DAY 01 Arrive Chennai

Arrival at Chennai airport and transfer to Mahabalipuram and check in your hotel. Afternoon city tour of Mahabalipuram, once the principal port of the Pallavas who ruled between the 6th to 9th centuries. “The City of Seven Pagodas” is nothing less than a breathtaking display of masterful sculpture carved from granite. Visit the shore temple - a splendid example of early temple construction in the south. The tour will include a visit to the Penance of Bhagirata, the world largest base relief. Evening at leisure. Overnight stay.

DAY 02 Mahabalipuram

Depart for a tour of Kanchipuram, city of a thousand temples. Once the capital of Pallavas, Kanchipuram still contains no less than 124 shrines. Two rulers, Mahendradev and Mamalla Narashimha Parman, built Kanchipuram temples. Typical of their architecture is the Kailasnatha temple dedicated to Shiva, believed to be 1200 years old. Other important temples include 16th century Ekambasreshwar, Kamakshi, Vaikunta and Perumal. Kanchipuram is the centre of silk weaving and is famous for its sarees and other materials. Return to the hotel for the rest of the day, which is at leisure. Overnight stay.

DAY 03 Mahabalipuram/Tiruchirapalli

Morning after breakfast transfer by Car/Coach to Tiruchirapalli. Half day city tour of Trichy visiting Rock Fort, Srirangam and Jambukeshwar temples. Tiruchirap-alli’s historic associations stretch from Chola times to the 18th century Karnataka wars, when Britain and France espoused the cause of rival princes. Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 04 Tiruchirapalli/Madurai

Depart for Madurai by road visiting Thanjavur enroute. This was the seat of the Chola empire from the 10th to the 14th centuries and it was a Chola king, Rajah Chola the greatest of his 74 temples: the Brihadeswara temple, which is over 200 feet high. In the inner shrine of the temple one can also see India’s second largest statue of Nandi the bull, the mount of Lord Shiva. Arrive Madurai and check into your hotel. Overnight stay at hotel.

DAY 05 Madurai/Bengalooru

Madurai’s history goes back to six centuries before Christ. The Pandyan rulers made this their capital until the 14th century and Madurai flowered with the genius of its writers, poets, builders and academics. Then the Nayaks ruled Madurai from the middle of the 16th century to 1743. The ten tall gopurams of the Meenakshi temple were raised during their dynasty. It is a vast complex with temples, a holy water tank and a thousand-pillar hall. Full day city tour visiting Meenakshi temple (palace of King Tirumalay), great tank, Gandhi museum and temple at Alaghar Koli visiting elephant rock en route. Evening transfer to railway station to catch the Mysore Express to Depart Bengalooru

DAY 06 Bengalooru/Hassan

Morning arrival at Bengalooru on arrival at Bangalore direct transfer to Hassan and check in to the hotel. Overnight stay.

DAY 07 Hassan/Mysore

Depart for Mysore visiting en route Halebid, Belur and Sravanabelagola. Halebid is the sister temple of Belur built in the 12th century from soft soapstone and depicts the entire Hindu Pantheon. Sravanabelagola is the shrine to the Jain saint Gaomanteswara carved in 983 A.D. Religious rituals includes bathing the statue in milk and rose petals. Evening Arrive in Mysore and transfer to your hotel for overnight stay.