Chettinad Palace, Tamilnadu

Located 10 km from Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, the Chettinad Palace was designed and constructed by Dr Annamali Chettiyar, founder of the Indian Bank and the Annamalai University in Chidambaram. Moat of the construction materials, decorative items and furnishings used to construct Chettinad Palace were imported
from East Asian countries and Europe. All the mansions have lovely teak, marble or granite pillars supporting a spacious verandah. The hall leads to the central courtyard, used for weddings and religious ceremonies erstwhile. At the corner of the courtyard is a room for worship where Rani Seethai Achi, wife of Dr Annamalai Chettiyar, spent most of her time.

Vellore Fort, tamilnadu

Located 125 km west of Madras in Tamil Nadu, the outer length of the Vellore Fort is about 758 m high and 455 m wide. The height of the outer wall is about 9 feet and the breadth is about 8 m. The Sultan of Bijapur seized Vellore by the middle of the 17th century. In 1676, the fort was captured by the Marathas who were in turn ousted by Daud Khan of Delhi in 1708. The temple and the fort were brought under the control of ASI in 1921. The fort is considered to one of the most perfect specimens of military architecture

Athirappally & Vazhachal Waterfalls

Athirappalli Waterfalls is located 78 kms from Kochi (Cochin) at the entrance to Sholayar ranges. Situated at the edge of the Sholayar forest, Athirapalli Falls join the Chalakkudy River after plummeting a drop of 80 feet. The Athirapalli Waterfalls in Trichur, Kerala, are often referred to as the Niagara Falls of India.

Snake Temple, Kerala

Mannarshala covers an area of 16 acres of dense green forest grove devoted to serpent worship. The temple here is unique in that the holy rites are presided over by a priestess. It is the largest Snake Temple in Kerala. The grove is dotted with the granite idols of serpents. There are two main idols: 'Nagaraja' or the serpent king and his consort, Sarpayakshini. The priestess lives in the 'Illam' on the north side of the temple. 'Uruli Kamazhthal' or the placing of a bell metal vessel upside down in front of the deity is the most popular offering believed to restore fertility to childless couples.

Ujjain

Ujjain, situated on the right bank of River Shipra, is among many other Indian sacred and holy cities. According to ancient Hindu scriptures, it was originally called Avantika. Later King Shiva of Avanti commemorating his triumph over the demon king of Tripuri, changed it to Ujjaiyini (one who conquers with pride). It is one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus, and the Kumbh Mela religious festival is held here every 12 years. It was governed by the likes of Vikramaditya and Ashoka. Kalidas wrote his souls stirring poetry here. The Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain: Mahakal of Ujjayini is known among the 12 celebrated Jyotirlingas in India. The glory of Mahakaleshwar temple has been vividly described in various Purans. Starting with Kalidasa, many Sanskrit poets have eulogised this temple in emotive terms. Ujjain used to be the central point for calculation of Indian time and Mahakala was considered as the distinctive presiding deity of Ujjain.

Rameshwaram

Situated on an island off the Sethu coast of Rameswaram in Ramanathpuram district, Tamil Nadu, is an important pilgrimage site for the followers of Hinduism. It is believed that a visit to this temple washes away one's sins and brings salvation (moksha). Being situated in Rameshwaram, the Ramanathaswamy Mandir is popularly known as the Rameshwaram Temple. The construction of this temple began in the 12th century; nonetheless it was completed much later, during the reign of various rulers. Rameshwaram Temple is famous for embracing one of the twelve Jyotirlingas (lingam of light) of Lord Shiva. The temple is also accredited for being the southern most 'jyotirlinga' of India.

Fraser Hills, Malaysia

Rising 1,500 meters above sea-level on the Titiwangsa mountain range of Peninsular Malaysia is Fraser's Hill. Named after a solitary Scottish pioneer, James Fraser, who set up a tin-ore trading post in the 1890s, it actually consists of seven hills. Fraser's Hill is truly an idyllic place for one to rest and to escape from not only the heat and humidity but also the hustle and bustle of city life. It is perhaps the prettiest of the Malaysian Hill resorts.

To get to Fraser's Hill from the Gap, one must go up a narrow, winding, one-way road for 8 km. Traffic up and down is controlled by a gate system with uphill traffic limited to odd hours, and downhill traffic to even hours.

There are hotels, resorts and chalets available on the hill. Tudor cottages sit among brilliantly coloured gardens shaded by lofty pine trees.

Fraser's Hill is popular with the locals and foreign tourists for its greenery, forest walks, fresh air and exotic flower gardens, not to mention the golfing facilities. It has many attractions within and around the area. There is a nature education centre where visitors can learn about the flora and fauna of the area. Bird watching is a very popular pastime and Fraser's Hill is the venue of the annual Bird Race which attracts many foreign omithologists.

Look Out Point - Ampang, KL, Malaysia

Lookout point on the hills at the eastern edge of the city with a magnificent view over the entire city with a few restaurants and a lookout tower. 

As there is no public transportation, you can only get there by car (taxi). From downtown it’s about a 30min -1h drive to get there depending on traffic. To safe money, you could take the LRT (Ampang Line) to Cempaka station and take the taxi from there. It’s only 10min from there.


The restaurants start operations in the evening and its best to arrive around 7pm to ensure you obtain a good parking spot. Look Out Point is open till 2AM on weekdays and till 3AM on weekends.


http://www.lookoutpoint.com.my/

Hampi

Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. Located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, Hampi is the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other monuments belonging to the old city.

As the village is at the original centre of Vijayanagara, it is sometimes confused with the ruined city itself. The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as the Group of Monuments at Hampi.

Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri is a city and a municipal board in Agra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The historical city was constructed by Mughal emperor Akbar beginning in 1570 and served as the empire's capital from 1571 until 1585. Though the court took 15 years to build, it was abandoned after only 14 years because the water supply was unable to sustain the growing population.[1] The surviving palace and mosque are a tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site itself is a ghost town.

Akbar had inherited the Mughal Empire from his father Humayun and grandfather Babur. During the 1560s he rebuilt the Agra Fort and established it as his capital.He had a son and then twins, but the twins died. He then consulted Salim Chishti the sufi saint who lived as a recluse in the small town Sikri near Agra. Salim predicted that Akbar would have another son, and indeed one was born in 1569 in Sikri. He was named Salim to honor the saint and would later rule the empire as Jahangir|Emperor Jahangir. The following year, Akbar, then 28 years old, determined to build a palace and royal city in Sikri, to honor Salim Chishti.The name, Fateh is Arabic in origin and means "victory", also in Urdu and Persian language.It is at Fatehpur Sikri that the legends of Akbar and his famed courtiers, the nine jewels or Navaratnas, were born. The legendary musician Tansen is said to have performed on an island in the middle of the pool Anup Talao.

Konark Sun Temple

Konark (or Konarak) is a small town in the state of Orissa, India, on the Bay of Bengal, sixty-five kilometres from Bhubaneswar.

Konark is the site of the 13th-century Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda), built in black granite by King Narasimhadeva. The temple is one of the most important Brahman sanctuaries, and is a world heritage site. It takes the form of the chariot of Surya, the sun god, and is heavily decorated with stone carving. The temple is now partly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by the Archaeological Survey of India. The poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote of Konark: "here the language of stone surpasses the language of man". Konark is also home to an annual dance festival, held every December, devoted to classical Indian dance forms, including the traditional classical dance of Orissa, odissi.

Konark beach is a popular tourist destination, though the waters are deceptively calm. Its main attraction lies in its views of the temple.

Agra Fort

Near the gardens of the Taj Mahal stands the important 16th-century Mughal monument known as the Red Fort of Agra. This powerful fortress of red sandstone encompasses, within its 2.5-km-long enclosure walls, the imperial city of the Mughal rulers. It comprises many fairy-tale palaces, such as the Jahangir Palace and the Khas Mahal, built by Shah Jahan; audience halls, such as the Diwan-i-Khas; and two very beautiful mosques.

Taj Mahal

Among the famous monuments of India, none is more fascinating than the Taj Mahal. The pinnacle of medieval architecture was achieved in this mausoleum built by the Mughul Emperor Shahjahan in the 17th century AD. The immense size and grandeur along with its sublime spiritual appeal makes the Taj Mahal one of the most popular tourist attractions in India. Located in the city of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, the Taj Mahal stands out among the highlights of tourism in India. 

The magnificent Taj mahal was built by the 5th Mughul emperor Shahjahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, also known as Arjumand Bano Begum. She was his favorite wife and she bore him 14 children. She died at childbirth in 1631, and thus attained martyrdom. This is why the tomb of Mumtaz mahal was designed to be a mausoleum, as well as place of pilgrimage where religious festivals would be held. 

Ajanta Caves - India

Ajanta Caves (Ajaṇṭā; Devanagari: अजंठा लेणी) in Maharashtra, India are rock-cut cave monuments dating from the second centuryBCE, containing paintings and sculpture considered to be masterpieces of both Buddhist religious art^[1] and universal pictorial art.^[2]

The caves are located just outside the village of Ajinṭhā in Aurangabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra (N. lat. 20 deg. 30' by E. long. 75 deg. 40'). Since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ellora Caves is a site about 30 km from Aurangabad in Maharashtra. Personally I am not that keen on visiting caves, but the Ellora complex is different. There Buddhist, Hindu and Jain temples all cut out of the surrounding rocks. The 12 Buddhist (caves 1–12), 17 Hindu (caves 13–29) and 5 Jain (caves 30–34) caves are of course UNESCO World Heritage site.

Best way to visit the site is by taxi from Aurangabad (just over 200 km from Pune, in, roughly, west India). It is very easy to spend a day or if you like more in the complex. There's so much to see.

The complex is extensive but there are some temples that are so stunning, one can hardly believe they were actually 1000 years ago made.

Chithannavasal - Tamilnadu - India

This ancient abode of Jains dating back to the 2nd Century B.C. is about 16 Kms. from Pudukkottai . The Rock–cut cave temple here has beautiful fresco Paintings in natural colours as in Ajanta. The Natural cavern with stone beds in which the Jain monks were said to have sought refuge for meditation. This cave contains lithic record (Brahmi Script of 2nd Century B.C.)

There are a few sculptures of Jain Thirthanharas in the ardhamandapam and the inner shrine of the cave temple. The ceiling of the ardhamandapam contains fresco paintings of the 9th Centure A.D. The cave temple is said to have been excavated in 9th century A.D. and it is a pandya creation and art.

Sittannavasal is one the oldest habitation of man in the district and is rich in megalithic sites.

The cave temple and other sites are under the control of Archaeological Survey of India. Admission by tickets, open all days. Frequent bus service is available from Pudukkottai