The Five Offbeat Places in India

It’s annoying, isn’t it? Planning out the itinerary of your trip and being told by everyone- visit here and visit there, and you realise that all these places are nothing but the road well taken. But you want the road lesser known in India. So, if you are looking for places to visit in South India, keep reading:

1. Mathur: always wanted to visit those idyllic charming quintessential South Indian villages, but everywhere has already been trodden on? Then Mathur is the place for you! tucked away in Karnataka in South India, this beautiful village is a reminiscence of time long past!  And you know what is the best, rather the coolest part? People still use Sanskrit for daily communications! Of course, Sanskrit is known as the language of gods and along with other classical arts, the art of Gamaka- an ancient form of storytelling and singing is practised widely and extensively here! This place also has Lakshmiseva temple, Raamamandira and Someshwara temple are some of the attractions that you ought to drop in when visiting!
2. Athirapilly falls: situated in Kerala, god’s own county, this is one of the lesser known gems of the region. Located in the ChalakudyTuluk district, only at a minor 90 kilometres distance of kochi, this beautiful waterfall has been given the accolade of the “Niagra fall of India”. Set amidst lush flora and fauna, time stands still here. While mobile networks might be a bit of problem, this is the ideal spot to spot the endangered hornbills, for which the Thissur forest department, happily arranges tours for us.
3. The mysterious and mystical sand dunes of Talakad: this is the place of legend. This is the place which has the potential of making authors find new bourgeoning avenues in the field of Hindu mythology. Talakad originally housed five temples devoted to the five “roop” or five facades of the Hindu deity of destruction and regeneration: Shiva! The five lingams which represent the various faces are Pathaleshwara, Maruleshwara, Mallikarajuna, Vaidyanatheshwara and Arkeshawara. These five images were contained in more than thirty temples all of which are buried under sand dunes by the bank of river Kaveri South India. A fair known as “PanchalingaDarshana” is held every twelve years to honour the hindu deity and was last held in 2009.
4. The Chembara lake, Wayanad: this is a sight to behold and take in and photograph and to never let go! This is a lake. But it is not just a lake. It is a lake which is shaped like a heart! It is shaped like a heart and it is located at an altitude of 6900 ft above sea level! If that does not make your heart sing, I don’t know what would!
5. Dutch cemetery in pulicat: why does a cemetery feature on this list? Because it speaks in hushed tones of the times that are long gone which have left a marked impression on the historical landscape of India. This houses tombstones of Dutch and Portuguese people alright, but it is the setting that makes it intriguing and enchanting. If you like history of India, then it is for you!