Aerial Views of Southern India

The Indian state of Kerala is situated on the western half of the southern tip of India, on the Malabar Coast.  Due to its role in the spice trade, this area of India was one of the first to have extensive contact with the outside world, first via Africa and the Middle East and later via the European colonial powers.  In this video, contributor Ashframes used his DJI Mavic Pro drone to create an aerial tour of this tropical paradise on the Indian Ocean, which is regularly inundated with monsoon rains.  

Behold this drone video of one of the world's most famous waterfalls, courtesy of Anudeephegde18.  Jog Falls is in the Karnataka state of India, in the southwestern part of the country.  Also called Gerosoppa Falls, during certain types of the year it becomes a plunge-type waterfall, in which the water loses contact with the surface and simply "plunges" below.  With a total height of 250 meters (829 feet), it's one of the country's top tourist destinations and it's considered one of the world's most beautiful waterfalls.

Check out this stunning drone video of India's Western Ghats Mountains, compliments of contributor Rahul Vellithodi.  This chain runs roughly parallel to India's southwestern coastline, from Gujarat to Kerala in the south.  With their highest peaks at about 2.7k meters (around 8.7k ft.), they are only about a third as tall as the Himalaya's.  What they lack in height though they make up for in biodiversity; these mountains are home to thousands of plant and animal species that aren't found anywhere else in the world.   

Check out this awesome drone reel from the very southern tip of India.  Kanyakumari is the southernmost district of the state of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state.  Surrounded by the sea (the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal) and with the southern end of the Western Ghats lying just inland, Kanyakumari is one of the most scenic spots in southern India.  It's also one of the wealthiest and most developed areas of Tamil Nadu, second only to the district of the provincial capital Chennai.  

Check out these stunning drone views from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.  The video features footage from around this important southern state, one of the richest in India.  Some of the highlights include the Kapaleeshwarar Temple in the Mylapore neighborhood of Chennai, the state's capital and largest city; the Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam, which is built on a square-shaped man-made lake in Madurai, an interior city which is Tamil Nadu's cultural capital; and the giant Meenakshi Temple complex, also in Madurai.

Contributor and drone pilot abilashc created this beautiful aerial video of Pondicherry, a mid-sized city on India's southeastern coast.  It's part of a union territory (provinces which, unlikes Indian states, are ruled by the central government) of the same name, which lies to the north of the state of Tamil Nadu and south of Andhra Pradesh.  Sometimes referred to as Pondy, it's known in part for its beautiful coastline on the Bay of Bengal and is a popular beach destination in southern India.

Contributor Vishweshwar created this outstanding drone reel which features amazing footage from southern India.  Most of the footage was shot around the city of Hyderabad in the interior of the state of Telangana (recently carved out from Andhra Pradesh).  Hyderabad is the second largest city in southern India (after Bangalore) and the fourth largest city in the country.  A relatively young city by Indian standards, Hyderabad was founded in the late 16th century by the Qutb Shahi Dynasty.

Check out this magnificent drone video tour of the Indian state of Kerala, compliments of AirVuz contributor daniel nunes.  Kerala is one of the states of Southern India.  It is a long, rather narrow state which runs north-to-south along the country's western shoreline, known as the Malabar Coast, and extending inland (east) to the crest of the Western Ghats Mountains.  Profoundly affected by the annual monsoon rains, Kerala has emerged as one of the country's top tourist destinations and is particularly popular for its eco-tourism.  

In this outstanding drone video by Anudeephegde18, you'll see India's "other mountains": the Western Ghats range.  Sometimes called the Great  Escarpment, the Western Ghats form a chain which runs down length of India's western coast, nearly to its southern tip.  Not as well known (or as tall) as the Himalayan Mountains to the north, the Western Ghats are an extremely popular getaway destination for domestic travelers.  In recent years, they have become an emerging eco-tourist destination for travelers around the world.

