Day 01: Arrive at Chennai – Travel to Tirupati (about 133 km.)
Tirupati Madurai Rameshwaram Kanyakumari tour starts conveniently from Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu.
After you arrive in the city by train or flight, reach the pre-notified point by 12 noon. Our tour representative would welcome you and provide a brief about the entire trip.
By 01:00 p.m., we begin Chennai to Tirupati Volvo bus trip. On arrival at Tirupati, we escort you to the pre-booked accommodation.
After taking some rest, you are free to spend the rest of the day at leisure. The Deer Park which is home to spotted deer is a good place to visit. Enjoy staying overnight at Tirupati.
About Tirupati
Tirupati in Chitoor District of Andhra Pradesh is located close to the town of Tirumala which is home to Venkateswara Temple. Dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, the temple occupies one of the seven holy Tirumala Hills that are believed to represent the seven hoods of the mythological serpent king Adisesha.
It is believed that Lord Vishnu decided to reside here with his consorts Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Padhmavati till eternity to protect his devotees from the sins and problems of Kalyuga. The temple is also regarded as one of the eight Swayambhu Kshetras of Vishnu, where the lord resides in a self-manifested form.
Day 02: Visit Venkateswara Temple – Travel to Tiruvannamalai (about 194 km.) via Vellore
Join us for an early morning jeep ride to Tirumala to visit Venkateswara Temple. Have darshan at the temple after which we escort you back to Tirupati.
We immediately resume the trip in Tirupati to Rameshwaram bus and head towards the next destination of the trip named Tiruvannamalai via the city of Vellore which is famous for Sri Jalakandeswarar Temple and Vellore Fort. As you arrive at Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, we escort you to the pre-booked accommodation where you can take rest and stay overnight after a tiring day.
Day 03: Visit Annamalaiyar Temple – Travel to Madurai (about 325 km.)
On the third day of Tirupati Madurai Rameshwaram Kanyakumari by Volvo bus tour, visit Annamalaiyar Temple which is also known as Arunachalesvara Temple and is one the five Pancha Bhoota Stalams (Shiva temples representing the five elements of life – earth, sky, water, air and fire).
According to mythology, Goddess Parvati once mischievously covered the eyes of her consort Lord Shiva which pushed the whole world into darkness. After his devotees prayed to the lord, he appeared as a shining pillar of fire on the summit of the nearby Arunachala Hills and brought back the light to the world. Hence, Shiva represents the element of Agni or fire at this temple.
Located at the foot of the holy Arunachala Hills, which itself is venerated as a Lingam, the temple features four sky-touching gopurams (temple towers), the highest being a 66 m. high 11-storey marvellous structure. While Shiva is worshipped as Arunachalesvara, Goddess Parvati is worshipped as Unnamalai Amman here.
Other highlights of the temple include its halls including the Hall of Light, the Hall of Spring and a Thousand Pillar Hall, colossal statues of Nandi bull, the temple tank and a sacred tree called Magizha where the childless couples tie sacred threads praying for parenthood.
After praying to the Shiva Lingam (also called Agni lingam) at the temple, we resume Tirupati to Rameshwaram bus journey to reach our next destination – the city of Madurai.
Aptly called the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu, Madurai boasts of rich culture and a number of religious and historical sites. The city is also famous for grand festive celebrations, including the car or chariot festival. After you reach Madurai, we escort you to the pre-booked accommodation for some rest.
Later, join us to visit Meenakshi Amman Temple for the night ceremony. It is a popular practice in which an idol of Lord Shiva is carried in a palanquin to the bed chamber of Goddess Meenakshi accompanied by drum-beating music, dance and chanting. After this, retire to your accommodation for night stay.
Day 04: Visit Meenakshi Amman Temple – Travel to Rameshwaram (about 172 km.)
Get up early to visit the iconic Meenakshi Amman Temple so that you don’t get late for Madurai to Rameshwaram Volvo bus after that.
