South India Tour: Temples and Traditions

Arrive in Bangalore, the capital city of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, in the early morning. Bangalore was founded in the 16th century and is known as the Garden City. Today it is regarded as India’s “Silicon Valley”.

Transfer to the Taj MG Road Hotel, our home for one night. After some time to rest, in the afternoon we visit the recently-opened Museum of Art and Photography, home to a growing collection of Indian art including paintings, sculptures, textiles, photographs, popular culture, and more, from the 10th century to the present day.  Enjoy our elegant Welcome Dinner at the hotel. (D)

After the morning and lunch on our own, transfer to the airport for a non-stop flight to Vidyanagar, followed by a short drive to Hampi, or Vijayanagara—the City of Victory (NOTE – occasionally, the flight from Bangalore to Hampi is not offered or available, in which case our group will drive in the morning from Bangalore to Hampi over 8 hours).

Enjoy a sunset visit to the temples of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Overnight for two nights in the elegant Evolve Back County Resort. (B/ /D)

All day will be spent in Hampi, the seat of the famed Vijayanagara Empire and the capital of the largest kingdom in post-Mughal India. This city once boasted riches known far beyond the shores of India. The Virupaksha Temple contains the shrines of Shiva, Pampa, and Bhuvaneswari. It has a conspicuous, 164-foot-high gopura, or entrance tower, and parts of this temple are older than the rest of the Vijayanagara monuments. The monolith—21 feet high—of Ugra Narasimha is nearby. It was carved from a single boulder in 1528 and presents an image of Vishnu. We will also visit the Hazara Ramachandra Temple, which may have been the private place of worship for the royal family.

The most splendid monument of Hampi is undoubtedly the Vitthala Temple Complex with its 56 musical pillars that resonate when tapped. The Lotus Mahal, shaped like a lotus flower, was the air-cooled summer palace of the queen. The Krishna Temple is a monumental complex east of the Virupaksha Temple and dedicated to Lord Krishna, one of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The King’s Balance, near the Vitthala Temple, is where kings were weighed against grain, gold, or money which was then distributed to the poor. We then see the Queen’s Bath with lotus-shaped fountains that once spouted perfumed water. Our walk includes the Elephant Stables which housed these huge royal pachyderms. (B/L/D)

Drive from Hospet to Chikmagalur (6 hours) with a stop to visit Chitradurga Fort. Enclosed by seven concentric stone walls, it is a modern reminder of the Nayak dynasty that once held sway across this part of central Karnataka. This fort was effectively the heart of the Nayak kingdom until it was conquered by the Mysore Kingdom in 1779. Although traces of older fortifications can still be found here, most of the standing walls and gateways were constructed by the Chitradurga Nayakas and Tipu Sultan, a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore.

Overnight for two nights in the Gateway Hotel in Chikmagalur, a lovely 29-room resort set at an altitude of 4,000 feet within a coffee-producing countryside. (B/L/D)

The morning is free to relax by the pool or explore the area with lunch on our own. In the afternoon, visit Belur and Halebid for a style of architecture unique to the region. The buildings here were built in the twelfth to thirteenth centuries by Hoysala rulers. Each small, compact temple is lavishly decorated with sculpture, and the decorations cover every inch of wall space. This tightly packed sculptural scheme is exclusive to Hoysala art and was never replicated. Prime sites in the area include Hoysaleshvara Temple in Halebid, with the Archaeological Museum, and Chennakeshava Temple in Belur. (B/ /D)

This morning we depart Chikmagalur for Sravanabelgola, where we climb a flight of 614 steps (you can take a palanquin!), finely chiseled into the granite of the mountain, to the summit. Here, the sixty-foot-tall statue of Sri Gomatheswar carved more than one thousand years ago, dominates the open plaza. It is purported to be the tallest free-standing statue in the world.

Continue to Bangalore (total driving time of 6 hours) for our flight to picturesque Cochin, an important spice trading center and seaport. Pepper and cardamom, cinnamon and ginger, nutmeg, mace, and anise from the Periyar Hills – all were transported to Cochin to be shipped to a spice-hungry world.

Overnight for one night at the Eighth Bastian Hotel. This boutique hotel is located in the renovated old section of the city where streets are filled with tiny, upscale shops housed within the Dutch Colonial mansions. Enjoy a late dinner at our hotel. (B/L/D)

Cochin is full of echoes of Kerala’s past colonizers, including Hindu and Mughal dynasties, Portuguese and Dutch conquerors, and the British Empire – which came seeking control of the lucrative pepper trade. The city hosts the oldest church in India, 500-year-old Portuguese houses, tiled homes built in the Chinese pagoda style, and a Jewish community whose roots go back to the Diaspora.

Spend the morning seeing the sites of this lovely city, including Mattancherry Palace (Dutch Palace), built by the Portuguese in 1557 and containing stunning murals depicting scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranic legends.

In the afternoon, we transfer to the lovely Coconut Lagoon Resort, located on the edge of the great Vembanad Lake. Fittingly, the resort can be reached only by water. The tile-roofed bungalows, set amidst lush foliage, will be our home for two nights. (B/L/D)

After a free morning at leisure, board a traditional houseboat called a kettuvallam, made of bamboo, rattan, and wood, and spend several hours drifting through the picturesque backwaters of Kerala, a network of canals, lakes, lagoons, and estuaries stretching over almost 1000 square miles.

