Temple Tour ~ India – GITB, April 2018

Temple Tour

Tamil Nadu is the homeland of one of humanity’s living classical civilisations, stretching back uninterrupted for two millennia and very much alive today in the Tamils' language, dance, poetry and Hindu religion.

But this state, with its age-old trading vocation, is as dynamic as it is immersed in tradition. Fire- worshipping devotees who smear tikka on their brows in the famously spectacular Tamil temples might rush off to IT offices to develop new software applications – and then unwind at a swanky night-time haunt in rapidly modernising Chennai, formerly known as Madras.

When the heat and noise of Tamil Nadu's temple towns overwhelm, escape to the very end of India where three seas mingle, or up to the cool, forest-clad, wildlife-prowled Western Ghats. It’s all packed into a state that remains proudly distinct from the rest of India, while at the same time being among the most welcoming.

At a Glance Highlights of the tour

19 Apr: Arrival in Delhi s Taj Mahal 20 Apr: Delhi s Heritage walk in Delhi 21Apr: Agra s Jantar Mantar, Jaipur s 22 - 25 Apr: Jaipur Temple tour in Jaipur 26 Apr: Chennai s Special dinners during GITB s 27 Apr: Mahabalipuram Amer Fort 28 Apr: Pondicherry s Elephant interaction at Dera Amer s 29 Apr: Tanjavur Rock Temple, Mahabalipuram 30 Apr: Chettinad s Chola Temples 01- 02 May: Madurai s Majestic town of Chettinad s 03 May: Delhi; Fly Out Meenakshi Temple

Price per participant: $ 399 | € 379 | £ 349 Key Facts

J 11 Night | 12 Days India Experience Price per accompanying Guest: J Average temperature range 30 C- 35 C $ 449 | € 429 | £ 379

Airfare Jaipur to Chennai and Madurai to Delhi:

$ 275 | € 250 | £ 210

Itinerary

Dates Activity

19th April 2018 (Thursday) Arrive at Delhi International airport, personalized welcome upon arrival at the airport | Transfer to the Hotel

20th April 2018 (Friday) Breakfast at hotel | One morning, three religions tour of Delhi| Lutyen’s Delhi, Presidential Palace, India Gate, Raj Ghat and Humayun’s tomb | Dinner at Kohli’s residence

23th April 2018 (Monday) Breakfast at the Hotel | Day at Great India Travel Bazaar Meetings | Evening pick up from the hotel for an Cocktail & Dinner hosted by Creative Travel

24th April 2018 (Tuesday) Breakfast at the Hotel | Day at Great India Travel Bazaar Meetings | Evening pick up from the hotel for an Cocktail & Dinner hosted by Creative Travel

25th April 2018 (Wednesday) Breakfast at hotel | Later visit City palace | Excursion of Amber fort with elephant ride Lunch hosted by Creative travel | Later check-in at an amazing heritage hotel in Jaipur and time free with dinner

26th April 2018 (Thursday) Breakfast at the hotel | Transfer to Jaipur airport for flight to Chennai | On arrival transfer to hotel | Evening dinner and site inspection

27th April 2018 (Friday) Breakfast at the hotel | Morning city tour of Chennai | Afternoon drive to Mahabalipuram (60 km / 1.5 hours approx.) | Evening dinner and site inspection

28th April 2018 (Saturday) Breakfast at the hotel | City tour of Mahabalipuram | Drive to Pondicherry | Arrive Pondicherry, stroll down Promenade | dinner and site inspection and overnight. 29th April 2018 (Sunday) Breakfast at hotel | Morning visit Pondicherry | Later drive to Tanjavur (220 km / 5 hours’ drive approx.) | Upon arrival check in at hotel followed by lunch | Evening visit temple of Tanjavur | Dinner and site inspection and overnight

30th May 2018 (Monday) Breakfast at hotel | Morning drive to Chettinad (88 km / 2 hours approx.) | On arrival check-in hotel followed by lunch and site inspection | Visit famous Merchants houses and antiques in Karaikudi | Dinner and site inspection and overnight

