Jaisalmer, Rajasthan (with photos)

Jaisalmer also called as the Golden City lies in the western side of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Located in the heart of the Thar Desert, the desert safari in the sand dunes of Jaisalmer makes the place a wonderful experience. The Fort & the Havelis in Jaisalmer add beauty to the place.

Jaisalmer Fort

Sam Sand Dunes

Maravanthe Beach, Karnataka (with photos)

Maravanthe Beach (Kannada: ಮರವಂತೆ ಬೀಚ್) is one of the most picturesque location in the coastal parts of the Indian state of Karnataka, near Kundapura. While driving on the NH17, on one side you can see the Arabian Sea & on the other side the River Sauparnika. The Kodachadri Hills form the back drop to the River Sauparnika making the scenery amazing. The beach has clean white sand which runs few kilometers.

Bijapur/Vijapura, Karnataka, India (with photos)

Bijapur/Vijapura (Kannada: ವಿಜಾಪುರ) is a city & a district head quarters in the northern parts of the Indian state of Karnataka. This historic city was established by the Kalyani Chalukyas during the 10-11th century & was then called Vijayapura which in Kannada means City of Victory. Later the city was ruled by the Bahmani Sultanates, followed by Adil Shahi Dynasty. It was under this dynasty all the architectural activity started & the famous mosques, tombs & lot of other monuments were built.

Gol Gumbaz - Side View

Gomateshwara Statue, Shravanabelagola, Karnataka

Shravanabelagola (Kannada: ಶ್ರವಣಬೆಳಗೊಳ) is a town in the Hassan district of the Indian state of Karnataka. The place is very famous for the statue of Gommateshwara & also its an important pilgrimage center in Jainism. The town of Shravanabelagola lies between the 2 famous hills Vindhyagiri & Chandragiri.

Tamil Nadu, India

Tamil Nadu (TN) is a state in India, situated in the southern most part of India. The southern most part of TN (Kanyakumari) being a peninsula shares with 3 oceans (The Indian ocean at the south, Bay of Bengal at the south east & Arabian Sea at the south west). The history of TN dates back from 300 BCE, Cholas were the ones who ruled this region for the longest period.

Tamil Nadu Tourism:
Tamil Nadu is land of Temples, there are many good & big Temples like the Madurai Meenakshi Temple, Kanchi Kamakshi Temple, Rameshwaram, Palani, ... etc . TN also has many popular Hill Stations like Ooty, Kodaikanal, .. There are few Historical Places like the Mahabalipuram, .. which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. TN's tourism industry is the second largest in India. There are quite a few wildlife sanctuaries & beautiful beaches also.


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Andhra Pradesh, India

Andhra Pradesh (AP) is a state in India, situated on the south eastern coast of India. Its the fourth largest state by area & 5th largest state by population in India. Hyderabad is the capital & biggest city in AP.

Andhra Pradesh Tourism:
Andhra Pradesh is a home to many holy places like Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple, Srisailam, Mantralaya .. etc. There are also many historical places, AP which has the second longest coast line in India has many good beaches also. The northern parts of AP has good caves (Borra Caves), Telangana region has beautiful forts & mosques.


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Srikalahasti Temple, Andhra Pradesh (with photos)

Srikalahasti Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is located in the Chittor district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Its around 35 km from Tirupati. This Temple was built during the 12th century by the Chola Dynasty & later maintained & improved by the Vijayanagara Kingdom.

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India

The Venkateshwara Temple at Tirumala hills is one of the world famous & the world's second richest Temple & the most visited place of worship in the world. Located in Chittor district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, its around 260 km from Bengaluru, 175 km from Chennai & around 595 km from Hyderabad.

Sigandur Chowdeshwari Temple, Karnataka

Sigandhur / Sigandhoor is a small village in the islands of Sharavathi Back waters in Sagar Taluk of the Indian state of Karnataka. Its famous for the Chowdeshwari Temple dedicated to Godess Chowdamma (Parvathi). Surrounded by lush green mountains & trees, this place is very beautiful. 

Golden Temple, Sripuram, Vellore, Tamil Nadu

Lakshmi Narayani Temple which is also referred to as The Golden Temple is one of the most beautiful Temples in the world. Located in Sripuram, which is around 8 km from the Vellore city center in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is spread across 100 acres of land. The Temple was inaugurated on 24th August 2007 & since then, it has been attracting a lot of tourists every year.

Lakshmi Narayani Temple

Top view of the Temple complex

Koodli / Kudli - Sangama of River Tunga & Bhadra, Karnataka (with photos)

Koodli / Kudli is a small village in the Shivamogga district of the Indian state of Karnataka. This is the place where the 2 Rivers (Tunga & Bhadra) meet & forms a bigger River Tungabhadra which later joins Krishna & finally joins the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh.

