This Incredible 20-day Tour Features
Visits to the Holy Saints of South IndiaDo you now want to experience the real heart and soul of sacred India? Because on our amazing South India Tour, we will now have that rare opportunity in an awesome once-in-a-lifetime experience.
On our awesome tour to South India we will see the legendary Taj Mahal, we will visit amazing sacred temples, experience profound sacred ceremonies, get astounding astrology readings, get the darshan of many holy men and women (blessings and grace that come from being in the presence of these holy people), and see all the colorful and beautiful sights. Our expert tour guides, who will attend to all of your needs meticulously, will take us on an extraordinary tour that will meet and exceed our every expectation.
We will visit Satya Sai Baba's ashram in Puttaparthi near Bangalore. We will also see Ramana Maharishi's ashram and Arunachala at Thiru Annamalai, Tamil Nadu. We will visit Amritanandamayi (Ammachi--the "hugging saint") in Amritapuri, south of Cochin, Kerala.
21-Day Tour Itinerary
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DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
   
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
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Fly overnight to India, arriving
in the late evening. Your tour leader will accompany you to your
hotel in the heart of Delhi, followed by the Traditional Indian
Welcome at the hotel. Overnight at hotel.
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Visit the powerful,
majestic Hindu Temples of Delhi: Chattarpur Temple, Yogmaya Temple
& Lakshmi Narayan Temple.  
New Delhi: The new capital designed by Sir Edward Lutyens. An interesting drive in the one passing through the impressive Rajpath from the World War I memorial arch, the India Gate towards the Presidential Palace. Visit Humayun's Tomb built in 1565 AD, Safdarjung's Tomb, the Qutab Minar, 72 meters high and the most curious antique, the uncorroded Iron Pillar, which dates back to the 4th century AD. |
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After early
breakfast, transfer to Domestic Airport for flight to Bhubaneshwar,
IC # 877 at 11.40 Hrs. Reach Bhubaneshwar at 13.40 Hrs and transfer
to hotel. Half day sightseeing of Bhubaneshwar City. Dinner and
overnight at hotel. Orissa of Odysseys and Odissi, set in fertile green plains. Blue Mountains, game-filled forests, perfect seabathing beaches, waterfalls and mighty rivers. It lies on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. This province of only four cities is predominantly rural; but it is for just this reason that the visitor has a feeling of the timelessness of India. Orissa has some of the holiest Hindu cities in India with pilgrims, colorful festivals, priests and monks, and thousand year old temples covered with a profusion of exotic (and often erotic) sculptures.
The zenith of Orissan civilization was reached between the 4th and 13th centuries under the Kesari and Ganga Kings. During their reigns, literally thousands of temples and monuments rose up all over the land. In the 16th century, Moslem invaders destroyed as many of the "idol worshippers" temples as they could. Of the 7,000 temples that once lined the banks of the sacred lake of Bhubaneshwar, a few remain in various stages of preservation. The Oriyas are simple and friendly people and even the fascinating primitive Adivasi hill tribes are gentle, though reserved. The Adivasis are descendants of the people who lived in Orissa before the Aryan invasions from the north over 3,000 years ago. The Oriyas follow the traditional craftsmanship of their forefathers and their love for bright colors is evident in their handloom silks.
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Konark, here stand the impressive remains of the Sun Temple, better known as the "Black Pagoda" because of the black tint that it has acquired over the centuries. Sailors at sea, named it thus to distinguished it from the white temples of Puri. This temple was built sometime in the 13th century and is the crowning glory of Orissan art.