01st May 2018 (Tuesday) Breakfast at hotel | Morning drive to Madurai (94 km / 2 hours approx.) | On arrival check-in hotel followed by lunch and site inspection | Evening visit famous Meenakshi temple of Madurai | Dinner and site inspection and overnight

Proceed for Award Winning Heritage Walk of Madurai - Vanakkam Madurai | Breakfast at hotel | Afternoon visit the Meenakshi temple | Later proceed for evening food 02nd May 2018 (Wednesday) trails| Dinner and site inspection and overnight

03rd May 2018 (Thursday) Breakfast at hotel | Transfer to airport for flight to Delhi (Air India airlines 1405 / 2155) | Arrive Delhi and depending on international flight drop for international flight or check-in at hotel

Delhi

Delhi stands as the capital of Modern India. Here you can see the mingling of the Old and New India, the ancient and the modern. Delhi is a city that bridges two different worlds. Old Delhi, once the capital of Islamic India, is a labyrinth of narrow lanes lined with crumbling havelis and formidable mosques. In contrast, the imperial city of New Delhi created by the British Raj is composed of spacious, tree-lined avenues and imposing government buildings. Delhi has been the seat of power for several rulers and many empires for about a millennium. Many a times the city was built, destroyed and then rebuilt here. Interestingly, a number of Delhi's rulers played a dual role, first as destroyers and then as creators.

The city's importance lies not just in its past glory as the seat of empires and magnificent monuments, but also in the rich and diverse cultures. No wonder chroniclers of Delhi culture - from Chand Bardai and Amir Khusro to present day’s writers - have never been at a loss for topics. In Delhi, you will discover that the city is sprinkled with dazzling gems: captivating ancient monuments, fascinating museums and art galleries, architectural wonders, a vivacious performing- arts scene, fabulous eating places and bustling markets.

Delhi has seen the rise and fall of many emperors, which has left behind a plethora of monuments that commemorate the grandeur and glory of bygone ages. Very few cities in the world can express such a profusion of architectural styles.

Agra

Believed to have been built in 1475, Agra even finds a mention in the epic Mahabharata where it is called Agraban (meaning paradise). The renowned second century geographer Ptolemy had also spotted this place as Agra in his world map. The present Agra city was established by Sikandar Lodi of the Lodi Dynasty in the 16th century and was the capital of the Lodi and Mughal dynasties.

The examples of art and culture in this historic city are not only breath-taking, but are also mirrors of the artistic talents of the Indian population during the grand past. The city houses many ancient temples, mosques, forts, mausoleums, tombs and historical monuments. The city has its unique style of traditional paintings, folk dances, folk music and embroideries.

Jaipur

Jaipur, Rajasthan’s capital, is an enthralling historical city and the gateway to India’s most flamboyant state.

The city’s colourful, chaotic streets ebb and flow with a heady brew of old and new. Careering buses dodge dawdling camels, leisurely cycle-rickshaws frustrate swarms of motorbikes, and everywhere buzzing auto rickshaws watch for easy prey. In the midst of this mayhem, the splendours of Jaipur’s majestic past are islands of relative calm evoking a different pace and another world.

At the city’s heart, the City Palace continues to house the former royal family; the Jantar Mantar, the royal observatory, maintains a heavenly aspect; and the honeycomb Hawa Mahal gazes on the bazaar below. And just out of sight, in the arid hill country surrounding the city, is the fairy-tale grandeur of Amber Fort, Jaipur’s star attraction.

Jaipur is where the enduring charisma of the past blends with the throbbing vitality of today. Where a colourful cast of characters - from painters and potters to artists and antique dealers - present a fascinating picture of a city that is alive to both tradition and change. Today, Jaipur has spread far beyond the pink crenelated walls that once defined its boundaries. It presents a fascinating picture of a city where growth, evolution and change are sustained by tradition.