About Meenakshi Amman Temple
Dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi, an avatar of Goddess Parvati, and her consort Lord Sundareshwar, an avatar of Lord Shiva, the temple is the most exceptional masterpiece of Dravidian Architecture and is located on the bank of River Vaigai. The Hindu mythology states that Meenakshi was born as a 3-year-old girl from the fire of a Yajna performed by King Malayadwaja. She proved to be a great warrior and got married to Sundareshwar. Invaded and destructed by the Muslim invaders, the temple was restored and stands in full grandeur with high masonry walls and as many as 14 gorgeously carved and painted gopurams (temple towers), the highest being 52 m. high. There are two main shrines, one for Goddess Meenakshi and the other for Lord Sundareswar, each having a gold-plated sanctum tower. In addition, there are other architectural marvels like the temple tank with golden lotus and beautifully painted frescos and multiple pillared halls that feature stupendously carved sculptures. After praying at the temple, visit other attractions of the city like Thirumalai Nayak Palace, Koodal Azhagar Temple and Alagar Koyil Temple(If time allows you).
Have lunch after which we use the Madurai to Rameshwaram Volvo bus service to reach our next destination. Rameshwaram is a holy town in Tamil Nadu, located on Rameshwaram Island (also known as Pamban Island) in the Gulf of Mannar and connected by Pamban Bridge to the mainland India. It is home to Ramanathasway Temple which is not only one of the twelve Jyotirlingas but also among the four holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites known as Char Dham.
After your arrival, we escort you to the pre-booked accommodation for the night stay.
Day 05: Visit Ramanathaswamy Temple – Travel to Kanyakumari (about 309 km.)
As you would be boarding Rameshwaram to Kanyakumari Volvo bus later in the day, get up early to visit Ramanathaswamy Temple.
About Rameshwaram Temple
The mythological beliefs about the temple are that it was here that Lord Rama worshipped a lingam of Lord Shiva to seek absolution from the sin of killing the demon King Ravana who was a Brahmin by birth. Shiva, not only granted forgiveness to Rama but also established himself as a Jyotirlinga here. The temple boasts of two Shiva Lingams, one built by Sita and called Ramalingam and the other brought by Lord Hanuman and called Vishwalingam. Apart from the stunning gopurams, the temple has long corridors with enthrallingly carved pillars – one of which is designated as the longest temple corridor in the world. There are 64 holy water tanks or wells (called teerthams) on the island out of which 22 are located within the temple premises and it is considered auspicious to take a bath in water from each one of them. After you pray at the temple, we take you to other nearby attractions if there is still time available before the Rameshwaram to Kanyakumari Volvo bus starts. These include Gandamadana Parvatam which is believed to have footprints of Lord Rama and Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple.
Finally, we start the trip to the final destination of the tour of Tirupati Madurai Rameshwaram Kanyakumari by Volvo bus by 12 noon. As you arrive at Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, we escort you directly to the famous Sunset Point. Feel ecstatic watching the captivating sight of the sun slowly diving into the water at this point which also marks the confluence of Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.
After this, check in at the pre-booked accommodation for night stay.
Day 06: Kanyakumari Sightseeing – Travel to Trivandrum (about 90 km.)
After the long Chennai to Tirupati, Tirupati to Madurai and Madurai to Rameshwaram Volvo bus rides, it is time to relax at this amazing coastal town.
About Kanyakumari Temple
It is named after Goddess Kanya Kumari (virgin girl), an avatar of Goddess Parvati, who took birth to kill demon Bana as the demon had the boon of death at the hands of a virgin girl only. Apart from the Bhagavathy Amman Temple dedicated to the goddess, the town also boasts of memorials and beaches. Visit Bhagavathy Amman Temple, also known as Kanya Kumari Temple, which is one of the 52 shakti-peethas dedicated to Goddess Shakti.
Pray at the temple and join us to visit other popular attractions like Vivekananda Rock, Gandhi Memorial and Thiruvalluvar Statue. After this, we start the final journey towards Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala.
On arrival, we take you to Padmanabhaswamy Temple which exhibits an interesting mix of Kerala and Tamil architectural styles. Dedicated to Lord Maha Vishnu, the temple features an idol of the lord made of nearly 12,000 sacred saligram stones. After you pray at the temple, we escort you to the airport/railway station from where you can start the journey to your preferred destination.
The tour of Tirupati Madurai Rameshwaram Kanyakumari by Volvo bus ends here.