The beauty of southern India in 6 days/5 nights

Before 16 p.m., guests gather in the lobby of the Taj West End Hotel for registration, followed by afternoon tea combined with a train presentation and a cultural program. Then, guests will visit the ISKCON Hindu temple of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, which is one of the largest temples built in 1997. From there they will go to the Yashwantpura railway station, where they will board the luxurious Golden Chariot tourist train at approximately 20:15 p.m. On the way, guests will be treated to dinner.

In the morning, the train arrives at Egmore Railway Station in Chennai, where guests set out to visit the Santhome Cathedral, built above the tomb of Saint. Thomas the Apostle. Then, along the Marine Bay Road Drive leading along the Bay of Bengal, guests will go on a trip to Mahabalipuram, where there are temples and sculptural monuments from the Pallava dynasty from the 1984th-XNUMXth centuries. Guests will visit a complex of five Shaivite temples, carved from one block of rock. The most famous object of the entire complex is the huge bas-relief The Birth of the Ganges. The complex in Mahabalipuram was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in XNUMX. After sightseeing, guests will be able to relax with a delicious lunch served at a luxurious beach resort. After lunch, an air-conditioned bus will take the guests to Pondicherry, where a train awaits them. When the train continues its journey, dinner will be served to the guests.

After breakfast, guests will go to visit the Auroville Ashram - an extraordinary city that was founded in 1968 as a embodiment of guru Mirra Alfassa's idea of ​​creating a universal place whose inhabitants representing all of humanity strive to achieve the next level of development. Here they will have the opportunity to learn about the achievements of this community, visit the ashram as well as the Matramandir temple located in its heart. Later, the coach will take them to Puducherry for lunch at a boutique restaurant, after which they will return to the train for a short rest. In the afternoon, they will visit the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the Hindu Ganesha temple built in the XNUMXth century. Guests will have the opportunity to wander the XNUMXth century cobblestone streets of the Latin Quarter built by French colonialists and enjoy free time on the beach along the city promenade. Later, they will return to the station to board the train, where dinner will be served.

Thanjavur is famous for its collection of Chola-style bronze sculptures and three-dimensional paintings made of gold leaf. After breakfast, guests will visit the famous Brihadiśwara temple complex, built in the early 11th century and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Later, guests will visit the former Royal Palace where there is a museum, art gallery and library.

After lunch at the Tanjore Hotel, the bus will take the guests to Trichy, where a train will be waiting for them. Here guests will visit the Sri Rangam temple, dedicated to Vishnu. Only Hindus are allowed to enter the inner golden sanctum, other visitors can visit the two outer courtyards. After the visit, guests will be dropped off at Trichy Railway Station to board the train for dinner.

Famous for silk, pearls and spices, Madurai has been inhabited since at least the 3rd century BC. It was the lucrative trade in these goods that allowed the Pandyan kings to build the massive Meenakshi Temple in the 13th century. After breakfast, guests will visit the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, dedicated to the Hindu goddess Parvati. Later, guests return to the train for lunch and a short rest. In the evening, they will visit the 18th-century Thirumalai Nayak Palace to enjoy the history and culture of the Tamil Nadu region during a show of Silappatikaram, one of the great epics of Tamil literature. The guests return to the train for the night. When he sets off towards Nagercoil, dinner will be served.

Early in the morning, the train arrives at Nagercoil railway station and at 5 a.m. the coach takes guests to Kanyakumari - a place from which they will have the opportunity to admire the sunrise at the southernmost point of the Indian Peninsula - where the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean meet. Upon return, breakfast will be served, after which guests will have time to rest. Afterwards, guests will go on a trip to the 5th century Padmanabhapuram Wooden Palace, which is one of the most perfect examples of traditional Kerala-style architecture. After sightseeing, they return to the train that awaits them in Nagercoil. Lunch is served on the way to Kochhuvelli railway station near Trivandrum. In the afternoon, they will go to the famous Kovalam beach located on the Arabian Sea. They can relax in the sea or lie on the sand while waiting for dinner and a folklore show prepared at one of the 22-star beach resorts. At 30:XNUMX p.m. they return to the train, which continues its journey.