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Day 01 : ARRIVE DELHI / MUMBAI
Welcome to India! Once you step out from the airport formalities, you will find our office representative to welcome you and take you to your hotel.
Day 02 : DELHI / MUMBAI TO GOA (FLY)
Delhi / Bombay to Goa by air. On arrival you will be meeting our office staff at the airport who will welcome with you a tender coconut. From here you will be driven to the hotel where the musicians of Goa will be welcoming you with extremely pleasing traditional Goani songs with guitar. You will at one feel a relationship with the land and people of this joyful place. Check in to your hotel and afternoon drive out for seeing the finest beaches of Goa. Dinner at beachside restaurant/ overnight at hotel.
Day 03 : FULL DAY IN GOA
After breakfast we start to explore Goa which would include a combination of old and new Goa. The extremely beautiful and auspicious church of St. Francis Zaviour, Mangeshi temple and then beaches like Colva, Calangute, Anjuna and Bagator would keep you fascinated for the whole day. Evening at your hotel we are calling the magicians of Goa to show you a magic that has developed on this beach destination centuries ago.
Dinner and overnight at hotel.
Day 04 : GOA TO KARWAR/ BY SURFACE / 80 KMS/ 3 HOURS + PALOLEUM BOAT RIDE/ 3 HOURS
Morning after breakfast we drive to Karwar- a small town famous for its granite, this is one of the biggest granite centre of India. On the way we stop at Paloleum, a beach resort, extremely beautiful and virgin, at about 40 Kms from your hotel in Goa. We do organize boat rides at this place and move few Kms in the sea to watch beautiful dolphins. Later we boat back to Paloleum and have our lunch at beach restaurant. After lunch continue driving to Karwar, on arrival check into the hotel and later walk in the market. With gentle waves, miles of golden sand, a tranquil ambience and acres of emerald foliage, Karwar has all the makings of the perfect seaside holiday destination. The captivating landscape is ringed with rugged hill ranges, thick woods and mysterious valleys. This paradise is said to have inspired the great Indian writer Rabindranath Tagore to pen his first play. The area’s historic attractions are the Sadashivgadh Hill Fort with a Durga Temple, the unique octagonal Church, the 300-year-old Venkatarama Temple with ochre paintings and the Naganatha Temple. Dinner and overnight at hotel.
Day 05 : KARWAR TO MURUDESHWAR/ BY SURFACE/ 200 KMS/ 4-5 HOURS Morning we drive from Karwar to Murudeshwar, on the way can see the granite factories and marvelous sea sides, way side life style and do experience the smooth drive to Murudeshwar. Lunch on the way. Check in to hotel on arrival and later in the evening walk to Murudeshwar sun set point. Murudeshwar is an old village now turned in to a small town on the banks of sea, which is a popular religious place, its hundreds years old temples, huge chariot of Mahabharata silently attracts a person. It is rarely visited destination by foreign travelers. The sun set point of Murudeshwarr is the "most amazing sites" on this tour of South India. We sit on huge rocks to watch sunset and feel the mesmerizing changes in the sky with different changes of colours once sun finishes its day's journey. It is not surprising that the atmosphere becomes more beautiful after few minutes of sun set. The view of small boats and fishermen coming back to their homes after full day’s hardship in sea from quite distances and different sides takes one close to their sentiments, it is now getting dark and the poor fishermen come back with their day's reward. After having the extreme beauty captured in our minds we turn back to our hotel. On the way we see the huge chariot which simply explains the philosophy of Gita- the most sacred and inspiring religious book of Hindus that encourages people for KARMA. . Dinner and overnight at hotel.
Day 06 : MURUDESHWAR TO MANGLORE /BY SURFACE/ 150 KMS/ 4-5 HOURS
Morning we visit Murudeshwar temple to watch the pooja- the ritual Hindu way of prayer with incense, flowers, lights and mantras. Then we take you to another amazing point just at the gate of Murudeshwar- that is the Murudeshwar Tiles factory, one gets fascinated watching hundreds of people in this factory making bricks. The management is very helpful and deputes an engineer to show us the complete working. There are hundreds of people working in this factory including both men and women and the way bricks are processed and designed on about 1800 degree centigrade of temperature is something very different to forget once you come out from this factory. Lunch on the way and later we continue driving towards Mangalore- a beautiful city of South India. On arrival we check in to the hotel and later walk to the church and then to a restaurant for dinner. This place serves good lobsters, so one can always relish it while in Mangalore. After dinner nice walk to your hotel.