Check out this professional drone reel from the great Indian city of Bangalore, compliments of Shazar.  Shot with a DJI Mavic Air, the video features footage from across the city, the capital of the South Indian state of Karnataka and the country's #3 city by population after Delhi and Mumbai.  Featured locations include the magnificent 19th century Tudor Revival style Bangalore Palace (now the home of the Central College), the Vidhana Soudha (seat of the state legislature), the State Central Library, Cubbon Park, and more.

Guidabande is a 17th century fortress in southwestern India.  It's situated in an inland part of the state of Karanataka, the next-to-southernmost of the states along the country's western (Indian Ocean) coastline.  It is a near-copy of another fort called Madhugiri located nearby.  The seven-level fort is built on a hilltop with a commanding view of the surrounding countryside.  In this video, you'll get a bird's eye view of the mighty fortress, which was built by a local chieftain and which is topped by a temple.  

Telangana is the newest of the 29 states of India.  It was created in 2014 by carving out the northwestern part of Andhra Pradesh, one of the main states of Southern India.  The new landlocked state also has long borders with the states of Maharashta, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka.  It's largest city and capital is Hyderabad, one of the 5-6 largest cities in the country depending on the method of enumeration.  In this video, you'll get an aerial mini-tour of Telangana, compliments of contributor and drone pilot Vishweshwar.

Puligundu is a giant rock mountain in the Chittoor district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.  Known as the Tiger Rock in Colonial times, the massive structure towers over 300 meters (1,000 ft.) above the surrounding plain.  With a Hindu temple at its base, it is a major attraction in this area, which lies in the southern part of the state and is due west of Chennai in Tamil Nadu.  In this video from Ajayfashionfly, you can check out this amazing rock formation from a bird's eye perspective.  

Munnar is a town in the interior of the Southern Indian state of Kerala.  It is situated well to the interior of the state, in the Idukki district.  The area is in the heart of the Western Ghats Mountains, a range which runs more or less parallel to the country's Arabian Sea (Indian Ocean) coastline.  Top content creator and pilot prtzy used a drone to create this beautiful aerial of the area, which is a  popular vacation and honeymoon destination and is sometimes called the Kashmir of South India.

For his third upload to AirVuz, contributor daniel.nunes brings us this fantastic video from the fascinating city of Hampi, India.  Located in the southern state of Karnataka, Hampi was the one-time capital of the great Vijayanagara Empire that once ruled over much of southern India.  At the height of the Empire's power around 1500 AD, Hampi was the world's second-largest city after Beijing, China.  The city was subsequently destroyed during fighting with the Empire's northern rivals; its ruins are now a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

Ballarayana Durga is located in Karntaka, a state in southwest India with coastlines along the Arabian Sea. Situated in the state's Chikmagalur district, the hiking trail is known for its spectacular views of the surrounding jungle and magnificent towering rock formations.  The area is part of the  Western Ghats, a mountain range which runs parallel to the coast.  Contributor and drone pilot pushpaka vimana created this excellent "dronie" shot which will give you a bird's eye view of this spectacular wilderness area.

Check out this beautiful drone video of Kovalam, a seaside town in the south Indian state of Kerala.  It lies on the Malabar Coast (as Kerala's coastline on the Arabian Sea is known), just south of the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram.  It's been known as a popular beach destination since the 1920's.  It gained some prominence in the 1970's when it became part of the so-called Hippie Trail which led from Europe to Sri Lanka.  The video includes footage of the Vizhinjam Lighthouse, which was erected in 1972.  

Chikmagalur is a district in the mountains of the state of Karnataka in southwestern India.  The mountains here are part of the Western Ghats range which runs down the length of India's western coastline.  The interior of Karnataka has become something of a magnet for eco-tourism, as the area is home to thousands of rare species of flora and fauna.  Located in the south-central part of the state, the area is home to numerous wildlife preserves and parks.  This video was filmed with a DJI Spark drone.  

Contributor and pilot Azhar_photography used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to create this stunning aerial view from the mountains of Southern India.  Ponmudi is a mountain town in the southernmost district of the state of Kerala, which covers most of the southwestern part of the country.  It's near the southern end of the Western Ghats mountain range which parallels India's Arabian Sea/Indian Ocean coastline.  The area is treasured for its rare birds as well as its mountain roads full of hairpin turns.  

