3TOUR NO: PKG 3020

SOUTH INDIA - 3 NIGHTS 4 DAYS

VAITHESWARAN KOIL THIRUVENKADU KEEZHAPERUMPALLAM THIRUNALLAR KUMBAKONAM KANCHANUR SURIYANAR KOIL THINGALOOR THIRUNAGESWARAM ALANGUDI TANJORE TRICHY THIRUVANNAMALAI KANCHEEPURAM CHENNAI

DETAILED PROGRAMME WITH TRAVELLING TIME

	DAY 01 VAITHEESWARAN KOIL / TIRUVENKADU / KEELPERUM PALLAM / THIRUNALLAR OVERNIGHT STAY AT VAITHEESWARANKOIL Meet and greet on arrival and transferred to city centre. Based on arrival time, the guest can enjoy the below tour if not possible, the guest can check into hotel and rest, and the sightseeing tour can be organized on some other day with the below scheduled programme according to feasibility. VAITHEESWARAN KOIL Places to visit : VAITHEESWARAN KOVIL : CHEVAAI (MARS) NAVAGRAHA TEMPLE Tourists High lights : VAITHEESWARAN KOVIL : With the Vaitheeswaran Koil, there is a special shrine dedicated to Ankarakan or Chevaai (Mars). The belief is that offering prayers to Ankarakan will bestow valour, victory and strength. Upon entering the temple, devotees first go the Siddhamrita tank. The water is said to have curative properties for various skin ailments. There is also a widespread belief that a visit here would remove obstacles which delay marriage.
	THIRUVENKADU Places to visit : TIRUVENKADU : BUDHAN (MERCURY) NAVAGRAHA TEMPLE Tourists High lights : TIRUVENKADU : There is a reference to this temple in the Valmiki Ramayana. Therefore it is said that the oldest part of the temple is more than 3000 year old. Dedicated to Budhan (Mercury) this temple in Tiruvenkadu makes up the last of the Navagraha Temples. Bhudhan is said to bestow wisdom and intellect.
	KEEZHAPERUMPALLAM Places to visit : KEEZHPERUMPALLAM : KETHU (NAVAGRAHA TEMPLE) Tourists High lights : KEEZHPERUMPALLAM :This is an ancient saivite temple where legend has it that Kethu, the other planetary node of the nine celestial bodies worshipped Shiva. Rahu and Kethu are associated with the legend of the churning of the milky ocean by Lord Shiva. There is a shrine dedicated to Kethu in this temple.
	THIRUNALLAR Places to visit : Thirunallar : Saneeswaran temple. (NAVAGRAHA TEMPLE) Tourists High lights : Thirunallar : Saturn Occupies An Important Place. The “Sani Peyarchi” Festival, Held Once In Two And Half Years To Propitiate The Malefic Effect Of Saturn Is Largely Attended. According to legend the temple was surrounded by 13 theerthams (tanks), highly valued for their curative powers. This is the only temple that is dedicated to Lord Sani (Plant Saturn). When the planet Saturn transits between zodiac signs, literally millions throng his shrine. The legendary King Nala is said to have been relieved of his afflictions, which were due to the malefic influence of Saturn, after worshipping here. Of the mumerous tanks (teertams), the Nala teertam is the most important one. By bathing here, it is believed that one is washed away of all kinds of misfortune and afflictions.
	DAY 02 KUMBAKONAM / KANCHANUR / SURYANAR KOIL / THINGALOOR / THIRUNAGESWARAM / ALANGUDI OVERNIGHT STAY AT KUMBAKONAM Dept : THIRUNALLARU Arrival : KUMBAKONAM Travelling time : 2.1/2 HRS By Road with deluxe tourists vehicle exclusively for your Group. Places to visit : KUMBAKONAM Tourists High lights: Kumbakonam: Kumbheswara Temple, Nageshwara Temple, Ramaswami Temple, Sarangapani Temple, Mahamagham Tank and Swamimalai Murugan Temple. Kumbakonam Is One Of The Holiest Places In South India, Held Sacred By Both The Vaishnavites And The Saivites. Has About Eighteen Temples. The Mahamagam Tank Is Wel known For The Maha Maham Festival Which Takes Place Once In 12 Year. Kumbheswara Temple : The Town Of Kumbakonam Derives Its Name From Its Presiding Deity-Lord Kumbheswara. Nageshwara Temple : This Shiva Temple Contains A Separate Shrine For The Sun, Who Is Said To Have Worshipped Lord Shiva At This Place. Ramaswami Temple : The `Mahamandapa’ In Front Of The Temple Has Several Fine Sculptures Of Vamana-Trivikrama, Vishnu With His Consorts Sridevi And Bhudevi And Of The Marriage Of Parvati. Sarangapani Temple : The main sanctum is constructed in the style of a Charriot or Ratha. Mahamagham Tank : This Tank Is The Venue For The Famous Mahamagham Festival Which Takes Place Once In 12 Years When Jupiter Passes The Constellation Of Leo.
