Things to see and do India

It offers a picturesque view of Mysore.

A small Hindu temple is located in the middle of these waterfalls. The vast range of undulating landscapes also offers the pleasure of long walks on quiet roads.

From Bangithappal via Sispara, you can walk to the Silent Valley around Upper Bhavani Lake. Mukurthi National Park is located near the reservoir.

On the Ooty - Mysore road, the site boasts waterfall, meadow meadows and habitat for wildlife and flora. The Pykara dam and its reservoir attract many tourists. Nearby is the Shooting Medu, a site where many Indian films are turned, due to the beauty of the environment.

Registered by UNESCO at the World Heritage of Mankind since 1997, declared Biosphere Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary, this vast mangrove forest in the Hooghly delta delta between India and Bangladesh shelters the last Bengal Tigers (around 300 individuals). It is an absolutely unique place to visit.

Covering an area of 510 hectares, the park is home to many varieties of colourful birds, animals and reptiles, as well as an aquarium. Paid safaris in search of the lion are organized in the park.

The road that goes down south from Marina leads to the charming Elliot Beach. The shoreline offers a pleasant expanse, ideal for relaxation and recreation. The modern temple of Astalakshmi and the Velankani church are revered places of worship on these shores. On the beach is the Karl Schmidt Memorial, a monument honouring a European sailor who drowned in 1930 while trying to save a little girl.

The fort dates back to the 17th century and underwent major transformations in the 19th century thanks to the British. Located in the centre of Madikeri, it houses a palace renovated in 1814, which houses the municipality's offices, a chapel transformed into an archaeological museum (open from 10am to 5.30pm, closed on Mondays and the ^2nd Saturday of the month). It offers a beautiful view of Madikeri. It was built by a Kodagu ruler in the 17th century, then rebuilt in granite by Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore, and finally occupied by the British from 1834 onwards.

The complex of rock temples of Badami is a site of exceptional beauty which is moreover candidate for a future inscription with the heritage of UNESCO.

Vatipa Nagar, the ancient name of Badami, was the capital of the Chalukiya empire from the 6th to the 7th century. This site consists of a huge artificial reservoir of the^5th century named Agastyatirtha, surrounded by ochre cliffs in which cave temples have been carved in the rock. On the tops of these cliffs are forts intended to watch the surroundings. These monuments are representative of the Chalukiya architectural style. The site has a total of four rock temples: three Hindu and one Jain. The Hindu temples would have been even the first to appear on the Deccan plateau. Two are dedicated to Vishnu and one to Shiva. A fifth cave, of lesser size, would be perhaps dedicated to Buddha... Another temple is located near the artificial lake and also deserves your attention.

Cave n° 1. The access is by a staircase framed by figures of ganas, the dwarfs guardians of Shiva. The porch is supported by 4 columns with bas-reliefs of Shiva dancing. Two stone guardians welcome the visitor. They are dwarapalas (doorkeepers) 1.88 m high. The cave is decorated with numerous sculptures and bas-reliefs, including representations of Laxmi and Parvati surrounding a huge Harihara (half-Vishnu, half-Shiva) of more than 2 meters high. But the most beautiful image is undoubtedly that of Nataraja, or Shiva dancing. He has 18 arms, most of whose hands are in mudra position (symbolic hand representation). Only three of them carry objects, including a trident, a drum and an axe. At Shiva's feet, you will recognize Nandi, his ox, and Ganesh, his son. The ceiling of the cave is also decorated with 5 carved panels. The central panel represents Shesha, the snake who carries on his heads all the planets.

Cave n° 2. This cave dates from the 6th century and is dedicated to the god Vishnu, represented under different avatars. The porch is supported by four rectangular pillars, carved on their upper parts. You can see battle scenes, or others referring to Krishna at his birth and in his youth. The door frame is adorned with an entablature inlaid with gavakshas, the semi-circular forms. On the outer wall, note the beautiful depiction of Vahara (Vishnu's avatar in the form of a boar) saving the earth represented by the goddess Budhevi. Inside, Vishnu is represented as Trivikrama (a dwarf) with one foot on the earth and the other pointing north. Another panel again depicts Vahara saving the earth from the depths of the ocean. This sculpture is made in the center of a circular form. The ceiling is supported by 8 pillars and decorated with bas-reliefs. The top of the wall is decorated with a frieze representing scenes from the mythology of Vishnu or Krishna.

Cave n° 3. The unusual dimensions of this cave make it difficult to imagine the work required for its excavation. 20 meters wide, 21 meters deep and 4.6 meters high, it was necessary to dig the mountain on 15 meters deep! The cave contains many sculptures and bas-reliefs, the most notable of which are on the many pillars that support the weight of the ceiling. Will you find the scene of the Kamasutra representing a couple in an erotic posture? The walls of the cave are decorated with bas-reliefs, many of which depict Vishnu in different forms: Vishnu with 8 arms standing; Vishnu sitting on Shesha, the many-headed snake; Narasimha (half-man, half-lion avatar); Trivikrama armed; or Harihara. The ceilings still show traces of frescoes, which are among the oldest painted frescoes of Indian art known to date.

