TIRUPATI - Tirupati Temple

Tirupati : Tirupati town is 67-km from Chittoor in Chittoor district, the southern portion of Andhra Pradesh. The most important place of interest at the place is the historic shrine of Sri Venkateswara, the Lord of Seven Hills, who is famous all over the country.

Tirupati Temple - The temple at Tirumala is believed to have existed from ancient times. The temple is the most popular and most visited temples in India. Being situated on a hill of Tirumala, it is climbed up by pilgrims, which is not an easy task. The Tirupati temple with its 'gopuram' or tower is a fine example of Dravidian architecture. The elaborate rituals and mode of worship in the temple were prescribed by the saint Ramanujacharya and are being followed even today. Anointing the idol with camphor, and the offering by pilgrims of the hair on their heads by getting themselves shaved by licensed barbers are the important customs in vogue at Tirupati Temple.

CHENNAI - Golden Beach, Mahabalipuram, Parthasarathi Temple, Kapileshwar Temple

Chennai (formerly Madras) the first city of Tamil Nadu, is a comparatively new city. The erstwhile villages of Mylapore, Triplicane, Ezhambur (Egmore) etc. all now a part of Chennai, have a recorded historical past centuries older than Chennai. Chennai, the present gateway to the South of India, is itself, however, only about 350 years old.

Mahabalipuram - The marvelous city of Mahabalipuram forms an integral part of the golden triangle of the southern India. The city was earlier called Mamallapuram but was later called Mahabalipuram or ‘The land of Bali’.

Golden Beach - This is a cleverly planned beach resort geared to entertain the visitor with sculptured vignettes from the past, folk dances and ethnic sea food cuisine. Its unique stretch of spotlessly clean golden sand is a warm invitation to sun-bathers and the surf beckons the seabather

PONDICHERRI - Arabinda Ashram, Ganesh Temple, Pondicheri Beach

Pondicherri (formerly Madras) the first city of Tamil Nadu, is a comparatively new city. Have a recorded historical past centuries older than Chennai. Chennai, the present gateway to the South of India, is itself, however, only about 350 years old.

Sri Aurobindo Ashram - Established by Sri Aurobindo, a revolutionary turned poet. The Ashram has grown into a centre for the practice of Integral Yoga, a seat of learning and a training ground for sadhana. In the main building of the Ashram is the Marble Samadhi where Aurobindo and the Mother have been laid to rest.

Promenade - The 1.5 km long promenade running along the beach is the pride of Pondicherry. On the sea front are several landmarks: the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, the elegant war memorial raised by the French, the heritage building Mairie, the 27 metre tall old lighthouse, the circular shaped two storied structures on either side of Gandhi maidan.

MADURAI - Meenakshi Temple

Madurai - is one of the ancient cities of the world. Its history goes several centuries before Christ. Tamil and Greek documents record its existence from 4th century BC. The city is situated on the banks of River Vaigai. The Pandyans ruled Madurai until 10th century AD. This was the golden era of Tamil culture, literature and learning. Then Madurai changed hands with Cholas, Pandyas, Muslim rulers, Vijayanagar rulers and finally the Madurai Nayaks under whom Madurai became the cultural center of Tamils.

Meenakshi Temple - the landmark of Madurai is the Meenakshi Sundareswara Temple dedicated to Devi Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva. Kulasekhara Pandya originally built the temple. But the credit for making the temple as splendid as it is today goes to the Nayak dynasty that ruled Madurai from 16th - 18th centuries. It is a twin temple; one dedicated to Meenakshi and the other to Lord Sundareswara (Shiva). The rectangular temple is graced by twelve gopurams (towers). The southern gopuram is the tallest and rises to 49m. The thousand-pillared hall has beautiful sculptures. The temple is a fitting example of Dravidian temple architecture

RAMESHWARAM - Rameshwaram Temple, Rameshwaram Sea Beach

Rameshwaram - is an island situated in the gulf of manner at the very tip of the Indian peninsula. A very important pilgrim centre of the Indians. Rameshwaram is the place from where Lord Rama, built a bridge across the sea to rescue his consort Sita, from her abductor, Ravana. This is also the place where Rama worshipped Lord Shiva to cleanse away the sin of killing Ravana. Both the Vaishnavites and Shaivites visit this pilgrimage which is known as the Varanasi the south.

Ramanathaswamy Temple - was built in the 17th century. Situated close to the sea on the eastern side of the island, this temple is famous for its 1200 gigantic granite columns. The 54 metre tall gopuram (gate-tower), 1220 metres of magnificent corridors and the flamboyant columns embellish and render fame to the temple. The water in each of the 22 sacred wells in the temple tastes different.