palace : A gracious building in the
Indo saracenic style, famous for the Stucco work on its domes & arches.
Also visit the Alagar Hills and Tirupara Kundran Rock temple. Afternoon
free. Overnight Madurai.
Day 07 : Periyar
Morning drive to Periyar. The earliest sanctuary to be set up in 1934, it
extends to 777 square kms & forms part of the high mountain ranges, the
Western Ghats. Wild life can be seen while cruising on Periyar Lake in a
motor boat. Amongst the animals which can be seen are elephants, wild boar,
sambar, tiger, leopard, wild dog, langur monkeys, etc. Overnight Periyar.
Day
08 : Cochin
Morning drive to Cochin. Overnight Cochin.
Day 09 : Cochin
Morning tour of Cochin. Cochin is the natural harbour created by the famed
underwater Malabar mud:banks whose quality ensures that the rougher the seas
are outside the calmer the waters are within the Harbour. Vasco:de:Gama
placed it on the world map. It has a Jewish synagogue, Portuguese churches,
mosques & Hindu temples. Watch the Chinese Fishing Nets. Afternoon free.
Overnight Cochin.
Day 10 : Bangalore
Morning transfer to airport for Bangalore flight. Arrive & drive
directly to Mysore. Overnight Mysore.
Day 11 : Mysore
Morning tour of Mysore. Visit the palace of the Maharaja built in 1911:12.
The palace is of harmonious syntheses of the hindu and saracenic styles of
architecture with archways, domes, turrets, colonnades and sculptures which
are magnificent. Visit the Art Gallery; drive upto Chamundi hill to see
Chamundeshwari Temple & a panoramic view of Mysore. On the way back, see
the Nandi Bull. Afternoon free. Overnight Mysore.
Day 12 : Belur - Halebid
Full day tour of Belur and Halebid. The Chenna Kesava temple of Belur built
900 years ago is an exquisite example of Hoysala art. Halebid's 12th century
Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples are master pieces of Hindu art. On the
way also visit Sravanbelgola. At Sravanbelgola, hewn out of a single rock
and visible from a distance of 25 kms is the statue of Lord Gomteshwara
which is bathed with milk and honey once every 12 years.
Day 13 : Hospet - Hampi
Morning drive to Hospet. Visit Hampi. The once beautiful capital city of
Vijayanagar Empire : greater than Rome, had palaces, temples &
sculptures, spread all over. The city was razed to the ground by the
Sultanates of South in 1565. Some of the interesting ruins remaining are the
Virupaksha, Vittala and Hazara Rama temples huge Ganesha and Narasimha
images, the elephant stables, the Queen's Bath, carvings on the Ramachandra
temple & Lotus Mahal.
Day 14 : Badami
Morning drive to Badami stopping at Aihole & Pattadakal on the way.
Aihole is the cradle of stone temple architecture of the southern Dravida
School. The oldest temple, Lad Khan goes back to the 5th century A.D. There
are 70 temples in this group. The Durga temple is noted for its sculptures.
The Meguti temple is built of 630 small stone blocks. The Ravanaphadi Cave
has some beautiful carvings. Pattadakal, referred to as Petrigal, reached
its pinnacle of glory under the Chalukya kings from 7th to 9th centuries.
The oldest in this group is the Sanghameswara Temple. The Mallikarjuna
Temple has pillars depicting life of Krishna. Virupaksha temple has
sculptures and panel scenes from the epics, the Ramayana & Mahabharata.
The Papanatha Temple has impressive carvings on pillars and ceiling.
Day 15 : Badami

Morning
tour of Badami. Badami also known as Vatapi is rich with Hindu and Jain
temples carved out of sand stone hills. The carved temples date back to the
6th century. Of these, three are Hindu and one Jain. Sculptured out of solid
rock they are adorned with carvings. The Fort, on top of a hill encloses
large granaries, treasury & a watch tower. The Malegitti Shivalaya
temple set on the summit of a hill is built of stones without mortar.
Day 16 : Goa
Morning drive to Goa. Goa hotels are not included in the cost has a
seasonal rates which vary. Please choose the type/budget of hotels you need
and we will quote accordingly.
Day 17 : Goa
In Goa. Please inform us the number of days you wish to stay in Goa.
Day 18 : Flight for Bombay
Transfer to airport for Bombay flight. Arrive at the domestic airport.
Transfer to the city centre. Later in the evening transfer to international
airport.
Day
01 : Delhi
Arrive Delhi by International flight. Meeting & assistance on arrival &
transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the Hotel .
