The south India has a mesmerizing culture, rich history, and magnificent architecture that is mostly overshadowed by its beaches and backwaters. In south India, you can see the most stunning temples and experience the beauty in its purest form. Here we will discuss some places where you can witness some of the most amazing and beautiful temples.
Madurai (Tamil Nadu)
Madurai is also known as the city of temples because it is home to various temples.
Located in Tamil Nadu, Madurai is famous for having some really magnificent temples in the whole of India. The famous Meenakshi temple is here, one of the grandest temples; the complex of the temple covers 5 acres, and has 4,500 pillars and 12 towers. During the month of April every year, you can experience Chithirai Festival, a 12 days long festival celebrating and reenacting the celestial wedding of the temple's god and goddess.
Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh)
The famous Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, also known as the Tirupati Temple is one of India’s most famous temples.
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is located in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in the Chitoor district of Andhra Pradesh. It is above 2,000 years old, so justifiably you need to stay in a queue to get into the inner sanctum and pray in front of the main idol. You can taste the famous and delicious laddoo as prasad in the end. The idea of a long wait should not intimidate you. Centuries of devotees and pure faith have filled the temple with an incredible sense of tranquility, in spite of the long wait one has to do here.
Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu)
Thanjavur is home to one of the biggest temples in India and is reminiscent of the great Tamil architecture during the Chola period.
Thanjavur also known as Tanjore is a culturally and historically rich place because it was a place the great Chola kingdom revered. It was culturally at its peak during the 11th century during the reign of Chola king Raja Raja I. The great Cholas built more than 70 temples here and the most famous is the Brihadeswara temple. This temple is one of three Great Living Chola Temples listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It turned 1,000 years old in 2010, also making it among the oldest temples dedicated to Lord Shiva in India.
Belur (Karnataka)
Belur, situated on the banks of river Yagachi, 38 km from Hassan, is a world-famous tourist destination mostly because of its grand temples.
Belur is located in Karnataka and is well-known for the spectacular 12th century Chennakeshava temple, made during the reign of Hoysala dynasty to commemorate their victory over the Cholas and dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It took around 103 years to complete the temple and is embellished with some of India's most celebrated sculptures. There are a large number of temples belonging to the Hoysala Empire in Belur, as it was their capital before its downfall in the 14th century.
Lepakshi (Andhra Pradesh)
Lepakshi is a culturally and historically significant site as it is home to shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Virabhadra which were created during the reign of the famous Vijayanagara Empire.
The quiet and small town of Lepakshi, is situated in the Anantapur district of southern Andhra Pradesh. You can visit here on a peaceful day trip from Bangalore in Karnataka. It's famous for its Vijayanagar style of architecture, specifically the Veerabhadra temple that was built in the 16h century. Its main attraction includes a statue of Nandi made with a grand monolithic stone, a strange pillar that hangs from the temple roof without touching the ground, and some of the best mural paintings of the Vijayanagar kings.