Day 07 : MANGALORE TO HASSAN/ BY SURFACE/ 110 KMS/ FULL DAY WITH TEMPLES
Morning after breakfast we start to Hassan. The drive is nice with couple of villages on the way, forests and various plantations. We might stop on the way to see a private farm with several herbal plants including cardamom in nicely organized way. Picnic lunch would be the ideal idea for this day as surrounding are simply quite and beautiful. On the way we do explore Belur and Helebid, which are the most popular architecture centers of India. We Visit the twin capitals of the ancient Hoysala Kingdom (1100 AD to 1310 AD), and see the Chenna Kesva temple in Belur built in 1117 AD, an excellent architecture of Hoysala architecture that has intricate carving on the exterior and bracket figures of women in different postures. Also visit the image of Ganesha, Durga and Sarasvati at Kappe Chenningraja Shrine and after that visit Hoyaleswara Temple at Helebid and see the intricate carved friezes and episodes from Hindu mythology. It ranks among the masterpieces of Indian sculptural art.
Belur: 39 km short to Hassan and is famous for its exquisite Temples. Belur is known as the Dakshina Varanasi or Southern Banaras. The serenity of Belur is attributed to the celebrated temple of Channakeshava, built by the Hoysala Kind Vishnuvardhana in 1117 A.D. to commemorate his conversion from Jainism to Vaishnavism. The main structure of the temple, which is star shaped, is a homogenous architectural unit on a raised platform. Everything is carved in black stone, looking like metal. Facing the temple, at the entrance, stands the winged figure of Garuda, Lord Vishnu's carrier. The 650 charging elephants on frieze around the walls outside are all different from each other.
Helebid: About 17 km east of Belur stands Helebid, the ancient capital of the Hoysalas, formerly known as Dwarasamudram (Gateway to the seas). The temples of Helebid, like those at Belur, represent one of the most artistically exuberant periods of Hindu cultural development. One of the marvelous temples is the Shiva Temple. The core of this temple was nearly complete in 1142, but sculptural embellishments continued for another three generations, and the shrine remained incomplete, when the Khiljis in 1310 and the Tughlaqs in 1327, invaded and plundered the town. On the southern entrances of the temple, are two small Nandi shrines. These Nandis (bulls) are elaborately carved, sporting jewelry and garlands. There is something very natural and lifelike about these images.
After this wonderful excursion we reach to Hassan- the popular atomic centre of India for dinner and overnight.
Day 08 : HASSAN TO MYSORE/ BY SURFACE/ 140 KMS/ FULL DAY WITH SIGHT SEEING
Morning after breakfast we drive towards Mysore- the popular centre of south India.. If pass this route on Saturday, can see a wonderful village market of cows and other animals just 40 Kms ahead of Hassan, where the surrounding villagers get their extra cattle to a market place and sell these, the needed villagers come to this place every Saturday to buy the cows and other domestic animals. This would be the biggest (but unexplored) market of cattle in India with hundreds of decorated and semi- decorated cows and goats. If we don’t make it on Saturday, even then we can stop at this market which would be with less attractions and people.
Later we reach SHRAVANBELGODA- a place highly sacred and important for the Jain sect of people in India. Shravanbelgoda is a small place after Hassan with a popular Jain temple, small shops selling usual pooja stuff like incenses and all and few tea shops. Visit Jain Temple with the 70-meter high image of Mahabir Adinath at the mountaintop. We stop at Shravanbelgoda and start climbing up to this temple which has 625 steps from the bottom. The reaching up to the temple and watching the status is a great source of pleasure, the huge land of the area is visible from the hill top. The status during the special days is bathed by helicopter (especially on the birth date of Lord Mahabir) and from the air milk including honey and dry fruits are pored on this huge statue. We get down to the base and have our lunch here.
