Southern India: A Historic and Tourist Link

Southern India has been the first point of entry to India for foreign visitors for centuries due to its maritime access, surrounded by the Arabian Sea to the southwest, the Indian Ocean to the south, and the Bay of Bengal to the southeast. Many invaders, sailors, and foreign travelers entered India through the south, with the most famous being Vasco da Gama from Portugal, who landed in Calicut, now Kerala, on May 20, 1498. Today, Southern India comprises the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, along with the Union Territories of Puducherry (Pondicherry) and Lakshadweep. While European sailors and invaders entered India through the southern coast, Muslims entered from the north. As a result, Muslim influence in Southern India is quite limited compared to Northern India.

In recent decades, Southern India has gained prominence on the country’s tourist map. A trip to Southern India allows one to visit historic cities like Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), Kanchipuram, Trichy, Thanjavur, Madurai, Mysore, Hassan, Hoysala, and Hampi, as well as the beautiful beaches of Kovalam, Varkala, and Lakshadweep. One can stay on a houseboat in the famous backwaters of Kerala, explore tea plantations in Munnar and Wayanad, and visit the colonial territories of Puducherry, which were governed by the French. In fact, the Mysore Palace, also known as the Amba Vilas Palace in Karnataka, is the second most visited monument in India after the Taj Mahal.

There are many national parks in Southern India, with the Periyar National Park, Mudumalai National Park, and Nagarhole National Park being the most famous. These national parks are a true delight for nature lovers and offer sightings of animals such as elephants, jackals, tigers, leopards, gaur, sambars, spotted deer, mongooses, civet cats, hyenas, and sloth bears, along with nearly 250 species of birds and a wide variety of wildlife.