Dakshin Bharat (South India), by:- Durga Charan Mishra

India's silk, spice and coffee side “Dakshin Bharat” South India.

Southern India can get extremely hot during the summer months so when we were planning our Guinness trip, Longest Journey by Public Transportation in a Single Country, we made sure we visited it around the end of February. 

Visiting South India was a very different experience for both of us. Southern India gave us a relaxing and invigorating experience. It has a rich Dravidian culture and history which dominates with its ancient temples which truly are the symbol of magnificence. The breathtaking beauty of these temples make us feel humble and delighted.

We visited many temples. We felt the presence of God with every breath in every temple. Many of the temples we see were constructed in the Dravidian style, of pyramid shaped towers. We observe a purity in the region's many temples. 

When we enter temples in South India, the sound of the nadaswaram envelops the entire atmosphere. Nadaswaram, is considered to be one of the most ancient and unique musical instrument. It is an extremely powerful instrument, the sound of which can be heard from a mile. It is traditionally played at temples in all most all parts of South India.

With my experience I have known that people of this part of the country are extremely religious, very disciplined and well educated. They have an extraordinarily rich life. Women are dressed in vibrant colorful sarees and men wear the white dhoti or a colorful lungi with great pride.

Every place in India you will find finger-licking food unique to that place, but when generalized there are two distinct varieties, North Indian food and South Indian food. South Indian dishes are not just mouth-watering; they can be eye watering as well, since they are the hottest of all the Indian food. This is the place of silk, spice and tamarind.

We belong to the State of Odisha. In our state rice is the staple food. People generally consume more rice than wheat. We both are rice lovers and we really prefer South Indian food. The  Meals consist of rice with rasam, sambar, curd,  papad, pickle and payasam (khir) kottu (vegetable curry),  porival /kari (vegetable stirfry).

Idli and dosas are the popular food, they served with sambar, 3 types of chutney(dips) in red, white and green colors. All the three chutneys different tastes and excellent. Dishes are often served on banana leaves, which is an enjoyable experience in itself. And don't forget a cup of Filter Coffee which is hugely popular throughout southern India.

We found flower markets in each and every cities in south India. Mostly women in South India wear Jasmine (Mali) flower on their head, it is a common sight. Every morning, the women religiously put the flower on their head after a bath. When a , It is believed that woman wearing the flower on her hair will bring happiness to her household a symbol of love, good luck, and prosperity.

I purchased a “Mali Mala" a small garland of jasmine flower at the cost of Rs.10/-  for my wife. It is a unique opportunity for me to express myself is an ideal gift.  For me it is a great way to make my wife happy. It was a life time memory for both of us on our way thousand miles away from home.

For public transportation we chose buses which go almost everywhere in South India and tend to be the cheapest way to travel. Services are fast and frequent and it was run by the state government and are usually the more reliable option.

South India is much more cleaner and civilized compared to the North. People are educated and many can understand and speak English. Interestingly, they have kept their traditions too.

Now a days there is no problem of language in south India. Now Hindi also popular as the third language for the younger generation.  We never felt alone in our Journey 

Visiting South of India was interesting and memorable. I hope I was able to give a comprehensive view of the whole of South India. 

We have been to number places in South of India, by motorcycle, by car in 2014 and by public transportation in 2018. If you need any information for your trip feel free to connect with me.