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DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
DIVINE TRAVELS TOURS & RETREATS
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Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka State is one of India's most charming cities. Today, it is India's 5th largest city, the momentum of its industrial and commercial growth unequalled in the country. Aptly named "Garden City",it boasts of an amazing number of flowering trees and parks. With splendid pink cassias and golden acacias blooming, with jacarandas flowering in purple majesty and the gulmohurs lighting the roads with their flame-orange brilliance, the city is a sheer delight to simply wander around in, enjoying the fragrance of jasmine. |
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Srirangapatnam: The island fortress of Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan is picturesquely located in the River Cauvery. Within the fort walls that still carry the poignant scars of Tipu's last stand against the British, are a mosque and the Ranganathaswamy Temple. The 'Daria Daulat', Tipu's summer palace with a beautifully gilded and painted interior and the majestic 'Gumbaz'-his mausoleum, are located close to the river. |
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After breakfast,
Full day sightseeing of Mysore. Dinner and overnight at hotel. Mysore, No longer the official capital of Karnataka survives as the principle residents of the formal Royal Family and is called the "City of Palaces". Mysore has a long history of eminent dynasties who ruled from here and created a city that, even today, is one of the finest in Southern India with tree-lined boulevards, beautiful gardens, parks and stately places. Mysore's main attraction is the "Maharaja's Palace".  Mysore is a major craft centre with numerous shops selling an incredible range of ivory, sandalwood, rosewood and teak carvings and furniture. Until independence, the city was the seat of the Maharajas of Mysore, a princely state covering most of Karnataka. The 10-day Dussehra festival is one of the major attractions, culminating in the long procession of caparisoned elephants, liveried retainers, cavalary. flower-bedecked images of deities, complete with bands and clouds of incense. Other places of interest include the palace; Chaumundi Hills; Srirangapatnam, the former capital of Mysore state; Somnathpur temple, built by the Hoysala kings in the 11th to 13th centuries. |
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After breakfast,
drive to Puttaparthi via Bangalore. Reach Puttaparthi. Transfer
to Hotel. Dinner & overnight at hotel. |
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After breakfast,
full day round trip to Kaleshwar & Narayani Ammah Ashrams.
Dinner & overnight at hotel.  |
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After breakfast,
full day at Puttaparthi and visit Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ashram.
Dinner & overnight at hotel.  
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After breakfast,
drive to Tirupati and transfer to hotel. Visit to Lord Balaji
Temple. Dinner & overnight at hotel.
It is a pleasant
drive from Tirupati up to Tirumalai and as the road winds its
way up the forested slopes there are splendid views of Tirupati
and the plains. In earlier times people climbed to the temple
on foot, many do even today making the 11 kilometer trek a part
of their pilgrimage. They start the ascent from Alipiri, and
as the groups of devotees go up the hills echo with the chant
of "Govinda Govinda" and "Om Namoh Venkatesaiya"
Up at Tirumalai is a sparkling Around the temple itself are colourful stalls selling souvenirs and handicrafts, brass lamps, copper ritual vessels and all the paraphernalia needed for the rituals. The air is full of the indefinable fragrance that surrounds a temple, of flowers, incense sticks a flickering oil lamps. All around is a shifting mosaic of cour as people move towards the temples. Yet there is order in all this chaos and devotees are directed to well-equipped sheds where they form orderly queues as they wait patiently for a darshan or a glimpse of the deity.
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Mahabalipuram: Globally renown for its shore temples, Mahabalipuram was the second capital of the Pallava kings of Kanchipuram. 58 kilometres from Madras on the Bay of Bengal, this tiny sea - side village of Mahabalipuram, is set in a boulder - strewn landscape. Tourists are drawn to this place by its miles of unspoiled beach and rock-cut art.
Kanchipuram is among the most famous of the 'temple cities' of Tamil Nadu. Its temples house different Hindu sects. Though today it is only a destination for pilgrims, and a repository of major architectural monuments, in antiquity it occupied a more preeminent place in the history of South India. The city was the political capital of the Pallava rulers during the 7th - 9th centuries. It remained an important city during the succeeding Chola and Vijayanagara periods.The Kailasanatha temple is the finest structural project of the Pallava ruler Rajasimha. The temple is almost entirely constructed of sandstone and is integrated into a coherent complex. A large variety of Shaiva images adorns the outer walls; the inner walls were once painted. A polished linga (phallus, the symbol of regeneration associated with Shiva) is enshrined within.
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OPTIONAL: Visit to Thiru Annamalai and the ashram in Arunachala of famous Vedanta Advaita (Non-dualism philosophy) saint, Ramana Maharishi. 
