D E G R E E C O F F E E A N D M O R E -K U MBA KONA M

The Heritage vertical of Embassy Travel and Tours Along with

Historian Pradeep Chakravarthy

Online Brochure: http://www.mysticalpalmyra.com Or contact us at sridhar@embassy-travels.com / 9282119040

12th-15th October 2017 Registrations until August 15th 2017

Thiruvidaimaruthur * Swamimalai Bronze Art Nageswara Koil * Darasuram * Seeval factory

Sengalipuram * House of Ramanujan Panchavan Mahadevi temple

OUR PHYLOSOPHY

We seek to instill a tangible pride of our glorious past and build a responsible, culturally sensitive community through heritage travel

K U MBA KONA M

Kumbakonam displays many facets - an ancient center of Sun god worship, a vibrant metropolis under the Cholas and Nayaks, a center to nurture fine arts and currently a popular destination for religious tourism highlighted by the Mahamakam tank. Come and sample what this temple town has to offer on a two day journey with Mystical Palmyra, the heritage vertical of Embassy Travels and Historian Pradeep Chakravarthy. Our take during this visit will include sights others don’t see, whether they are villages trapped in time capsules with palatial homes that rival Chettinadu mansions, or temples guarding spooky secrets or even love stories worth a film! Of course we will delight you with the degree coffee and the elai sappadu which are a trade mark of the Kaveri delta hospitality. But it doesn't stop there!!!

IN KUMBAKONAM

Nageswarasamy Temple – Can you spot a unique design of this temple that connects it back to the Sun worshipping tradition Kumbakonam is famed for? Dating to 1200 years, this is one of the finest examples of early Chola art. The koshta sculptures of Queens deserve far more international attention than they get today. Some parts were vandalized in the name of renovation so it is all the more important to see these treasures while we still can! Sarangapani temple – We see the gopuram from outside – bring your binoculars to spot the naughty sculptures and the rare ones that dancers flock from across the world to study. House of Srinivasa Ramanujan – The well preserved vintage house of the acclaimed mathematician Shri Ramanujan transports us to the early 20th century and one can almost infer his lurking presence in the abode.

T H I RU V I DA I M A RU T H U R PA L A C E A N D T E M P L E

A derelict palace, a lamp that burns in a temple that can fit several villages inside its walls and a romantic story that awaits the nod of Mills and Boons – that is our introduction to Thiruvidaimaruthur, the capital of Amarasimha - an enigmatic ruler who throttled the kingship of Serfoji II of Tanjore but was also a pious king who did much for the arts. We will use stories and music to recreate the grandeur of the palace and the lamp will recite her tale to you if you care to listen

IN AND AROUND S E NK A L I PU RA M

The Vathima Iyers are spread over a group of 18 villages in the Kaveri delta region. Unlike others, they held on to their unique traditional ways and stayed out of mainstream changes. This would mean we could catch a glimpse of life as it was in the yesteryears. Money lending, farming and scholarship in Vedic studies were key occupations. They have a unique cuisine and their homes are immaculately maintained and boast of paintings and wood work that would dazzle a museum. It is impossible for visitors to gain access to their homes and this will be a highlight of the trip. We will get a brief about the practice of Agnihotram - traditional fire worship ritual practiced by some of the Dikshithars, that is fast fading away.

PA NC HAVA NMA D E VI TE MPL E

Set in the middle of a lush paddy field, this

elegant edifice is for a powerful woman who had

the Chola emperors at her beck and call.

The temple has a spooky secret you can sense if

you are in tune with the energies – we will leave

you to experience that. Even otherwise, the rare

royal portraits, the similarity to the great Chola

temples will leave you spell bound in this much

smaller and lesser celebrated temple.

U NE S C O WORL D HE RI TA G E S I TE - DA RA S U RA M

Built more than 900 years ago, Darasuram’s Airavateswara temple is part of the 3 Great living Chola temples in the UNESCO list. It is a delicate gem of the finest Chola architecture. What it lacks in scale it compensates with detailing. The hardest granite has been carved like the softest soap into miniature sculptures that breath life from every angle. The musical steps, the first recorded representation of the stories of the 63 Nayanmars and the latticed windows makes this the Chola temple with the finest stone work

