Kalidasa said, “Pushpeshu jati, purusheshu Vishnu; narishu Rambha, nagareshu Kanchi”. Of cities, it is Kanchi, he said. It is not a surprise he said that given the wonders that are strewn around this town that is a microcosm of India, its magnificent structures testifying to its glorious past as a melting pot of cultures and faiths. Kanchi was a cosmopolitan city even back then when it was the capital of the Pallavas. It was home to all major faiths - Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Jainism, Buddhism, which blossomed in all their glory. It is a city that witnessed the reign of many majestic kingdoms - the Pallavas, the Cholas, the Vijayanagara empire - that have all left their imprints in time in the form of the matchless pieces of architecture that be its temples. Pallavas ruled a portion of southern India and dominated the Telugu and northern parts of the Tamil region for about 600 years until the end of the 9th century. Pallavas are most noted for their patronage of architecture, the finest example being the Shore Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mahabalipuram. The Pallavas, who left behind magnificent sculptures and temples, established the foundations of medieval South Indian architecture.  This tour is a specially tailored itinerary to give you an immersive understanding of the Pallavas and their temple architecture. This tour will be across Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram where we can find the finest examples of the architecture from the Pallava period. Kanchi is considered as the “City of Thousand Temples”, most of which, be it ancient or new, are living temples. This tour will be led by Dr. Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan, one of the most well informed and scholarly subject matter experts. An architect, conservationist, painter, epigraphist, he has been conducting guided heritage tours through Road Access to Temples Heritage And Monuments (RATHAM).  

Very few places in South India have the cultural and architectural heritage of Belur and Halebid. Belur is located on the banks of river Yagachi and is known as Dakshina Banaras or ‘Banaras of the South’. Halebid is also known as Dwarasamudra or ‘The Gateway to the Seas’. The cities are located in the Hassan district of Karnataka. The cities thrived for about 150 years under the Hoysala empire. Belur was once the capital of their empire but under the reign of Vishnuvardhana, the greatest of the Hoysala kings, the capital was relocated to Halebid. It can be said that even though Belur and Halebid are 16 km apart, they will always be considered as one for what remains. You can find plenty of mythological stories from the Hindu doctrines carved onto the temples of Belur and Halebid. These temples were built by the renowned architect Jakkanna Acharya. The intricate illustrations from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas and the Upanishads can leave you enchanted. The Chennakesava temple at Belur, the Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebid are being proposed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Join us at Swarajya Heritage and Wanderfirst for this journey through the Hoysala temples and elaborate on the rich history trapped in these ruins. This journey will be led by Dr. Raghavendra Rao H. Kulkarni, Professor, Department of Art History, College of Fine Arts, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath. Dr Kulkarni is a well-known expert of art history and has worked extensively on Badami Chalukya and Hoysala temples. He has to his credit multiple publications/books and research papers on related topics.

 Travel to Hampi, the capital of one of the most glorious empires of India, the Vijayanagara empire, back in the sixteenth century. Hampi is supposed to be Kishkindha, the Vanara kingdom from Ramayana.Today, the temple town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Hampi was witness to the glory days of the emperors of Vijayanagara, like Krishnadevaraya. It was also home to the witty Tenali Rama, who graced Krishnadevaraya’s court. The town was renowned for its riches as well as the rich culture and played an important role in the history of Southern India for over two centuries. The place fell into despair after the fall of the Vijayanagara empire at the hands of Deccan sultanates in 1565. Today, Hampi is made up of the ruins from that glorious past. In terms of architecture, it is hard to top the splendor of rock-cut architecture of Hampi.  We will travel to sites of incredible historical importance guided by Dr Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan, one of the most well informed and scholarly subject matter experts. Madhusudhanan is the Chief Curator for Swarajya Heritage. He is an architect, conservationist, painter, epigraphist and has been conducting guided heritage tours through Road Access to Temples Heritage And Monuments (RATHAM). 

Banaras, Varanasi or Kasi is a Kaleidoscope. It is also a phoenix among cities having emerged more vibrant and colorful from the many destructions it has faced. It is considered the home of 330 million gods who are held together by an enormous corpus of mythology and are the very essence of the city. The human endeavor is equally inspiring. Rich textiles, Unique handicrafts, delectable food, intriguing aphorism, eternal Ganga, serene Ghats, the ever-consuming flames of Manikarnika and the adobe of Lord Vishwanath and much more. In the tradition of Annapurna, the goddess of food, this city whets the appetite of the scholar and the layman. The sacred Ganges is a specially tailored itinerary to give you an immersive cultural experience in Temples, Architecture, Rituals, Food and Music in the Kasi right in the heart of the Ganges that sustained it. The tour will take you to heritage sites in and around the Varanasi. We will travel to sites of incredible historical importance guided by Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan, one of the most well informed and scholarly subject matter experts. Madhusudhanan is the Chief Curator for Swarajya Heritage. He is an architect, conservationist, painter, epigraphist and has been conducting guided heritage tours through Road Access to Temples Heritage And Monuments (RATHAM) a part of Katrali Heritage Essentials LLP. Over 4 days you will feel, authentic Banarasi food, traditional weaving, the trip down the Ganga, the serene Ghats, the outstanding places of learning, Sarnath. It is a packed eclectic itinerary that awaits you. For the true flavor of the city to sink in, we have designed various walks. Come with us to savor this city which predates history and promises Eternal Moksha.