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Madurai,
situated in southern
Tamil Nadu, is a district with its headquarters in Madurai city,
on the banks of Vaigai river. Madurai is the second largest city
in Tamil Nadu. It is more than 2,500 years old and is an important
cultural and commercial centre. Madurai, once the seat of Tamil
learning and still the place where Tamil language is spoken in
its purest form, is an ancient city planned in the shape of lotus.
Cape Comorin, Land's End mainland India's southernmost point, where three seas meet and where the shore temple to the virgin goddess Kanyakumari stands. It is one of the sacred pilgrimage places of the hindus. There are two significant memorials here. One is the Gandhi Mandapam, built to commemorate the immersion of the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi in the waters by the temple. The other memorial, dedicated to Swami Vivekananda, is built on the rock 656 ft. from the shore where he meditated in 1892 before taking the message of the Hindu philosophy to the west. Swami Vivekananda was the foremost disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.      |
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Mata Amritanandamayi is believed to be an avatar--an incarnation of Mother Divine in human form. She is the first Indian saint to give her blessings by hugging each aspirant who visits her. To receive a hug from "Ammachi," as she is called by her devotees, is to experience the nectar of divine love flowing into your heart and illuminating your mind. This is something that has to be experienced in order to understand its power. A feeling of true spiritual grace is bestowed upon every person who visits this wonderful saint. |
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After late breakfast, transfer to Airport for flight to Delhi, IC # 804 at 13.50 Hrs. Reach Delhi at 19.00 Hrs. and transfer to Village BISTRO for Farewell Dinner and later on transfer to IGI Airport and tour terminates. |
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Fly overnight to India, arriving
in the late evening. Your tour leader will accompany you to your
hotel in the heart of Delhi, followed by the Traditional Indian
Welcome at the hotel. Overnight at hotel.
Meet your group over the late
breakfast, then enjoy a walking tour of Old Delhi, featuring
Raj Ghat, where Jama
Masjid, India's largest mosque. In the afternoon, drive through
New Delhi to visit the India Gate and the old residences of British
Viceroys.
Old Delhi: The 350
years old walled city was built by Emperor Shah Jehan in 1648
as his capital. Opposite the fort are the black and white onion
dome and minarets of the Jama Masjid, the most elegant mosque
in India. Raj Ghat is worth a visit where Mahatma Gandhi was
cremated in 1948.
Early
morning, transfer to New Delhi Railway Station to catch Shatabdi
Express for full day return trip to Agra. Reach Agra and visit
the TAJ MAHAL. Afterwards, return back to Delhi by Shatabdi Express.
Transfer to hotel. Dinner and overnight at hotel.
Agra is famous as being home to one
of the Seven Wonders of the World the "TAJ MAHAL".
The architectural splendor of the mausoleums, the fort and the
palaces is a vivid reminder of the opulence of the legendary
Mughal Empire, of which Agra was the capital in the 16th and
early 17th centuries. While its significance as a political center
ended with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1634 by Shah
Jahan, its architectural wealth has secured its place on the
international map. A pleasant town with a comparatively slow
pace, Agra is known for its superb inlay work on the marble and
soapstone by craftsmen who are descendants of those who worked
under the Mughals. The city is also famous for its carpets, gold
thread embroidery, and leather shoes.
The
origin of Orissa is hidden in the dawn of history. Legend has
it that Kalinga, one of the five sons of a sage, traveled as
far as the hills of the eastern Ghat and, looking down on the
lovely countryside below him, decided to settle with his people
"where nature abounds in wanton profusion". Part of
the province is still called Kalinga by the local people. Outside
of this hazy past, the recorded history of Orissa begins in 260
BC with the edicts of Emperor Ashoka (who converted to Buddhism)
carved in rock in Dhauli, only five miles from Bhubneshwar, the
present capital. Only 100 years after his death, the country
came under Jain influence and in about the second century AD.
Jainism was again replaced by Buddhism, which flourished until
around 640 and gave way later to a Hindu revival.
