5 places to visit in south India

India, a country of more than a billion people has lot to offer. The level of diversity in terms of religion, language and traditions itself makes India a very special place. There are lot of places in India which you could plan to visit if you are going to pack your bags anytime soon. Other than the major cities which and certain tourist centres which are routinely showcased on travel brochures , there are many other hidden wonders waiting to be explored . We take a look at south India this time .

A train trip from Bangalore to Udupi –

This was one of my best experiences to date in terms of travel. A morning train from Bangalore to Udupi is an amazing experience. The railways trip through Western Ghats which is biodiversity hot spot. It passes along the forests where you come across beautiful sceneries especially the climbing and the descent phase along the hills. The best time to go here would be in between august and October. When you climb the hills into the tunnel slowly it literally feels like you are in heaven with the rain dripping down. The heights are quite terrifying though. But the area is a visual delight. I suggest you take semi AC coach or the general compartment. But for an amazing experience you need to take the lowest class that is the general compartment. But it is not for everyone in terms of comfortability.

         I loved the view there . Wish i had a better camera .

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                       A view of sunset in Udupi .

Ellora caves –

Ellora caves is a wonder which is a must visit for any tourist visiting India. The place will leave you in awe. It is one of the largest rock cut monastery caves in the world. The biggest attraction there is the Kailasha temple which is the largest single monolithic excavation in the world. How they have built it surprises me to this day. There have been many mysteries regarding how such huge amounts of rock were removed using the technology at that time. What is even more shocking is you can't find any rubble or rocks from the excavation nearby. It also features a cantilever structure which shows the advancement of the understanding of engineering concepts of the people of that time. There are many caves which belong to Buddhist, Hindu and Jains. This signifies the religious harmony among the communities back then.

                     Kailasa temple

                    South east corner Kailasa temple

Hampi –

Hampi used to be the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. There are lot of monuments and historical building for you to see. It is a UNESCO world heritage site. You can check out the vithala temple and the Elephant stables. Vithala temples are famous for its musical pillars. The iconic stone chariot is one the main attractions. The pillars produce musical tones when struck with the thumb. You could also check out the Virupaksha temple which is to this day still used for worship.
One of the most curious things is the underground shiva temple which was known as Prasanna Virupaksha temple. The sanctum and the core parts of the temple are under water thus restricting an entry to it. But the canal system around the main temple is dry so you can move around it. But the area where the Shiva Linga is present there is presence of water. Overall it is an architectural and a historical delight. Efforts have been taken to restore some of the monuments. There are more than 85 places in the Hampi site which are of great interest. Do take water bottles along in case of fatigue as you have a lot to explore and also because Indian climate takes time to adjust.

                             Stone chariot

Mysuru Dasara –

Mysuru Dasara is the state festival of the state of Karnataka. It is also called Navaratri and is a 10-day festival, celebrated with utmost pomp and gaiety in the city of Mysuru. The Dasara festivities have a very long and rich history of more than 400 years. Mysuru, or Mahishur as it was called in the past, traces its history back to the mythical past, when Goddess Chamundeshwari of Chamundi Hill, killed the wicked buffalo-headed demon, Mahishasura. This event that marked the victory of Good over Evil is the inspiration behind the Dasara festivities. The entire city gets itself up to celebrations that include a majestic procession, dance, music, varieties of cultural activities and a torch light parade. Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit, nava meaning nine and ratri meaning nights. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/Devi are worshiped. This is must watch for anyone who visits India and wants to relive the Indian ancient practices and history .

                                     Mysore Palace

Jog Falls –

It is located in the Shimoga district of Karnataka, are the Shimoga falls which are popularly known as the Jog falls and one of the best places to visit in South India. The Jog waterfalls are the second highest plunge waterfalls of India. During the monsoon season, the already bustling waterfall becomes even more alive, and the surrounding greenery only adds to the beauty and magnificence of these waterfalls. Rainbows are also a very common sight here during the monsoons. But due to drought like situation in karnataka and rains dwindling very fast as years go by you don’t get to view its true power after September.

                                Jog falls

Pic Credits -

Jog falls -
I, Sarvagnya [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Kailasa temple
By Sanket901 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

South east corner Kailasa temple
By G41rn8 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Stone chariot
By Ramnath Shenoy (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Dasara festival -
By Ananth BS (Flickr: Mysore Palace) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons