November, 2008 South India Tour is Complete
Navagraha Temple Tour
This special 18-day tour will visit the Nine temples dedicated to the Nine Planetary Gods of Vedic Astrology plus historical Pondichery, Chidambaram, Kumbhakonam, Thanjavoor, Darasuram, Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram and Shore temples, and Pancharatha, Arjuna's penance and many others with Komilla Sutton, Demetra George, M.A. and Dennis Harness, Ph.D.
 | | Arrive in Pondicherry, the former capital French territories in India, and check into your hotel. Our journey begins in this unique city that is an unusual mix of Indian and French cultures. It has a seafront promenade and wide boulevards lined with elegant French colonial mansions as well as narrow winding streets filled with Indian bazaars and Hindu temples. It is also the home of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. http://pondicherry.nic.in
Overnight stay in Pondicherry. |
In the morning we will visit the Sri ManakulaVinayakar Temple, dedicated to Ganesha with its golden spire and walls displaying his forty different forms, where we will seek blessings for a successful trip. This will be followed by a tour of the Sri Aurobindo ashram, a peaceful verdant retreat center that offers regular meditation sessions that are open to all.
The afternoon is free for sightseeing or resting and recuperating from jet lag. | |  |
| In the evening we will gather as a group for dinner at the Annamalai Hotel (dinner costs to be shared) and introduce ourselves. Komilla will give an orientation for the trip after dinner. Over the next three days we will acclimate ourselves to India, study Vedic astrology, have the opportunity for yoga and meditation, and explore the city on our own. |
Day 3: Saturday, November 8th - PONDICHERRY
Komilla will give a workshop on the navagrahas with their corresponding deities, planets, colors, rituals, and remedies. She will offer suggestions on how to receive the greatest benefit from each of the temple visits that is the shrine of one of the navagraha deities. |
Day 4: Sunday, November 9th - PONDICHERRY
Demetra will give a debut presentation on the asteroids named after Indian deities and locales, and place them in your Vedic charts. |
Day 5: Monday, November 10th - PONDICHERRY
Dennis will teach on the Panchanga, the five essential limbs of the Indian calendar based upon the solar-lunar relationships. |
We begin the pilgrimage portion of our journey with an early morning departure to the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple. This is one of the most ancient and celebrated shrines of India where Shiva revealed the cosmic dance. The rituals are followed today just as they were laid down by Sage Patanjali. The temple is known for its Akasa Lingam, an embodiment of Shiva as the formless Space.
The priest and custodian of the temple, Deekshithar Santhana Subramani will meet us, and he will lead a special yagya with a navagraha puja, a long and elaborate ceremony accompanied by twelve other priests and musicians. After the yagya, we will donate food to the devotees of the temple. (The group will be sharing the costs of this ceremony, and the suggested donation is $108, or more if you wish). After the puja, a traditional lunch on banana leaves will be served at the priest’s home that has been cooked by his family.
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Afterwards we will travel to Kumbakonam, an area that is unique because all of the nine grahas are represented in one geographical location, and each of them is installed in its own individual temple. The temples are not architectural relics of formers eras, but continue to be alive with daily pujas and regular streams of devotees. We will spend the next six days in Kumbakonam.
Overnight stay in Kumbakonam | |  |
 | | In the morning we will visit the Suryan (Sun) Temple at Suryanar Koil and the Shukran (Venus) Temple at Kanchanoor. The afternoon brings us to the nearby village of Darasurnam where the spectacular Airavateshvara Temple was built in 1147. Nearby are craft weavers of South Indian saris, an optional visit for those who are interested in seeing how silk saris are woven. You will have the opportunity to buy some of the wares directly from the local craftspeople. (http://www.kumbakonam.info/kumbakonam/darsuam/index.htm) |
Today we will take a morning excursion to the Alangudi (Jupiter) Temple at Tenkuditittai. In the afternoon we will visit the Swamimalai Temple dedicated to Lord Murugan (Mars). This is where Lord Murugam propounded the meaning of the pranava Om to Shiva. Swamimalai is also famous for manufacturing bronzes of the various deities, and it may be possible to tour the local bronze making factory where the artisans still use traditional methods.
Overnight stay at Kumbakonam. | |  |
 | | We will spend the entire day at the great town of Thanjavur (formerly Tanjore), the historic political capital of three great dynasties. We will visit the great Brihadishwara Temple, the Thanjavur Royal Palace and Museum. The monumental granite Brihadishwara temple, a World Heritage site, is situated within a huge compound surrounded by walls. The temple is constructed over a 29 m square base and has a soaring vimanam tower and a stunted gopuram, fashioned from a single piece of granite weighing around 80 tons. The lofty sanctum tower is considered to be symbolic of Mount Meru. We will also visit the artists who still paint in the distinctive Thanjavur style. |
This Saturday morning brings us to the Shani (Saturn) Temple at Thirunallar. Afterwards we will have lunch at Bangala on the Beach, a beautiful hotel located in the old Dutch colonial town of Tranquebar.
