This morning on your arrival in Bangalore, you will transferred to your hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure.

Bangalore is the Silicon Valley of India and is one of the top preferred entrepreneurial locations in the world.

The story goes that a 12th century king lost his way and met a poor woman who offered him boiled beans. The grateful king named the place "benda-kaal-uru" which means town of boiled beans. The Karaga Shaktyotsavaan important festival dedicated to Goddess Draupadi is celebrated annually over a period of nine days in March

or April. Bangalore is also an important place for classical music and dance. Overnight is in Bangalore

This morning you will be enjoying a tour of Bangalore. The tourist spots in Bangalore are Lal Bagh,

Maharaja's Palace, etc. You could also include the various temples in the Bangalore sight-seeing.

Bangalore the Silicon Valley of India is known as the "Garden City of India". The Lal Bagh started by Hyder

Ali and finished by his son Tipu Sultan has India's largest collection of tropical plants - over a 1000 species

of flora and also trees over 100 years old. The construction of the Bangalore Palace was started in 1862 and completed in 1944 and looks similar to the

Windsor Castle in England. Drive past different Government buildings. The afternoon is at leisure.

Overnight is in Bangalore.

Day 03 – Banagalore to Kochi by

flight and drive to AlappuzhaYou will be transferred to the Bangalore airport to board your

flight for Kochi. On your arrival in Kochi, you will drive

directly to Alappuzha also known as Alleppey. This

picturesque town also known as Venice of the East is

crisscrossed with canals and offers you backwaters, beaches,

and lagoons. A cruise in the backwaters is an unforgettable

experience. Every year, on the second Saturday of August the

Nehru Trophy Boat Race is held on the Punnamada Lake.

Kuttanad with continuous paddy fields and lush green

coconut palms is known as the rice bowl of Kerala. This is

one of the few places in the world where rice is cultivated

below sea level. Coir is the most important commodity

manufactured in Alappuzha. Overnight is in Alleppey.

Your morning is at leisure to discover this beautiful city known as Venice of the East. This afternoon you will embark a rice

houseboat which is quite an experience. Alleppey on the Arabian Sea with numerous canals meandering through the

town is a very important destination for tourists visiting Kerala. The Kerala backwaters are a network of large lakes

linked by canals and fed by rivers. The backwaters are formed because of the waves and shore currents creating low barrier islands. Here you will board a houseboat in Kerala’s backwaters. The charm of staying a night in the houseboats

known as kettuvallam in the backwaters is great. These boats were used to ferry the grain. Thatched roof covers

provide protection from the sun and rain. The boats are like floating cottages with a sleeping area, toilets, dining area and a sit out on the deck. The food is cooked on board by

staff. Overnight is on board the houseboat.

Day 05 - Alleppey to Kochi by road

(53 kms) and flight to ChennaiToday you will drive to Kochi airport in time to board your

Chennai flight. On your arrival in Chennai, you will be transferred to your hotel. The name Chennai was

derived from Chennaipattanam, built by the English in 1639. The earlier name of Madras was a short from of

Madraspattinam a fishing village. Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu and is the largest industrial and

commercial center of South India and also an important centre for Carnatic music. The city is also famous for the Tamil movies and known as Tollywood. Chennai

came into prominence because of the British who defended the town against several attacks from the

French and converted it to a major naval port. Chennai has numerous places of interest and beautiful

museums. Overnight is in Chennai.

Day 06 - Chennai to Puducherry

by road (159 kms)This morning you will drive to Puducherry also known as

Pondicherry or Pondy. You have time at leisure for visiting this beautiful city with a colonial influence. Puducherry was acquired by the French in 1674 and

has colonial buildings, churches, temples, and statues. The systematic well planned French style avenues, preserves and gives a look of the colonial ambiance. Puducherry has a number of well preserved heritage

buildings and monuments. Promenade Beach, Paradise Beach, Auroville Beach and Serenity Beach are the well

known beaches of Puducherry. Overnight is in Puducherry.

Day 07 - Puducherry to

Mamallapuram by road (96 kms)This morning you will be visiting Pondicherry which

traces its origin to the revered sage Saint Agasthya. Puducherry is divided into the French Quarters "Ville Blanche" and the Indian quarter "Ville Noire". Some of the streets still have their French names. In the French

Quarters, it is common to see French style villas and colonial style buildings. Sri Aurobindo Ashram is

globally quite popular. Auroville is a universal town where people from all nationalities live together in

harmony and peace. The Lord Ganesha Sri ManakulaVinayagar Temple is a quite visited Hindu Temple.

Day 07 - Puducherry to

Mamallapuram by road (96 kms)After the visit of Puducherry, drive to Mamallapuram also

known as Mahabalipuram or Mamallapattana. This is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and a historic town

and seaport. It was also known by the ancient mariners as the city of "Seven Pagodas". Out of the Seven

Pagodas, only the Shore Temple survives. Mahabalipuram was a bustling seaport and the traders went to countries of South East Asia from here. It was

an important port for the Pallavas and most of the monuments portray events from the Mahabharata and date back from the 7th to the 9th century. In an ancient text, this place was noted as Sea Mountain where ships rode at anchor bent to the point of breaking laden with

goods.

Day 07 - Puducherry to

Mamallapuram by road (96 kms)Your tour of Mahabalipuram takes you through the cave

temples and mandapams cut in the rocks showing depiction of incidents from Hindu legends, epics and mythology. The temples were built during the rule of

Narasimhavarman and Rajasimhavarman. The city was mostly developed by Narasimhavarman. The bas relief Arjuna's Penance with life size images carved on the

rock wall is the largest Bas-relief in the world. The five chariots are carved out of a single rock. The twin

structure of the Shore Temple is one of the oldest in South India and is worth visiting. The Shore Temple

built from dressed stone has bas reliefs, one 100 ft long and 45 ft. high, carved out of granite. Afternoon is at

leisure. Overnight is in Mahabalipuram.

Day 08 - Mahabalipuram to

Chennai road (51 kms)

This morning you will be transferred to Chennai airport in time for your return/onward flight.

END OF YOUR SHORT SOUTH INDIA HOLIDAY TOUR.

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