Courtyard Tours

Soaring the lands of Southern India and weaving a story through every journey!

Courtyard Tours -Hear a Story
WHO WE ARE

Hear a Tale!

At Courtyard Tours we curate bespoke tours across the Southern Lands of India. We challenge the status quo of 'history being boring' through immersive cultural experiences by exploring the rich and vibrant heritage of South India. We curate experiences that entice your five senses. We take you on journeys with breathtaking sights of riverside villages, panelled corridors, and intricate rock-cut architectural feats. Your journey would be filled with piquant flavours of South Indian delicacies. You would catch a whiff of aromatic smells drifting from the bustling streets filled with flower vendors and sweetmeat sellers. In the background, not far away, the hymns of the ancient saints would be rendered to the soulful accompaniment of music - All together giving a tingling feel of South India.

At Courtyard Tours, be awe inspired hearing tales about our ancestors and dissolve looking at the beauty of the architectural amazements.

The Hindu, Chennai

OCTOBER 27, 2018

HOW WE WORK

The Process

Understanding your Vision

At Courtyard Tours, every journey is unique as we prioritize you! We want to learn what peaks your tastes and interests and help you find the perfect experience.

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Crafting your Journey

Knowing your interests, we curate a journey that you are sure to cherish. Every part of the journey is carefully chosen from the mode of travel, itinerary, the accommodation, the duration of the trip and the logistics. We provide end-to-end services and will be there every step of the way.

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Enriching your Experience

Our expertise lies in truly understanding the cultural ethos of South India. On your journey you get to interact with local communities that includes artistes and artisans. Experience the rich traditions associated to the region dating back centuries.

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OUR TEAM

Travel With The Experts

We are a team run by experts in music, literature, history, art, heritage, architecture, and philosophy. When you travel to destinations, you are led by experts and scholars in the field. We make sure you discover and experience the lands that we love so much, in the most authentic way.

Jayakumar - Courtyard Tours

S. Jayakumar

Founder & Director

Growing up in Sirkazhi, Tamil Nadu, and later establishing my educational qualifications in the fields of Music, History & Heritage, Tamil Literature, Philosophy and Epigraphy, I developed a strong connection to the Southern Lands of India. Touring across South India with fellow friends and travellers, I realised how these lands had fallen from the collective eyes of the world - thus Courtyard Tours was born. I believe that a better understanding of the past is what will increase our chances of creating a better future, hence my passion for history, art, architecture, and culture forms the foundation of this entrepreneurial journey.

Varsha Kumar - Courtyard Tours

Varsha Kumar

Marketing & Operations

With a background in management and a decade of experience in the Arts and Creative sector, I bring the plan to action at Courtyard Tours. With my expertise I build sustainable business models and run the behind the scenes work of all your Trails and Tours. Driven to bridge the gap between artiste & artisan communities and the global market, I work closely with these communities to navigate the obstacles and find sustainable solutions. I make sure your travel to your destination is as seamless as possible.

Sarathy Sambasivam - Courtyard Tours

Sarathy Sambasivam

Co-Founder & Director

Growing up in a household of Vedic Pandits and scholars, listening to discourses on Indian philosophy and tradition was a part of my everyday life. This upbringing impassioned my urge to travel around the country in the quest of ethereal vibrations. I share with you the stories I have seen, researched and experienced in the Pilgrimage Tours.

Testimonials

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Courtyard Tours

News & Events

Courtyard Tours News The Hindu Chennai
OCTOBER 27, 2018

The Hindu - Chennai

At Courtyard Tours be awe-inspired, hearing tales about our ancestors and dissolve looking at the beauty of the architectural amazements.

courtyard_news_and_events_banner
OCTOBER 27, 2018

The Hindu - Chennai

Promoting Heritage Travel

Jayakumar Baradwaj from the travel company courtyard tours talks about the importance history and culture and how his company helps create awareness

Born in Sirkazhi, Tamilnadu, Jayakumar Baradwaj, 33, is a classical musician, a sound engineer, a historian with expertise in archiving, documentation and epigraphy, a researcher of heritage with knowledge in saiva sidhantha and much more. He is also the founder of an NGO 'Prastara' that has been curating a lot of heritage trails, archiving documents and creating awareness about our long-forgotten culture.

This crusader of Indian culture opted to be a full-time culture preserver. A fan of the Tamil Novel Ponniyin Selvan, Jayakumar was lucky to find virtual like-minded friends who had a passion to explore literature and culture. On their journeys they found monuments that needed urgent help as they were being succumbed to the wear of time. Thus, started their project, to create awareness among students about the importance of our heritage.


I Came Across Two Kinds Of Tourists:

Those who have knowledge of the historical and cultural background of a place and are looking for the extra-mile experience of visiting the place;

Those who need to be introduced to the culture of the place, and through experience, understand the connection with the history, literature, arts, cultural and political landscapes that make that place unique.


As a citizen of any country, it is important to know one's past, especially the cultural past, shares the historian. At Courtyard Tours, his travel company that curates heritage tours and trails, the participants can customize their own tours and be awe-inspired hearing tales about our ancestors and dissolve looking at the beauty of the architectural amazements.

Talking about what you can experience with CT, Jayakumar reveals, "We offer three types of tours-Trails of South India, One-Day Tours and Chennai-City Tours. From the murals of Ajanta and the rock-cut temples of Ellora to the Dutch fort at Tranquebar, our trails of South India take you back in time where history and culture come alive. Each thematic trail spans a duration of 3 or 4 days. Some of our trails include Buddhist Trail, Colonial Trail, Chola Trail, Chalukya Trail, and many more. The one-Day Tours are based out of Chennai and are designed to explore nearby places. Our one-day tours include Mamallapuram, Kanchipuram, Pondicherry, Gingee Fort, etc. The Chennai City Tours include experiencing the unique flavour of the city either in a day or in a few hours.

In our tours, you can experience heritage and culture by not just through Heritage Homestays and Resorts, or Heritage Walks, but also through guided local experience by ways of exploration of native cuisine, cultural performances, local arts and crafts and Interactions with the local community." If you are learning about temples, Jayakumar is also more than happy to sing a few classical songs, that add to the experience. Trails are curated for individuals, families and groups and the maximum number per group is 15.

"A greater understanding of our past will increase the chance of a better future"
Jayakumar Baradwaj

Respecting Nature

"We urge the participants to avoid plastic and carry their own trash bags and make sure that there is no litter we leave behind, in the places we explore!" says Jayakumar, adding, "We are not 100% eco-friendly yet, but we are on our way to achieving that."


CT'S Goals

When asked about the future of the organization, the founder says, "The aim is to put South Indian Heritage and Cultural centres on the global map and make South India an important experiential tourist destination. In the process, we want to establish a network of various stakeholders - local craftsmen and artisans, artists/performers etc. Over the next few years, we want to support these stakeholders and the cultural centres for their betterment. We are also looking to develop heritage homestays across South India. From the point of performing arts, we also want to curate and conduct festivals with historical places and monuments as venues."

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