The curtain raiser of your soul searching Southern India expedition is at Chennai - the place of your arrival. After experiencing warm greetings at the South Indian metropolis, check in to your Hotel and get ready for a full day metro tour. Drive around the metro-city and get to know some of its famous landmarks. Visit the Fort St. George (the British built fortress, which still retains its colonial charm). Watch the amazingly long beach at Marina - regarded as world’s 2nd longest seashore.

Now an experience of a different kind… Drive to a little outer from the metro area, towards the sacred hillock St. Thomas Mount. It was from here that St. Thomas, the apostle of Christ, carried out his missionary activities till he attained ‘martyrdom’ in 72 AD. Observe his deeds through the sculptures and relics at the old European-styled Church on the hilltop. You can find how harmoniously the traditional Tamil culture and modern British culture are blended. As night falls, return to your Hotel for overnight stay.

Now it’s time for an insight into the priceless Dravidian culture & heritage… For that proceed to the most ideal place nearer Chennai - ‘Mahabalipuram’ (a centuries-old port city, abode of priceless heritage monuments). On reaching Mahabalipuram; set out for sightseeing… View some splendid specimens of Dravidian architecture & art forms - testimonies of former Pallava Kings, who were great patrons of arts / crafts - such as, ‘Pancha Rathas’ (‘Five Chariots’ - monolithic structures, each carved from one single large piece of stone - named after the five ‘Pandavas’ of the great epic Mahabharata), ‘Arjuna's Penance’ (a massive relief sculpture illustrating an episode from the epic Mahabharata), ‘Descent of the Ganges’ (another giant open-air bas relief, depicting a famous scene from Hindu mythology), ‘Varaha Cave Temple’ (a rock-cut-temple with fine carvings), ‘Shore Temple’ (a very old shrine with entry from the seashore). As the daylight paves way for nightfall, get in to your lodgings… settle down in its soothing environs. Overnight stay at Mahabalipuram.

Now depart Mahabalipuram and drive to the legendary city of Thanjavur… On the way, first halt at ‘Gangai Konda Cholapuram’ - erstwhile capital of great Chola emperor Rajendra I, who, after the conquest of North Indian Ganges regions, assumed the title Gangai Konda Cholan and named this place after him. Here visit the temple built by Rajendra Chola - an imposing multi storied shrine surrounded by a fort-like wall. Then you will know, like the Pallava kings; Cholas too were great connoisseurs of arts & crafts.

Next, en route halt at Kumbakonam, nicknamed as the ‘temple town’, due to presence of many beautiful shrines. After a quick get-around here, proceed to ‘Darasuram’, an ancient location nearby. At Darasuram you can find remnants of Airavateswar Shiva Temple. View some exclusive architecture, sculptures & paintings at this Temple.

Subject to time and convenience, take an optional halt at ‘Swamimalai’ - one of the six most important abodes of Lord Muruga, and also famous for its indigenous bronze sculptures. Here you can visit the sacred Lord Muruga Temple and watch a local unit where bronze sculptures are made, using centuries-old indigenous method of bronze casting (right from the Chola era). Continue with your trip… On reaching Thanjavur, check in to the hotel and settle down. Overnight stay at the hotel in Thanjavur.

After warming up with breakfast at hotel; set out for a day long sightseeing of Thanjavur - the ages-old capital royal of Chola Kings. Start with a masterpiece of Chola-styled architecture - the big temple ‘Brihandeswara’ (1000+ years old shrine, built by the esteemed Chola emperor Rajaraja I). Apart from its architectural intricacies and sculptures, what makes Brihandeswara temple unique is the high temple tower that is taller than the sanctum sanctorum - a feature not seen in other typical Tamil / Dravidian temples.

Later, visit the nearby water tank ‘Shivaganga’, a popular hangout place. As time permits, have a quick get-around in other notable sights like, ‘Thanjavur Palace’, ‘Royal Museum’ & ‘Art Gallery’. Afterwards do some shopping - buy unique Thanjavur specials, such as, the Thalayatti Bomai (head-nodding doll). Late evening, return to your hotel at Thanjavur for overnight stay.

This morning depart from Thanjavur to Trichy alias ‘Tiruchirapalli’, another important city in Tamil Nadu. After a few hours’ drive, check in to your hotel at Trichy and get refreshed. Soon proceed for Trichy temple visit. Begin with the most important landmark in the city - the ‘Rock Fort Ucchi Pillayar Temple’ (a combination of two shrines located atop a high rock, 83 meters tall - one shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva and other to his son, Lord Ganesh, known as ‘Pillayar’ in Tamil). In these shrines, which are regarded as one of the oldest in the world, watch the awe inspiring rock architectures bearing ancient traits.

Afterwards visit Trichy’s most elegant Christian monument, the St John's Church - a colonial styled church that dates back to almost two centuries. Experience the vintage air that engulfs the Church. Also visit the neighboring cemetery… all these will remind you about some fairy tale scenes. As night falls, return to your hotel at Trichy and stay overnight.

Begin today’s sightseeing on a high note with a visit to the largest functioning temple complex in the world - ‘The Ranganathaswamy Temple’. Located at Srirangam near Trichy, this overwhelmingly massive shrine is regarded as one among the holiest Vaishnavite (followers of Lord Vishnu) Temples in India. Watch in awe the fascinating architecture and sculptural beauty of this gigantic shrine. See the ‘One Thousand Pillar Hall’ (actually 953 intricately carved stone pillars) in the temple complex. Although Ranganathaswamy Temple complex is very vast, you won’t miss its most striking feature - the ‘Rajagopuram’ - built by the Vijayanagara Emperors this is the tallest temple tower in Asia!

