Grand Tour of Southern India

Embark on a bicycle tour of the city, starting at St. Francis Church and pedaling into the vibrant spice trading hub of Bazaar Road. As you ride through old streets lined with fragrant spice warehouses and colourful shops, take in the aromatic scents of ginger, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, and cloves. Continue your journey to Jew Town, where you can pause to admire the frescoes of the Dutch Palace. In the Hindu quarter, discover temples and bustling vegetable and fruit markets. The tour then takes you along Kochi’s scenic waterfront, with a stop at a local laundry to observe the dhobis in action, before concluding your adventure at the iconic Chinese fishing nets.

In the evening you’ll enjoy a short performance of Kathakali, a classical dance form that has its origins in Theyyam, a ritual tribal dance of north Kerala, and Kalaripayattu the martial arts which goes back 1000 years. The dancers use dramatic costumes and exaggerated facial make up, and to accompaniment of drums and cymbals, use stylized movements to relate episodes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Drive 45 minutes to visit the Tripunithura palace where you’ll discover the story of the Cochin Royal Family. You’ll explore the family’s origins, and the rise and fall in their fortunes under the Europeans before their eventual union with India. Learn about their role in developing the modern city. At the end of the trail, you will have a short interaction with present day members of the family.

Periyar National Park is one of the homes of the Asian elephant. Set around the massive Lake Periyar, stretching over hills and valleys, the picturesque park was declared a Project Tiger Reserve in 1978. The lake here attracts an incredible amount of wildlife and birds. See herds of elephants and large groups of deer and wild boar. Among the other inhabitants of the park are wild dogs and monkeys.

A major attraction in Thekkady is the spice plantations. Set in verdant surroundings, these spice plantations are a treat to walk through and discover how spices like cardamom, black pepper, clove, vanilla, asafetida, cinnamon, nutmeg etc are grown. You will also get a chance to see plantations of coffee, which is the popular beverage of South India.

Head out for shared jungle walk and bamboo rafting experience. You’ll trek through a variety of habitats before getting into bamboo rafts. The forests are rich in bird life and arboreal animals like giant squirrel and Nilgiri langur. Along the way you might also spot elephants and gaurs.

Darasuram temple, constructed by Rajaraja Chola II (1146-63), is a superb example of Chola architecture with its towering vimana. The sanctum is in the form of a chariot, while the front mandapam is in the form of a chariot drawn by horses. The remarkable structures depict stories from epics and Hindu mythology. This temple is a recognised UNESCO World Heritage monument.

Thanjavur village of weavers who spin the lustrous silk textile used to dress gods and goddesses during festivals, and beloved of brides. You’ll also visit an artist’s studio where you can watch them create Thanjavur paintings. Using traditional techniques, a blank piece of board is laboriously transformed into  bejeweled, colourful creations.

Spend some time with master sculptors who will demonstrate the procedures involved in cire perdue, bell making and musical instrument veena making. You’ll be  shown how to make a bronze sculpture from the initial wax-process to the final bronze sculpture. A demonstration on the intricate process involved in the making of a bell, and a demo of how to make the musical instrument veena.

Head out on a walking tour of Pondicherry seeing the French influence in the white town as you explore. Chic streets, whitewashed residences and ornamental gardens give it a Mediterranean feel. Walk along the seemingly endless beach and visit Aurobindo Ashram. Here you’ll learn about the Eastern-philosophy. Then end the tour with a visit to the Ganesh temple.

While in Pondicherry, you’ll have the option to visit Auroville, which was developed as a center for universal religion around the Indian yogi and spiritual leader Sri Aurobindo. The ashram, which combines the spiritual tenets of yoga and modern science, is one of the most popular and affluent ashrams in India.

In the morning you’ll be driven four hours to Chennai and if you are interested you can visit the Shore Temples at Mahablipuram, one of history’s intriguing enigmas. It was a flourishing port of the Pallava rulers who chiselled in stone a fabulous museum of sculptures under the open sky. This seaside town is home to many shrines and huge sculptures cut out of rocks more than 1200 years ago. The carvings – depicting demons, gods and animals in battle as well as mythological episodes – are truly poems in stone.

Drive through the bustling city of Chennai visiting Fort St George, built by the East India Company in 1653, St. Mary’s Church, the oldest Anglican Church in the country. You will visit the National Art Gallery and the Kapaleeshwar Temple – this ancient Shiva temple is a masterpiece in Dravidian architecture. The Parthasarthy Temple built in the 8th century by the Pallavas is devoted to Lord Krishna and houses the Five Avtars of Vishnu (of which Krishna was one).

Take an easy and  enjoyable walk through Mylapore, a bustling neighborhood in the heart of the Chennai that pre dates the city by 2000 years. This walk comes packed with a bundle of stories – of local life, gods and demons, ancient custom and symbolism. Some amusing, some baffling and some that might just help you make sense of the sights around you.