Cave n° 4. This cave, the most recent of the complex, is dedicated to various figures of Jainism. The porch is supported by 4 pillars with capitals. Parshvanath, the 23rd tirthankar, is depicted standing with his head haloed by a multi-headed snake symbolizing protection and respect. A few steps lead up to the shrine. In the shrine, Mahavira, the 24th tirthankar, rests on his pedestal. Inside the cave, you can admire a beautiful statue of Bahubali, the son of Adinath the^1st tirthankar, snakes coiled along his calves.

Cave n° 5. It is the smallest of the caves and it is almost necessary to make contortions to penetrate there so much the entry is narrow. Inside, a man is represented sitting on a throne and surrounded by bas-reliefs representing people holding fans, a tree, elephants and lions ready to attack. No one knows for sure who this statue represents and interpretations are rife. Some think that it is a statue of Buddha and that the cave would have been then dedicated to Vishnu. Other scientists lean more for a representation of a figure of Jainism. Other archaeologists, finally, emit the hypothesis that it is a king. Unfortunately, the statue has suffered greatly from the ravages of time and part of its face has crumbled.

Bellary Fort is located about 60 kilometres from Hampi. Perched atop Ballari Gudda Mountain, it is also known as Fort Hill. The date of its construction is not yet identified, Vijayanagar period, but in 1769, it was taken from the Nayaka by Hyder Ali and modified with the help of a French engineer, who did not meet the requirements and was hanged. The tomb of the latter is visible at the entrance to the fort.

Cruising on the Brahmaputra is one of the most popular activities in Guwahati. The river is the rhythm of life in all Assamese and borrowing it for even an hour is also a way to pay tribute to it. As the sun sets very early in Assam, due to the unique Indian time zone, we recommend that you choose the 4pm Sundowner cruise. The 5:30 p.m. one starts when the mosquitoes get comfortable (bring long, loose clothes and mosquito repellent) and the night falls quickly. So it is less pleasant.

This 34-metre high dam is located on the Vaigai River. It provides water to the Madurai and Dindingul districts. It is a popular picnic spot with beautiful gardens.

Chitradurga Fort is a little-known site for foreign tourists and certainly deserves your interest. The old Chitrakaldurga is huge, with many challenging climbs and descents; allow at least two hours of visit. A small booklet (in English) with a map of the fort and a description of the points of interest is given to you when you purchase your entrance ticket. It may be advisable to take an approved guide for the visit.

The fort was built in stages between the 11th and 13th centuries by the various dynastics who ruled the region, including the Chalukyas and Hoysalas, and later the Nayakas of the Vijayanagar Empire. The Nayakas of Chitradurga participated in the expansion of the fort between the 15th and 18th centuries. The fort was briefly recaptured by Hyder Ali in Chitradurga in 1779 and captured by the British twenty years later, after the defeat of his son Tipu Sultan. The fort includes seven concentric fortifications, a citadel, a palace, warehouses, water tanks, temples and gunpowder millstones. There are 18 temples in the upper fort and a huge temple in the lower fort. The many basins were used to collect rainwater. The landscapes composed of huge rocks, similar to those of Hampi, give the site an undeniable charm. The most adventurous can go to one of the summits to enjoy a breathtaking view of the surroundings.

Karwar Beach is named after the Bengali poet: "Karwar Beach is certainly a good place to understand that the beauty of Nature is not a mirage of imagination, but reflects the joy of the Infinite and thus drives us to get lost. Where the universe itself expresses itself in the magic of its laws, it may not be strange to miss its infinitude; but where the heart is in immediate contact with immensity in the beauty of the smallest of things, is there still room for discussion? »

This park was created in 1987. It was added the Dandeli Sanctuary in 2015 to form the Kali Tiger Reserve, which covers an area of nearly 900 km². Located in the Western Ghats, the terrain is undulating and covered with a thick forest crossed by the Kali River. While the park is home to tigers, elephants and black panthers, they are rarely observed. On the other hand, in summer, due to the scarcity of water points, Indian bison (gaurs), lippus bears (sloth bear), wild boars (wild boar), cap monkeys (macaque cap), langours (langur) or the tiny thin grey loris (grey slender loris) can be observed. The park also includes different species of deer: muntjac de Reeves (muntjac or barking deer), chevrotain (mouse deer), sambar and cerf axis (spotted deer). More than 200 bird species are also recorded, including several hornbill species, the Ceylon podarge (Ceylon frogmouth) and the fairy bluebird.

A little way from the old town, this garden was conceived and designed by maharana Sangram Singh for his wife, between 1710 and 1734. Its water features and fountains are so sophisticated that no one is able to restore them today. But most of them still work. The garden is made up of green lawns, paths lined with tropical plants and lotus-covered basins. The queen used to come here with her 48 ladies-in-waiting, given to her by her father at the time of her royal marriages.

The municipality competes with the Udaipur maharana by offering boat tours on Lake Pichola. Departure is from the south of the royal estate. The boat tour is less expensive than that offered by the maharana. However, you cannot disembark on the island of Jagmanddir, which is privately owned... by the maharana of Udaipur. The boat trip takes around 20 minutes and gives you a bird's-eye view of the palaces lining the lake.

Located in the white city, this temple also called Vedapureswarar is dedicated to the god Vishnu. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its sanctuaries. It has a gopuram, the temple's entrance tower, with five levels. The temple was originally built by the Cholas in the 11th century and later enlarged by the Pandyas. With its superb Dravidian architecture and colourful colours, it is undoubtedly the most beautiful temple in the city.