Day 01: Monday: Bangalore
12:00pm: Check-in at the Leela Palace followed by lunch at jamawar or citrus
03:00pm: Depart for Bangalore Sightseeing Tippu’s Palace, Bull Temple,
Lalbagh and shopping
08:00pm: Arrival at Yeshwantpur Railway Station, Platform No. 6. Traditional
Indian welcome at Railway Station and escorting to respective
cabins. Dinner onboard The Golden Chariot
10:00pm: Depart for Chennai
Day 02: Tuesday: Chennai
06:00am: Arrive Chennai early morning
07:30pm: Breakfast onboard The Golden Chariot
09:00pm: Proceed for a sightseeing tour of Chennai. The tour begins from the
‘St. Mary’s Church’, built in 1678 – 80, was the first English Church
in Chennai. Other attractions include the National Art Gallery and
Museum, which house some beautiful temple friezes, the bronze
gallery, archeological section. Drive past the High Court Building,
Fort St. George and the famous film studios.
11:30pm: Drive to Mamallapuram
01:00pm: Lunch at Temple Bay Mamallapuram
02:30pm: Excursion to Mamallapuram, an ancient coastal port, south of
Chennai, world famous for its shore temple, Mamallapuram was the
second capital and sea port of the Pallava Kings of Kanchipuram,
the first Tamil dynasty after the fall of the Gupta Empire. The whole
of Mamallapuram is a fabulous open-air museum of sculptures in
living rock, Monolithic shrines scooped out caverns magnificently
sculpted within and the world’s biggest Bas relief in rock, are truly
wondrous examples of the sculptor’s art. The famous temples of the
Rathas , the Penance of Bhagirath, the Shore Temple and the eight
Mandapams. (Shallow, rock cut halls) are also located at the beach.
05:30pm: Depart for Chennai
07:00pm: Dinner onboard The Golden Chariot
Departure for Pondicherry after the dinner. Overnight in The Train
Day 03: Wednesday: Pondicherry
07:00am: Breakfast onboard The Golden Chariot
08:00am: The Train arrives at Pondicherry (Vellupuram Railway Station) and
drive to Pondicherry
09:30pm: Sightseeing tour of Pondicherry, visiting Auroville. Conceived as a
tribute to Sri Aurobindo, Auroville is an entirely new concept in
education and urban living.
01:00pm: Lunch at Indo French Cuisine Restaurant of Neemrana Hotel
02:30pm: The Aurobindo Ashram is known to the world over as the "Centre of
Integral Yoga". Sri Aurobindo, India’s philosopher around 1920
founded it.
06:30pm: Drive to Pondicherry (Vellupuram Railway Station)
08:00pm: Dinner onboard The Golden Cheriot.
10:00pm: After dinner onboard, the train continues to Tiruchirapalli
Day 04: Thursday: Tiruchirapalli & Thanjavur
Arrival in Tiruchirapalli early in the morning
07:00am: Breakfast onboard The Golden Chariot
08:30am: Trichy (Tiruchirapalli) - Situated on the banks of the River Kaveri,
just 320 kms from Chennai, Trichy was a Chola Citadel during the
Sangam Age when the Pandyas and Pallavas held sway over this
region for short periods. The Nayaks of Madurai built the town and
the historic Rock Fort, which played a vital role in the Carnatic wars
in the 18th century. The most famous landmark is ‘The Rock Fort
Temple’, a spectacular monument perched on a rock outcrop which
rises abruptly from the plain to tower over the old city. At the first
level are the remnants of a huge hall blasted into ruins in 1772. The
next storey is the Mathrubhuteshwar Shrine dedicated to Lord
Shiva. Finally at the top of the hill, is the Ucchi Pillayar Koil – A Lord
Ganesh Temple, offering a com¬manding view of the city.
12:00am: Drive to Tanjore
01:00pm: Lunch at Sangam at Tanjore
02:30pm: Proceed for a sightseeing tour of Tanjore where you will visit
temples built during the 10th and 14th centuries. These later
became a part of the Vijaynagar Kingdom, which subsequently
passed into the hands of the Marathas and went to the British. The
most famous landmark is the Brihadeshwara temple , which ,is now
a world heritage site.
00:00pm: Drive to Trichy
08:00pm: Dinner onboard The Golden Cheriot.
10:00pm: After dinner onboard and leave for Madurai
Day 05: Friday: Madurai
07:00am: Breakfast onboard The Golden Chariot
08:00am: Arrival in Madurai
09:00pm: Proceed for a sightseeing tour of Madurai – The primary interest is
the Meenakshi Temple, where Dravidian temple architecture may be
considered to be at its best. Its Hall of a thousand Pillars is fabulous
and is filled with worshippers at all hours of the day. The tour also
includes a visit to the – Thirumalai Nayak Palace &
Thiruparangundram temple.
01:30pm: Lunch at Taj Garden Retreat
03:00pm: Local Market Tour and evening ceremony at Meenakshi Temple
08:00pm: Dinner onboard, overnight at The Golden Chariot
10:00pm: The Train will leave for Thiruvananthapuram
12:00pm: Depart for Poovar
Day 06: Saturday: Thiruvananthapuram - Poovar
The tour begins from “The Padmanabhaswamy Temple”, which, was constructed in the Dravidian style, by the Maharaja of Travancore in 1733. Only Hindus are allowed inside this temple. It has a 7 storey high tower with a curious pagoda – Shaped Peak. Later also visit the Napier Museum, housed in a bizarrely attractive, decaying Indo-Saracenic building dating back to 1880. The museum has a good collection of historical and contemporary bronze ornaments, temple carts, ivory carvings and life size figures of kathakali dancers in full regalia.
The tour also includes a visit to the Sri Chitra Art Gallery, which houses paintings of the Rajput, Mughal and Tanjore schools. It is renowned for its collection of art from Tibet, China and Japan as well as from North and South India.
For lunch we continue to Poovar a beautiful island just off the coast of the Arabian sea. Lunch in a nice hotel and time to explore the beaches. Evening Gala dinner with music and dance.
Day 07: Sunday: Backwaters & Kochi
09:00am: Arrival in Allepey and Backwater Cruise
01:00pm: Lunch at kumarakom Lake Resort and afterwards drive to Kochi
02:30pm: Drive to Kochi
04:00pm: Arrive at Kochi The tour of Kochi begins from “The Dutch Palace
also known as Mattancherry Palace, built by Portugues in 1555,
which is famous for its murals depicting scenes from the Ramayana
and the puranic legends. Adjacent to the palace is the Jewish
Synagogue (closed on Fridays & Saturdays) built in 1568. Also visit
the St. Francis Church (closed on Sundays), established by the
Portuguese Franciscan friars in 1503. Vasco Da Gama was buried in
the courtyard of this European church built in India. Other
attractions include the traditional fishing hamlets and the fisher folk
in their colorful costumes.
08:00pm: Kathakali dance and dinner at Taj Malabar Hotel
10:00pm: Departure for Bangalore
Day 08: Monday: Bangaluru
11:00am: Arrive at Yeshwantpur Railway Station after Breakfast
End of Our Service.
Golden Chariot - The Splendor Of South
Duration: 07 Nights / 08 Days