Bhubaneshwar: Visit the
majestic Lingaraj Temple which dates from about the year 1000.
Its tower can be seen for miles around, dominating the entire
landscape. Entrance is limited to Hindus only but there is an
excellent vantagepoint platform. The sculpture of the Lingaraj
is profuse and lavish with gods, goddesses, nymphs and dryads
and some mithuna couples. Visit Rajrani Temple (11th century)
one of the most endearing temples, set in picturesque surroundings.
The feminine form being the subject here, the result is an enchanting
celebration of the female, captured in every seductive pose.
Visit the Mukteshwar Temple, which has been called a "dream
realized in standstone". The sculpture is the finest in
this group and all the figures are full of life. This temple's
most distinctive feature is its torana or arch gateway showing
the influence of Buddhist architecture. Visit Vaital, the tantric
temple of the terrifying goddess, Kapalini enthorned upon a corpse.
Also visit the Kedar-Gauri and Gupteshwar Temples.
After
breakfast, full-day round trip to Karkatpur to meet Copper Plate
Astrologer. A golden opportunity to meet a very old man (Copper
Plate Reader/Astrologer) who is still continuing his age old
tradition. He lives in a small village outside Bhubaneshwar.
While our group visits him, we will get a close exposure to see
village/rural india.
After breakfast, full day trip
to Konark and Puri and afterwards transfer to Domestic Airport
for flight to Hyderabad, IC # 7278 at 19.25 Hrs. Reach Hyderabad
at 21.00 Hrs. Transfer to hotel. Dinner and overnight at hotel.
It stands in lonely splendor on
the sand dunes, on 24 enormous wheels, pulled by seven straining
horses and gives the impression that it will take flight towards
the sea. Konark presents life-size couples and intricate carvings
of pierced Jalli work on stone. Sensual figures can be seen in
the niches and even on the wheel spokes. There is a sort of mystical
aura about even the frankest carvings. 1200 sculptures spent
12 years on this stunning symbol of religious architecture.
Puri is one of the four
holiest places in all India and every aspect of it is touched
by the aura of the enormous 12th century Jagannath Temple, shrine
of the Lord of the Universe. Because of the intense religious
importance and hollowed traditions, it is open to Hindus only.
It can be observed from the top of the Raghunandan Library. More
than 6000 males serve as priests, wardens of the temple and pilgrim
guides.
Altogether
20,000 people are dependent on the temple and the hierarchy of
priests is divided into 37 orders and 97 classes. Every minute
detail of the temple's life is strictly adhered to according
to prescription. A special feature of the temple, since its hoary
beginnings, is that all castes here stand equal. Also visit the
Gundicha Mandir Lord Jagannath's birth place, with in a
walled garden at the far end of grand road. Also visit Mausimaa
Temple and the Beach.
After early breakfast,
transfer to Domestic Airport for flight to Bangalore, IC # 916
at 09.50 Hrs. Reach Bangalore at 10.50 Hrs. Transfer to hotel.
Afternoon, half-day sightseeing of Bangalore City. Dinner and
overnight at hotel.
Morning,
"MAHAYAGYA" performed by the group of prominent priests.
Afterwards, drive to Mysore via Srirangapatnam, the capital city
of King Tipu Sultan. Reach Mysore. Transfer to hotel. Dinner
and overnight at hotel.
Tirupati
is a dusty bustling little town at the foot of the Tirumalai
Hills in the southern tip of Andhra Pradesh. Every day thousands
of pilgrims descend on Tirupati spilling out of buses, cars,
taxis and trains. They are all on their way up to the temple
of the Lord Venkatswara up in the Tirumalai hills. It is an old
temple, that has witnessed the rise and fall of powerful dynasties.
The Pallavas, Cholas and Pandayas were all patrons of the shrine
and they endowed it with jewels and wealth. Later in the 16th
century the great Vijayanagar kings enriched and embellished
the temple and gave it a new lease of life. Today this shrine
probably attracts more devotees than any other temple in India
and about 25,000 people coming from all over the country visit
it daily, firm in the belief that any wish expressed before this
image of the Lord Venkateswara will be granted. 
