My idea of taking a break from routine life is to witness the beauty of history. Art and creativity inspire me to live the life in a different way and if it is of a historical place, it will be like icing on the cake.

This winter I planned to visit my childhood friend Amogh, who lives in Badami, Karnataka. This beautiful town was listed in my must visit places from the very beginning for its Indian Rock cut architecture. I took a flight from IGI airport, Delhi to Bengaluru international airport. It took around 3 hours. From Bengaluru I hired a private taxi to reach Badami.

After reaching Badami, it was difficult for me to wait till morning as I was extremely excited to visit the famous caves of Badami but we planned to leave early morning. So, I took the rest for that day.

The very next morning, we left the home to witness the beauty that is a part of history and posses a unique art form, rock cutting. Imagination and perfection in implementation make the things unforgettable; I realized this as we reached at the entrance of cave temple. The entrance is made up of stone columns and brackets, leading to main hall of the cave. The hall further leads to four-squared shrines.

After entering cave no 1, a five feet high figure of God Shiva simply locked my eyes. It was amazingly designed. Tandava dancing pose with 18 arms was irresistible. Images of Nandi, dancing Ganapati, Mahishasuramardini, Kubja Ganas, Nagaraja and Vidhyadhara couple together made me feel of the divine presence of God Shiva.

From there we moved towards the next cave which was cave no 2. On its front we saw figures of guards with lotus in their hands. After entering, beautifully carved images of different Gods took me in a spiritual mood. This cave was one of the finest model of architecture I have ever seen.

The beauty of cave no 3, which is dedicated to God Vishnu is of that level, which I cannot explain in words.  Breathtaking beauty of the statues and figures creates a spiritual environment. Natural almond( badami) colour makes it look more graceful.

After that, with Amogh, I moved in the next cave, which is a Jain temple. Apart from the beauty and architecture, what fascinated us was, the old Kannada inscription. This 12^thcentury A.D. inscription registers the death of one Jakkave.

Our next destination was Badami Fort that gives a bird-eye view of Badami. Archaeological Museum is just 5 km away from Badami and is located near Agastyatirtha tank, which is considered as a tank with heeling power, so we covered both the attractions in one day.

My tour was over and I came back to my routine life but this time with an amazing experience and some lovely memories of quality time spent with Amogh and his family members.

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I had heard a lot about the temples of South India. Ancient temples are just a magnetic attraction to me. By nature, I am a religious person who love to go for religious places. What could be better option than the temples? So this time we, a group of seven friends planned a trip to south India temples. My wish to find God in nature seem to be fulfilled when I gave my consent to this tour.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple

The idea of going there was exciting as it was my first time of being there. We browse on web to know the tour details and finally got the suitable one. That is how we headed towards South India. The journey was enjoyable and comfortable as we all friends were very excited to see the ancient temples of South India. Thinking of it we reached Kerala, our first destination in South India tour.

Well, after reaching there, we all were set to embark on a spiritual journey. After taking rest and making ourselves comfortable, we got a brief about our tour plan.

We started with Padmanabhaswamy Temple, which was a unique experience. I was amazed to see the exemplary architecture of the temple. When we entered in this temple, we felt as if we have come to a place where all we can experience is tranquility and spirituality. The temple showcases architectural heritage of South India. Staying there for some time was really a holistic experience that helped us to gain inner peace due to its peaceful environ.

Our curiosity took us to Shree Krishna Temple in Guruvayur. The structure of this ancient temple was of typical Kerala style with mandaps, gopurams (gateways) and shreekovil. There, we saw many tourists who were also delighted to see the majesty of these temple like us. The guide told us that this temple is also known as ‘Guruvayoor Ambalam.’

Also, we got an opportunity to visit some other famous temples including Mannaarshala near Trivandrum and the Vadakkunnathar Temple at Thrissur. The glory of the South India temples reflects in its traditional architectural style.

During this tour, we also came across some of the finest examples of architecture in the form of Temples in Karnataka. We visited Iskcon Temple which is located in the Bangalore city. Built on a hill rock, this temple is a unique blend of glass and gopurams. You can experience spiritual harmony and tranquillity here. Our guide told us about the temple that it was constructed to promote the Vedic culture and spiritual learning. During the annual Krishna and Balarama Rath Yatra, this temple is visited by thousands of devotees.

Visiting Chennakesava Temple at Hassan was also a great experience. It allowed us to see an outstanding example of architecture. This magnificent temple was built with the amalgamation of granite and soapstone. Then, we went to see the Cave and Jain Temple at Badami and Virupaksha and Hemakuta Temples at Hampi which showcase great architectural style.

The South India Temple tour was once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. Thinking of this amazing tour, we came back with inner peace and increased energy!

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The exceptional natural beauty of Kanyakumari draws a large number of tourists not only from India but also from abroad. Among several tourists I am one of them who visited this small but picturesque town which is located at the confluence of three important water bodies the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. Kanyakumari Tour was viable for me because I was in Thiruvananthapuram for my official tour. After completing my official work I took Kanyakumari Express and reached here after three hours of journey.

After reaching this place I went to the private tourist lodge where I booked a room and took delectable South India food in my lunch. After that I went to explore the speckled beauty of this magical town. Firstly I headed for beach where the majestic expanse of three seas impressed me the most. The rising and falling waves with their grueling sound were like an utterance of nature. The amalgamated beauty of the three colored waves of three seas forms three different colorful layers of sands at the shore which captivated my attention for long.

After enjoying the beauty of sandy shore I took a ferry boat and went to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial. This place is located 400 meters from the sea shore in the midst of the ocean. The Vivekananda rock temple is dedicated to one of the greatest spiritual philosophers of India, Swami Vivekananda. It is said that Swami Vivekananda meditated here before setting out on one of the most crucial religious campaigns in India in 1892.

This memorial consists of two main structures, the Vivekananda Mandapam and the Shripada Mandapam. I was impressed by the design of the mandapa because it incorporates different styles of temple architectures from all over India. This place is very clean, well-maintained and offers a sense of being at peace with nature.

As evening fell I rushed to a place from where one can see the best views of sun set and moon rise. At this place one can see colourful departure of the sun in number of shades that change from moment to moment.  On one side, nature adieu the sun and on the other it welcomes the moon.

Though sunrise can be viewed throughout the year but sunset is visible only from October 15 to March 15 from this southernmost tip.  But one can view both sunrise and sunset throughout the year from atop a hill called Murugan Kundram which also offers a panoramic view of the entire city.

After enjoying my pleasant evening of watching sunset and moonrise simultaneously from this hilltop I returned again to the sea shore where I stayed till 10 PM. Then I returned to my hotel where I satisfied my appetite with scrumptious South Indian food in my dinner and left for Thiruvananthapuram via luxury bus.

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