Afterwards leave Trichy for another significant Temple city - Madurai, one of the oldest & continuously inhabited cities in the world. After reaching Madurai, check into your hotel and wash off your journey marks. If time permits take a quick look-around the surrounding city area. Overnight stay at Madurai.

Spend the morning at leisure, readying for Madurai sightseeing... Start with visiting one of India's greatest cultural & architectural landmarks - the ‘Meenakshi Sundareswar Temple’ (dedicated to Meenakshi - Goddess Parvathy). Watch the looming temple towers, each studded with carvings of Gods, Goddesses, mythological figures and even depictions from fairy tales. Explore the sprawling temple complex... Visit the awe inspiring ‘Thousand Pillar Hall’ (in fact 985 now). Then see the ‘musical pillars’ - each one, when struck, produces a different musical note!

Then visit the ‘Mariamman Teppakulam’, a huge water tank located near the Meenakshi Temple. The tank is known as Mariamman Teppakulam due to the presence of Goddess Mariamman Temple there (Teppakulam means water tank in Tamil). At the center of the tank is a Lord Ganesh temple - accessible only by water. The area of the tank and the island pavilion is approximately equal to the area of the great Meenakshi Temple!

Later visit Madurai’s other important landmarks like, the ‘Thirumalai Nayakar Palace’ (a splendid palace of the former Madurai King, who made this city a memorable one). Get a brief outlook this ageless city’s royal legacy. At nightfall, get back to your lodgings at Madurai for overnight stay.

Now experience the rustic beauty of Tamil Nadu’s countryside. Travel to ‘Theni’, a district enclosed in majestic Western Ghat mountain range. Enjoy the ride through Theni, immersing within the green stretches of cultivated lands and tea gardens… Visit the panoramic ‘Vaigai Dam’ site. You will understand Tamil Nadu is a trove of cultural legacy as well as abundant natural beauty. After the day-long enjoyment, stay overnight at the lodgings in Theni.

This day brings you another scintillating experience - a trip to the ‘hill station royal’ Kodaikkanal, which rivals any major hill stations across India in terms of attractive locations. After reaching Kodaikkanal, start your sightseeing with the prime beauty spots like, the ‘Kodai Lake’ where you can go for boating and take a walk along its well laid out banks, enjoying the picturesque surroundings.

Then visit the haunting beauty ‘Devil’s Kitchen’ - now better known as ‘Guna Caves’ (popularized by the Kamal starrer Tamil Movie ‘Guna’). This peculiar location, with its bat-infested chambers between three giant boulders, offers a challenging as well as fearsome exposure.

Afterwards, the enthusiasts can take a trekking to explore the crude charm of Kodaikkanal. Enjoy the breathtaking views of endless Tea gardens and Pine Tree valleys. Depending on time you can opt for some shopping too. At dusk, get back to your Hotel / Resort at Kodaikkanal and stay overnight.

After finding out what makes Kodaikkanal a truly world class hill station, now travel to another natural beauty spot in Kerala - Thekkady (abode of Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, a major wildlife reserve in India). After arriving at the destination, soon set out to visit that wild hub. Enriched with variety flora & fauna, Periyar Sanctuary attracts a large number of nature lovers every year as it is ideal for watching animals in their natural habitat. Here you can either opt for a boating in the beautiful lake, or engage in other exciting activities like soft trekking, spice plantation visit, shopping spice items ... Overnight stay at the hotel in Thekkady.

From the adventurous mountains to the gushing backwaters… Depart from Thekkady this morning and drive to Kumarakom, a major backwater hub in the God’s own county. By afternoon check in to a traditional Kerala Houseboat to start off your backwater cruise.

As the gentle journey begins, slowly settle down in the floating luxury… watch the picturesque combination of paddy fields and coconut groves that adorn the backwater banks. At most of the places you can view the unaltered rural life of Kerala villages, where farming, irrigation and fishing are still main sources of living. En route enjoy the panoramic views of ‘Thanneermukkom Bund’ (artificial saltwater barrier) and ‘Pathiramanal Island’ (an uninhibited isle with plentiful migratory birds). Delight yourself with delicious Kerala cuisines. Overnight stay in the houseboat surrounded by the gentle waters.

After the backwater glories, now it’s the turn of Kerala’s splendid seashores. Today proceed to one of the finest beach havens in the world - Kovalam.

Check in to your hotel / resort at Kovalam, on arrival and get ready for a beach day. Kovalam is blessed with three lovely crescent-shaped seashores, namely ‘Samudra Beach’ (which is the main beach), ‘Howah Beach’ and ‘Lighthouse Beach’. Spent the entire day engaged in various beach activities - sunbathing, swimming, enjoying the big splashes in the rejuvenating sea breeze… After a satisfying beach stint, return to your hotel / resort for overnight stay.

After morning breakfast check out from your hotel / resort at Kovalam for departure. Proceed to Trivandrum, Kerala’s capital city, your farewell spot. Subject to time, do a quick get-around & shopping at Trivandrum before leaving to Trivandrum Airport / Railway Station - Farewell.