A RTS A ND C RA FTS

v  Art of Bronze Casting - Swamimalai

v  Rajaveda Pata Sala - Govinda Dikshithar –

Kumbakonam

v  Introduction to Agnihotri Ritual – a dying

form of Veda recital – Sengalipuram

v  ARR Seeval factory visit – An industry inspired

to compliment the ”Kummoan” kara vethala tradition

C U L I NA RY TR E A TS

v  But Of course The famous Kumbakonam Degree Coffee

v  Traditional Vathima Elai Sappadu at Sengalipuram

v  Mouthwatering fare at the Paradise Resorts at Darasuram

v  Specially curated menu by Mystical Palmyra and INDeco Swamimalai team

W H E N A N D W H E R E Day 1 -  2230 – Assemble

at Hotel Chandra Park

-  2330 – Leave for Kumbakonam by Uzhavan Express

Day 2 -  0550– Arrive at Kumbakonam -  0930 – Panchavan Mahadevi

Pallipadai

-  1100 – Nageshwarar Temple

-  1200– Mathematician Ramanuja’s House Visit

-  1300 – Rajaveda Patashala Visit

-  1330 – Traditional Lunch at Paradise Resort

-  1500– ARR Seeval factory visit

-  1530 – Coffee and Conversation

-  1630 – Darasuram

-  1800 – Resort/ Dinner

Day 3 -  0900 – Swamimalai

Bronze Casting -  1030 - Leave for

Thiruvidaimaruthur to the Palace and Mahalingeshwarar Temple visit

-  1200 Leave for Sengalipuram

-  1300 – Lunch at Traditional House at a Sengalipuram

-  1430 Introduction to the Agnihotram ritual

-  1530 Somanatheswara temple at Poundarigapuram

-  2125 – Leave for Madras by Uzhavan Express after Dinner

Day 4 -  0455 – Arrive at

Chennai Egmore Station

-  Say Bye until our next tour J

THE FINE PRINT Several places we will be visiting are places of worship and therefore we request your special attention to the following: •  Please  dress conservatively and avoid wearing

shorts and sleeveless wear.   Please carry a dhothi and shawl.

•  Comfortable shoes or slippers since monuments are footwear free zones

•  We strongly advice carrying sun block, sunglasses and cap

•  Basic medication/ first aid will be available. Please carry your specific medication if any 

•  Camera - certain places may charge anything between Rs. 10 and Rs.100 for the usage of camera.

•  Photography may not be per mitted in certain Places

•  We would like to iterate that this is not a religious trip and therefore we all need to respect the time and interest of those who are coming to enjoy the heritage aspect of the trip. Therefore please ensure that you respect and stick to time schedules.   

•  Due to unforeseen circumstances, in case we need to make certain changes in the itinerary, we request your patience and understanding. We assure you that the alternate option provided will be just as exciting

 

INCLUDED  •  Train Travel by Two Tier or Three Tier AC coach on

train. Incase your registration does not meet the deadline, we shall provide an alternate mode of transport

•  Road travel on AC coach •  Accommodation in AC rooms accommodating up to 2   

adults. Children will be accommodated depending on  the age and hotel policy. In this Trip we will be s t a y i n g a t   I N D e c o R e s o r t S w a m i m a l a i http://www.indecohotels.com/swamimalai.html )

•  Meals mentioned - 2 breakfast, 2 lunch and 2 dinners per person (Request you to specify your preference if any in advance)

•  2 bottles of water per person will be provided on the coach every day. We request you to bring a refillable bottle in order to reduce the usage of plastic waste.

•  Regular entry tickets where required will be provided •  Darshan at temples will be allowed if People wish to and

ONLY if time permits.    •  All applicable taxes as on date NOT INCLUDED  •  Expenses of Personal nature •  Room Service •  Any other attraction/temple not mentioned in the

itinerary •  Any change in taxes after the tour is announced  

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F R O M T H E “ H O R S E S ” M O U T H !

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•  It was a wonderful trip last week - excellent organization by Priya accompanied by Pradeep's usual insight. I learned more about my home district than I ever knew earlier – Dr. Bala Ramachandran, Child Trust Hospital

•  Thank you Pradeep for sharing your knowledge you have so passionately gathered over so many years. Yes I was able to see beyond the garbage dumps and the ruins only because you made us see what and how you see and that's a glowing testament to how contagious your zeal is. Thank you to Priya; you redefine congeniality with your ready alacrity and enthusiasm. The trip felt like a family picnic of sorts only because of the warmth you so naturally radiate. – Puja Gandhi

•  I had a very insightful trip and my appreciation and awe of Indian history and culture is being expanded with each trip.  It is also an eye opener as to how a warped version of our history is being taught in schools whereas such phenomenal achievements of our ancestors are being glossed over – Shailesh Vummidi, Jeweler

•  It was the first trip for us and an absolutely enjoyable experience. My son told me it was a pretty good trip and coming from a teenager, it is a personal triumph for me – Bhaskar Dey, Bangalore

•  It was our first trip with Pradeep and Priya. We never had to think or be concerned about anything.  Every little detail was taken care of.  Living in Delhi, we are surrounded by monuments/tombs reminding us of the Mughals, British and India’s independence.  One always thought that all history was in the north.  This trip opened my eyes to history in the south – Sudha Rajendran, Delhi

•  “ •  With impeccable organization and the historic perspective that you both added, this became most enjoyable.

