An Archaeological Study Tour
Southern India
February 9 – March 5, 2009
Led by Professor John M. Fritz


A visit to the south of India, where Hindu traditions survive most strongly, is essential for understanding India’s religious and cultural history. The tour begins with the great rock-cut cave shrines of Ellora and Ajanta, which show in their extraordinary architecture, sculpture and wall paintings the development of Buddhist and Jain beliefs and practices, as well as the transformation of Hinduism. We proceed through the lush rolling landscape of temple towers rising above the palm groves of Tamil Nadu State, visiting the first constructed temples at Kanchipuram and culminating with the Meenakshi Temple of Madurai, vibrant with living tradition. After a brief rest at Periyar Game Reserve, we continue by way of the rich tea and spice plantations and active waterways of Kerala to the Malabar Coast and Cochin, notable for its Jewish and Christian communities. Among the unique sites of Karnataka State are the rock-cut temples at Badami, the ruins of the last great southern India empires, Vijayanagara, at Hampi, and, at Mysore, the monuments of Tipu Sultan. The tour concludes at the former Portuguese colony of Goa. Throughout we will explore vibrant bazaars, sample local cuisine and attend traditional musical and dance performances.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, February 9, 10 & 11: MUMBAI (Bombay): Depart from New York via Air France, arriving into Mumbai in the late evening. Transfer to the Taj Mahal Intercontinental Hotel for two nights. After an orientation lecture we will spend Wednesday afternoon visiting Mumbai’s major monuments and the Prince of Wales Museum, which houses one of the finest collections of art and archaeology in the country, including a wonderful gallery of Mughal miniatures and Pahari School paintings.
Meals: Breakfast daily & 1 dinner

Thursday, Friday, February 12 & 13: AURANGABAD: This morning we walk to the Gateway of India for the one-hour boat trip to the island of Elephanta in Bombay harbor. Our touring here will be to the 6th/7th-century cave temple dedicated to Shiva. After lunch a short flight brings us to Aurangabad. Friday touring begins at the cave temples of Ellora, carved out of a solid mass of rock by Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monks between the 5th and 13th centuries. Of the 34 temples, the Kailasa Temple is the most spectacular. Here the great masters chiseled away three million cubic feet of stone, leaving a monolithic temple of colossal proportions, yet sculpted as intricately as an ivory miniature. Considered one of the wonders of ancient art, it marks the transition from cave to temple architecture. Taj Residency Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch daily & 1 dinner

Saturday, February 14: MUMBAI: Touring continues at the famed Ajanta Caves, which are set in a crescent hillside over a lush ravine. Theravada Buddhists carved these caves, perhaps as early as the 2nd century BC, and Mahayana Buddhists continued construction until the 7th century AD. The ancient craftsmen left miraculously preserved and vividly colored frescoes that tell the story of Buddha and portray life in India at that time. This evening we return to Mumbai and spend the night at the Holiday Inn Airport Hotel..
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Sunday, Monday, February 15 & 16: CHENNAI (Madras): A short flight brings us to Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu, situated on the Bay of Bengal. Our touring today will include the Government Museum (providing it has reopened), with its exceptional Bronze Gallery, Fort St. George and St. Mary’s Church. The day ends with a private performance of the famous Bharata Natyam dance. Monday morning we drive to Mamallapuram, where we will spend the day visiting its famous rock-cut shrines and Shore Temples. These temples are the earliest examples of monumental architecture in Tamil Nadu and are adorned with wonderful examples of Pallava art. Taj Coromandel Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch daily & 1 dinner

Tuesday, February 17: TANJORE: A morning flight to Tiruchirapalli (Trichy), the former seat of power in south India. After lunch the full afternoon will be spent at the huge complex of Ranganathaswamy Temple (Srirangam Temple). Surrounded by seven concentric walls, it has twenty-one gopurams and offers wonderful views from its walls. We continue to Thanjavur and overnight at the Hotel Parisutham.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wednesday, Thursday, February 18 & 19: MADURAI: We will visit the fine collection of Chola bronzes at the Raja Raja Museum and the famous Brihadeshwara Temple, built by the Chola ruler Raja Raja (AD 985-1014). After a Chettinad lunch, we depart for Madurai, the center of Tamil culture and the abode of the goddess Meenakshi. A high point of our tour will be our two visits to the great Meenakshi Temple, its gopurams carved with gods, goddesses and mythical figures, all restored to their original polychrome colors. Our first visit to this wondrous place will be after dinner Wednesday evening. The apparent pandemonium of the worshippers will begin to achieve some order as we witness weddings, people pleading for fertility and giving offerings to the favorite god Ganesh. Taj Garden Retreat.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner daily

