Get Away to the Sights and Sounds of South India

Day 1 : EUROPE / CHENNAI (MADRAS)

Welcome and assistance at Madras (Chennai) airport late in the evening. Move to your hotel in Madras.

 

Day 2 : CHENNAI / MAHABALIPURAM (60 km/ 1h30)

Free morning at leisure. Departure for Mahabalipuram, capital of the Pallava dynasty and starting point of the influence of the Hindu culture towards the Eastern world. Visit of the site: the “descent of the Ganges”, gigantic sculpted wall; the five ratha, monolithic monuments decorated with high relief sculptures, the temple of the Shore.

 

Day 3 : MAHABALIPURAM / KANCHIPURAM / PONDICHERY (190 km/ 3h30)

On the way, visit Kanchipuram, the “Golden City”, Hindu holy city. Visit of the Ekambareshwara temple (temple of the naked lord) with the mandapa of a thousand pillars, the Kailashanatha temple, the oldest monument of Pallava architecture.

Arrival in Pondicherry (Puducherry), the former French trading post with its rich colonial houses drowned in tropical gardens, the Sacred Heart church and pillar of French culture with its French high school, the « lycée français ». Discover the Sri Aurobindo ashram and the cenotaph of “The Mother”. Cycle rickshaws ride in the French Quarter (le quartier français).

 

Day 4 : PONDICHERY / TANJORE (210 km/ 5 h)

Stop at Chidambaram with its Shiva Nataraja sanctuary, one of the great temples of Dravidian India. A real religious city surrounded by several walls and its numerous sanctuaries.

Visit to Gangaikondacholapuram temple, a solitary temple in the Indian countryside, offering a graceful “feminine” version of the great temple of Tanjore. Visit Kumbakonam, an important cultural centre with over 188 temples and matha monasteries.

 

Day 5 : TANJORE / TRICHY / TANJORE

In Tanjore, capital and spiritual heart of the Chola kings, visit the Brihadishvara temple with the highest Vimana tower in India, crowned by an 80 ton monolith and a multitude of reliefs adorning the temple walls. In the Nayak Palace, visit the museum with its Chola bronzes.

Next to Trichy, visit the Ranganatha Swamy temple, the largest sanctuary in India with its 60 hectares divided by seven ramparts dedicated to Vishnu. Return to Tanjore.

 

Day 6 : TANJORE / CHETTINAD / MADURAI (180 km/ 4h)

Departure by road for Madurai, the cultural capital of the Tamil country. On the way, stopover at Chettinad, a small museum town with “palace houses” built in the 19th century by rich merchant and banker families and poorly maintained since. In Madurai, transfer by “tuk-tuk” in the evening to the temple of Minakshi, a monumental sanctuary to attend the ceremony of the laying down of Shiva.

 

Day 7 : MADURAI / PERIYAR (140 Km/ 4h)

Visit of the centre of Madurai with the temple of Minakshi Sundareshwara dedicated to a couple, that of Minakshi, local goddess of her divine husband, Shiva, then the palace of Tirumalay Nayak, the court of the audiences and the room of the throne, built in the XVIIth century, finally, visit of the basin of Mariamman Tepakkulam. In the afternoon, departure for the reserve of Periyar, located in the “Western Ghats”, a reserve of wild beauty and high density of animal population, with the program: a cruise on the lake of Periyar at the end of the day, at the time when the elephants go to drink.

 

Day 8 : PERIYAR / ALLEPPEY / BACKWATERS CRUISE (150 Km/4 h)

