South India - The Silk Route, Spices & More

Depart from the U. S. on your international flight for Chennai, India.

Arrive late evening/early morning at Chennai International Airport. Following passport clearance and baggage collection, exit through customs and meet your guide, who will accompany you on the transfer to your hotel. Taj Connemara (5-star)

NOTE: Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is the capital city of Tamil Nadu state, the gateway to Southern India, and the country’s fourth-largest city. Chennai grew up around the English settlement of Fort Saint George and gradually absorbed the surrounding towns and villages. However, despite the strong British influence, the city has retained its traditional Tamil Hindu culture and effectively blended it with the foreign influence. A major seaport also well linked by road, rail and air to other important cities, it is a major trade center. The past lives easily with the present in this city rich in temples, shrines, forts and palaces.

After buffet breakfast, the morning will be at leisure for you to relax at the hotel.

After lunch, take a sightseeing tour of Chennai. Visit Fort St. George, built in 1653, the site of the first British outpost in India. It is currently used as the state government’s secretariat. Stop at Santhome Cathedral and at Kapaleeshwar Temple, the oldest temple in Chennai, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Also visit the National Art Gallery, situated in a splendid Indo-Saracenic building designed by Henry Irwin and formerly known as Victoria Memorial Hall. The gallery holds a fine collection of old paintings and sculptures including Tanjore paintings on glass, Rajput and Mughal miniature paintings, Deccan paintings from 17th century, and 11th- and 12th-century handcrafts, metal ware, and ivory carving. Tonight enjoy your Welcome Dinner. B/L/D Taj Connemara (5-star)

Visit Kanchipuram, one of India's seven sacred cities. Among the oldest towns in India, it is called "The Golden City” because of the spectacular temples and shrines. Visit several of the most splendid of the 125 Hindu temples here. Dravidian architecture reached its peak here in the 6th, 7th and 8th centuries, as you will see in the “1000-pillar halls” and pyramidal towers covered with exuberant, intricate carvings of gods, demons, humans and animals. We will visit Ekambareshwar Temple, Kailashnath Temple, Kamakshi Temple, and the Vaikunthaperumal Temple, all built during the apogee of Dravidian style.

With a weaving tradition dating back to the Pallava era (when silk was the royal cloth), Kanchipuram is also justly famous for its particularly fine silk saris, woven with mulberry silk yarn and enhanced with stunning patterns. The town has over 60,000 silk looms and 22 weaver cooperatives. During our visit we will see some of the workshops and their saris. We will return to Chennai for dinner and the night. B/L/D Taj Connemara (5-star)

This morning visit Kalashetra, an academy of music and dance founded by Rukmini Devi in an effort to re-establish classical Indian dance. You will have an opportunity to visit the various dance classes, still conducted in the traditional manner, and to speak with the teachers and students.

Then we will travel by coach to Pondicherry, 105 miles (170 kilometers) away. It is a 4 1/2-hour trip, but we will stop to visit the stunning cliff temples at Mahabalipuram.* Once the seaport of the Pallava Dynasty that ruled this region, this seaside village is now a beautiful beach resort, all else dwarfed by an open-air museum of Tamil sculpture in the huge rock cliffs. The hillside is scattered with eight temple porches that house bold sculptures. A row of Nandi bulls surrounds its walls. We will visit the two World Heritage Sites in the area: the world’s largest bas-relief, called either “Arjuna’s Penance” or “The Descent of the Ganga,” and the twin-spired Shore Temple, which has stood by the sea for twelve centuries. Mahabalipuram also has an excellent open-air museum where you can watch stonemasons at work.We will continue to Pondicherry and check in at our hotel. Later in the afternoon have a guided tour of the city, including a visit to Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the École française d’Extrème Orient, one of a network of centers for research and teaching of classical Asian cultures. Nearly 100 years old, the Pondicherry EFEO offers programs in Sanskrit, Tamil and archaeology. The French influence in the area is evident in the churches, notably the 18th-century Jesuit Cathedral (Notre Dame de la Conception), the Church of Our Lady of Angels, and the 17th-century Chapel of our Sisters of Cluny. B/L/D Hotel Annamalai International (3-star)

Today we will travel by coach to the sylvan village on Swamimalai, located just west of Kumbakonam on the banks of a tributary of the Cauvery River. It will be our base for visiting Tanjore (Thanjavur) tomorrow. Upon arrival, check in at our hotel and have the rest of the day for independent activities. This heritage hotel was built in 1896. Cottages added on the grounds since create the ambience of a village, shaded with abundant coconut, banana and papaya trees and dotted with statues and other carvings. The hotel offers optional Ayurvedic or spa treatments, crafts workshops and bullock drives, in addition to the pool and walking paths. B/L/D Hotel Sterling (Heritage)

