South India and Malaysia, Jan-Feb 2012
Our Itinerary
Our 13 day spiritual adventure will take us from the heart of southern India to South East Asia's cosmopolitan hub. It's a journey of change for those keen to make strides on the spiritual path. The itinerary below gives an overview of our Festivals and Temples spiritual adventure.
| When & Where | Summary of Events |
|---|---|
ChennaiJan 27
|
Our journey begins in Chennai, Tamil Nadu's bustling capital that is India's fourth largest city. |
TiruvannamalaiJan 28 & 29
|
From Chennai we head south west into the southern plains for the town of Tiruvannamalai. Built around the sacred hill named Arunachala this town is a haven of spiritualilty. The maginificent Arunachaleswar temple with its four large towers, one reaching 13 storeys high, sits at the base of the hill. We'll make our way up Arunachala hill to two caves, Virupaksha and Skandasramam, where the great saint Sri Ramana Maharishi lived and meditated from 1899 to 1922. We'll also make the pre-dawn circumambulation of the base of Arunachala hill visiting the shrines along the way, encountering wandering monks (sadhus) and witnessing life in the villages around the hill. |
ChidambaramJan 30
|
Next it's Chidambaram, home to the famed temple dedicated to the Hindu supreme god Siva. We'll spend a night here enjoying the sanctity of the temple, explore its sprawling complex built of granite stone, meditate in the sacred sanctums and get to know the priests of one of the oldest temples in India. |
RameswaramJan 31 & Feb 1
|
We board an overnight train and make the long journey south east to the coast and finally across the Indira Gandhi bridge to the laid back fishing island of Rameswaram. Located only a few miles from Sri Lanka this island is steeped in history. The Ramanathaswamy temple boasts four maginificent corridors lined with seemingly endless elaborately carved pillars. The temple is built in honor of the Hindu God Siva and is famed for housing 22 theerthams (wells) within the complex which are believed to have particular powers. Pilgrims bathe in waters from these wells as they are ushered from one well to another. |
MaduraiFeb 2 & 3
|
We head west, inland, leaving Rameswaram island for Madurai, ancient capital of Tamil culture and learning, and home to the gorgeous Sri Meenakshi temple. Here the Goddess reigns as the Supreme Deity and the city has grown around this temple over milleniums. |
TrichyFeb 4
|
From Madurai we head north to Trichy, our jumping off point to South East Asia. |
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaFeb 5, 6, 7 & 8
|
We bid farewell to India as we board our flight to Malaysia, the cosmopolitan hub of South East Asia. Kuala Lumpur, the country's capital will be our home for the next 3 nights as we prepare ourselves to participate in the grand Thaipusam festival at Batu Caves amidst a million other spiritual seekers. |