	KANCHANUR Dept : KUMBAKONAM Arrival : KANCHANUR Travelling time : 1.1/2 HRS By Road with deluxe tourists vehicle exclusively for your Group. Places to visit : KANCHANUR : SHUKRAN (VENUS) NAVAGRAHA TEMPLE Tourists High lights : KANCHANUR :This Shivastalam is associated with Sukran (Venus) and is maintained by the Madurai Ahinam. It is located in a quiet hamlet of Tiruvaavaduturai. This shrine is also referred to as Palaasavanam, Bhrammapuri and Agnistalam. Bhramma is said to have been blessed with a vision of Shiva’s marriage with Parvathi here. Men visit to pray for the well being of their wife.
	SURYANAR KOIL Places to visit: SURYANAR KOIL : SURYA (SUN ) NAVAGRAHA TEMPLE Tourists High lights : SURYANAR KOIL :Situated 21 kilometres from Swamimalai is the Suryanar Koil built by King Kulottunga Chola 1 . This temple is dedicated to Sun God – Surya. Surya is known as the giver of health, success and properity. Every year in mid January, the harvest festival is celebrated in thanksgiving and to honour Surya.
	THINGALOOR Places to visit : THINGALOOR : CHANDRA (MOON) NAVAGRAHA TEMPLE Tourists High lights : THINGALOOR :Though there is ambiguity about when this temple was built, historians agree that it must have been in existence since before the beginning of the Bhakti period (well before the seventh century AD). Dedicated to the Moon (Chandra in Sanskrit and Thingal in Tamil), a visit to this temple is said to grant a comfortable and long life. In astrology, Chandra is the planet that removes stress and sorrow.
	THIRUNAGESWARAM Places to visit : TIRUNAGESWARAM : RAHU (NAVAGRAHA TEMPLE) Tourists High lights : TIRUNAGESWARAM : This is a vast temple known for its shrine to Raahu, one of the nine celestial bodies of Navagrahas. Legend has it that the mythological serpents Aadi seshan, Dakshan abhund Kaarkotakan worshipped Shiva here. Legend also has it that King Nala worshipped Shiva here as in Tirunallar.
	ALANGUDI Places to visit : ALANGUDI : GURU (JUPITER) NAVAGRAHA TEMPLE Tourists High lights : ALANGUDI :This is regarded as a ‘Gurustalam’ (Abode of Jupiter) where Lord Dakshinamurthy is held in great reverence. The shrine attracts a large number of devotees when Jupiter transits between zodiac signs. Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva, is said to have been reborn on the banks of Amrita Pushkarini within the temple precincts before being reunited with Shiva.
	DAY 03 TANJORE / TRICHY / THIRUVANNAMALAI OVERNIGHT STAY AT THIRUVANNAMALAI TANJORE Dept : ALANGUDI Arrival : TANJORE Travelling time : 2 HRS By Road with deluxe tourists vehicle exclusively for your Group. Places to See : Big Temple, Saraswathi Mahal Library. Tourists Highlight : Tanjore - The Big temple is big in all aspects. Here the Sculptor himself has played with Art. Nobody can even imagine to build such a massive structure even today.Thanjavur was once the great capital of the cholas. It was Raja raja chola, the empire builder, who erected the most spectacular Thanjavur temples. Whole structure is a tribute to the genius of Chola architects and builders. Brihadishware Temple is the crowning glory of Chola temple architecture. The superb and fascinating monument is one of the world Heritage listing and is worth a couple of visits. Saraswathi Mahal Library: Established around 170 AD, the library contains a collection of over 30,000 palm leaf, and paper manuscripts in Indian and European languages.