Friday, February 20: PERIYAR LAKE: Today we will take a break from ancient India by spending the evening viewing the wildlife at Periyar Game Reserve. While relaxing in motor launches, we will look for the elephants, deer and marvelous birds as they come to the lake to bathe and drink. Spice Village Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, Sunday, February 21 & 22: COCHIN: Our morning’s drive takes us through lush tea plantations, thick forests and small villages of thatched houses to Kottayam, where we board a boat for a wonderful trip through the canals and backwaters to Allepey. We continue by bus to Cochin, the first European settlement in India. Touring includes the Mattancherry Palace, the still active spice-trading area formerly known as Jewtown, St. Francis Church, believed to be the oldest European-built church in India, the Cochin Museum and the synagogue, built in 1568, with its exquisite Chinese hand-painted, willow-pattern floor tiles. We will attend a Kathakali dance performance Sunday evening. Taj Malabar Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch daily

Monday, Tuesday, February 23 & 24: MYSORE: We fly to Bangalore and, after visiting some of the city’s highlights, we transfer to Mysore. Tuesday touring includes Srirangapatna, the summer palace of Tipu Sultan, famed as the “Tiger of Mysore,” the Maharajah’s Palace, one of the largest and most splendid in India, the Chamundi Hills, and the lovely 13th-century Somnathpur Hoysala Temple. Wind Flower Spa & Resort.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner daily

Wednesday, February 25: CHIKMAGLUR: Touring today will be to the many sites around Hassan, including the oldest and most important Jain pilgrimage center at Sravanabelagola, the 13th-century Keshava temple at Belur, and, at Halebid, the Hoysalesvara temple with its lovely carved friezes depicting the Ramayana. The sculptural decorations of these temples are among the finest in India. Chikmaglur Taj Garden Retreat.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Thursday, Friday, February 26 & 27: HOSPET: We drive to Hospet, a country town from which we will spend two days touring the extraordinary Vijayanagara ruins at Hampi. Founded in 1336 as the capital of one of the largest Hindu empires, it covered an area of several square miles and was surrounded by seven fortification walls. We will explore the temples, pavilions, bath complexes and palaces, studying the unique Vijayanagara style of art and architecture that has made Hampi a World Heritage Site. We will spend two nights at Mallige Tourist House, a simple tourist hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner daily

Saturday, February 28: BADAMI: After completing our touring, we drive on to Badami, located in a beautiful canyon, where we will visit its glorious rock-cut Chalukyan cave temples. Touring will include two of the Aihole Hindu temples and the archaeologically important 7th- and 8th-century temples of Pattadakal. Evidence of the long habitation of this area are the 6th-3rd century BC dolmen and menhir scattered among the temples. Badami Court Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Sunday, March 1: HUBLI: After completing our touring, we drive to Hubli and spend the night at the Hotel Naveen.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Monday, Tuesday, March 2 & 3: GOA: We continue to Goa, which was founded as a Portuguese colony in 1510 and remained under Portuguese rule until 1961. Our oceanfront hotel is the Taj Ft. Aguada Beach Resort. Tuesday morning we will visit Old Goa’s most important monuments, leaving the afternoon at leisure before our gala farewell dinner at the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast daily, 1 lunch & 1 dinner

Wednesday, Thursday, March 4 & 5: MUMBAI: We fly to Mumbai, with time for dinner before our flight home very early Thursday morning.
Meals: Breakfast

To learn more about the Vjayanagara ruins at Hampi check Professor Fritz's new web site at the adress below. http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/research/Exp_Rese_Disc/Asia/vrp/index.shtml