Southern Splendour (Aboard the Golden Chariot)
Luxury Trains - The Golden Chariot
Luxury Trains - The Golden Chariot
Tour Route: Bangalore - Chennai – Mamallapuram- Pondicherry - Tanjavur - Madurai - Thiruvananthpuram - Alleppey - Kochi - Bangalore
Day 01 - MONDAY
Bangalore
| 1500 Hrs | Meeting point at the Taj West End at 15.00 hrs |
| 1600 Hrs | Nature Walk in the heritage Gardens of the Taj. |
| 1700 Hrs | Hi Tea. |
| 1730 Hrs | Presentation and Orientation on The Golden Chariot tour followed by cultural performance. |
| 1845 Hrs | Visit the ISKCON Temple (The International Society for Krishna Consciousness). |
| 2015 Hrs | Evening check in at the Bangalore Railway Station on your train "The Golden Chariot – Splendor of The South”, your comfortable home for the next week. |
| Depart to Chennai. |
Towards the evening check In at the Bangalore Railway Station on your hotel train "The Golden Chariot – Splendor of The South“ you comfortable home for the next week.
Day 02 - TUESDAY
| 0730 Hrs | Arrive at Chennai central railway station |
| 0800 Hrs | Breakfast on board The Golden Chariot |
| 1000 Hrs | Departure to Mamallapuram |
| 1130 Hrs | Arrive at Mamallapuram |
| Sight Seeing – Krishna’s Butter Ball, Arjuna’s Penance, Ganesha Temple and Caves and Five Rathas Temple | |
| 1330 Hrs | Lunch at Radisson Blu Temple Bay Hotel |
| 1600 Hrs | Post Hi-Tea, Sight Seeing |
| Sight Seeing – Shore Shiva Temple | |
| 1730 Hrs | Departure to Puducherry |
Mamallapuram – World famous for its shore temple, Mamallapuram was the second capital and sea port of the Pallava Kings of Kanchipuram, the first Tamil dynasty after the fall of the Gupta Empire. The whole of Mamallapuram is a fabulous open-air museum of sculptures in living rock, Monolithic shrines scooped out caverns magnificently sculpted within and the world’s biggest Bas relief in rock, are truly wondrous examples of the sculptor’s art. The famous temples of the Rathas, the Penance of Bhagirath, the Shore Temple and the eight Mandapams. (Shallow, rock cut halls) are also located at the beach.
Day 03 - WEDNESDAY
| 0630 Hrs | Arrive Pondicherry |
| 0800 Hrs | Breakfast on board The Golden Chariot |
| 1000 Hrs | Departure to Auroville Ashram |
| Sight Seeing – Screening on Auroville Ashram, tour of Auroville Asharam, Matra Mandir and shopping in the Ashram | |
| 1330 Hrs | Lunch at The Sarovar Promenade Hotel |
| 1500 Hrs | Back on board The Golden Chariot |
| 1700 Hrs | Visit the Aurobindo Ashram and Ganesha Temple |
| 1900 Hrs | Back on board The Golden Chariot |
| Dinner on Board |
Pondicherry – In the Northern Tamil Nadu region, quite a contrast to the temple heritage, is located Pondicherry. Formerly a French colony settled early in the 18th century, Pondicherry became part of the Indian Union in the early 50’s when the French voluntarily relinquished control. French is still widely spoken, and seaside villas and cobbled streets are more reminiscent of the South of France than the South of India!
Day 04 - THURSDAY
| 0730 Hrs | Arrive at Tanjavur railway station |
| 0800 Hrs | Breakfast on board The Golden Chariot |
| 1000 Hrs | Visit the famous Brihadeshwara Temple (UNESCO World Heritage site) |
| Shopping at the emporium | |
| 1400 Hrs | Lunch at Ideal River View Resort |
| 1600 Hrs | Departure to Trichy |
| 1800 Hrs | Visit the famous Sri Rangam Temple in Trichy |
| 1930 Hrs | Back on board The Golden Chariot in Trichy |
| Dinner on board The Golden Chariot |
Tanjore (Thanjavur) - Proceed for a sightseeing tour of Tanjore where you will visit temples built during the 10th and 14th centuries. These later became a part of the Vijaynagar Kingdom, which subsequently passed into the hands of the Marathas and went to the British. The most famous landmark is the Brihadeshwara temple, which is now a world heritage site
Trichy (Tiruchirapalli) - Situated on the banks of the River Kaveri, just 320 kms from Chennai, Trichy was a Chola Citadel during the Sangam Age when the Pandyas and Pallavas held sway over this region for short periods. The Nayaks of Madurai built the town and the historic Rock Fort, which played a vital role in the Carnatic wars in the 18th century. The most famous landmark is ‘The Rock Fort Temple’, a spectacular monument perched on a rock outcrop which rises abruptly from the plain to tower over the old city. At the first level are the remnants of a huge hall blasted into ruins in 1772. The next storey is the Mathrubhuteshwar Shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. Finally at the top of the hill, is the Ucchi Pillayar Koil – A Lord Ganesh Temple, offering a commanding view of the city.
