A train can be a building in motion. The Golden Chariot provides a concentrated field in which to examine how programme structure, material choices, and craft adapt to the constraints of rail travel and to the expectations of a heritage itinerary. This piece considers the train itself as an architectural proposition, and then follows the built sites that give the journey its meaning.
The train as a built object
Picture Courtesy- Trip Savvy
The Golden Chariot was conceived as an all suite train, and it presents a deliberate sequence of carriages that reference historic dynasties through name and decorative motifs. The train comprises eleven coaches and forty four cabins. Its exterior livery uses purple and gold as a graphic device that signals a curated heritage proposition before a passenger has reached the platform. Internally, the organisation of public and private spaces responds to circulation logic and social thresholds. A central lounge functions as a gathering room, adapted to the narrow constraints of a carriage, and the dining areas are arranged to support efficient service flow while keeping a composed public realm.
Routes and architectural encounters
Picture Courtesy- Pinterest/ Flickr
Itineraries are arranged as sequences of architectural encounters. Typical departures last five nights and six days on the longer route, and three nights and four days on the shorter variant. The train links royal courts, temple complexes, merchant houses, and coastal precincts, so that a passenger moves in a matter of days from the compact courtly plan of a city palace to the open monumental field of a temple complex. That sequence encourages direct comparison between tectonic systems and construction logics.
Golden Chariot destinations to explore the heritage and culture of South India
- Hampi, for its fragmented colonnades, temple enclosures, and complex stone textures
- Mysore palace, for ceremonial rooms, painted ceilings, and axial approaches
- Mahabalipuram shore temples, for rock cut relief and coastal setting
- Chettinad houses, for planned courtyards, traditional joinery, and verandas
- Fort Kochi, for adaptive reuse projects and colonial warehouses repurposed as galleries
Cabins, facilities, and interior materiality
Picture Courtesy- Golden Chariot
Accommodation is organised as a mix of double and twin cabins, plus a cabin designed for passengers with mobility needs. Public spaces include two restaurants, a lounge, a conference coach, a spa, and a small fitness area. The restaurants are named Ruchi and Nalapaka, and the lounge bar borrows motifs from regional palatial interiors. The conference coach is equipped with audio visual facilities, and it accommodates about thirty guests. These service elements demonstrate how hospitality and technical requirements are reconciled inside a moving building.
On the inside, the cabin fit out uses regional timber detailing, brass fittings, and textiles that reference local pattern making. Joinery is prioritised so that seams and connections read as part of the composition, rather than as afterthoughts. Materials are chosen for durability and for the way light falls across surfaces during a journey. Generous windows transform passing topography into framed elevations that passengers can study as they travel.
Craft, conservation, and authorship
Picture Courtesy- Golden Chariot
The route makes visible the labour of small workshops and of regional crafts. Stone carving, lime plaster work, teak joinery, and metal finishes recur in both monuments and on board decoration. Observing these crafts in situ raises practical questions about conservation strategy, supply chains for repair, and the capacity of heritage bodies to sustain skilled making.
Here’s what you need to know to plan your ride
The service operates on a seasonal timetable, and departures are published in advance. Tickets generally include meals, guided visits, and entry charges. For architects, historians, and students, the Golden Chariot functions as a moving studio. Bring a camera, a sketchbook, and focused questions so that visits become precise acts of observation rather than unfocused sightseeing.
If the objective is to learn how climate, craft, and ritual influence form, the Golden Chariot offers a compact curriculum in southern building types. The train itself merits scrutiny as a designed object that frames and interprets the monuments it links.
Ar. Pranjali Gandhare
Architect | Architectural Journalist | Historian