On the way to Alleppey, discovery of the luxuriant landscapes of the western ghats, as we descend towards the sea, with multiple layers of vegetation, rich in precious species, rubber trees, teak, ebony, mahogany, etc. Stops along the way to admire the scenery and walk through a spice garden (pepper, nutmeg, cardamom…). Continue through tea plantations, visit one of them and stop in the bucolic setting of a rubber plantation.
Upon arrival in Alleppey, board a ferry to your houseboat, where, after a warm welcome with coconut and flower necklace, lunch will be served by your private cook while the cruise along the canals in beautiful postcard scenery begins. The cruise takes place through the narrow canals (backwaters) lined with palm trees and rice fields, a beautiful and unforgettable experience. We pass heavy boats carrying rice or copra and people along the banks: women and children coming to wash, men cultivating narrow plots of land or fishing with traps: amateurs can accompany the local fishermen to lift the nets or try to catch dinner on the line! In the afternoon, stop in the small village of Chavara to visit a small church and small craftsmen selling their products. After returning to the boat. Continue the cruise to anchor on Lake Vembanad in the late afternoon and spend the night there after dinner on board.

 

Day 9 : CROISIERE BACKWATERS / KUMARAKOM / COCHIN

après le débarquement du house-boat, visite de Thanneemukkam un village de pêcheurs pour y voir les prises du jour, les vendeurs de poisson, les bateaux, son église rose et une grande animation sur les bords de mer. Départ pour Cochin, escale majeure des commerçants étrangers pendant des siècles et principale ville commerciale et économique du Kerala. A découvrir, entre autres, des rues sinueuses bordées de mosquées et de maisons portugaises vieilles de 500 ans. Comptoir portugais dès le XVIe siècle, puis ville hollandaise avant la colonisation anglaise, Cochin vit depuis des siècles dans le parfum des épices, et ses entrepôts regorgent de sacs odorants qui vont partir sillonner les mers. La tradition chrétienne est restée particulièrement forte dans cette région avec par exemple l’église Saint François, où fut un temps inhumé Vasco de Gama. Egalement présente, une petite communauté juive y a laissé la plus vieille synagogue d’Inde (XVIe s.), décorée de carreaux de faïence chinois. Non loin, le palais Hollandais, en fait construit par les portugais pour la famille royale de Cochin, abrite le plus bel ensemble de fresques du Kerala, évoquant l’épopée du Ramayana et la vie du dieu Krishna…. Temps libre pour chiner dans la rue des antiquaires et des magasins d’épices.

Direction le port en tuk tuk à travers les ruelles étroites de Fort Cochin pour voir les carrelets chinois, filets de pêche traditionnels sur armatures. En fin d’après midi, spectacle de Kathakali, danse théâtrale traditionnelle typique du Kerala interprétée par des danseurs très maquillés et vêtus de costumes impressionnants. On y raconte, en général, un bref épisode de la longue épopée du Ramayana ou du Mahabharata. Suivra une démonstration de Kalaripayattu, l’un des arts martiaux du Kerala, pays des Malabars.

 

Day 10 : COCHIN / CALICUT (by train) / MYSORE (217 km / 5h)

Early in the morning, You will to the railway station and departure by train to Calicut. From there, drive to Mysore through the landscape of the Western Gaths, with vast tea and coffee plantations. Mysore was the seat of many princely dynasties. Many monuments still bear witness to these successive reigns. In the evening, illumination of the Mysore Palace.

 

Day 11 : MYSORE

In the morning, visit the temple of Somnathpur remarkable by the preciousness of its sculptures, continuation with the gardens of Brindavan and Chammundi Hill where from the top of this hill one can discover an admirable panorama on the city, and also a colossal Nandi bull, sculpted in a block of granite. On the hill overlooking the city, the Chammundeshvari temple celebrates a major episode in Hindu mythology. The Maharaja’s palace, with its gilding, mirrors and mosaics, is a fine example of the Liberty style. End of the day at the local market.

 

Day 12 : MYSORE / HASSAN (120km / 3h)

Drive to Hassan, a curious pilgrimage centre linked to the Jain religion, with a colossal 10th century statue on top of Saravanbelgola hill. Then exploration of the sites of Belur and Halebid (12th and 13th centuries) with temples on a curious star-shaped plan, where Hoysala sculptors have chiselled abundant reliefs. In Behur, discover the temple of Chennakeshava and its innumerable paintings. Then departure for Habelid and a visit to the temple of Hoysaleshwara with two temples adjoining forming a single building.