The
temple is located in the cool of the verdant hills at a height
of 890 metres. It nestles in a hollow surrounded by the peaks
of the 7 hills of Tirumalai and legend has it that these are
the seven hoods of the serpent god Adishesha, the vahanam or
the mount of the Lord Venkateswara.
little
township, beautifully maintained, with its guest houses, hotels
and gardens. The imposing gopurams or gateways of the temple
dominate the scene.
After breakfast, drive to
Chennai. Reach Chennai and later on half-day city tour of Chennai.
Dinner & overnight at hotel.
Immensely
proud and aware of the classic antiquty of their three thousand
years old Dravidian Culture, respected by the Aryans when they
came in 1500 B.C., many modern day Tamils still live largely
the same life in many ways, not only in their culture and language,
but in their food and clothes as well. Tamil -- one of the oldest
languages known on the earth -- spoken by majority of the people,
today Chennai is a city that still sustains a pure Tamil culture
vibrantly alive with modern participation. Inspite of successive
invasions, the Tamil art, scriptures, religion, dance, drama,
vocal and instrumental music and architecture have remained essentially
untouched.
Modern
day Chennai sprawls over 174 square kilometers and is home of
more than 5 million people. This modern metropolis of Chennai,
Tamilnadu's principal port, offers excellent hotels and transport,
a terrfic range of food and some serious shopping for silks,
cottons, jewellery and handicrafts. And of course, magnificent
old Hindu temples that offer more than just a fabulous photo
opportunity to the discerning. More, you will hear the splendid
strains of classical music and sniff a heady compound of jasmines
and spices living traditions that are still savored from Chennai's
ancient past.
After breakfast, leave for Mahabalipuram,
en route visiting Kanchipuram and Kamakshi Temple. Reach Mahabalipuram
in the evening. Dinner & overnight at hotel.
The sculpture here is particularly
interesting because it shows scenes of day-to- day life, in contrast
with the rest of the state of Tamil Nadu, where the carvings
generally depict gods and goddesses. Mahabalipuram art can be
divided into four categories : open air bas - reliefs structured
temples, man-made caves and rathas ('chariots' carved from single
boulders, to resemble temples or chariots used in temple processions).
The famous Arjuna's Penance and the Krishna Mandapa, adorn massive
rocks near the centre of 
the
village. The beautiful Shore Temple towers over the waves, behind
a protective breakwater. Sixteen man-made caves in different
stages of completion are also seen, scattered through the area.
The Ekambareshvara temple is the
principle Shaiva sanctuary and its soaring gopuras dominate the
city's skyline. This temple was erected in 1509 by the Vijayanagara
emperor Krishnadeva Raya. The temple is preceded by a long columned
mandapa into which earlier shrines and altars have been incorporated.
A corridor surrounds the principle shrine on four sides, presenting
a continuous sequence of receding piers.The Vardhamana temple
is the most important Vaishanava temple. Local legend has it
that the temple commemorates the site where the Lord Brahma performed
a yajna (fire sacrifice) to invoke the presence of Vishnu. It
has a long history spanning the Chola and the Vijayanagara periods.
One of the two high towered gopuras resemble 12th-13th century
Chola projects while the other is characteristic of the 16th
century Vijayanagara period. The main sanctuary enshrines bronze
images of Vishnu flanked by his consorts. Some specimens of Vijayanagara
paintings are still preserved on the walls.
After
breakfast, transfer to Domestic Airport for flight to Madurai,
IC # 671 at 11.45 Hrs. Reach Madurai at 12.40 Hrs. Afterwards,
visit to the Meenakshi Temple and transfer to hotel. Dinner and
overnight at hotel.
After breakfast, half-day sightseeing of
Madurai and continue to Kanyakumari. Reach Kanyakumari and transfer
to hotel. Dinner & overnight at hotel.
After breakfast, full day sightseeing
of Kanyakumari and Vivekenanda Memorial Rock. Dinner and overnight
at hotel.