Later continue driving towards Mysore and on the way we stop at Shrirangapattam- the capital of glorious Indian Emperor and warrior Tipu Sultan- a worth place to visit, the Palace of Tipu, the paintings, the gardens, and the museum all take us back to the great pages of Indian Kings and their sacrifices. Reach Mysore and check into hotel. Later in the evening visit to Brindaban gardens and musical fountains.
Brindavan gardens- Located at the KR Sagar Dam [Kannambadi], Brindavan Gardens is one of the best gardens in South India. Spread over 150 acres, Brindavan Gardens has since the 1960s provided the backdrop for many Indian films. Special attractions include the 'Dancing Fountains'. In Dec 2004 the entire garden was revamped with new fountains and lights.
Day 09 : MYSORE FULL DAY
Mysore is the historical city of India is full of old Palaces, temples and gardens. In the day we visit Chamundi Hills and Nandi- Big Bull before noon. Then you are escorted to nearby cinema hall to see an Indian movie for some time.
Lunch at a restaurant
Evening visit to Mysore Palace and overnight at same hotel. Having dinner on banana leaves will be another experience of the city.
Sight seeing of Mysore with an Indian movie for 30-45 minutes
Mysore Palace -The Maharaja's Palace is one of the important sights in Mysore. Built in Indo-Saracenic style with domes, turrets, arches and colonnades, the Palace is a treasure house of exquisite carvings and works of art from all over the world. Intricately carved doors open on to luxuriously furnished rooms. The majestic Durbar Hall has an ornate ceiling and many sculpted pillars. The magnificent jewel studded golden throne of the Wodeyars is displayed here during the Dushera festival. Illuminated on Sundays and public holidays, the palace presents a spectacle of breathtaking beauty.
Chamundi Hills -A well known 335 meters high landmark, Chamundi Hill can be reached by a 13 km road or by climbing up the 1,000 steps laid out by the Mysore Maharaja in the 17th century. Half-way up along the stone steps is Nandi, Lord Shiva's Bull, a majestic 4.8 meter monolith. At the top is the 12th century temple of Chamundeshwari, the patron goddess of the Wodeyars. Close to the temple is the gigantic statue of the demon Mahishasura. The summit offers a panoramic view of Mysore's lakes, parks and palaces
Indian movie- We offer you to explore an Indian cinema hall and watch any Hindi or South Indian movie in this hall for few minutes. This would be highly entertaining and especially you can know the reaction of the Indian crowd on every scene of movie.
Day 10 : MYSORE TO OOTY WITH MADHUMALAI SANCTUARY / BY SURFACE/ 90 KMS/ HALF DAY WITH MADHUMALAI
We make an early morning start to see maximum wild life at Bandipur Sanctuary Madhumalai, this day. The Bandipur Tiger reserve, a part of richly forested Deccan Plateau offers a rich varied habitat. Former shooting preserves of the Maharajas of Mysore, Bandipur covers an area of 266 sq. Kms and adjoins the Madhumalai Sanctuary. A mixture of deciduous forests, evergreen forests and scrub, it is famous for its Tigers and Elephants. Madhumalai is an ideal place for Elephants with thick forests of teak and eucalyptus, and dense groves of Bamboo. Mysore to Ooty offers a wonderful drive under Nilgiri ranges climbing on 36 hairpin bends through beautiful meadows and forests. At Madhumalai Sanctuary we enjoy the good encounter of running deer and other animals, where spending time with different kind and size of elephants is always an option in hands. Deep into forests we have our lunch near a huge waterfall of approximately 350 meters height.
Madhumalai means old hills. Madhumalai Sanctuary, rich in bio-diversity and dense vegetation, is sandwiched between the Bandipur and Annamalai sanctuaries, and together the three form the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats, with the Mysore- Ooty highway passing through it. It is situated at an elevation of 1000 meters and extends over an area of 321 sq. Kms where the sanctuary lies between Kerala and Karnataka states. It was one of the first wildlife sanctuaries in the country and is home to the spotted deer, tiger, wild boar & sloth bear. Otters and crocodiles inhabit the Moyar River.
