South India tour: Temple Tour

The landscape of India's south is dotted with magnificent temples. Most of these temples were built by the medieval rulers of south India like Cholas, Chalukyas, Nayakas, Pallavas, Kakatiyas and Vijayanagar rulers. All of them had their own distinct architectural style of constructing the temples. Of the hundreds of south Indian temples, Meenakshi temple in Madurai, Rock Fort Temple in Thiruchirapalli, Tirupati Tirumala Balaji in Tirupati and Somnathpur Temple in Karnataka are the most popular.
Lavishly built and aesthetically designed, the temples of South India are unmatched in architectural brilliance. But more than being mere symbols of architectural genius these temples are living emodiments of rich tradition and culture that has made India proud.
South India tour primarily includes the main tourist destinations including monuments, temples, beaches wild life, hill stations, Ayurveda centers and other popular tourist spots that form an integral part of South India tourist packages. India, with its rich cultural and historical heritage, boasts of well preserved temples and pilgrim sites. Tourists and pilgrims not only from India, but traveling from every corner of the globe, come to India to offer their prayers to various Gods and Goddesses. Temple tours in India are very common in this country. The best way to find inner peace and solace is to embark upon temple tours. The very thought of this has such a calming impact on mind, whether it is realized or not. And when it is about paying visits to the temple, then what can be an ideal destination than India. Considered as the place of origin of noted religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, India has thousands of temples and holy shrines consecrated to various gods and goddesses.
outhern India is dotted with places of religious interest. Rameshwaram is an island- of Lord Rama`s temple at Tamil Nadu and is a terrific destination. These temples in South India are not only the sign of architectural intellect but also living representation of rich tradition and culture that has made India proud.
This is the style that developed in the Dravida Desam. The Vimana and the Gopurams are the distinctive characteristics of the Southern style. The Vimana is a tall pyramidal tower consisting of several progressively smaller storeys. This stands on a square base. The Gopuram has two stories separated by a horizontal molding. The Prakara or the outer wall, covers the main temple as well as the other smaller temples.The Pallavas, the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Vijayanagar rulers, the Nayaks all contributed to the Southern style of temples from the ancient time.

Andhra Pradesh Temples:
Tirupati TempleThe temples of Andhra Pradesh State not only possess religious but also historic value. These are the real exposure to art and sculpture, an adventure in philosophy and a lifetime experience. Some of the important temples, which are prevalent in Andhra Pradesh, are as follows:
Lepakshi Temple, Thousand Pillar Temple, Tirupati Temple, Srisailam Temple, Mukhalingam Temple, Jain Mandir, Chennakesava Temple, Gunupudi Someswara Temple, Chennakesavaswami Temple, etc are some of huge importance.

Karnataka Temples:
Vithala TempleThe temples of Karnataka are very old and rich in tradition and culture. There is a halo of peace and serenity that surrounds the temples of Karnataka. The temples are of typical Dravidian style. These temples have survived the difficulties of time. Some of the important temples of this region are as follows:
Bull Temple, Cave Temples, Virupaksha Temple, Vithala Temple, Chamundeswari Temple, Hidimbeshwar Temple, channakeshava Temple, Krishna Temple, Atmalinga Temple, Hazara Temple, Gavi Gangadeshwara Temple, etc are or much significance.

Kerala Temples:
Sabarimala TempleThe religious temples of Kerala show the devotees a path to spirituality. These temples have a magical effect that can turn an atheist into a religious person. The temples present in Kerala state are distinct from temples present in any other parts of the country. The temples in Kerala are in synchrony with the geography of the region and vibrate with traditions of the region.

Some of the important temples are as follows:
Guruvayoor Temple, Sabarimala Temple, Sivagiri Temple, Tiruvalla Temple, Ettumanoor Temple, Mannarshala Temple, Thirunavaya Temple, Ambalapuzha Temple, Vaikom Temple, Oachira Temple, Thirunelli Temple, Chottanikkara Temple, etc.

Tamil Nadu Temples:
Tamil Nadu is the abode of some important temples in South India. The state has some monuments of great artistic value. Most of the ancient temples were built of mortar and brick and were scooped out of rocks. Rameshwaram, Thanjavur, Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram, Chidambaram, Meenakshi Temple, and Ekambareswarar, Thanjavur, Jain Temple are some of the famous temples of Tamil Nadu.