Day 05 - FRIDAY
| 0800 Hrs | Breakfast on board The Golden Chariot |
| 1000 Hrs | Visit the famous Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple |
| 1130 Hrs | Visit the 1000 pillar temple and the museum |
| 1300 Hrs | Back on board The Golden Chariot |
| Lunch on board The Golden Chariot | |
| 1500 Hrs | Visit the Gandhi Museum (Rani Mangammal Palace) |
| 1600 Hrs | Return back to The Golden Chariot |
| Rest and Relax on board The Golden Chariot | |
| 1800 Hrs | Visit the Thirumalai Nayak Palace for sound and light show |
| 1930 Hrs | Back on board The Golden Chariot |
Madurai - is an animated city packed with pilgrims, vendors, business people, bullock carts and legions of under employed rickshaw pullers. It is one of the Southern India’s oldest cities and has been a center of learning and pilgrimage for cent. The primary interest of Madurai is the Meenakshi Temple, where Dravidian temple architecture may be considered to be at its best. Its Hall of a thousand Pillars is fabulous and is filled with worshippers at all hours of the day. The tour also includes a visit to the – Thirumalai Nayak Palace & Thiruparangundram temple.
Day 06 - SATURDAY
| 0500 Hrs | Departure to Kanyakumari for Sunrise view |
| 0730 Hrs | Back on board The Golden Chariot |
| Breakfast on board | |
| 0930 Hrs | Depart to Padmanabhapuram Wooden Palace |
| 1300 Hrs | Return on board The Golden Chariot |
| Lunch on board | |
| 1530 Hrs | Reach Kocchuveli station |
| 1600 Hrs | Depart to Vivanta by Taj, Kovalam |
| Hi-Tea by the beach, Cultural show followed by dinner at the hotel | |
| 2230 Hrs | Back on board The Golden Chariot |
Kanyakumari - Kanyakumari is southern most district of Tamilnadu state. It is bound by Tirunelveli district on the North and the East. The South Eastern boundary of this district is formed by the Gulf of Mannar. The district of Kanyakumari was a part of the erstwhile Travancore state. The South and Southwest boundaries are formed by Indian Ocean and The Arabian Sea. The Western and and Northwestern boundaries are formed by Kerala.
Day 07 - SUNDAY
| 0800 Hrs | Breakfast on board The Golden Chariot |
| 1000 Hrs | Depart to Alleppey Jetty and board House Boat |
| Cruise on Punnamada Lake | |
| 1300 Hrs | Reach Punnamada Lake Resort for Lunch |
| 1430 Hrs | Depart to fort Kochi |
| 1530 Hrs | Arrival in fort Kochi |
| Seeing – Chinese fishing Nets, Shopping in Mattancherry | |
| Shopping in Jews Town | |
| 1800 Hrs | Depart to board The Golden Chariot at Ernakulum South railway Station |
| 1930 Hrs | Departure to Bangalore |
Alapphuzza - From Alappuzha enjoy the bewitching Vembanad lake on Houseboats, the largest backwater stretch in Kerala, cruising along in a traditional boat. We will take you to Kumarakom, one of the prime tourist attractions of Kerala. This small backwater village, which is a cluster of islands, has a life of its own, with a slow, serene rhythm. The sights, sounds and fragrances will simply captivate you.The soft sunlight lends the calm water a new enchantment as the palms on both shores welcome you with a gentle whisper in the wind. Your mind will assure you that this scene will remain within you, to relieve you during all your busiest hours.
Kochi - The tour of Kochi begins from “The Dutch Palace also known as Mattancherry Palace, built by Portuguese in 1555, which is famous for its murals depicting scenes from the Ramayana and the puranic legends. Adjacent to the palace is the Jewish Synagogue (closed on Fridays & Saturdays) built in 1568. Also visit the St. Francis Church (closed on Sundays), established by the Portuguese Franciscan friars in 1503. Vasco Da-Gama was buried in the courtyard of this European church built in India.
Day 08 - MONDAY
Bangalore - Reach Yeswanthpur railway station (Bangalore), where you bid farewell to the Golden Chariot after breakfast on board.
| 0800 Hrs | Breakfast on board The Golden Chariot |
| 1000 Hrs | Arrive at Yeshwanthpur Railway Station, Bangalore |