Overnight stay at Kumbakonam. | |  |
Day 11: Sunday, November 16th - KUMBAKONAM
On our last day in Kumbakonam we will visit the Rahu Temple at Thirunageshwara in the morning and the Shweta Vinayaka Temple in the afternoon. This is a special white Ganesha temple where Ganesha’s statue is said to be made out of the foam generated during the churning of the oceans.
Overnight stay at Kumbakonam. | |
Day 12: Monday, November 17th - KUMBAKONAM - MAYILADUTHURAI
After a morning tour of the Chandran (Moon) Temple at Thingaloor, we will leave this area for Mayiladuthurai where we will stay for the next two nights. In the evening, the Nadi astrologer will come to our hotel and take a thumb print for those who would like to get their nadi, palm leaf, readings done on the following day. This area is one of the main centers of palm leaf astrology in India, where local families have preserved copies of palm leaves that were inscribed by ancient Rishis concerning the futures of all individuals to come.
Overnight stay at Mayiladuthurai | |
We will visit the Vaithesvaran (Mars) Temple in the morning. The remainder of the day will be devoted to receiving the Nadi astrology readings. There are many beautiful shops to explore in the town of Mayiladuthurai for those who wish to spend their day otherwise.
Overnight stay at Mayiladuthurai.
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| Day 14: Wednesday, November 19th - MAYILADUTHURAI – MAHABALIPURAM |
After a morning visit to the Budhan (Mercury) Temple at Tiruvenkadu and the Ketu Temple at Keezhaperumpallam, we will depart for the six hour journey to Mamallapuram. We will have lunch en route.
Overnight stay at Mahabalipuram. | | |
| Day 15: Thursday November 20th - MAHABALIPURAM |
We will spend the next three days at the seaside resort of Mamallapuram, a World Heritage site renowned for its intricate stone carving. This first day is for relaxation and integration. There are many charming handicraft shops, ayurvedic massage, and beachfront restaurants with delicious food to while the time away.
Overnight stay at Mahabalipuram. | |  |
| Day 16: Friday, November 21st - MAHABALIPURAM |
 | | We will begin the day with morning visits to the small but romantic Shore Temple perched dramatically over the Bay of Bengal dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu; Arjuna’s Penance, a huge relief rock carving depicting the descent of the sacred Ganges River from the sky with animals, deities, and fables from the Hindu Panchatantra books; and the Five Rathas, rock-cut shrines resembling processional temple chariots.
Rest of the day at relax at the Beach resort. |
| Day 17: Saturday, November 22nd - KANCHIPURAM EXCURSION VISIT |
| We will take a short excursion to Kanchipuram, one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus, a town of one thousand temples where both Shiva and Vishnu are worshipped. We will visit the Sri Ekambeshwara Temple whose ancient mango tree represents the four branches of the Vedas; the Temple for Prithvi bhuta; the Kailashnatha Temple, the oldest and most beautiful of the city’s temples whose inner sanctum has a circumambulatory passage symbolizing the journey of life and death; and Vardharaja Temple, dedicated to Vishnu. This town is also famous for its silk saris and art. |  |
Lunch at local restaurant and later drive back to Mahabalipuram.
Overnight stay at Mahabalipuram. |
Day 18: Sunday, November 23rd - CHENNAI DEPARTURE
Chennai Departure. Chennai is a two hour drive away, and AOT can help you arrange for a transfer to the Chennai airport for your flight home. |
Additional Information - Visiting the Navagraha Temples
We will be visiting all the nine planetary temples. At each temple, we will be offering a special prayer for the planetary deity. This will be arranged as a group, and all costs will be shared by the participants. At each of the planetary temples we can make donations towards feeding the poor (this is an excellent remedial measure and is strongly recommended). The cost differs at each temples, but usually feeding 108 people costs about $25 to $80. The Saturn Temple has the most expensive program. You could also donate towards restoration of the temples. In addition you can get special prayers done for yourself if you want to propitiate a specific planetary deity. You can get special prayer done for your birthday or anniversaries. All temples will do the prayers on the appropriate dates and send you the sacred ash. Usually the costs for prayers at temples are between $2 and $5. You can also arrange to receive a monthly puja done for yourself for the entire year which costs about $20. It is customary to give a small dakshina or gift to the priest (usually about $1). You will need to know the nakshatra of your Moon. Please send birth data and AOT will prepare your Vedic chart.
Clothing
You will need to enter the temples barefoot, so easy slip on sandals are excellent footwear. Carry socks if you do not want to go barefoot. Shorts and casual clothing are not advised. Long trousers or Indian clothes with scarves are good for both men and women. There are excellent shops in Pondicherry and you can get yourself appropriate clothing if required.
Hotel Information
Pondicherry – The Annamalai International for standard and the Promenade for the upgrade
Kumbakonam – The Paradise for standard and the Sterling Swamimalai for the upgrade
Mayiladuthurai – Everyone must stay at the Silambu as this is the only option
Mahablipuram – The Sea Breeze for the standard and the GRT Temple Bay for the upgrade
Airlines
International airlines that have flights into Chennai include Air France, Air India, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Gulf Air, KLM, Lufthansa, Malaysia airlines, Quantas, Singapore airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines, and Thai Airways International. First time travelers to India can take advantage of getting a representative of South Travel to pick them up from the airport in order to facilitate an easy transfer. |
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