Day
02 : Delhi
Full day city sightseeing tour visiting Old & New Delhi. New Delhi -
Visiting Qutub Minar built by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak in 1199, Humayun's Tomb,
India Gate. Also drive pass President's house, Parliament house, Government
Secretariat Buildings. Old Delhi - visiting Red Fort , built in 1648 by
Mughal Emperor Shahjehan, Jama Masjid one of the largest mosque in India,
Raj Gaht & Shanti Vana- the cremation sites of Mahatma Gandhi &
Jawaharlal Nehru. Overnight at the Hotel.
Day 03 : Delhi - Jaipur
After breakfast drive to Jaipur. Assistance on arrival and transfer to the
hotel. Afternoon Orientation tour of the city and walk through the local
bazzars. Overnight at the Hotel.
Day 04 : Jaipur
Morning excursion to Amber fort with Elephant Ride. Amber fort is situated
around 11 kms out of Jaipur. The ancient capital of the state until
1728.Visit the Jagmandir Hall glittering with mirrors Jai Mahal and the
tample of Kali. Ascend on the Elephant back, the hill on which the fort is
situated. It was constructedby Raja Mansingh in 1592 which was later
completed by Jai Singh II. Afternoon city sightseeing tour.Jaipur the
capital of Rajasthan was given color coat of Pink a centuary ago in honour
of a visiting Prince. Eversince it has retained the color. Built by Maharaja
Jai Singh this city is 260 years old. Visit Maharaja's city palace and the
Observatory. Drive pass Hawa Mahal and also through the Pink Rose city's
residentials and business areas. Overnight at the Hotel.
Day 05 : Jaipur - Agra
After breakfast drive to Agra enroute visiting Fatehpur Sikri. Between 1570
and 1585 during the reign of Emperor Akbar, the capital of the Mughal Empire
was situated here, 40 kms west of Agra. This city was abandoned after 15
years due to scarcity of water.See the gracegul building including the Jama
Masjid, Tomb of Salim Chisti,the capital of the Mughal Later proceed for
Agra. On arrival transfer to the hotel. Afternoon visit Taj Mahal &
Fort. Taj Mahal- Built by the Moghul Emperor Shahjehan in 1630 for his queen
Mumtaz Mahal to enshrine her mortal remains. Later visit Agra Fort contaning
the Pearl Mosque, the Halls of Public and private audience. Overnight at the
Hotel.
Day 06 : Agra - Jhansi - Orcha - Khajuraho
In time transfer to Railway station to board Shatabdi Express train for
Jhansi. Depart from Agra at 0800 hrs Arrive at Jhansi at 1025 hrs.
Assistance on arrival & immediate drive to Orcha. Visit the Palace and
the Cenetophs. Later drive to Khajuraho. On arrival transfer to the hotel.
Overnight at the Hotel.
Day
07 : Khajuraho - Varanasi
Morning visit Eastern & Western group of temples. The world famous
temples are built by the Chandela Kings between 950 AD and 1050 AD. The most
important are the Chaunset Yogini temple dedicated to Goddess Kali, The
Mahadev temple, Chitragupta temple with a lovely image of 11 headed Vishnu,
Vishvanath and Nandi temples. Visha temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, which is
the largest and most typical of temples. In time transfer to the airport for
flight to Varanasi.Depart from Khajuraho at 1545 hrs by flight Arrive at
Varanasi at 1625 hrs. Meeting & assistance on arrival & transfer to
the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 08 : Varanasi
Early morning boat ride at river Ganges to see the bathing gahts and
cremation sites. Wathcing people bathing and worshipping at the ghats is one
of the most extraordinary experiences of a visit to India . After breakfast
city sightseeing tour visiting the Bharatmata temple with a big relief map
of India in marble, Durga temple, Tulsi Manas Mandir, Banaras Hindu
University which has an art gallery and the mosque of Moghul Emperor
Aurangzeb built on the site of an ancient Hindu temples. Afternoon excursion
to Sarnath.It is the buried Buddhist city where Lord Buddha gave his first
sermon. Sarnath was a reowned school of learning from 6th century B.C. to
12th century A.D. Visit the ruins, the Stupa, the Buddhist temple and the
Museum. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 09 : Varanasi - Delhi
Day at leisure till departure for Delhi. In time transfer to Airport for
flight to Delhi. Assistance on arrival at Airport and transfer to
International Airport.
Day 10 : Delhi
Leave Delhi by flight for onward destinations.