Enjoy an excursion to Tanjore. Most of Tanjore’s 93 temples were built by the Chola kings. The enormous ornate gopurams, or temple gates, of the 10th-century Brihadeeshwara Temple* dominate the ancient town. Fortified walls and a moat surround the temple itself. The old town used to be enclosed as well, but most of its walls have now disappeared. What remains are a network of winding streets and alleys and the extensive ruins of the Palace of the Nayaks of Madurai. The Raja Museum and the Art Gallery house a large collection of Chola sculptures in bronze and granite. The Sarawati Mahal Library contains over 40,000 rare books and palm leaf inscriptions.

After our visit to Tanjore we will return to the hotel for lunch. Have the rest of the day at leisure. B/L/D Hotel Sterling (Heritage)

Travel by coach from Swamimalai to Chettinadu. The trip of about 120 miles (190 kilometers) will take about 5 hours. We will arrive at the Chettinadu Mansion, built in 1902 as one of the area’s most spectacular mansions. Its tall pillars, beautiful balconies, Burmese teak and Italian marble will give you an inkling of how the Chettiars of Tamil Nadu lived in the 19th century. Now a Heritage lodging, it offers simple, comfortable accommodations and a cuisine of authentic regional dishes.We will enjoy a buffet lunch and have a guided tour of the Chettinadu region, famous for fortress-like heritage homes and temples built by the Chettiars, who were highly successful in trade and commerce. B/L/D Chettinadu Mansion (Heritage)

This morning we continue our journey through South India with the short trip to Madurai, which is about 50 miles from Chettinadu. Madurai is one of the region’s oldest cities, with recorded history back to the 6th century B.C. The city carried on regular trade with the ancient Greeks and Romans. It has been a seat of learning for many centuries and was the center from which the Tamil language developed and flourished.

Madurai is laid out in the shape of a lotus flower, with the temple of Goddess Meenakshi at the center. When we arrive, we will check in at the Taj Garden Retreat, set amidst 62 acres of landscaped gardens. It is located on Pasumaial Hill overlooking the city and the Kodai hills beyond. Have a buffet lunch, and take the remainder of the afternoon for independent activities. B/L/D Taj Garden Retreat (5-star)

This morning enjoy a sightseeing tour of Madurai City, a major religious center whose temples are still in use and attract pilgrims throughout the year. The imposing twin temple Meenakshi-Sundareswarar, its surfaces covered with ornate carvings, rises up in the heart of the city. Once in ruins, Tirumalai Nayak restored this magnificent structure in the 16th century. The temple is not a relic but a part of daily life in Madurai. Its boundaries include most of the city, and temple offerings, garlands and spices are sold within its bazaars. You can visit the temple museum and climb up the gopurams (towers) for a superb view of the town. Another monument is the Indo-Saracenic Palace of Tirumalai Nayakar, one of the last Nayak kings (1636), restored by Lord Napier.

Return to your hotel after the sightseeing tour for a buffet lunch and time at leisure. B/L/D Taj Garden Retreat (5-star)

After breakfast, leave for Thekkady, the main entrance to the Periyar National Reserve. The trip of 130 miles (210 kilomemters) usually takes about 6 hours. We will arrive at Periyar Tiger reserve, one of the most captivating wildlife parks in the world. In 1895 the British started work on a dam and an artificial lake. The lake, in the heart of the sanctuary, now spans an area of 21 square miles. Though it initially led to the submersion of large tracts of forestland, the lake is now a perennial source of water and has slowly attracted wild animals. The surrounding forests have been designated both a National Park and a Protected Tiger Reserve.

This afternoon, take a 2-hour boat tour of Periyar National Reserve. While tiger sightings are rare, the water attracts many other animals, including elephants and wild boar, so on your peaceful tour you should see a variety of wildlife. B/L/D Spice Village (Resort)

After breakfast, drive from Thekkady to Kumarakom, a distance of 93 miles (150 kilometers) that takes about 3 1/2 hours. On the way we will stop to visit a rubber plantation at Kanjirappally, where we will have lunch. Then continue to Kumarakom, which sits on the shores of Lake Vembanad in the heart of the Kerala backwaters.We will spend the night at the Coconut Lagoon Resort, set on an abandoned coconut plantation at the mouth of one of the rivers that flow into Lake Vembanad. Set amidst palm trees on the eastern shore of the lake, the resort offers accommodations in individual cottages called tharawads, the traditional wooden houses of Kerala. Some are recent, but many were dismantled and brought to the site from surrounding villages and plantations where they had been abandoned. The cottages, with their carved wooden ornamentation and tiled floors, offer amenities such as modern bathrooms and air-conditioning. Enjoy the resort, which offers a swimming pool, yoga facilities, and an Ayurvedic center. After dining in the restaurant, which specializes in traditional Keralan dishes, take a sunset cruise on Lake Vembanad. B/L/D Coconut Lagoon Resort (Heritage)

