Tamil Nadu Musical Festival Tours Package

Location : Tamil Nadu
Greatest Composer : Thyagaraja
Father Of Carnatic Music : Purantharadasar

Carnatic Music, referred to as "Classical Music" in South India, is a very old tradition. Traditional Carnatic music consisting of hundreds of ragas is a rich treat to all music lovers. Most of these songs are Hindu devotional in nature, with melody as the basic structure and are enjoyed by almost anybody with taste.

History Of Carnatic Music
The Carnatic Music grammar is based on Melakartha Raga System prior to which Tamil music grammar revailed. Melakartha was introduced by Venkatamaki in AD 1620 during the rule of Nayaks in Thanjavur. Purantharadasar (AD 1484 - 1564) of Karnataka State is known as the "Father of Carnatic Music". He introduced the basic music learning process based on Mayamalavagoulai Ragam.

Key Content
Spiritualism has been the key content of Carnatic music. The beautiful interweaving of the devotional element and aesthetics has made it ethereal and eternal. The basic idea behind compositions has been to see and seek God. In fact, it has been said that the easiest way to attain salvation is to sing the greatness of the Almighty.

Eminent Composers Of Carnatic Music
Many eminent composers have enriched traditional Carnatic music. One of its greatest composers was Thyagaraja, who is regarded by many as a saint. Besides him, Muthuswami Deekshithar and Shyama Shastri are the other two composers who constitute the three pillars of Carnatic music. All the three belonged to Tamil Nadu and they enriched Carnatic music with compositions in their individual styles and it is their compositions that yet constitute the core of the concert repertoire. Following in the footsteps of these three, a multitude of composers appeared on the scene including Subbaraya Shastri, Annaswami Shastri, Ananta Bharati, Patnam Subrahmania Iyer, Vaiyacheri Ramaswami Iyer, Subbarama Dikshitar and Ramanathapuram 'Poochi' Srinivasa Iyengar. Among latter-day composers, the contributions of Mayuram Vishwanatha Shastri and Papanasam Sivan also deserve mention here.

Languages Used
In Carnatic music, all the South Indian languages have been used prolifically, in addition to the ancient classical Indian language, Sanskrit. The Telugu language has been especially widely used in the compositions. There is also a wide repertoire in Tamil and Kannada, and a smaller range in Malayalam. Occasionally, songs in more northern languages like Marathi, Hindi and Braj Bhasha (language) have been incorporated into Carnatic music. This adds to the rich variety of a}

Day 01  ARRIVE CHENNAI
Arrive Chennai by International flight. Meeting on arrival and transfer to hotel. Overnight in Chennai.

Day 02   IN CHENNAI
Chennai. The Capital city of Tamil Nadu state, Chennai is India's Southern Gateway city and one of the biggest centers of trade, and communications.
Afternoon city tour of Chennai visiting the Fort St. George, San Thome's church, Parthasarathy temple & Marina Beach. Later attend the Music festival. Overnight in Chennai.

Day 03   IN CHENNAI
Full day attend the various music festivals. Overnight in Chennai.

Day 04   CHENNAI/KANCHEEPURAM/MAHABALIPURAM
Leave Chennai for Mahabalipuram enroute visiting Kancheepuram to see the Ekambareshwar and Kailasanatha Temples. On arrival check-in at the hotel
Mahabalipuram - a quite seaside resort with a unique and glorious 7th century Shore Temple and some of the most beautiful rock-cut caves in the world. Evening: Attend the Music & Dance festival
Overnight in Mahabalipuram.

Day 05  IN MAHABALIPURAM
PM: Visit the Krishna, Varaha and Mahishasura Mardhini Mandapas besides the famous stone bas-relief, Arjuna's Penance. Later attend the Music & Dance festival. Overnight in Mahabalipuram.

Day 06   MAHABALIPURAM/PONDICHERRY
Leave Mahabalipuram for Pondicherry (133 kms/3 hrs). On arrival check-in at the hotel
PM: Visit the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry Musuem, Matrimandir at Auroville, the Anglo-French Textiles showroom, Manakula Vinayagar Koil, Ashram's handmade paper factory, the Botanical Gardens and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church. Overnight in Pondicherry.

Day 07   PONDICHERRY/TANJORE
(245 kms/8 hrs including the visit). Leave Pondicherry for Tanjore visiting Chidambaram & Gangaikondacholapuram enroute. On arrival check-in at the hotel
Thanjavur was the royal city of the Cholas, Nayaks and the Mahrattas. Thanjavur derives its name from Tanjan-an asura (giant), who according to local legend devastated the neighbourhood and was killed by Sri Anandavalli Amman and Vishnu, Sri Neelamegapperumal. Tanjan's last request that the city might be named after him was granted.

