India Tour By Heart

Dakshin Darshan

If we wish to look India by Heart then specific culture of universe may be seen in South India only. We know, it may not be sufficient to write about it but we can little bit attempt to highlight few attractions. Traditional values can be defined to impress upon the feelings of Tourist, Place & living world of the South.

We see the festivals of South to understand the tradition and culture of a society. It has many colorful and vibrant festivals. Onam and Pongal are some of the harvest festivals while Ugadi, Vishu, Maha Shivaratri, Dussherah, Diwali, Christmas and Id are the other which are celebrated in this part of the land. Sculptures in temples are to keep history as proof & preserving south Indian dance forms as well. Architecture work of Mahabalipuram, Tanjore, Hampi and Madurai along with the mural paintings of Travancore and hanging pillers of Lepakshi temples are living testaments to South India’s richness in the field of art. A visit to India is incomplete without this fine aspect. Tirupati Balaji Temple or the Meenakshi Temple has some of the most exotic and beautiful shrines.

The architecture and striking distinctiveness of these temples from those in the other parts of the country have captured the imagination of every tourist. These temples are in essence the windows to south India’s beautiful culture. The literary excellence of this region is also among the best! The traditional silk and cotton sarees of the area are a favourite. The kanchipuram sarees are just one of the emblems of the beautiful sarees that women. The men traditionally wear could be a white dhoti or a colourful lungi.

Variety of dance forms which are immensely popular throughout the world, Bharatanatyam, Kathakali and Kuchipudi are just a few of these elaborate dance forms. These dances are a celebration of life and are embodiments of grace, purity and delightful poses. These dances are the bridges connecting the rich heritage of this part of India to the outside world. A large part of the South Indian population belongs to the Shaivite and Vaishnavite branches of Hinduism. There is also a large Muslim community too. Christianity is another major religion down south. The fact to note here is that with people belonging to different religious schools of thoughts living together, south Indian culture has imbibed and is infact known for a largely tolerant and progressive attitude. Carnatic Music is the Indian Classical music you associate with the states of the southern Indian peninsula- Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. It is among the two main branches of Classical music in India. Last but not least, fooding of south would have been forever deprived of the mouth watering tastes of Dosa and Idli, if it wasn’t for the culinary wealth of the south. Rice, Coconut oil, delicious pickles, spicy aromatic curries, delectable sea food, south Indian coffee, pongal, sambhar and vadai are just some of the soulful offering from the southern peninsula. The scrumptiousHyderabadi biryani is another illustrious addition to the list. South India’s cuisine is definitely an integral thread of its cultural uniqueness.