Accommodation, transport, arrangements were all very well done. The pre and post trip correspondence was thorough” – Uttara Bharath, Nalamthana, NGO

•         

Hailing from Tirunelveli and moving on to international exposure through KFI, MCC, JNU (Delhi) and LSE (London) in his academic years, Pradeep Chakravarthy has always had a passion for the history and Heritage of Tamil Nadu with special focus on the role that it plays in society then and now. Having a background in HR/leadership development and coaching though his assignments in TVS, Cognizant, Infosys and McKinsey, he constantly explores methods of constructively employing out of the box techniques of exposure to fine elements practiced in ancient times to motivate and hone ones inherent skills. He pioneered temple walks in Madras. His deeply invested interest in the music, food, literature of Tamil Nadu allows him to present succinctly and simply even the dreariest topic in history. He has authored several books and has over 300 articles in The Hindu, Marg magazine, India Express, Times of India etc., to his credit. He has lectured in several prestigious venues like IIC (Delhi), IC (London) and is an awardee from the Tag Foundation.  

Embassy Travel and Tours has been in the business of tailoring unique and memorable travel experiences for the past four decades. A part of the Airlift Group of Companies, we adhere in a personalized manner to all travel related services that one might require be it guidance, documentation, reservations, currency exchange etc. Customization and luxury travel is our forte, which ensures the utmost comfort for our clients whether it is outbound, inbound or domestic travel. Mystical Palmyra is the heritage vertical we take pride in adding to our existing array of experiences extended by us. We are proud to showcase some of the neglected treasures of a bygone rich era that are just around the corner. We assure you that the whole experience will be an absolute luxurious insight into our glorious past.  

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YOUR PARTNERS IN CRIME

MINIMUM AGE: 15 YEARS PACKAGE COST PER PERSON: INR 16,000 ON TWIN SHARING BASIS (FOR A MINIMUM OF 2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATING) INR 16,000 ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY INR 18,000 ON SINGLE OCCUPANCY BASIS   REGISTRATION: BEFORE 15TH AUGUST 2017 BY WAY OF A NON-REFUNDABLE PAYMENT OF RS. 5000 FULL PAYMENT: AT THE TIME OF REGISTRATION OR BEFORE 15TH AUGUST 2017 TO ENSURE CONFIRMED PARTICIPATION IN THE TOUR   CANCELLATION AND REFUND: - 45 DAYS BEFORE COMMENCEMENT OF TOUR – 50% OF TOUR COST WILL BE REFUNDED - LESS THAN 45 DAYS BEFORE COMMENCEMENT OF TOUR – NO REFUND - INCASE OF NON-PARTICIPATION DUE TO RESCHEDULING OF TOUR BY THE ORGANIZERS DUE TO ANY REASON – 75% OF TOUR COST WILL BE REFUNDED -INCASE OF CANCELLATION OF THE TOUR BY ORGANIZERS – FULL REFUND INCLUDING REGISTRATION FEE

PACKAGE DETAILS

Contact: Sridharan Lakshmanan; sridhar@embassy-travels.com; +919282119040 Raji Kumar raji@embassy-travels.com; +919840471127 Address: 23, Thanikachalam Road, T. Nagar, Chennai – 600 017 Cheques in Favor of: Embassy Travel and Tours Pvt. Ltd. Payment can be made through : http://www.mysticalpalmyra.com/index.php

Bank Details:

Ours is a Current Account

•  ICICI BANK LTD, NO.1, Cenotaph Road, Teynampet, Chennai – 600018 Beneficiary: EMBASSY TRAVEL & TOURS PVT LTD A/C NO: 0 0 0 1 0 5 0 2 2 4 2 9 IFSC CODE - ICIC0000001 SWIFT CODE: "ICICINBBCTS”

•  BANK OF BARODA: S.I.E.T College Avenue Branch, Chennai 600018 Beneficiary: EMBASSY TRAVEL & TOURS PVT LTD A/C NO: 05310500000014 RTGS/NEFT, IFSC CODE: BARB0COLMAD

•  STATE BANK OF MYSORE, NO.13 (6), Plot No.3, Thanikachalam Road, T. Nagar, Chennai- 600 017. Beneficiary: EMBASSY TRAVEL & TOURS PVT LTD A/C NO: 6 4 0 9 3 7 7 0 3 6 1 IFSC CODE – SBMY0040801

CONTACT AND BANK DETAILS