South India: Incredible India Tours

South India is renowned all across the globe for its magnificent charm and various tourist attractions. The region is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the South, the Arabian Sea on the South-West and the Bay of Bengal on the South-East, which makes it unique from all other destinations in the world.

Kathakali Dancer: Kerala's most iconic symol and a cultural dance

Alappuzza, also known as Alleppey is a small town in Kerala. It was also described as the’ Venice of the East’ by Lord Curzon. It is renowned across the world for its picturesque backwaters and beaches.  Alappuzza beach offers magnificent views of the Arabian Sea and on the other hand, backwaters are the major source of tourist attraction in Alappuzza.

Backwaters and Kettuvallams in Alappuzza

Kochi, also known as ‘Gateway of Kerala’ is located on the West coast of India by the Arabian Sea. The 2^nd largest city of Kerala, Kochi features a tropical monsoon climate all the year round. This beautiful city has the spectacular Western Ghats on the East and the magnificent Arabian Sea on the West. One of the major attractions of Kochi is the Chinese Fishing Nets.

Chinese Fishing Nets in Kochi

Kovalam, also known as ‘Paradise of the South’ is renowned across the world for its beaches. The major sources of attractions are surfing, wooden boat ride and motor boat ride. This sleepy beach burst into international scene when hippies flocked to its pristine beaches in late 70s. There’s much to do in Kovalam apart from exploring and basking in glory of this sun and sand tropical paradise. Souvenir shopping is one of the major pastimes in Kovalam from the shops located at the beaches. The eponymous lighthouse located at the southern beach is the oldest lighthouse of Kerala.

A stunning view of the Kovalam Beach

Mahabalipuram is a small and beautiful town located in Kanchipuram district in Tamil Nadu. The town still has many magnificent and spectacular monuments, which were built between 7^th and 9^th centuries. The group of monuments at Mahabalipuram also happens to designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temples in Mahabalipuram were built in the era of Narasimhavarman, which showcase movement from rock cut style to structural building. The town also has two low hills, which is about 400 m above from the sea level on both sides. The larger one has 11 excavated temples, popularly known as Mandapas.

Nilgiri Mountain Railway, built by the British in 1908 operates its services in the state of Tamil Nadu. In 2005 the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) was declared as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Southern Railway operates the NMR, which earns an annual income of Rs. 4 crores by NMR only.

Great Living Chola Temples include the temples, which are the Brihadeeswara Temple, the temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram and the Airavatesvara temple located in the South India. These temples were built at the time of Chola rule and the Brihadeeswara temple was declared as the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. On the other hand, the other two temples were declared as the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

Hampi is a small and beautiful village, which is situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, in the state of Karnataka. The Group of Monuments at Hampi is recognized as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Vijayanagra festival, organized by the government annually in November is the major source of attraction.

Stone Chariot of Hampi after which the Golden Chariot, one of the luxury trains in India is named

Pattadakal is also a small village located in Karnataka, which lies on the banks of the Malaprabha River. It attracts tourists with the fascinating charm of its historic temples. It was also declared as the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The various group of temples located at the village include Virupaksha temple, Sangameshvara, Mallikarjuna temple, Kashivisvanatha temple, etc.

There's much more to South India than this. If you need more information or details about destinations in South India, plese feel free to contact me.