Must-see attractions in South India

  • Stucco work in the Maratha Darbar Hall in Thanjavur Palace, Tanjore, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India . (Photo by: IndiaPictures/UIG via Getty Images)

    Royal Palace

    Thanjavur (Tanjore)

    Thanjavur’s royal palace is a mixed bag of ruin and renovation, superb art and random royal paraphernalia. The mazelike complex was constructed partly by…

  • 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…

  • Thanjavur (Tanjore) - Brihadishwara Temple, Tamil Nadu, India - stock photo

    Brihadeeshwara Temple

    Thanjavur (Tanjore)

    Come here twice: in the morning, when the honey-hued granite begins to assert its dominance over the white dawn sunshine, and in the evening, when the…

  • 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

    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,…

  • Bibi-qa-Maqbara in Aurangabad

    Bibi-qa-Maqbara

    Aurangabad

    Built by Aurangzeb’s son Azam Khan in 1679 as a mausoleum for his mother Rabia-ud-Daurani, Bibi-qa-Maqbara is widely known as the poor man’s Taj. With its…

  • Ellora caves, Aurangabad

    Ajanta Caves

    Maharashtra

    Ajanta’s caves line a steep face of a horseshoe-shaped gorge bordering the Waghore River. Five of the caves are chaityas (assembly or prayer halls) while…

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    Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    Mumbai’s most famous landmark, this stunning hotel is a fairy-tale blend of Islamic and Renaissance styles, and India’s second-most-photographed monument…

  • India, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad. The Charminar, or four minars, is no longer a mosque but remains one of Indias best known buildings.

    Charminar

    Hyderabad

    Hyderabad’s principal landmark and city symbol was built by Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 to commemorate the founding of Hyderabad and the end of…

  • cubbon park, bangalore

    Cubbon Park

    Bengaluru (Bangalore)

    In the heart of Bengaluru’s business district is Cubbon Park, a well-maintained 120-hectare garden where Bengaluru’s residents converge to steal a moment…

  • Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    This gorgeous museum, built in Renaissance revival style in 1872 as the Victoria & Albert Museum, contains 3500-plus objects centring on Mumbai’s history …

  • Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    Imposing, exuberant and overflowing with people, this monumental train station is the city’s most extravagant Gothic building and an aphorism of colonial…

  • Synagogue, Jewtown, Cochin, India

    Pardesi Synagogue

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Originally built in 1568, Mattancherry's synagogue was partially destroyed by the Portuguese in 1662, and rebuilt two years later when the Dutch took…

  • ISKCON Temple Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

    Iskcon Temple

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    Iskcon Juhu plays a key part in the Hare Krishna story, as founder AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada spent extended periods here (you can visit his modest…

  • Also known as Dutch Palace, the Mattancherry palace with its medieval charm is situated at Palace Road, Mattancherry, 10km from Ernakulam city, Kochi, Kerala, India. (Photo by: MyLoupe/UIG via Getty Images)

    Mattancherry Palace

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Mattancherry Palace was a generous gift presented to the Raja of Kochi, Veera Kerala Varma (1537–65), as a gesture of goodwill by the Portuguese in 1555…

  • Arjuna’s Penance

    Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)

    The crowning masterpiece of Mamallapuram’s stonework, this giant relief carving is one of India's greatest ancient artworks. Inscribed on two huge,…

  • Women and girls washing clothes in holy bathing tank, the Ramkund.

    Ramkund

    Nashik

    This sacred River Godavari bathing ghat in the heart of Nashik’s old quarter, a Kumbh Mela venue, sees hundreds of Hindu pilgrims arriving daily to bathe,…

  • Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple

    Tamil Nadu

    The temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram ('City of the Chola who Conquered the Ganges'), 35km north of Kumbakonam, is dedicated to Shiva. It was built by…

  • Mysuru Palace

    Mysuru (Mysore)

    The second-most-visited sight in India (after the Taj Mahal), this palace is among the very grandest of India’s royal buildings and was the seat of the…

  • Kapaleeshwarar Temple

    Chennai (Madras)

    Mylapore is one of Chennai's most characterful and traditional neighbourhoods; it predated colonial Madras by several centuries. Its Kapaleeshwarar Temple…

  • Sula Vineyards

    Nashik

    Sula Vineyards, located 15km west of Nashik, commands around 65% of the Indian wine market. It offers a slick, professional tour (around 45 minutes) of…

  • Padmanabhapuram Palace

    Tamil Nadu

    With a forest’s worth of intricately carved rosewood ceilings and polished-teak beams, this labyrinthine palace, 35km northwest of Kanyakumari, near the…

  • Bidar Fort

    Karnataka

    The remnants of this magnificent 15th-century fort, the largest in South India – and once the administrative capital of much of the region – constitute…

  • Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve

    Maharashtra

    One of the best places to see tigers in India, the seldom-visited Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, 150km south of Nagpur, is now much more accessible thanks…

  • Qutb Shahi Tombs

    Hyderabad

    The subject of one of India's most ambitious heritage projects, these magnificent domed granite tombs form part of a huge archaeological park that is…

  • Golgumbaz

    Karnataka

    Set in tranquil gardens, the magnificent Golgumbaz houses the tombs of emperor Mohammed Adil Shah (r 1627–56), his two wives, his mistress (Rambha), one…

  • Sassoon Docks

    Mumbai (Bombay)

    No sense is left unaffected at Mumbai's incredibly atmospheric fishing docks, dating to 1875, the oldest and largest wholesale fish market in Mumbai. A…

  • Shree Chhatrapati Shahu Museum

    Maharashtra

    ‘Bizarre’ takes on a whole new meaning at this ‘new’ palace, an Indo-Saracenic behemoth designed by British architect ‘Mad’ Charles Mant for the Kolhapur…

  • Vittala Temple

    Hampi

    Hampi's most exquisite structure, the 16th-century Vittala Temple stands amid boulders 2.5km from Hampi Bazaar. Work possibly started on the temple during…

  • Arunachaleshwar Temple

    Tiruvannamalai

    This 10-hectare temple is one of India's largest. Its oldest parts date to the 9th century, but the site was a place of worship long before that. Four…

  • Chowmahalla Palace

    Hyderabad

    This opulent 18th- and 19th-century palace compound, the main residence of several nizams, comprises several grandiose buildings and four garden…

  • Virupaksha Temple

    Hampi

    The focal point of Hampi Bazaar is this temple, one of the city’s oldest structures, and Hampi’s only remaining working temple. The main gopuram (gateway)…

  • Om Beach

    Gokarna

    One of Karnataka's best beaches, Gokarna has a famous stretch of sand that twists and turns over several kilometres to resemble the outline of an Om…

  • Ellora Cave Temples

    Maharashtra

    The saga of the hammer and chisel comes full circle at the Unesco World Heritage-listed Ellora cave temples, located 30km from Aurangabad. The pinnacle of…

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