Day One
1410h: depart London Heathrow on British Airways flight to Chennai
Day Two
0535h: arrive into Chennai International Airport, meet with Tour Manager and transfer to 5* Taj Coromandel hotel
Morning at leisure
PM: Talk from textile artist Chitra Mandanna, winner of the first edition of the India Quilt Festival. Chitra specialises in Confetti quilting and collage portrait quilts.
Dinner at the hotel
Day Three
Full day at the International Quilt Festival (return coach transfer)
Evening: Dinner at the hotel
Day Four
AM: Morning at the International Quilt Festival (return coach transfer)
Lunch at the hotel
PM: Guided tour of Chennai. Visit Chennai Museum to see the bronze gallery with its superb collection of Chola art and Fort Museum with its collection of colonial memorabilia. You will then drive through the flower and fruit market, past the Indo-Saracenic High Court, to San Thome Cathedral, said to house the remains of St Thomas the Apostle.
Dinner at the hotel
Day Five
Full day at the International Quilt Festival (return coach transfer)
PM: Optional Bazaar Trail tour through the Georgetown market place. You will be guided through the most interesting streets of this vibrant area, gaining a real insight into daily life. This visit carries an additional charge of £32 per person. There is a minimum requirement of 4 passengers.
Dinner at the hotel
Day Six
AM: Check out of hotel after breakfast and transfer, by coach, to Mahabalipuram, stopping en route at Dakshinachitra, a living museum where you will see the low slung, wooden heritage houses and gain a fascinating insight into life in Southern India.
Arrive at 4* Radisson Temple Bay Hotel. Lunch at the hotel
PM: Sightseeing tour of Mahabalipuram. You will visit the 7th Century Shore Temple, set a little away from the Bay of Bengal and believed to be the last in a series of temples which were revealed by the retreating waters of the tsunami, and make a stop at Arjuna's Penance. This artwork, carved into a huge boulder, depicts the daily life of the people of Mahabalipuram.
Dinner at the hotel
Day Seven
AM: Half day excursion (coach transfer) to Kanchipuram, famous for its silk production. Hand looming silk is one of the main occupations here and you will have the opportunity to observe artisans designing, weaving and dyeing silk saris.
Lunch at the hotel
PM: At leisure
Dinner at the hotel
Day Eight
AM: Check out of the hotel and transfer, by coach, to Pondicherry, stopping en route at Auroville, the experimental township founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (known as 'The Mother') as a place where people of all races and creeds could live together in harmony. You will meet the owner of ethical fashion brand Upasana Design Studio who will take you to the fabric painting, knitting and weaving units and show you their unique Solar Loom.
Vegetarian lunch at Solar Kitchen, a community kitchen where residents of the town eat every day
PM: Continue on to Pondicherry and check in at 3* Palais De Mahe
Pondicherry is a former French colony and, although it became a part of India in 1954, traces of its French history can still be seen in the architecture, grid-pattern streets and cuisine. You will enjoy a walk along the promenade in the early evening to look at the famous French colonial architecture
Dinner at the hotel
Day Nine
AM: Half day tour of Pondicherry visiting Sri Aurobindo Ashram, founded in 1926 by the philosopher-saint Sri Aurobindo, the Pondicherry museum with its French colonial artefacts and the Gothic Sacred Heart Church.
Lunch at the hotel
PM: At leisure to explore Pondicherry
Dinner at the hotel
Day Ten
AM: check out of the hotel and transfer, by coach, to Kumbakonam. Check in to 4* Mantra Koodam Hotel
Lunch at the hotel
PM: At leisure
Dinner at the hotel
Day Eleven
AM: Visit a nearby village to see young priests in training. You will witness a class in progress with the trainee-priests reciting vedic mantras. (Please note, photography is prohibited)
Lunch at the hotel
PM: Check out of the hotel and transfer, by coach, to 5* The Heritage Hotel, Madurai.
Dinner at the hotel
Optional visit to the Meenakshi temple to witness the 'Going to Bed' ceremony, where the lord is carried to the chambers of his consort in his Palki (palanquin). Starting at around 9pm, it is full of traditional rituals. This visit carries an additional charge of £35 per person. There is a minimum requirement of 4 people.
Day Twelve
AM: Coach transfer to Kaithari Nagar to see how local artisans make the town's traditional fabric using a 17th century tie and dye technique. The fabric is used for saris, shirts, salwar, handbags and bedding.
Return to the hotel for lunch
PM: visit the magnificent Sri Meenakshi temple, widely considered to be the best example of temple architecture in Southern India. Enclosed by 12 ornately carved gopurams (entrance towers), the highest of which stands 52m above Madurai, it is home to the triple-breasted, fish-eyed Goddess Meenakshi Amman.
Dinner at the hotel
Day Thirteen
AM: Check out of the hotel and transfer, by coach, to Madurai airport for flight to Chennai.
Check in to 5*Trident Hotel. Remainder of the afternoon at leisure
Dinner at the hotel
Day Fourteen
Check out of the hotel and transfer, by coach, to Chennai International Airport for return flights back to the UK