 

Day 13 : HASSAN / HOSPET (350 km / 7 h)

Long day drive in Karnataka through the arid Deccan plateau. Stop at Chitradurga to visit its fort with multiple towers, gates, temples and mosque. Arrive at Hospet near the site of Hampi, the ancient capital of the last Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar, one of the most fascinating and little-known of India.

 

Day 14 : HOSPET / HAMPI / HOSPET

Day dedicated to the discovery of the site of Hampi, listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Heir to the Hoysala dynasty, founded in the 11th century, in the aftermath of the Muslim invasions and the preponderant power in the whole of the southern half of India, the last great Hindu empire of the subcontinent. The kingdom survived into the modern era in a few principalities such as Mysore, or the Nayaks of Madurai and Tanjore. Visit what still remains of the fabulous city, established on a plateau dotted with huge granite boulders. Visit the religious city and ceremonial areas, with the temples of Virupaksha or Vitthala. Visit the Virupaksha and Vitthala temples with their processional chariot and dance hall with superbly carved pillars, then the royal city, with its zenana (gynecae), the royal palace and terrace, the elephant stable, the Hazara Rama temple and the strange memorial monument, the Mahanavami-dibba Within the royal precincts: the Lotus Palace, the Queen’s Baths and other architectural wonders: a veritable open-air museum and one of the jewels of Dravidian culture.

 

Day 15 : HOSPET / BADAMI / HUBLI (250 km / 7 h)

On the way to Badami, visit the remarkable and very old complexes of Aihole, magnificent examples of Hindu architecture and that of Pattadakal, religious capital of the Chalukya dynasty: the temple known as the Durga temple (8th century), built according to the apsidal plan of the “chatya”, the Ladkhan temple with a square base plan, the Gauda temple, with its rectangular central sanctuary.

Pattadakal, lost in the foliage, is a religious city, the sacred site of the most important ceremonies of the dynasty with a dozen temples: the temples of Virupaksha or Mallikarjuna (6th and 8th century).
In Badami, visit the cave caves, carved into a red sandstone hill, offering a magnificent panorama of the city, the Agastyatirtha valley and the gorges on which the site and its four cave temples are located, once the seat of one of the three main powers of India during the Chalukya dynasty.

 

Day 16 : HUBLI /GOA (285 km / 7 h)

Drive through the hills of the western ghats to Goa, a Portuguese enclave and former witness to the spice race. Arrive mid-afternoon and free time.

 

Day 17 : GOA

After a free morning to enjoy the beach, visit Velha Goa (Old Goa), which from 1530 was the centre of the Portuguese empire in Asia: you can still walk along the narrow streets lined with typical old houses with hanging balconies. The Portuguese influence can still be felt in the architecture and in the way of life of the inhabitants of Goa. Whether fishermen or merchants, the people of Goa are very proud of their ancient ancestry, often devout Catholics who have kept the Portuguese way of life.

 

Day 18 : GOA – BOMBAY / AIRPORT

After the flight to Bombay, welcome and departure for the city tour of Bombay. From Marine Drive to the Malabar Hills and the Mahalakshmi Temple, discover the colonial architecture of the city and its markets: the Art Deco style Regal Cinema, the Saint Thomas Cathedral built in 1718, the Victoria Station. Walk through the Crawford market where flowers and fruits are displayed in a profusion of colours and intoxicating scents. Finally, the Chor Bazar market, also known as the “thieves’ market”, where you can hunt for fake antiques and trinkets of all kinds.
Some hotel rooms are available for refreshment. Then transfer to the airport for the departure flight.

 

Day 19 : AIRPORT – EUROPE

Arrival in the morning. Luggage collection.

 

Hotels: Selection of charming hotels with the best quality/comfort ratio for the region. Please send us a programme request for more information.

Included: Full board, superior hotels, tour guide (myself), transport by air-conditioned bus and entrance fees

Not included: international airfare, visa to enter India, insurance, drinks and tips for driver and guide

accommodation