Southern Wonders

Drive south to Pondicherry

The first stop will be Gangaikonda Cholapuram, the ‘City of the Chola who conquered the Ganges’ where you’ll visit the 1000 yr old Brihadishvara Temple (with local guide).

The nearby small town of Kumbakonam has several Chola temples including the Nageshvara Temple which has some of the finest early Chola sculptures. You can explore these independently.

A little further south at Darasuram, the Airavateshvara temple, a late Chola masterpiece is the second World Heritage Site. (A local guide will accompany you here)

Check in to your hotel at Thanjavur to relax and enjoy dinner.

The city of Thanjavur is dominated by the Brihadishvara temple of Thanjavur, not to be confused with the equally grand temple of the same name visited the day before. This is the third of the ‘Great Living Chola Temples’ World Heritage Sites.

The vast compound is entered via one of South India’ earliest monumental tower gates (gopurams).

Visit a local workshop to observe bronze making and glass painting.

If you have time, you can visit the museum in the Thanjavur Palace, which houses a fine collection of Chola sculpture, including bronzes.

Enroute, visit The Bangala, a heritage hotel renowned for its food and cooking classes, where you will enjoy a cooking demonstration and a delicious lunch. The Bangala was rated the 7th Best Restaurant in India by Condé Nast Traveller in 2019.

After checking into your 120yr old heritage hotel, enjoy the rest of the day at leisure, perhaps take a evening walk near the hotel.

One of the specialities of the Chettinad region is the art of making tiles. The process is totally manual, and having lost ground to factory made tiles for a while, the traditional tiles are making a comeback with eco-conscious designers.

Visit the Athangudi Tile Factory where you can see local artisans use traditional techniques and tools to create tiles.

The vast 17th century Meenakshi Temple complex has towering gateways covered with religious figures in spectacular colours. Although non-Hindus are not allowed within the sanctum, there is plenty to admire from the outer areas.

Your next stop is hardly a stone’s throw away from the Meenakshi temple, the Thirumalai Nayak Palace, a mix of architectural styles – Italian, Indo-Saracenic and Gothic.

If time permits, Madurai is a good place to shop for handicrafts including wood, brass and stone curios. The Poompuhar Handicrafts Emporium is especially recommended.

Enjoy the dusk/night prayer ceremony at Meenakshi temple with your guide to end your day and return to the hotel to relax.

Stop enroute for a visit to a spice plantation and enjoy lunch.

Early morning Nature walk (starts at 0700 hrs) – around 01 hours walk

Back to Vanilla County and enjoy 01 hour Yoga Session

Breakfast and relax or enjoy beauty of Vagamon (enjoy Swimming Pool at Vanilla County)

After lunch visit to the Tea Plantation and nearby Monastery (on the hill top) – drive by Jeep

Note: In the evening you can arrange cooking classes with the head Chef of Vanilla County (on direct payment)

The cruise takes you through narrow canals where you can watch life of the backwater people go by women pound their washing, families work in the fields, ducks being reared, men collecting shells for making local ‘cement’ or linger at the local ‘chai’ shop, and canoes and ferry boats.

Check into your hotel and relax.

Late evening we go to watch the famous martial art performance of Kalaripayattu.

Visit the Old Jew town, with the Jewish Synagogue at its heart. Explore old churches, colonial remnants of fortifications, and the Dutch Palace with its beautiful mural paintings from the 17th century.

Late evening we go to watch the famous classical Indian dance-drama Kathakali in dance centre.

Kathakali is a stylized classical Indian dance noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movement presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion.

After breakfast enjoy a full day tour of Muziris Heritage Tour: A Confluence of Cultures

This tour offers an introduction to the many faiths and cultures of the Malabar Coast.

Muziris is the name of an ancient port city on the Kerala coast, an hour’s drive north of Cochin. The city traded in spices, silk, and precious stones; with exports to Rome, Greece, Egypt, etc. Enriched by trade contacts, Muziris became a melting pot of world cultures.

The earliest Jewish settlers in India landed on the Malabar Coast and flourished in Muziris. Muziris is where St. Thomas the Apostle is said to have first landed in 52AD, bringing Christianity to India.

The first ever mosque in India was also built here.

After nearly 1000 years of thriving trade, the port of Muziris was damaged in a major flood, and Cochin took its place as the most important trading port in Kerala.

However, the Muziris area –covering Kodungallur and Paravoor –continues to be as multi-cultural as ever.

Old churches, synagogues, mosques and temples attest to the great confluence of cultures that Muziris was. In a world full of strife, the monuments and bazaars of Muziris stand as beacons even today, a testament to the harmonious co-existence of multiple faiths on the Malabar Coast.

Tour Coverage: On this tour, we will visit the following:

· Kodungalloor Bhagavathi Temple: A Hindu temple

· Chennamangalam and Paravoor Synagogues: Old synagogues of the Malabar Jews, constructed using Keralan building traditions, but adapted to suit Jewish ritual and liturgical requirements. Near the Chennamangalam synagogue is also the first Christian Seminary and the first printing press in India.

· Kottakavu Church: A church of the Syrian Christian community of Kerala, believed to be the one of the seven original ones established by the Apostle St. Thomas

· Paliam Dutch Palace (Museum): The residence of the Paliath Achans, the prime ministers to the Rajas of the State of Kochi.

· Cheraman Juma Masjid: The first mosque in India, built after the Chera king of Kerala met the Prophet Muhammad. It has been renovated several times since then.

Local bazaar: We will also walk through an interesting and colourful local bazaar, selling everything under the sun. Those who are interested can also visit the excavation site at Pattanam. This is a small archaeological site which contains some artifacts which were traded between Muziris and the rest of the world.

After day at Muziris, transfer to Ernakulam Railway Station to catch the overnight express train to Goa (Rajdhani Express #12431, 2230-1000), where you’ll have berths in 1st class AC (class 1A).

Relax for the rest of the day