India Jog Falls is the second highest waterfall in India, but arguably the most spectacular waterfall in the Far East. Fed by the Sharavathi, one of India’s sacred rivers, and surrounded on all sides by lush, dense rainforest, it is one of the most beautiful and most visited natural sites in the Indian state of Karnataka. The area around the Jog Falls has been inhabited … [Read more...]
KERALA BACKWATERS
India The Kerala Backwaters are an extensive interconnecting series of waterways that run much of the length of the state of Kerala along the Arabian Sea. It includes lakes, natural rivers and manmade canals in an area lush with wetlands and forests. A very popular vacation destination, the Backwaters are home to hotels, resorts and houseboats. The area of the Kerala … [Read more...]
SRI PADA
Sri Lanka (2,243 m) – Sacred Mountain of Sri Lanka Sri Pada is one of the most universally sacred mountains in the Far East. A towering, almost perfectly conical peak, it is considered to be an important religious site by Buddhists and Hindus as well as by Muslims and Christians. Its name means “butterfly mountain”, and though primarily a Buddhist site, is also known as … [Read more...]
ARUNACHALA HILL
India (N/A) – One of the most Sacred Hindu Sites in Southern India Arunachala Hill is the most sacred Hindu mountain in southern India, where it is home to one of the five great Shaivite shrines. Unlike its sacred cousins in the north, which are lost amidst the Himalayas and are largely inaccessible, Arunachala is a semi-solitary peak located just outside of a major city. At … [Read more...]
ST. MARY’S CHURCH
Chennai, Tamil Nadu St. Mary’s Church is the oldest purpose-built Anglican church building in India. A part of the first British settlement in the Subcontinent, it is for all intents and purposes the Mother Church of the Anglican Communion in the Far East. Constructed to withstand the hard realities of the wars of the colonial era, St. Mary’s has survived virtually intact to … [Read more...]
ST. FRANCIS CHURCH
Cochin, Kerala The St. Francis Church is not only the oldest Christian church in India, it is also the oldest church built by a European colonial power in Asia. It was from here, even earlier than in Goa, that Christianity and Roman Catholicism began its long spread throughout the Subcontinent. Its history includes brushes with famous European explorers as well as numerous … [Read more...]
MAKKAH MOSQUE
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh The Makkah Mosque is often overlooked in the shadow of its more famous neighbor, the Charminar Mosque. However, the Makkah Mosque is more than worthy of attention in its own right. Begun during the reign of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty and completed under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, this 17th century masterpiece is the largest mosque in Southern India. It … [Read more...]
BIBI KA MAQBARA
Aurangabad, Maharashtra The Bibi Ka Maqbara is arguably India’s second greatest mausoleum. However, being in the shadow of the world famous Taj Mahal, the Bibi Ka Maqbara is virtually forgotten in wider India, and almost unknown around the world. Built by the son of Shah Jahan for his first wife, the Bibi Ka Maqbara bears a striking resemblance to the Taj Mahal, to which it is … [Read more...]
CHERAMAN JUMA MOSQUE
Methala, Kerala The Cheraman Juma Mosque is believed to be the oldest mosque in India, a claim that is not generally disputed by any potential rivals (although the current building dates from a later period). According to legend, it was established directly by a merchant and follower of the Prophet Muhammad just a few years before the Prophet’s death. Many Muslims honor it as … [Read more...]
AJANTA & ELLORA CAVES
Ajanya & Ellora, Maharashtra The Indian state of Maharastra is home to some of the oldest sacred sites in India, especially in the Buddhist tradition. Among the best known and most visited of these are the cave temples that can be found at Ajanta and Ellora. Between these two locations, approximately sixty miles from each other, are over sixty of the worlds most … [Read more...]
