South India
South India is the area including the five Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, as well as the three union territories of Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Pondicherry
Covering the southern part of the peninsular Deccan Plateau, South India is bounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean in the south. The geography of the region is diverse with two mountain ranges–the Western and Eastern Ghats, bordering the plateau heartland. Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Tungabhadra and Vaigai rivers are important non-perennial sources of water. Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Coimbatore, Visakhapatnam, Madurai and Kochi are the largest urban areas.
The majority of the people in South India speak one of the four major Dravidian languages: Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. During its history, a number of dynastic kingdoms ruled over parts of South India whose invasions across southern and southeastern Asia impacted the history and culture in those regions. Major dynasties that were established in South India include the Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas, Pallavas, Satavahanas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas and Vijayanagara. Europeans entered India through Kerala and the region was colonised by Britain and other nations.
South India Cuisine
The tradition of serving meals on plantain leaves endures in South India, especially at formal events.Rice is the staple diet, with fish being an integral component of coastal South Indian meals. Coconut is an important ingredient in Kerala and coastal part of Karnataka of South India, Hyderabadi biryani is also very special in Telangana and other neighbouring states whereas the cuisine in Andhra Pradesh is characterized by the pickles, spicy aromatic curries and the generous use of chili powder. Dosa, Idli, Uttapam etc. are popular throughout the region. Coastal areas like the state of Kerala and the city of Mangalore are known for their seafood. South Indian coffee is generally quite robust, and coffee is a preferred drink throughout the Malabar region. Tamil Nadu is well known for its Idli, Dosa, Pongal, Sambhar, Vada, Puri, which are the common breakfast in Tamil families. Among the Malayalees, Appam, Puttu, Upamav, Malabar biriyani are some of the common dishes. In Karnataka, Bisibele bath, Kara bath, Kesari bath, Raggi mudda, Udin Vada, Bene Masala Dosa, Paper Dosa are some of the common dishes.
Regions of South India
How to Reach :
South India has more international airports than rest of India with regular connections to almost every corner of the world. Chennai is the main gateway into southern India, handling more than 50% of all flights across South Asia along with Mumbai and Delhi. Other international airports are at Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Tiruchirappalli, which have regular connections from Middle East and South East Asia as well as popular tourist oriented charters. Other domestic options are Mangalore, Visakhapatnam, Madurai, Tirupati, Vijayawada.
The various divisions of the state-owned Indian Railways – Southern Railway headquartered in Chennai, South Central Railway headquartered in Secunderabad, South Western Railway headquartered in Hubli, Konkan Railway headquartered in Ratnagiri and Mumbaiconnect the various states in Southern India with the rest of India.
Rajdhani trains are fully air-conditioned long distance trains that connect state capitals with India’s capital (Rajdhani) at New Delhi.
Shatabdi trains are fully air-conditioned intercity day trains connecting the state capitals as well as important cities en-route and return to the originating station the same day.
The Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains are among the fastest trains in India.
South India is well connected by the national and state highways connecting the state capitals as well as other important cities. The newer national highways and state highways are tolled.
The state-owned bus operators in all the southern states provide excellent interstate and intrastate connections, and some service providers connect with Maharashtra and Goa as well. The government-owned bus operators feature dedicated websites and smartphone apps to provide services online. Private operators also provide interstate and intrastate service across Southern India via websites and smartphone apps.
Private bus operator schedules differ from government operators based on routes taken, passenger stops along the way and adherence to the posted departure and arrival timings. Private bus operators have a tendency to transport freight, delay departure if some seats are not occupied, and pick up additional passengers along the route to maximize their revenue per trip. This is not the case with government bus operators.
Popular Tour Package in South India
Popular Destinations in South India