Contributor vimal_bupathy created this drone video from the area around the city of Dindigul in the southern part of India.  The city lies in the interior of the state of Tamil Nadu, the state which occupies the eastern side of the southern tip of the country.  Dindigul lies about 420 km (around 260 mi.) southwest of the Tamil Nadu capital city of Chennai (also known as Madras).  A very old city, Dindigul is situated at the base of a semi-mountainous area known as the Sirumalai Hills.

The Shivagange mountain peak is a sacred Hindu pilgramage site in Southern India.  Seen here in this drone video by AirVuz contributor Amith, Shivagange is located near the village of Dobbaspet in the Bangalore Rural District of the southwestern state of Karnataka.  The hill has a number of temples, both at its peak (at an elevation of just under 4.5k ft. above sea level (around 1.4k m) and also built into caves on the side of the hill.  The hill itself is considered a Shivalinga, an abstract representation of th Hindu god Shiva.  

Here's a bird's eye view of one of the most famous forts of southern India, compliments of contributor and drone pilot manofmysore.  The Manjarabad Fort was built in the late 18th century for the ruler of Mysore, a kingdom which covered much of South India prior to its absorption into the British Raj.  Manjarabad is what's known as a star fort, a configuration which was imported from Europe by its French designers.  The fortress sits in the hills of the mountainous Chikmagalur District of the state of Karnataka.  

Contributor and drone pilot Anudeephegde18 put together this excellent promotional piece for a luxury seaside resort in Southern India. The Uva Meridian Day Resort and Spa is located in Kundapura, on the Indian Ocean coastline in the state of Karnataka.  The town was originally known primarily for being on a pilgrimage route to the Mookambika Temple in Kollur.  While its still famous for its temples, like much of the Karnataka coastline it's become an extremely popular seaside destination.

AirVuz contributor Amith brings us these stunning morning drone views from India's Western Ghats Mountains.  The video was filmed over Chikmagalur, an inland district of the southwestern state of Karnataka.  While the Western Ghats run for about 1k mi. (a bit over 1.6k km) on a north-south axis parallel to India's western (Arabian Sea) coast and traverse parts of six states, the stretch of the chain through Karnataka has emerged as one of the premiere mountain and ecotourism destinations in Southern Asia.  

Contributor Ericbartolo combined drone and ground camera footage to create this marvelous portrait of the Indian state of Telangana.  Located in the south-central part of the country on the Deccan Plateau, the state became India's 29th in 2014, when it was separated from the state of Andhra Pradesh.  Prior to the emergence of modern India, Telangana was known as the princely Hyderabad State; it joined the Indian Union comparatively late (in 1948) and only after a military invasion by the Indian army.  

For a first upload to AirVuz, new contributor skybloouu brings us this excellent drone video from India's Western Ghats mountains.  One of the world's top emerging eco-tourism destinations, the Western Ghats run parallel to India's western (Arabian Sea) coastline, with the heart of the range lying across the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.  Formed roughly 150 million years ago (about 100 million years before the Himalayas), the Western Ghats reach heights of up to about 8.8k ft. above sea level (around 2.7k m).  

Siddavatam is the site of an important 14th century fortress in southern India.  It's located in Kadapa, an interior district of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.  Situated on the let bank of the Penna River, the fortress was completed in 1303.  Covering an area of about 12 acres, the fortress has several temples within its walls, namely the Ranganatha Swamy, Siddheswara, Durga, and the Bala Brahma Temples.  Seen here in this drone video by kktheij, the fortress underwent substantial alterations and improvements in the 16th century.  

AirVuz contributor Amith brings us this stunning drone video of a famous statue of the Hindu deity Shiva on the coast of India.  The 123 ft. tall (38 m) figure, the tallest Shiva statue in India as of 2023, is located in the town of Murdeshwar in the southern state of Karnataka, on the Arabian Sea.  The statue is part of the Murudeshwara Temple complex on Kanduka Hill, which includes the 20 story adjacent gopuram (monumental entrance tower), also seen in the video.  The complex was completed in 2008.  

