South India 2026

There are many incredible highlights of this region of India, including the fabled Backwaters of Kerala, the historic city of Kochi, the hillstation of Ooty, the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats, the city of Mysore, the giant Jain statue of Gommateshwara (Bahubali) at Shravanabelagola and the modern metropolis of Bangalore. Our visit was timed for one of the ancient temple festivals of Kerala, the Panthalloor Pooram at the Shri Bhagavathi Temple, which featured a Kootti Ezhunellippu of 30 caparisoned elephants: an incredible experience where we were just about the only foreign visitors.