The Dance Of Shiva

Free time permitting, visit of the city: the national gallery, the museum, the Sam Thome cathedral, the Mylapore temple, the church of St. Mary.

Visit of the spectacular cult monuments of Kanchipuram, the golden city of a thousand temples, and of Mahabalipuram, with monoliths of extraordinary, intact beauty: declared "heritage of humanity", they stand partly on the seashore, an element of philosopher Sri Aurobindo.

Move to Pondicherry and visit the ashram of Aurobindo and Auroville, the "city of the future", an experiment in a new concentration of harmonious and international urbanization, named after the philosopher Sri Aurobindo.

Visit to Chidambaram, a city-temple dedicated to Nataraja (Shiva in his version of cosmic dancer), and of Srirangam, one of the largest temple complexes in the country. Continue to Tanjore.

Visit to Tanjore, from the sanctuaries built in the period of maximum splendor of the Chola dynasty. Excelled is the Brihadeshwara, the most majestic of the Dravidian temples, and the Saraswati Mahal library is interesting, with the collection of 30,000 manuscripts. Moving to Trichy, the 'village of the sacred mountain'.

Visit of the "Rock Fort Temple", a spectacular monument which is accessed by a steep staircase of over 400 steps: from the top, a grandiose visit that compensates for the effort of the climb. Continue to Meenakshi Temple in Madurai in time to attend the 'pooja', the evocative evening ceremony during which, accompanied by sacred music, the procession of the deities takes place.

Full day visit to the Meenakshi Temple, dedicated to the goddess Parvati, bride of Lord Shiva. Frequented at all hours by a vibrant, multicolored crowd of devotees, the temple radiates a captivating atmosphere where the sacred and everyday life intertwine. Visit the beautiful Thirumalai Nayak Palace, with the afternoon at leisure.

Travel to Periyar, home to the 775 sq km nature reserve of the same name, which extends around an artificial lake. In the afternoon, take an excursion into the park -- the undisputed kingdom of monkeys, elephants, bison, turtles, deer and countless species of birds.

Explore the park once more from the waters of the lake. Later, visit a spice plantation before heading to Kumarakom. In the afternoon, enjoy a boat trip on the backwaters -- tranquil waterways of serene beauty.

Cruise on a typical "house boat", with which to reach Alleppey, observing the landscape and daily life slowly pass. Meals and overnight on board.

Return by boat to Alleppey, transfer by land to Cochin: visit the symbolic places of the city, the synagogue (closed on Saturdays), the Dutch palace (closed on Friday), and the church of San Francesco (closed on Sundays). Kathakali dance show in the evening.

Transfer to the Marari Beach Resort: a long golden beach, palm trees stretching as far as the eye can see, the warmth of Kerala hospitality, plus the opportunity to enjoy yoga sessions or experience Ayurvedic massages and treatments.

Days at leisure available.

Transfer to Cochin airport to board the flight for onward destination.