As we float along the palm-fringed narrow waterways and through a vast expanse of paddy fields, coconut groves, and flocks of migratory birds, delight in lunch prepared onboard as we enjoy the traditional village life that lines the banks. (B/L/D)

Today’s journey takes us through a panorama of cardamom, coffee, and pepper plantations to Madurai, one of South India’s great temple towns (total driving time of 7 hours). Overnight for two nights at the 5-star Taj Gateway Madurai Hotel. (B/L/D)

The area around Madurai has a rich cultural heritage passed on from the great Tamil realm more than 2500 years ago. It was an important cultural and commercial center even as early as 550 AD and was the capital city for the great Pandya kings.

Our first stop is Tirumalai Nayak Palace, built in 1636 AD by one of the Madurai Nayak rulers. During the 19th century, the Governor of Madras renovated the complex, preserving the spacious rectangular courtyard called the Swarga Vilasam and a few adjoining buildings. Their imposing scale evokes the grandeur of a vanished era. 

Then it’s on to the enormous Meenakshi Temple complex encircled by high walls and containing twelve soaring gopura towers. The turrets are completely covered with exquisite stucco figures of vividly painted deities and mythical animals. Return to Meenakshi Temple for the evening ritual where enveloped in a cacophony of music, intoxicating incense, and reverent singing, witness the memorable ‘Going to Bed Ceremony’. Each night the image of Shiva is carried in a silver palanquin from his shrine to another part of the temple to join his consort Parvati at hers. Dinner is on our own. (B/L)

Depart Madurai for our drive to Karaikudi, the capital of the Chettinad region in the state of Tamil Nadu, and the original homeland of the Nattukottai Chettiars, a prosperous merchant community dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The wealth of the traders is displayed in the area’s palatial houses notable for their ornate doorways, chandeliers, and carved wooden ceilings.

Spend today in Karaikudi’s historical environs including a stop at a neighboring village, home to one of the most imposing mansions in the region. We visit local artisan workshops to observe the traditional hand-loomed weaving of the bold and vibrant patterned cotton used for the famous Chettinad saris as well as the enduring art of Athangudi tile making. There is time for an exploration of Karaikudi’s famous Antique Market.

Overnight for one night in one of the grand mansions, now a resort in Visalam near Karaikudi. (B/L/D)

Today, we have the privilege of witnessing the Pongal Festival, a vibrant and spirited celebration observed in the Tamil Nadu region of India and other parts of the world where Tamil communities reside. This festival holds immense significance in Tamil culture as a time to celebrate the harvest, culture, and traditions of the region.

Drive to Thanjavur (Tanjore) with a stop at Brihadishvara Temple, completed in 1010 AD and an outstanding example of Chola architecture. The gigantic statue of Nandi the Bull guards the inner shrine, and the courtyard walls of the sanctum are covered with paintings from the Chola and Nayak periods, comparable to the famous Ajanta cave frescoes. 

Recently declared UNESCO World Heritage as a part of the Greatest Living Chola Temples, Airavateshvara at Darasuram is one of the oldest of the Chola temples. Drive on to Kumbakonam, one of the oldest towns in south India and the capital of the Chola kings in the 7th century.

Overnight for one night at Mantra Koodam, a heritage hotel designed like an ‘agraharam’ – the characteristically Brahmin street lined with ‘illams’ (homes). (B/L/D)

Depart this morning for Chidambaram where we visit Natarajar Temple, one of the most ancient and celebrated shrines in India. The roof of this Shiva temple has 21,600 gold tiles and 72,000 nails that represent the breaths a person takes each day.

We continue to Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), the chief seaport of the Pallava kings who ruled over much of south India from as early as the first century BC (total driving time today of 7 hours). Overnight for two nights in the luxurious GRT Temple Bay Hotel, built along a beautiful beach overlooking the Bay of Bengal in Mamallapuram. (B/L/D)

Mamallapuram, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is recognized for some of the greatest architectural and sculptural achievements in India. At the southern edge of the site, there is a group of five free-standing temples. Four of them were carved out of a single, long granite boulder and are detailed replicas of ancient wooden structures. Built of granite blocks, the Shore Temple is the earliest known example of a stone-built temple in south India. The sculptured rock relief known as Bhagiratha’s Penance illustrates the descent of the Ganges, which begins in the heavens as the Milky Way. The celestial river descends from the sky to the summit of Mount Meru, the cosmic axis mountain, and then splashes and flows through the Hindu world. Enjoy a free afternoon to relax poolside with the Bay of Bengal as your backdrop, followed by our farewell dinner. (B/L/D)

This morning we drive to Kancheepuram (Kanchi). This city has served as a royal capital to great empires for centuries, and this is reflected in its many exceptional temples. The temple of Kailasanathar, dedicated to Shiva, contains splendid carvings of divinities, including a depiction of a dance competition between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Ekambareshwarar Temple, in existence since the 6th century AD, is one of the largest temple complexes in India. Varadharaja Perumal Temple was built by the Cholas in 1053 A.D.

Continue to Chennai where we will have day-use rooms (with a late check-out until 9pm) at the GRT Grand Hotel. Dinner is on our own. A late evening departure to the airport begins our flight back home. (B/L)

Depart on our international flights back home.