Shikhara Journeys

The Tours

Three tiers, one standard of care

From a single state to the whole of sacred India, each tier is built to the same founding standard.

Tier 1 · 7–10 days

In-State

A single state, unhurried — the sanctuaries of one dynasty explored in full, at the pace of ceremony rather than schedule.

Group Model

Ten guests, five couples, one luxury sleeper coach. Kitchen and security staff travel in their own coach.

Season Window

October – March

Sample Itinerary

  1. Day 1–2

    Thanjavur — The Great Living Chola Temples

    Arrival and the Brihadisvara Temple at dawn, when the 216-foot vimana catches the first light. Evening briefing with our resident scholar on Chola bronze-casting.

  2. Day 3–4

    Gangaikonda Cholapuram & Darasuram

    The lesser-visited Chola capital and the intricately carved Airavatesvara Temple, reached by private coach through the Kaveri delta.

  3. Day 5–7

    Kanchipuram — City of a Thousand Temples

    Kailasanathar and Ekambareswarar temples, paired with a private visit to a Kanchipuram silk-weaving house.

  4. Day 8–10

    Madurai — Meenakshi Amman

    The painted gopurams of Meenakshi Temple by lamplight, closing with a farewell dinner of Chettinad and Tamil vegetarian cuisine.

Tier 2 · 3–4 weeks

Regional Circuit

A full region traced end to end — the Southern temple lands, from Chola bronze to Vijayanagara stone, in one continuous journey.

Group Model

Forty guests, twenty couples, across four luxury sleeper coaches, with dedicated kitchen and security coaches travelling alongside.

Season Window

November – February

Sample Itinerary

  1. Week 1

    Tamil Nadu — The Chola & Pallava Trail

    Thanjavur, Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram's shore temple, and Madurai, tracing thirteen centuries of Dravidian temple architecture.

  2. Week 2

    Kerala — Backwaters and Sanctuaries

    Guruvayur, Padmanabhaswamy in Thiruvananthapuram, and the Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur, interspersed with backwater transfers.

  3. Week 3

    Karnataka — Hoysala & Vijayanagara Stone

    Belur, Halebidu and Somanathapura's soapstone carving, followed by the ruined temple city of Hampi.

  4. Week 4

    Andhra & Telangana — The Deccan Sanctuaries

    Tirumala's hilltop shrine and the thousand-pillar temple at Warangal, closing with a private classical dance performance.

Tier 3 · Multi-month, four seasonal phases

The Grand Yatra

The complete pilgrimage — all of sacred India, followed in four seasonal phases across a single extraordinary year.

Group Model

Forty guests, twenty couples, across four luxury sleeper coaches, with kitchen and security staff in their own coaches throughout, escorted by ex Indian Army, Navy and Air Force personnel, and documented by our in-house film team.

Season Window

South: Nov–Feb · West/Central: Feb–Mar · North: Mar–Apr · East/Northeast: Oct–Nov

Sample Itinerary

  1. Phase I — South

    The Dravidian Heartlands

    Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra — Chola bronzes, Hoysala stone, and the hilltop shrine of Tirumala.

  2. Phase II — West & Central

    Desert Forts and Sacred Rivers

    Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh — the carved sanctuaries of Khajuraho and the temple towns of the western plains.

  3. Phase III — North

    The Himalayan Approach

    Varanasi's ghats, Kedarnath and Badrinath in the high Himalaya, and the Golden Temple at Amritsar.

  4. Phase IV — East & Northeast

    Bengal, Odisha and the Frontier Hills

    Jagannath Puri, the Sun Temple at Konark, and Kamakhya in Assam, closing the Yatra where the subcontinent meets the hills.

Limited Departures

Reserve a place on the founding travellers waitlist

Departures are limited by design. Register your interest and our concierge team will be in touch before public release.

Reserve Interest