South India States

Warn and sunny South India, geographically separated by the east-west Vindhya ranges, is distinctly different from North India. Southerners pride themselves on being the orinigal Indians, the indigenous people of this vast country.

» Karnatka

The name 'Karnataka' derives from 'karunadu' - literally the 'lofty land', referring to the Deccan plateau on which much of the State lies. The language of the people is Kannada.

» Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh represents a synthesis of religious customs and traditions. It has the temple of Lord Venkateshwara at Tirumala - one of the most venerated Hindu temples in India, ancient mosques, a towering 61-metre high Cathedral in Medak and the remains of Buddhist structures at Nagarjunakonda going back to the 2nd century BC.

» Tamil nadu

In keeping with the deeply religious moorings of those who live around temple towns, the people of Tamil Nadu proudly wear their caste symbols on their foreheads. Called 'naams' and 'tilaks' these symbols are made of ash, vermilion or sandal paste in a U-shape or horizontal lines.

» Pondichery

Excavations in the Arikamedu area on the right bank of the Ariyankuppam river, 6 km South of Pondicherry town, have revealed that a port town flourished here over 2000 years ago which had trading links with Rome and Greece. And it continued to flourish during the Chola period in the 10th and 11th centuries.

» Kerala

What strikes you most when you first arrive is the seemingly endless green of paddy fields and palm trees, the bright terracotta tiled sloping roofs of the houses, people dressed in whites and the relaxed easy going atmosphere. Lying at the south-western tip of India, and the smallest of the four southern States, Kerala is about 560 kms long and only 120 kms at its widest.