The Temples of southern India

This is the style that developed in the Dravida Desam. The Vimana and the Gopurams are the distictive 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 storeys seperated by a horizontal moulding. The Prakara or the outer wall, envelops the main shrine as well as the other smaller shrines, the tank.
The Pallavas, the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Vijayanagar rulers, the Nayaks all contributed to the Southern style of temples.
Pallava Temples :
The Pallava shrines normally have a Somaskanda relief panel.
Some of the Pallava temples:
Rajasimha temple
Olakkanesvara temple Mukundanayanar temple Shore temple at Mamallapuram Talagiriswara temple at Panamalai in South Arcot Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram (Rajasimha & his son Mahendravarman) Vaikuntha Perumal temple by Nandivarman
Chola Temples
The Cholas erected several temples and also renovated earlier brick structures in stone.
Early Chola temples:
Sundaresvara temple at Tirukattalai (Aditya I) Vijayalaya Choleswaram at Narthamalai Komganatha temple at Srinivasanallur (Parantaka I) Brihadiswara temple at Tanjavur (Raja Raja Chola) Brihadiswara temple at Gangaikonda cholapuram (Rajendra Chola) Airavateswara temple at Darasuram (Raja Raja II) Kamaparharesvara temple at Tirubuvanam (Kulotunga III)
The Pandyas mostly concentrated on the Gopurams, the main entrance. The basic structure and style was maintained, but the decorations on the Gopurams and the size characterises the Pandya Gopurams.
The typical Pandya style can be seen in the
Sundara Pandya Gopuram added to the Jambukesvara temple
Eastern Gopuram, Great Temple, Chidambaram
The main contributions of the Vijayanagar period were the tall massive gopurams and the multiple mandapas. Unlike the Chola style, where the entire temple structure was usually a unified whole, there were numerous mandapas, pillared halls, shrines to minor deities, tanks, etc. Another major feature is the carved pillars - with the rearing simhas (lions), yalis (lions with elephant trunks).
The important temples from the Vijayanager period:
Vitthala Swami temple, Vijayanager
The pillars and gopurams of the Ekambaranatha temple .
Nayak Temples
The Madurai and Tanjavur Nayaks made great contributions - the main characterictics of this period being the elaborate mandapas of the hundred and thousand pillared type, the high gopurams with stucco statues on the surface, the long corridors.
The main temples representing this style in various portions are
The Ranganatha temple at Srirangam - for the increase in the no. of enclosures
The temple at Rameswaram - for the long corridors
The Subramanya temple at the Brihadisvara temple court at Tanjavur - for the fine vimana with ardha and maha mandapas.

Modhera sun temple

Modhera sun temple is mainly dedicated to the Sun God of Hinduism, Lord Surya. It is situated on the bank of the river Pushpavati, it is 10 km from Ahmedabad and 25km from Mehsana. Modhera sun temple was built by King Bhimdev of the Solanki dynasty in 1026 A.D. Solankies were regarded as Suryavanshis, the descendants of Lord Surya.Previously, Modhera sun temple was under the control of of Mahmud Ghazni.


Soalnkis regained their power after a fierce battle. Anahilvad(Solanki Capital), was restored to glory. Modhera sun temple is regarded as one of the most remarkable heritage places in India. This beautiful temple is designed and created in such a way that the first rays of the sun fell on the image of Surya.Its architectural beauty is quite mesmerising.

Modhera sun temple is very popular for its outstanding architectural skills.It is famous for its unique architecture in all over the world.The temple consists of three main elements:

* A stepped tank named after Sun god Surya called Surya Kund.
* A hall used for conferences and religious gatherings called Sabha Mandap.
* The main temple is called Guda Mandap, it once housed the idol of Sun God.

Red Fort or Lal Quila

Delhi's most important monument, in fact our capital is most described by this and is proudly standing since centuries most spectacular monument called Red Fort or Lal Quila, this most important and rich heritage of India was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century, Red Fort is has got its place on massive expanse of land.


It is surrounded by 2 kilometers long walls, Lal Quila has so manybuildings that are located in its premises, they extend from halls and palaces to apartments and gardens, if you want to enter Red Fort then the main entrance is from Lahori Gate, you will come across a bazaar that sells so many paintings, carpets and jwellery it is called as Meena Bazaar.

Diwan-I-Aam is the hall for public audiences and has got its place in the boundaries of fort , the place where ruler used to solve the problems of people and he was supposed to be seated on a marble pinnacle, and the place where private meetings would be conducted by the king, and most renowned and world famous Peacock throne has got its place in the center.