Ooty sight seeing in the afternoon- Ooty is a fairy hill resort situated on the Nilgiri Mountains and the drive out from your hotel to the botanical garden through the forest lines is simply charming. The Botanical garden was laid out in 1847 by the Marquis of Tweeddale and is spread over 55 acres. Lush green well maintained lawns, rare tree species (like the cork tree which is probably the only such tree in India, the paper bark tree and the monkey puzzle tree - monkeys cannot climb this tree), a 20 million year old fossilized tree, an Italian-style garden bordering a clear pool, a vast variety of flowering bushes and plants in myriad hues (exotic and ornamental), fern house with a vast range of ferns and orchids, are some of the many highlights of this garden.
After this colourful visit we offer you a walk to TODA Hills which is on the east of the garden. The Todas are the native tribe and the place shows different aspects of their traditional culture. Afterwards we come down and move to a nice restaurant for dinner. Back to the hotel for overnight stay.
Day 11 : OOTY TO COIMBATORE / BY SURFACE/ 98 KMS/ HALF DAY WITH CONNOR
Morning you will be taken to a traditional factory of eucalyptus oil which would be a great experience and from here you can buy this oil too. Later we come back to the hotel for breakfast and then leave for Connor- another beautiful hill station 17 Kms from Ooty situated at the altitude of 2000 meters and packed with tea gardens. We will try to arrange a tea factory visit if possible and even not you will explore great views and tea gardens spread over miles with sprinkle and people (mostly ladies) working in these gardens. Dolphin’s Nose which encompasses the Catherine Falls is about half an hours drive. Lambs nose is another point on the way to Dolphins Nose that too exposes a vast panorama. Leaving Connor, we drive down towards Mattapolium- a quaint town and at Connor you will be surprised to see the railway track which has a gear in between to control the train while sliding down from Connor to Mattapolium. Lunch on the way and later reach Coimbatore. This place is known as the textile capital of South India or the Manchester of the South, the city is situated on the banks of the river Noyyal at the foot hills of Nilgiris, it is known for its pleasant climate, peaceful atmosphere, cosmopolitan outlook and private enterprise. Cotton textiles, electric motors, pumps, automobile spares, iron steel and aluminium castings form major exports from Coimbatore. Coimbatore existed even prior to the 2nd century AD as a small tribal village capital called Kongunad until it was brought under Chola control in the 2nd or 3rd century AD by Karikalan, the first of the early Cholas. When Kongunad fell to the British along with the rest of the state, its name was changed to Coimbatore and it is by this name that it is known today, except in Tamil, in which it is called Kovai.
After check in to your hotel, we visit Perur Temple which was constructed by Karikal Cholan over 1500 years ago is located 7-km west of Coimbatore near river Noyyal. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Dinner and overnight at hotel.
Day 12 : COIMBATORE TO MADURAI / BY SURFACE/ 21 KMS/ 6 HOURS Morning we leave Coimbatore after breakfast at hotel and drive towards Madurai- Athens of the east. Madurai is a large city famous for the Meenakshi temple. The whole city is laid out in the shape of a lotus flower with the temple in the centre. The high point is the hall of a thousand pillars, which was built around 1560.00. The Temple complex occupies an area of six hectares. It has some 12 towers from 45 m to 50 Metrecs. Lunch on arrival and later visit to Meenakshi temple and other places of interest like Tirumalai Nayak Palace and Mariamman Teppakkulam Tank. Situated on the banks of river Vaigai, Madurai has a rich cultural heritage passed on from the great Tamil era more than 2500 years old. Madurai was an important cultural and commercial centre even as early as 550 AD. It was the capital city for the great Pandyan kings.
The Pandyan King Kulasekarar built a great temple and created a lotus shaped city around the temple. On the day the city was to be named, as Lord Shiva blessed the land and its people, divine nectar (Madhu) was showered on the city from his matted locks. This city was henceforth known as Madhurapuri. Madurai is famous for Jasmine Flowers.
Dinner and overnight at hotel.