Rameshwara Temple, Kudli

Beautiful Roads in India

India being such a big country (7th largest in the world) has a huge road network. There are different kinds of roads maintained by different authorities. The major ones are the National Highways (NH), Expressways, State Highways (SH), District Roads & Village Roads. Here in this post I'll be putting the best roads in India which I have travelled so far with photos.

Here is the list of Best, Beautiful & Scenic Roads in India which I have come across so far.

 Mumbai - Pune Expressway (Maharashtra)

Honnamma Devi Temple, Honnatti, Karnataka (with photos)

Honnatti is a small village in Ranebennur taluk of the Indian state of Karnataka.

Amruthapura, Karnataka (with photos)

Amruthapura is a village in Tarikere taluk of Chikmagalur district of the Indian state of Karnataka. The Amrutheshwara Temple at Amruthapura built by the Hoysalas during the 12th century is a very beautiful place which is near to the Bhadra reservoir. Its very near to the Tarikere town, but the road from Tarikere to Amruthapura is very bad. 

Front view of Amrutheshwara Temple

Veera Narayana Temple, Belavadi, Karnataka (with photos)

Belavadi / Belawadi is a small village in Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka, its just around 10 km from Halebidu towards Banavara. The Veera Narayana Temple in Belavadi is built by the Hoysalas during 1200 AD by Veera Ballala II.

Front view of Veera Narayana Temple, Belavadi

Belur, Karnataka (with photos)

Belur a historic town in the Hassan district of the Indian state of Karnataka was the first capital of the Hoysala Empire. The town lies on the banks of the river Yagachi. Earlier name of Belur was Velapuri.

Chennakeshava Temple, Belur

Halebidu / Halebeedu, Karnataka (with photos)

Halebidu located in Hassan district of the Indian state of Karnataka is an ancient capital of the Hoysala Kingdom. Hoysaleshwara Temple built in the 12th century by the King Vishnuvardhana is a major attraction in Halebidu. It is learnt that it took almost 105 yrs to complete the full temple. Later in the 14th century the Temple was ruined by the muslim invaders. 

Hoysaleshwara Temple, Halebidu

Balligavi / Belagami, Karnataka (with photos)

Balligavi / Belagami / Belligavi / Belagame or also known as Dakshina Kedara is an ancient Temple town in the Shikaripura taluk of Shivamogga district of the Indian state of Karnataka. Its also famous as the birth place of the great 12th century Veerashaiva saint & Vachanakara Allama Prabhu. Its is also closely associated with the great Vachana poetess of the 12th century Veerashaiva bhakti movement  Akka Mahadevi.

Front view of Kedareshvara Temple, Balligavi

Keladi, Karnataka (with photos)

Keladi situated to the north east of Sagara town, was the first capital of the Keladi Nayakas. Its around 12 km from Sagar town in the Shivamogga District of the Indian state of Karnataka. The capital was later shifted to Ikkeri.

Varadamoola, Sagara, Karnataka (with photos)

Varadhamoola (Varadha Moola) is a place where the River Varada originates, its 6 km south from the Sagara town in Shivamogga district of the Indian state of Karnataka. River Varada flows all the from Sagara, Chandragutti, Banavasi, Haveri & finally joins River Tungabhadra near Galaganath.

Maharashtra, India

Maharashtra is a state in the central western part of India. The Financial capital & the biggest city of India is also the capital of the Maharashtra state. Satvahanas were the first well known rulers of the Maharashtra region during the early first century. Then the major rulers of this region were the Badami & Kalyani Chalukyas & the Rashtrakutas who ruled for a very longer period, then there was a Muslim interlude which later was defeated by the Marathas during 17th century. Chatrapati Shivaji was a popular able administrator of the Maratha Kingdom.

Maharashtra Tourism:
Maharashtra is a beautiful state with scenic mountain range in the Konkan region, historic places like the Ellora, Ajanta, Elephanta caves which are World Heritage Sites, beautiful coast line with nice beaches. Forts & Palaces also attract a lot of tourists in Maharashtra.


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Aghoreshvara Temple, Ikkeri, Karnataka (with photos)

Ikkeri was the second capital of the Keladi Nayaka Dynasty. Its 3 km to the south of Sagar town of Shivamogga dist of the Indian state of Karnataka. Ikkeri was the capital of Keladi Nayakas for about 120 yrs & later moved to Bidanooru.

