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About South India
To the south of the Great Plains of northern India lie the Great Plateau of Peninsular India, which is divided into two parts, namely, the Malwa Plateau and the Deccan Plateau. The Malwa plateau bounded by the Aravali hills in the northwest and the Vindhyas in the south form the northern half of this peninsula. The valley of the Narmada River forms the southern boundary of this plateau. The Deccan plateau extends from the Satpura hills in the north to Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of mainland India, finally ending in the Indian Ocean. This great region was inhabited by the aboriginal people of India (known as Dravidians) who were one of the greatest patrons of art and culture in the world. They built great temples, which also played central role in the society and economy.

History
Following the decline of the Mauryan Empire, a number of powerful kingdoms arose in Central and South India, of which the Satvahanas and Vakatakas hold precedence. Later on, these regions saw the rise of some of the greatest dynasties of South India in the form of the Cholas, Pandyas, Cheras, Chalukyas, and Pallavas.

After the decline of these mighty empires, there was a lull in South India for some time mainly in the ninth to twelfth centuries. After this period, the south saw the emergence of new kingdoms like Vijayanagar, Bahmani, Bijapur, and Golkunda. Accession of Mughals in the North India in the 16th century and their expansionist mode led the southern kingdoms to be in direct conflict with the Mughals. Southern India was also the first to receive the European powers at the end of 15th century, when Vasco da Gama reached Calicut coast in 1498. Then onwards Portuguese, French, Dutch, and English came and established their business centers in the region. Later on, they increased their influence and came into direct conflict of not only the southern kingdoms but also the north Indian powers like Mughals, Marathas, and Nawabs of Bengal. The fragmented political power of India could not fight the mighty military power of Europeans and in 1764, after the war of Buxar, English annexed almost entire north India.

Travel Destinations
of South India Temple towns of south India are the greatest contribution to the world of this region. Backwaters of Kerala, wildlife sanctuaries of Nilgiris, and beaches of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Andaman & Nicobar, and Lakshadweep are one of the best you can find in this part of the world. The architectural remains of Northern Karnataka have attracted tourists from all over the world, who explore the lost empire of Vijayanagar at Hampi.

South India Heritage
In south India, temples are much more known as monuments than any other structure constructed in the region. Tamil Nadu is a bastion of Hinduism, whose past endures into the present Temples with towering spires called "Gopurams" are a common feature of this state, seldom seen anywhere else in the India.

Quite a contrast to the temple heritage is provided at Pondicherry, where the seaside villas and cobbled streets are more reminiscent of the south of France than the south of India! Karnataka is home to a fascinating legacy of richly carved temples of South India, imposing mosques and trappings of a royal past.

Language and literature
Malayalam as a distinct language had its origin in the ninth century AD. Till then the people on either side of the Western Ghats spoke the same language, with dialectal variations with in itself. There is general agreement among ethnologists that the first component of the word, viz., and ‘mala’ means hill or mountain, but in regard to the second component, viz.,’alam’ there is a difference of opinion,

According to one view the word is identical with ‘azham’, meaning “sea” or “deep”, which would make Malayalam the land lying between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. In the other view Malayalam means “a land abounding in hills”.

The Church of South India
is the result of the union of churches of varying traditions Anglican, Methodist, Congregational, Presbyterian, and Reformed--in that area. It was inaugurated in September 1947, after protracted negotiation among the churches concerned. Organized into 16 dioceses, each under the spiritual supervision of a bishop, the church as a whole is governed by a synod, which elects a moderator (presiding bishop) every 2 years.

Episcopacy is thus combined with synodical government, and the church explicitly recognizes that Episcopal, Presbyterian, and congregational elements are all necessary for the church's life. The Scriptures are the ultimate standard of faith and practice. The historic creeds are accepted as interpreting the biblical faith, and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper are recognized as of binding obligation.