Day 13 : MADURAI TO TRICHY / BY SURFACE/ 150 KMS/ 4 HOURS
Morning optional guided visit to Meenakshi temple and later after breakfast drive towards Trichy- another extremely popular centre in South India with rich cultural heritage. The drive is short but interesting through the various small and medium south Indian locations where you see artists working on stones giving wonderful designs of local deities. Trichy/Tiruchirappalli, situated on the banks of the river Cauvery is the fourth largest city in Tamil Nadu. It was a citadel of the early Cholas which was latterly captured by Pallava dynasty. Trichy is a fine blend of tradition and modernity built around the Rock Fort with several Churches, Colleges and Missions dating back to the 1760s. This city has given great Tamil scholars who contributed richly in Tamil literature. The most famous land mark of this bustling town is the Rock fort Temple, a spectacular monument perched on a massive rocky outcrop which rises abruptly from the plain to tower over the old city. It was one of the main centres around which the wars of the Carnatic were fought in the 18th century during the British-French struggle for supremacy over India. The city is a thriving commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is famous for artificial diamonds, cigars, handloom cloth, glass bangles and wooden and clay toys. Lunch on arrival and later sight seeing of the city and evening free for individual activities and exploration. Dinner in the market and overnight at hotel.
Day 14 : TRICHY TO PONDICHERRY / BY SURFACE/ 250 KMS/ 6 HOURS
Morning after breakfast drive towards Pondicherry and on arrival check into your hotel. Lunch on the way. Afternoon is free, just to relax and explore this wonderful city with a difference. Evening we meet for the dinner at a French roof top restaurant overlooking the mighty Arabian Sea. What to write about Pondicherry, it is one of the most beautiful places on earth where the traces of French and Portuguese civilization and life style is still alive in its best way even after countless years. Overnight at hotel.
Day 15 : PONDICHERRY TO CHENNAI / BY SURFACE/ 170 KMS/ FULL DAY WITH AUROVILLE & MAHABALIPURAM VISITS
Morning after breakfast we drive to Chennai and after 10 Kms stop at Auroville a great spiritual centre of Shri Arvindo- the famous scholar and saint of Indian modern history. Auroville is a universal township in the making for a population of up to 50,000 people from around the world. The concept of Auroville - an ideal township devoted to an experiment in human unity - came to the Mother as early as the 1930s. In the mid 1960s the Sri Aurobindo Society in Pondicherry proposed to her that such a township should be started. She gave her blessings. The concept was then put before the Govt. of India, who gave its backing and took it to the General Assembly of UNESCO. In 1966 UNESCO passed a unanimous resolution commending it as a project of importance to the future of humanity, thereby giving their full encouragement.
We visit Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Auroville and see the huge meditation centre and library of the Ashram. Knowing about the spiritual aspect of the Ashram is interesting and the place is extremely peaceful. The huge banyan trees in the campus add the peace and glory of this place.
Later we leave for Chennai and stop at Mahabalipuram for lunch at sea side restaurant and sight seeing of this very important culture & heritage centre of south India. The Arjuna Penance is simply wonderful at Mahabalipuram and later after sight seeing we start driving towards Chennai.
Day 16 : CHENNAI HALF DAY SIGHT SEEING & LATER TRANSFER TO AIRPORT TO FLY HOME
Morning after breakfast we leave for half day sight seeing of Chennai including Theosophical Society at Besant Nagar where people flock to its verdant recesses to stand beneath the green mantle of the huge banyan that is said to shade a crowd of around 3,000 people. There are also shrines to all major religions in the campus and a superb collection of books and manuscripts at the Library. A little further down is the renowned Kalakshetra School of Dance, modelled on the ancient Gurukulam tradition (where students lived with and served their teachers). If you are interested in unusual things, lets take you to the railway station which is a heritage monument and you can see the life in an Indian railway station which probably you could never forget and later you will be driven to the Enfield motor bike factory which is the only one in India and inside the factory you see the manufacturing of most powerful Indian motorbike, you can see the export models of this bikes which are not visible on Indian roads. Lunch on the way.
Drive back to the hotel and later you will be transferred after farewell dinner to airport.
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