Kaitabeshwara Temple, Kotipura, Anavatti, Karnataka (with photos)

Kaithabeshwara / Kaitabhesvara Temple at Kotipura / Kubatur near Anavatti, in Sorab taluk of Shivamogga District of the Indian state of Karnataka is one of the beautiful Chalukyan style temples built during the 11th century. The place Kubatur was initially ruled by the Kadambas (3rd - 6th century AD), later by the Badami Chalukyas (6th century AD) then by the Rashtrakutas (7 - 8th century AD), then by the Kalyani Chalukyas (10 - 12th century AD), then by the Hoysalas (11 - 13th century AD) & finally by the Keladi Nayakas (15 - 16th century)

Main entrance to the Temple complex

Punjab, India

Punjab is a state in the north west of India bordered by Pakistan to the west & other 3 sides by other Indian states. To the north is Jammu & Kashmir, to the east is Himachal Pradesh & to the south by Haryana & Rajasthan. Punjab has rich fertile soil & has 5 rivers flowing inside the state. Agriculture is the major economy of the state, Punjab is the largest producer of wheat & Basmati Rice. Apart from agriculture, mechanical industries also contribute to the state's economy. Bhangra which is the Punjabi folk dance & music is world famous & is very popular in Bollyhood & other cinemas.

Punjab Tourism:
Tourism in Punjab is mainly suited for the culture & heritage, ancient civilization, spirituality & epic history.


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Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India (with photos)

Kanchipuram or shortly called as just Kanchi is a district head quarters of the Kanchipuram District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Kanchi is popular for mainly two things, one off-course is for the Temple & the other one is for the Silk Sarees. The city names are generally associated with the God/Godess of the famous temples in that city, like Kanchi - Kamakshi, Madurai - Meenakshi. So here in Kanchi, the famous temple is the Kamakshi Amman Temple which is dedicated to Godess Parvathi.

Aihole, Karnataka, India (with photos)

Aihole (Kannada: ಐಹೊಳೆ) of Bagalkote district of the Indian state of Karnataka, was the first capital of early Chalukyas. It was a prominent city during the Badami Chalukyas (6th to 12th century). Its also called as the "cradle of Hindu rock architecture" There are around 125 temples built in various architecture by the early Chalukyas.

Durga Temple at Aihole

Pattadakal, Karnataka, India (with photos)

Pattadakallu (Kannada: ಪಟ್ಟದಕಲ್ಲು) is a village in Bagalkote district of the Indian state of Karnataka. It was the second capital of Chalukya Dynasty. The group of monuments in Pattadakallu are listed in the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. The village is on the bank of river Malaprabha. Its is inbetween Badami & Aihole the other two famous historical places. Badami is around 20 km west of Pattadkal & Aihole is around 12 km east of Pattadkal.

Group of monuments at Pattadakallu

Orissa / Odisha, India

Odisha is a state in the eastern part of India. The eastern part of the state is covered by Bay of Bengal & the other 3 sides is covered by different Indian states. Kalinga is the ancient name of Odisha/Orissa, which was ruled by the Kalinga Emperor Kharavela during the 3rd century BCE. Later it was defeated by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great.

Odisha Tourism:
Orissa's famous ancient Temples, Lakes, Dams, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Water Falls, Beaches, Buddhist & Jain pilgrimage centers all combined makes the state a hot Tourist destination.  The state has ancient temples like the Sun Temple at Konark, Lingaraj Temple at Bhubaneshwar, Jagannath Temple at Puri. Its also home to the world's longest Dam, the Hirakud Dam which runs for 26 km in length, Chilka Lake, world's second largest lagoon.


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Konark Sun Temple, Orissa, India (with photos)

Sun Temple at Konark in the Indian state of Orissa is the very beautifully architected Temple built in the 13th century by King Narasimha Deva of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. It is a World Heritage Site.

Jammu and Kashmir, India

Jammu & Kashmir is the north most state in India.

Jammu & Kashmir Tourism:
Its one of the most beautiful state which has all kinds of regions & attractions. Jammu has many Hindu Pilgrimage places like the Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Temple (Second most visited religious Shrine in India), the Amarnath Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Srinagar region has beautiful lakes like the Dal Lake & other beautiful mountains, glaciers, valleys. The Leh & Ladakh region is composed of Himalayan mountains, lakes, sand dunes. It has the highest motor-able road in the world, the first 3 highest motor-able roads are in Leh-Ladakh region only.


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* Jammu
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Rajasthan, India

Rajasthan, located in the north west of India is the largest state in India by area comprising of more than 10% of the Indian land. Most of the land is covered by the inhospitable desert land (Thar Desert). As the name of the state itself indicates, its the "Land of Kingdoms" With many palaces, forts, desert safari & other tourist places, Rajasthan attracts a lot tourists, specially the foreign tourists. "Palace on wheels" is a luxury train run by the Indian Railways to promote Rajasthan Tourism which covers most of the important Palaces, Forts & other Desert areas.


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Uttarakhand, India

Uttarakhand, previously called by name Uttaranchal is a state in the northern part of India. It was part of Uttar Pradesh before it was separated out as a different state on Nov 2000. Its usually referred to as Deva Bhoomi (Meaning: Land of Gods) as there are many holy places in the state.

Uttarakhand Tourism:
Uttarakhand is also a very beautiful & scenic place as half of the state is covered by the Himalayan mountains & forest. Uttarakhand attracts a lot of tourists & pilgrims.


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* Kumaon Division
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