India is a country that is known for its rich cultural heritage and spiritual traditions. Large temples made in ancient architectural styles, as well as religious shrines residing in stone buildings, both can be found in almost all parts of the country, including South India. Comprising of the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana, South India offers a host of distinct shrines, temples, churches and other spiritually significant sites. By booking a south India pilgrimage tour from a renowned travel agency you would be able to see some of the magnificent Dravidian temples, ancient caves and a number of architectural marvels.
Here are some of the most popular culturally significant sites of South India:
1 . Badami cave temples, Karnataka: This is essentially a large cave temple complex, comprising of a Jain, a Buddhist and four Hindu temples. These caves present a fine example of ancient Indian rock-cut designing, especially the Badami Chalukya architecture that dates back to the 6th century. These cave temples are renowned for being some of the earliest known examples of Hindu temples in the Deccan region. Carved in red stone, this temple complex offers spectacular sights of ancient paintings and sculpture, making it a popular pilgrimage and tourist destination.
2. Guruvayur Temple, Kerala: This temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Guruvayurappan, who is known to be a four-armed form of Lord Vishnu. This is one of the most reverred Hindu pilgrimage spots, and is locally referred to as ‘Bhuloka Vaikunta’ the literal meaning of which is "Holy Abode of Vishnu on Earth". Devotees from near and far come here in order to make offerings of coins, spices and fruits, often equivalent to their own weight.
3. Veerabhadra Temple, Andhra Pradesh: This 16th century temple reflects the famed Vijayanagara style of architecture, with the exquisite carvings present on its walls. The elaborate fresco paintings present in this temple depict the scenes of Rama and Krishna from the epic stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata. There is a statue of a huge bull that is carved from a single block of stone, which represents Nandi, the mount of Lord Shiva.
4. Padmakshi temple, Telangana: Also known as the ‘Kadalalaya basadi’, this Jain temple is dedicated to Goddess Padmavati. Located on a quaint hilltop, this temple was constructed during the Kakatiya reign. This temple also comprises of the sculptures of the Jain Tirthankara's. Once a year, more than a lakh of women visit this temple in order to celebrate the famous Bathukamma festival.
5. Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu: This is one of the most popular destinations for worship among Hindus, due to the auspicious Kumari Amman Temple and the marvelous Thiruvalluvar Statue. This city itself gets its name from Devi Kanyakumari, who is known to be an incarnation of goddess Durga. The temple of Kanyakumari comes under the 108 Shaktipeethas of the Hindu religion that is dedicated to the female form of supreme energy.
6. Udupi Srikrishna Temple, Karnataka: This temple is renowned for its unique and exceptional idol of Lord Krishna. The idol present in the temple has its back to the temple entrance and therefore can only be seen through the back door or rear window.
7. Manakula Vinayagar Temple, Pondicherry: This ancient temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh predates the time of French rule in Pondicherry. The magnificent 18 feet gold plated kodikambam present in this temple is one of its biggest highlights. Hindu pilgrims from across the world visit this temple to get a head pat from the auspicious temple elephant and seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha.
In order to book a South India pilgrimage tour, you can contact one of the renowned travel and tour agencies of the country. In my opinion, you should ensure that the agency has been accredited by IATA and has been approved by Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India as well, to be assured of the quality of their services.