When you travel across South India, you will find ancient temples, monuments, and other structures that are quite unique in their design and style. While temples are quite massive and usually display the Dravidian architectural style, other old structures show a lot of methodical planning in their construction. What you will typically come across is the gopuram, which has many beautiful sculptures and carvings that reveal mythological stories.
Places that you must visit to experience ancient South Indian architectural marvels?
Many of the ancient sites are UNESCO heritage sites because of their architectural beauty, which displays beautiful ancient craftsmanship. Look up the Dubai to Chennai flight ticket price to find out how much it will cost to reach Chennai and grab deals to cut down on this expense. Come to Chennai. Here is a look at the top places you must visit for their architectural splendour.
- One of the most visited places is the Kapaleeshwarar Temple, located in Mylapore, Chennai. The temple complex is huge, and its typical Dravidian architecture, carved pillars, and colourful gopuram are a must-see and also photograph.
- It will take an hour’s drive from Chennai to the real Mahabalipuram, where you can see the Sore Temple. It is a majestic sight, and close to it are the Pancha Rathas, which are temples that are made from a single rock. Each of these structures has a lot of ancient, intricate carvings and detailing work.
- At Hampi in Karnataka, you will find a wondrous architectural splendour—the Virupaksha Temple, a beautiful, ancient temple. It shows off the Dravidian style of architecture and has many structures, a key one being the open pillar, which is dedicated to Shiva’s incarnation, Virupaksha.
- In Hyderabad, you can find the majestic Golconda Fort, which at one point in time served as the Qutb Shahi dynasty capital. It stands on top of a granite hill, and its remarkable feature is its many ramparts. You can see many ancient elements inside, such as gateways, halls, drawbridges, stables, magazines, etc.
- Make a visit to the Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple, which was built by the Cholas and is located in a small village in the Ariyalur district. It has such a majestic exterior, one that brings out the Chola’s architectural prowess, especially the Vimana. Check out the wall artwork and the many beautiful bronze sculptures.
- Mention of the Cholas also brings into focus the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Tanjore. Built by Rajaraja Chola I, it is known for its impressive dome and lovely frescoes. You can find out more about the traditional artworks of the Tanjore kings by visiting its Royal Palace and Art Gallery.
- How about the majestic Mysore Palace, known for its Indo-Saracenic architecture? Its most notable feature is its ornate domes, arched gateways, and lovely frescoes. Do check out its doll pavilion and portrait gallery. It is best visited during the Dussehra festival when it comes alive with celebrations.
- Visiting the majestic Madurai Meenakshi Temple is a must, as it displays fantastic architecture with its beautiful gopurams and statues. Inside is the sanctum sanctorum of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar, and outside, on the walls above, you can see so many colourful frescoes. Close to it is the thousand-pillared hall.
- Make a visit to the Veerabhadra temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, built in Vijayanagara style and known for its sculptures. Throughout the complex, you can see so many beautiful frescoes, each actually a leaf out of the scriptures and its large Nandi Idol is a must to photograph.
- The massive Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameshwaram is a fine example of Dravidian-style architecture, the highlight of which is its large corridors, which have impressive pillars with striking sculptures.
A tour of such ancient places will take you across the luscious green landscape of South India, where you can also experience its rich, warm hospitality. Make a flight booking right after you have checked the Dubai to Chennai flight ticket price so that you can arrive in comfort for your tour of ancient monuments and temples in South India. It is indeed a step back in time to the days of glory when kings would ride on horses and massive construction occurred to cater to their needs for temples and other structures.