After a leisurely breakfast embark on a rice houseboat called a kettuvalam and set sail into the backwaters of Kerala to observe and experience a way of life unique to this region. In Malayalam, “kettuvalam” is a sewn or stitched canoe. Traditionally the boats were built of planks sewn together with coir, which was threaded through a needle carved from a palm frond. These small country boats meander through the tranquil network of canals dotted with homes and lush green paddies. Cruising along the canals and small rivers, you will see tiny hamlets, vendors selling merchandise from their rice boats, and schoolchildren being ferried home. Savor meals prepared by the boatman, who doubles as the cook.

Kettuvalam must anchor between 5 PM and 7 AM, when boat travel is restricted so villagers may lay fishing nets in the canals. The bedrooms on the kettuvalam are air-conditioned through the night. B/L/D Aboard kettuvalam

NOTE: The addition of a visit to the backwaters of Kerala on board a kettuvalam makes this trip a day longer than described in the first edition of our 2008 catalog.

Leave Kumarakom today and travel to Cochin, a city in Kerala that has one of India’s best natural harbors. It is a city set among lagoons and backwaters, with a romantic backdrop of swaying coconut palms. According to legend this land sprung forth from the sea womb and continues to enjoy a protected life surrounded by the waters of the sea, joined by water from the surrounding hills that cascades through the valleys. Cochin played a pivotal role in the development of shipping and trade in this region. Merchant ships stopped here to stock up on spices, coffee and wood for the rich markets of Europe and Western Asia, and the seaport remains one of India’s busiest. The 1 1/2-hour drive to Cochin covers 40 miles (65 kilometers).After lunch, have a guided tour of Cochin City and Mattancherry. We will visit the oldest Jewish Synagogue in India, which was built in 1568, destroyed by the Portuguese and rebuilt a century later by the Dutch. In 1776 a Dutch Jewish trader, Ezekiel Rahabi, added a clock tower and exquisite Chinese porcelain floor tiles of blue and white, each hand painted in a different design. Belgian chandeliers were added in the 19th century. We will also visit the Dutch Palace at Mattancherry, built in 1555 and decorated with murals of Ramayana.The Chinese Fishing Nets are cantilevered along the harbor mouth and are used to lift fish from the water. Chinese traders are believed to have introduced them in the 14th century, though today parts of the nets are known by Portuguese names. We will see the Fishing Nets and continue to St. Francis Church, originally named after Santo Antonio, the Patron Saint of Portugal. Vasco De Gamma (or Vasco da Gama) died on the site in 1524 and was buried in the church cemetery, but 14 years later his body was removed to Portugal. The church was renamed St. Francis in 1663.In the evening visit the local theatre to watch a Kathakali dance performance. Kathakali, a Keralan synthesis of dance, drama and music, re-enacts stories from the Hindu epics in a visually powerful style that draws on classical dance, folk styles and martial arts. B/L/D Taj Malabar – Tower Wing (5-star)

We will leave early for the airport in Cochin and your 8:30 AM flight to Mumbai, with breakfast on board. Mumbai (Bombay), originally a fishing village, was controlled by the Portuguese until Catharine of Braganza gave its seven islands to Charles II of England as her dowry. The British regarded it as a trading center, Rudyard Kipling extolled it as the “Mother of Cities,” and its status as the Gateway to India is commemorated by a monument of that name, built to mark a visit by King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. Today Mumbai is India’s premiere commercial and financial city.

When we arrive, we will take a sightseeing tour along Marine Drive, the seafront boulevard known as the Queen’s Necklace. In the evening the breeze from the Arabian Sea wafts over the area and, as the lights come on, the view is that of a sparkling necklace. Continue past the marble Jain Temples and along Malabar Hill to the hanging Gardens, built over Mumbai’s reservoir, which provide a splendid panoramic view of Marine Drive and the city. From Malabar Hill, drive to the huge open-air laundry called the Dhobi Ghats. After the sightseeing tour by coach, enjoy lunch in a local restaurant and have the rest of the afternoon to explore this multifaceted city on your own. In the evening we will go to a hotel where you may relax in the lobby before dinner. Later we will leave for the airport for your flight home. B/L/D