	TRICHY Dept : TANJORE Arrival : TRICHY Travelling time : 1.1/2 HRS By Road with deluxe tourists vehicle exclusively for your Group. Places to See : Trichy : Sri Rangam Ranganatha Samy Temple, Uchipillayar Temple/ Rock fort, Samayapuram Mariamman temple, Thiruvanaikakal Tourists Highlight : Trichy : Dominating The City Of Thiruchirapalli, Is The Magnificent Fort, Built On An Immense Rock Formation Over 84m High. Trichy, An Ancient Town In The Cauvery Delta, Was A Chola Citadel In 2bc. Rock fort ; A spectacular monument perched 83 m high was first hewn by the pallavas who cut small cave temples into the southern face, but it was the nayaks who made use of its naturally fortified position. Sri Ranganthahtswamy temple : The superb temple complex at Srirangam about 3 km north of the Rock fort is situated on an island formed by two arms of the Cauvery River. Sri Jambukeshwara Temple : Temple has five concentric walls and seven Gopuram, with the customary decrease unsize towards the sanctum sanctorium.
	THIRUVANNAMALAI Dept : TRICHY Arrival : THIRUVANNAMALAI Travelling time : 5 HRS By Road with deluxe tourists vehicle exclusively for your Group. Places to visit : Thiruvannamalai : Arunachaleeswarar temple, Sri Ramanasramam. Tourists Highlights : The small town of Thiruvannamalai, sits at the base of Arunachala Hill. In this temple Shiva is revered as Arunachaleswar, an aspect of fire - the light, which destroys the darkness of ignorance. One of the largest temple in India. Sri Ramanasramam Ashram : Sri Ramana Maharishi, a Guru who died in 1950 after nearly 50 years in peaceful and often silent contemplation (including 20 years in caves on the slopes of Arunachala.
	DAY 04 KANCHEEPURAM / CHENNAI AND DROP KANCHEEPURAM Dept : THIRUVANNAMALAI Arrival : KANCHEEPURAM Travelling time : 3 HRS By Road with deluxe tourists vehicle exclusively for your Group. Places to Visit : Kancheepuram : Vardharaja Perumal temple, Ekambreeswarar temple, Kamatchi amman temple, Ulaganatha Perumal temple. Tourists Highlight : Kancheepuram : Is Famous For Its Temples. There Are 1008 Temple Been Built By The Ancient Rulers And It Is Known As Temple City Of India. We Will Be Visiting few Important Temple Of The City For The Art, Architecture and Religious. Kanchipuram is One of the seven sacred cities of India. While the other cities are dedicated to either Shiva or Vishnu, Kancheepuram is a unique in that and it is dedicated to both. The pallava dynasity established Kancheepuram as its capital and under its rule Kancheepuram was to witness a prospering of the arts, especially in the fields of literature, music and dance. The first South Indian stone temples were constructed in Kanchipuram. Kailasanatha Temple : reflects the freshness and simplicity of early Dravidian architecture. Ekambreeswarar temple : One of the largest temples in Kancheepuram, covering 9 hectares. Kamatchi Amman temple : Dedicated to the Goddess Parvati, the temple has a Golden Gopuram in the center.
	CHENNAI Dept : KANCHEEPURAM Arrival : CHENNAI Travelling time : 3 HRS By Road with deluxe tourists vehicle exclusively for your Group. Places to See: CHENNAI: Marina Beach, Kapaleeswarar Temple, Fort St. George, St mary church, Govt Museum, St. Thomas Church, santhome cathedral and St Thomas mount. Tourists Highlight: Chennai, The Largest City In Southern India Located On The Coromandel Coast Of The Bay Of Bengal, Developed After 1639 When The British East India Company Established Fort St. George: Built By The East India Company In 1639-1640, The Fort Marks The Beginning Of Chennai As A Modern City. The fort Presently houses the Secretariat and Legislative Assembly cabinet and chief minister’s office. Fort Museum: This Museum Contains Many Relics Pertaining To The Tenure Of The East India Company And British India. St. Mary’s Church: This Is The Oldest Anglican Church In Asia. The first English church in Chennai and is the oldest surviving British church in India National Art Gallery And Government Museum: Well worth to visit. The buildings originally belonged to a group of eminent British citizens, known as the Pantheon Committee. The main building has an excellent archaeological section also houses a good ethnology collection and Chola Bronze. The Marina Beach: This Is Supposed To Be The Second Longest beach in the world. St. Thomas Mount: The Small Hillock Is Believed To Be The Place Where The Apostle St. Thomas Was Killed By His Assassins. Kapaleeswarar temple an ancient shiva temple constructed in the Dravidian style and displays the architectural elements of cloured gopurams, huge tank and mandapams. It is Chennai most active temple. St Thomas cathedral is a soaring roman catholic church. It is said to house the remains of st Thomas the apostle – Donbting Thomas.
	DROPED AT CHENNAI Transfer to airport / railway station. Based on the guest departure time the vehicle can be utilized for sight seeing, shopping, entertainment programme(dance, music, cinema) culture tour (village tour) meeting friends and relatives etc, etc.,