Thanjavur was at height of its glory during Rajaraja Cholan. Let us take Thanjavur back to its past glory in the information age. Thanjavur is still the canter of all the classical arts and music. It has produced many classical musicians and bharathanatyam dancers and is also well known for its unique painting style called Tanjore Painting and Thavil, a percussion instrument. Overnight in Tanjore.

Day 08   IN TANJORE
AM: Visit the Brihadeswarar Temple. The great Temple of Tanjore (Thanjavur) was built between 1003 and 1010 in the reign of the great King Rajaraja, founder of the Chola Empire, which stretched over all of South India and the neighbouring islands. Surrounded by two rectangular enclosures, the Brihadisvar (built from blocks of granite and, in part, from bricks) is crowned with a pyramidal 13-storey tower, the vimana, standing 61 m high and topped with a bulb-shaped monolith. The walls of the temple are covered with rich sculptural decoration. PM: Visit Thiruvayyaru (13 kms) to witness the Thyagaraja festival
Overnight in Tanjore.

Day 09   TANJORE/MADURAI
Leave Tanjore for Madurai (182 kms/4 ½ hrs). On arrival check-in at the hotel
Madurai - is Tamil Nadu's most happening cultural arena. Today, Madurai is the thriving pulse of Tamil Nadu industrial growth. Truly, we believe that the Gods are here to stay! Situated on the banks of river Vaigai, Madurai is the second largest city of Tamil Nadu, a southern state in India. Madurai is more than 2,500 years old and has a rich cultural heritage and history. Madurai was an important cultural and commercial centre even as early as 550 AD. Madurai was the capital city for the great Pandya kings.
Afternoon city tour of Madurai visiting the great Meenakshi Temple dedicated to the consort of Lord Shiva with its towering gopurams (rising high above the surrounding country side). Visit the Tirumala Nayak Palace - A gracious building in the Indo Saracenic style, famous for the Stuccowork on its domes and arches. Visit Alagar Hills and Tirupara Kundran Rock Temple.
Evening: Attend night ceremony at Meenakshi temple. Overnight in Madurai.

Day 10   IN MADURAI
AM: Visit Thiruparankundram: Dating back to 2nd century B.C., and located 10 kms. South of Madurai, it is one of the 'Aarupadaiveedu', the 6 Muruga temples in the state. It is a cave temple where Muruga married Deivayaanai, after slaying the demon. There are separate shrines in a line for Shiva, Vishnu, Durga and Vinayaka. A hillock is attached to the temple, the rock from which the temple is said to have been built. Overnight in Madurai.

Day 11  MADURAI/PERIYAR
Leave Madurai for Periyar (134 kms/ 4 ½ hrs approx). On arrival check-in at the hotel
Thekkady where rolling hills, tea & Cardamom plantations welcome you. It is one of the largest wildlife reserves in India, it is more popular as a tiger reserve.
Afternoon take a boat ride on the splendid Periyar lake which is the best way to experience the sanctuary. The greatest attraction here is the herds of wild elephants that come down to the lake to frolic in the water. Tiger, Sambhar, Bison, Spotted Deer, Leopard, Malabar flying Squirrel, stripe necked Mongoose & so on can be spotted in the forest. Kumily, an important spice trade centre lies in the periphery of the sanctuary. Overnight in Periyar.

Day 12   PERIYAR/KUMARAKOM
AM: Visit the Park by boat. Leave Periyar for Kumarakom (124 kms/3 hrs approx)
On arrival check-in at the hotel.
Kumarakom, a unique backwater destination situated on the banks of the Vemband Lake, which is considered the gateway to the backwaters of Kuttanad. The Kumakom Bird Sanctuary is a favourite haunt of migratory birds from across the world, which makes it a renowned bird watching centre.
Rest of the day free at leisure. Overnight in Kumarakom.

Day 13  IN KUMARAKOM
Day free at leisure. Overnight in Kumarakom

Day 14   KUMARAKOM/ALLEPPEY/COCHIN
Transfer to boat jetty to take a backwater cruise to Alleppey. Disembark at Alleppey and drive to Cochin (60 kms/1 ½ hrs approx). On arrival check-in at the hotel. PM: City tour of Cochin. Evening: Witness Kathakali Dance show. Overnight in Cochin.

Day 15  COCHIN/MUMBAI
Day free till departure. Later transfer to airport to board flight to Mumbai. Meeting on arrival and transfer to hotel for wash & change and Dinner. After dinner transfer to International airport to board onward flight

Day 16   DEPART MUMBAI