2010 South Indian Odyssey

Day 1 & 2

Mamallapuram
Our journey begins in this sunny, laid-back, coastal fishing town. We’ll settle into our luxury 46-acre beachfront resort, get to know our fellow travelers and begin our studies. Our days here will also see us explore some of the town’s amazing ancient rock carvings and watch modern artisans carve exquisite stone sculptures.

Day 3

Mamallapuram to Chidambaram
We depart Mamallapuram and head south stopping in seaside Puducherry, the former French colony for lunch and a brief visit. We carry on our journey making our way past towns and villages before reaching Chidambaram. This town was put on the world map by its ancient, sacred and amazing temple to God Siva.

Day 4

Chidambaram to Swamimalai
Morning will see us meet the priests of Chidambaram’s famed temple and participate in traditional ceremonies. From here we head to Swamimalai, a sleepy little town renowned for craftsmen specialising in the creation of 5-metal statues.

Day 5

Swamimalai
We attend a traditional ceremony at the 850 year old awe-inspiring temple in Darasuram, explore amazing temples in neighbouring Kumbakonam and attend a casting and carving process of metal statues.

Day 6

Swamimalai to Madurai
We continue our journey into the heart of the south stopping for a few hours in Thanjavur to see the famous Brihadishwarar temple built exactly a 1,000 years ago by one of south India’s greatest rulers, King Rajaraja Chola. On the World Heritage list, this superb Chola style temple boasts a majestic 13-storey tower capped with a monolithic 84-tonne dome. Do make sure you bring a coin for the temple elephant so that he may bless you on your head with a gentle tap of his trunk. We depart this town that is surrounded by paddy fields reaching the horizon and head to Madurai.

Day 7 & 8

Madurai
This animated city is bustling with street vendors, unending rows of tailor shops, meandering cows on the streets and a bastion of rickshaw drivers. One of south India’s oldest cities, Madurai was built around the spectacularly massive Meenakshi temple, a crown example of Dravidian architecture. The giant walls of this temple envelope 15-acres of hand-carved granite wonderment from a 1,000 pillared hall to gold-topped sanctums.

We’ll also visit ashrams and meet with holy men. On one of our days in Madurai we will journey out to Pillayarpatti. This small town is home to a very sacred and mystical Ganesha temple and one of the finest priest training schools in the world.

Day 9

Madurai to Thekaddy
We depart Madurai and head west to the hill country, with its vast tea and spice plantation, stopping for 2-nights in Thekaddy, perched on the fringe of Periyar National Park.

Day 10

Thekaddy
We’ll enjoy the lush surroundings, spice gardens and a safari in Periyar National Park home to bison, sambar, Langur monkeys, over a 1,000 elephants and at least 46 tigers.

Day 11

Thekaddy to Kumarakkom
We continue to head west over the Western Ghats finally emerging in a strip of land sandwiched between the hills and the Arabian sea. The state of Kerala renowned for its spaghetti of rivers, canals and lagoons is the emerald jewel of the south.

Day 12, 13 & 14

Kumarakom
Here, life is gentle and unhurried, and sways at the pace of a coconut frond in a gentle breeze. Our luxury resort skirts around lake Vembanad. The 123-year-old colonial bungalow, built by Englishman Henry Baker now hosts charming cottages – your home for 4-nights in this idyllic retreat setting.
Our days will be filled with classes, a houseboat cruise along the myriad of canals, relaxation and perfecting the art of doing nothing. It is also time to absorb the experiences of the journey, digest them in silent contemplation and in the classroom, and most important to decide on how we plan to implement the teachings into our daily life to bring about a positive change in lifestyle.

Day 15

Kumarakom (Bon voyage!)
Our Odyssey concludes and we bid farewell to our fellow spiritual seekers from around the world. Some of us will make our way home and others will continue to explore this amazing sub-continent.