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South India

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Visitors explore the Kailasa Temple (Cave 16) inside the Ellora Caves complex.

©Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock

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Overview

Like a giant wedge plunging into the ocean, South India is the subcontinent's steamy heartland – a lush contrast to the peaks and plains up north.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Asura on Madurai Temple Gopuram

    Meenakshi Amman Temple

    Madurai

    The colourful abode of the triple-breasted warrior goddess Meenakshi (‘fish-eyed’ – an epithet for perfect eyes in classical Tamil poetry) is generally…

  • Interior of royal bath

    Golconda Fort

    Hyderabad

    Hyderabad's most impressive sight, this monumental fort lies on the western edge of town. In the 16th century the Qutb Shahs made Golconda a fortified…

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    Elephanta Island

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    Northeast of the Gateway of India in Mumbai Harbour, the rock-cut temples on Gharapuri, better known as Elephanta Island, are a Unesco World Heritage Site…

  • Kailas Temple, Ellora

    Kailasa Temple

    Maharashtra

    One of India’s greatest monuments, this astonishing temple, carved from solid rock, was built by King Krishna I in AD 760 to represent Mt Kailasa (Kailash…

  • Cave Temples

    Cave Temples

    Karnataka

    Badami’s highlights are its beautiful cave temples, three Hindu and one Jain, which display exquisite sculptures and intricate carvings. They're a…

  • Government Museum exterior, Chennai. Tamil Nadu, India (2004)

    Government Museum

    Chennai (Madras)

    Housed across from the striking British-built Pantheon Complex, this excellent museum is Chennai’s best. The big highlight is building 3, the Bronze…

  • Wayanad, Kerala, India

    Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

    Northern Kerala

    Wayanad's ethereal 345-sq-km sanctuary is accessible only by two-hour jeep safari (₹680), on which you might spot langurs, chital deer, sambar, peacocks,…

  • Christmas decorations on The Church of the Immaculate Conception.

    Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

    Panaji

    Panaji’s spiritual, as well as geographical, centre is this elevated, pearly white church, built in 1619 over an older, smaller 1540 chapel, and stacked…

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