Culture, plantations and overnight stay on a houseboat
This tour of south India is a varied combination of impressive temple complexes, beautiful landscapes and cultural highlights. Along the way you will visit the famous Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram,witness the sacrificial ceremony in Madurai at the Shree Meenakshi temple and of course you will also take a trip by houseboat. A trip aboard a houseboat offers you a unique insight into life around the inland waterways. It is also a relaxing part of a typically intensive trip. Traveling to Cochin you will see the tea plantations in the Munnar area and eventually explore Cochin, India's main port city. This trip also offers you the opportunity to attend a Kathakali dance performance in Cochin, a special performance in which the story is told from the epic Ramayana or Mahabharata with special mimicry, dance and masked actors. In short, a very varied trip with many highlights and special experiences.
TIPS & TOPS CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS SOUTH INDIA:
- Mahabalipuram is a quiet coastal town with beautiful beaches and unique rock-hewn monuments dating back to the period between the 7th and 9th centuries. The monuments include temples, chariot and carved reliefs and are listed as World Heritage Sites. The shore temple is particularly unique.
- Kanchipuram is one of the oldest cities in India and is known for its many, very well preserved temples and silk industry. Here, silk saris robes are still being weaved by hand.
- The Brihadishwara Temple in Tanjore is very impressive with its six meter high Nandi (bull).
- The Shree Meenakshi Temple in Madurai is visited daily by thousands of Indian Hindu pilgrims. This impressive temple complex was built between 1623-1655 and has twelve towers of sometimes 50 meters high and four entrances. The hall has almost a thousand pillars.
- Thekkady has been the spice capital of India for over 1,000 years, and ginger, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, coffee, vanilla, tea and garlic are grown here.
- Tea plantations were built in various places in India during the period of British colonial times, such as in Darjeeling but also in Munnar. Here the tea plantations lie against the rolling slopes and look very beautiful. Would you like to visit a tea factory? Then you can indicate that (on the spot). The Kolukkumalai tea factory is located at high altitude and is highly recommended.
- The 'houseboats'or Kettuvallams are as comfortable as a hotel. The boat has well-appointed bedrooms, modern and hygienic toilets, cosy living areas, a dining area, beautiful kitchen and in some cases also a balcony.
- In the port town of Cochin you will find many Portuguese and Dutch influences. The VOC used Cochin for a long time as an export port for the herbs and spices harvested in Kerala and transported by boat to the Netherlands.
- Be sure to visit a Kathakali dance performance in Cochin. During the dance, a story (part of the Hindu epic Ramayana or Mahabharata) is told to the audience while dancing with special mimicry. The characters wear elaborate, painted masks and sophisticated costumes.