Red fort has got the place of colours that is also known as the name of Rang Mahal, here the wives of Kings and mistresses stay, the other beautiful structures are Pearl Mosque, that was used for Aurangzeb, the great Mughal Emperor personally, at red fort there are various special light and sound shows take place for public. This monument speaks about India's glory.

Tirupati Balaji Temple,

The most famous temple of India, Tirupati Balaji Temple, is having great significance in the country, there are devotees from all over the world, and it is one of the most important Hindu Pilgrimage.

Tirupati Balaji Temple is located in Chittor district of Andra Pradesh, located on the Venkatam Hill, it is said that it is hill of Lord Vishnu, and it is one of the richest temple of the country.



Enjoy the rich culture and tradition : Visit to the world famous shrine of lord Venkateswar is full of cultural and religious celebration. Worshiping before the holy figure of lord Venkateswar lets one witness the rich South Indian culture and rich traditions.

Temple sightseeing : Besides the main temple of lord Venkateswar, there are several other temples like Papavinasanam, Vaikuntha Tirtham and Tumburu Tirtham famous for its architectural excellence and high religious significance.

Shopping : Series of shops selling handicrafts items await you once you are over with temple sightseeing. Better, you walk to Lepakshi Emporium, famous for selling handicrafts amenities at reasonable price.

Festivals : Everyday the temple gets exalted with some short of festival. Brahmotsavam, the 9-days annual festival of the temple is the best time to visit the temple as the whole town is lost in sacred touch of divinity.

Nalanda

Nalanda was eatablished in 5 century AD; university remained a center of almost 800 years.The remnants of Nalanda university is located just 90 Km away from Patna. The site of this ancient university is now preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India. Other than the site of this university you will also visit other places of interest like Hieun Tsang Memorial Hall, Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, The Nalanda Archaeological Museum and Surajpur Baragon.



Nalanda was a very famous Buddhist site of learning, though it was basically a Buddhist center of learning but this university imparted education on many topics. This university also imparts education on Vedas, grammar, logic, rhetoric, meta-physics, prose composition, medicine and yoga. It is believed that the two all time great men of the world, Lord Buddha and Mahavira preached their lessons in this university.

Nalanda University had a very big library. This library had a huge collection of 9 million books. The remains of this university are scattered in area of whopping 14 acres. In the modern time a very large part of the site of the university has been excavated but still a large section of the remnants of this university has remained unexplored. Historical evidences have proved that this university was the home of 10,000 students with 2,000 teachers who taught them.

The famous Chinese traveler Hieun Tsang visited this university. He stayed in this university for a period of 12 years. In his memoirs this famous Chinese traveler has given an account of his days in the Nalanda University.

Devigarh

Devigarh is a fort palace nested in the old Aravali Hills of Rajasthan. It is an 18th Century Fort in the village of Delwara. This Fort forms one of the three main passes into the valley of Udaipur.



The city has a rich cultural heritage and offers abundant scope for sight seeing. The village of Delwara, which houses the Devigarh Fort takes pride in housing four 14th Century Jain temples. It is a 450 year old village and consists of Muslims, Jains, Rajput and tribal people.

Devigarh has a good transportation network and is about 45 minutes drive from Udaipur. Udaipur has road, rail and air network with all major cities in India. Besides, the Fort Hotel at Devigarh provides accommodation at luxury.


Touristplacesinindia.com is an international travel site and a repository of useful information about Devigarh and on other related information about the city.

Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram is located on the Coromadal Coast facing Bay of Bengal and it is recognized by in all over the country for is monolithic structure. Mahabalipuram is also famous for its rich heritage and culture that draw a large number of tourists from various parts of the country. Its has a finest monuments and temples those are monolithic, apart from beautiful beaches.



There are number of this which are famous in the Mahabalipuram and the most famous thing is its sculpture, its buildings which are beautifully designed. Hence, the most prominent attraction of Mahabalipuram is the unique relief work that depicts various themes from the famous Indian legends. There are many beautiful temples, which are beautifully designed; its sculptures are the major attraction. There are many places, which you can explore in the city and outside the city. There are some places, which are worth paying like Crocodile Bank, Vedanthagal, Covelong, Muttukadu.

Due to the growth of tourist in Mahabalipuram, there is a facility of decent hotels, resorts to stay in the city and there is good transportation for the convenience of tourist from which they can easily rome around the city and have a fun of surrounding.