The temples of South India are among the best monuments of India. Some of these temples, like the Brihadeshwara temple in Tanjore and the shore temple in Mahabalipuram are counted among the best architectural achievements of medieval South India. The temple tours of South India cover most of these temples in well planned itineraries that also cover other major tourist attractions in South India.

The temple tours of South India usually cover a span of 12- 13 days. The cities included are Chennai, Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Chidambaram, Tanjore, Trichy, Madurai, Cochin and Thiruvanathapuram. The tours usually include sightseeing in all the cities in addition to the visits to the famous temples.

The tours usually begin from Chennai after airport transfer and check in at the hotel. Overnight stays are arranged in the famous temple towns of the region including Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Tanjore, Trichy, Madurai and Cochin.

Famous Temples and other spots covered:

The famous temples covered by the Temple tours of South India include �

Chennai - Kapalishwara temple, Fort St. George, St. Thomas Mount, San Thome Cathedral, and National Art Gallery.

Tirupathi � Balaji temple.

Kanchipuram - Kailasanath temple, Ekambareshwarar Temple, Vaikuntha Perumal temple, Varadarajaperumal temple and Sakiswarar Temple.

Mahabalipuram - Shore Temple, The Five Raths, Arjuna�s Penance and Tiger cave.

Pondicherry - Vardaraja Perumal Temple, Vedapureeswarar Temple, Kamakshi Amman Temple and Manakula Vinayagar Temple, Rishi Aurobindo Ashrama.

Chidambaram � Nataraja Temple (famous for evening ceremony)

Thanjavur ( Tanjore ) � Brihadeswara temple, Vijayanagar fort.

Trichy � Thayumanaswami temple, Rock fort temple, Sri Ranganathaswami temple, Jambukeshwara temple.

Madurai - Meenakshi temple, Mariamman Teppakulam, Badhri Narayanan temple.

Thiruananthapuam ( Trivandrum ) - Sree Padmanabha Swami Temple, Napier Museum, and Chitralayam Arts Gallery.

The temple tours of South India usually cover the above mentioned destinations. However, tours are often customized or modified to include some more destinations or some lesser known temples. Some of the temples are visited during the day as well as night to observe various rituals. These tours are rising in popularity among tourists, especially a new group of foreign tourists who are attracted towards the Indian religions. At present these tours are one of the highlights of tourism in South India.

Touristplacesinindia.com offers complete information on the temple tours of South India and other tourist places in India.