Chennai Chennai is a typical Indian city and is the capital of Tamil Nadu. Though it was the oldest settlement of the British, Madras remained unaffected in spirit. Only the cathedral and the

Fort of St. George is a reminder of its British past. Visit the Marina Beach-second longest beach in the world; it’s an elegant promenade; Fort St. George-the first foothold of British from where Robert Clive started the expansion of British rule.

Your tour will feature historic as well as contemporary places of interest, such as the Victoria Art Gallery, Bronze Gallery and Madras Museum. Continue your drive through Egmore to Georgetown stopping at Fort St. George, housing the State Parliament. Located within the ramparts of the fort is St. Mary's Church, the oldest Anglican Church in Asia, constructed in 1680 AD The fort museum features relics of the Raj. Drive along Marina Beach, visiting San Thome Cathedral, where lie the mortal remains of St. Thomas Christ's apostle and the earliest Christian missionary in Asia. Your final stop is colorful Kapaleeswarar Temple, devoted to Lord Shiva, where you have an opportunity to mingle with the devotees and observe the various rituals of Hinduism.

Mahabalipuram Mahabalipuram - ancient coastal port South of Madras, this city built by the Pallava king Mahendra Varman, was a seaport to connect his empire with Southeast Asia. Here you will see many sculptures and temples of typical South Indian architectural design. Among them are the Five Radhas - a group of monolithic monuments and animal figures carved out of solid rock. Also see the world famous Shore Temple lashed by the waves of the sea and the huge fresco; 'The Penance of Bhagirath’. What is special about the sculptures at Mahabalipuram are their depictions of day-today – women milking buffaloes, pompous city dignitaries, young girls primping and posing on street corners or swinging their hips in artful come-ons.

This is unlike or places where sculptures stress heavily on gods and goddesses. The world's largest bas-relief, called both Arjuna’s Penance and Descent of the Ganges, was carved here during the reign of Narasimha Varman. Some say that the mass of delicate figures rendered in profusion on the whale-shaped rock depict Shiva releasing the sacred River Ganges from its heavenly source and sending it down to earth; others believe that it shows the great archer, Arjuna, doing penance to persuade the gods to give him a special bow with which to overcome his enemies. The Shore Temple is the sole survivor of seven such temples.

Thanjavur

Here are the ochre foundation blocks of perhaps the most remarkable civilisation of Dravidian history, one of the few kingdoms to expand Hinduism beyond India, a bedrock for aesthetic styles that spread from Madurai to the Mekong. A dizzying historical legacy was forged from Thanjavur, capital of the great Chola Empire during its heyday. Today, this is a crowded, hectic, modern Indian town but the past is still very much present. Every day thousands of people worship at the Cholas' grand Brihadishwara Temple, and Thanjavur's labyrinthine royal palace preserves memories of other powerful dynasties from later centuries.

Visit Chola architecture continues with the Bridhdiswara Temple built in 1010. With a dome carved from a single piece of granite weighting over 80 tonnes, this magnificent temple is now a World Heritage Monument.

Madurai

Chennai may be the capital of Tamil Nadu, but Madurai claims its soul. Madurai is Tamil-born and Tamil-rooted, one of the oldest cities in India, a metropolis that traded with ancient Rome and was a great capital long before Chennai was even dreamt of.

Tourists, Indian and foreign, usually come here to see the Meenakshi Amman Temple, a labyrinthine structure ranking among the greatest temples of India. Otherwise, Madurai, perhaps appropriately given her age, captures many of India’s glaring dichotomies, with a centre dominated by a medieval temple and an economy increasingly driven by IT, all overlaid with the energy and excitement of a big Indian city and slotted into a much more manageable package than Chennai’s sprawl.

Delhi

Jaipur Agra

Mumbai (Just taking connecting Flight)

Chennai

Trichy Mahabalipuram Pondicherry

Madurai Tanjavur

Thank You

No place is boring if you’ve had a good nights sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film.

~ Robert Adams

For the born traveler, traveling is a besetting vice. Like other vices, it is imperious, demanding its victims time, money, energy and the sacrifice of comfort.

~ Aldous Huxley

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