Karnataka is one of the main states in Southern India.  Once known as the State of Mysore, it covers a long stretch of the country's western (Arabian Sea) coast and extends inwards into the Western Ghats Mountains.  The state has a population of over 60 million as of 2019 but only one large city - its capital, Bangalore.  Largely rural, Karnataka is the center of India's emerging ecotourism industry.  Check out this beautiful state from above in this drone video by AirVuz contributor and pilot aero.tan. 

The star fortress is a type of bastion fort, a defensive system which evolved in Early Modern Europe in response to advances in artillery technology and tactics.  The design provided for covering fire to protect the fort from close-in operations, and its lower but thicker walls provided better protection from more effective cannon fire.  An excellent example of a star fortress is the  Manjarabad Fort in the Southern Indian state of Karnataka; seen here in this drone video by Amith, it utilized a French design and was completed in 1792.  

Top AirVuz contributor Amith brings us this excellent drone video of a famous and very old statue in the southern part of India.  The Gommateshwara statue was built in the 10th century AD atop Vindhyagiri Hill in the town of Shravanabelagola, which is located in the southwestern state of Karnataka.  Made of solid granite, the statue is dedicated to Bahubali, an important figure in Jainism, one of the world's oldest religions.  In 2007, Gommateshwara was voted as one of the Seven Wonders of India in a Times of India survey.  

Mirjan Fort is a historic landmark in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.  Seen in this drone video by AirVuz contributor Amith, it's situated on the Aganashini River just a few mi./km from its mouth on the Arabian Sea, a bit south of Karnataka's border with its neighboring state of Goa.  While there is some uncertainty about the early history of the site, the most widely-accepted version credits its construction to Queen Rani Chennabhairadevi, who ruled the area when it was a province of Vijayanagara Empire in the late 16th century.

Top AirVuz contributor Amith brings us this rather haunting drone video of a recent shipwreck in southwestern India.  The tugboat Alliance, operated by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd., capsized on May 15, 2021 during a cyclone on the Arabian Sea coast in the state of Karnataka.  A few days later, the ship washed up on Padubidri Beach, south of the city of Udupi.  The bodies of three of the eight crew members were recovered from the wreck; in addition, two of the five crew who had escaped the ship drowned swimming to shore.  

Top AirVuz contributor and drone pilot prtzy brings us this excellent drone video from an emerging tourist area of Southern India.  It's the Alappuzha (Alleppey) district of Kerala, which runs along India's southwestern (Arabian Sea) coastline.  The smallest of Kerala's 14 districts by land area, Alappuzha is one of its most popular for tourists.  Crossed by rivers that drain the Western Ghats Mountains to the east, as well as inter-connecting canals, Alappuzha has earned itself the nickname of the "Venice of the East".  

Get a taste of the beautiful natural scenery of Southern India in this beautiful and inspiring piece from a new AirVuz contributor.  The video chronicles a two day trip into the hinterlands of the state of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state.  The area filmed is around the town of Ooty, which is in the far western part of the state.  It's situated in the Nilgiri Mountains, a sub-range of the Western Ghats Mountains which run down the western "spine" of India.  The excellent aerial footage was captured with a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone.  

Maravanthe is one of the most well-known beach areas along the southern part of India's western coastline on the Arabian Sea.  Seen in this excellent drone video by AirVuz contributor Amith, it's located in the Udupi District of the state of Karnataka, about 70 mi (around 115 km) north of the port city of Mangalore.  The area features several miles/km of white sand beaches, in some stretches sitting on a narrow strip of land between the Souparnika River and the sea.  Maravanthe is sometimes referred to as the Virgin Beach.  

For a first upload to AirVuz, brand-new contributor AK87 brings us this excellent drone video demo reel from the city of Chennai, India.  Once known as Madras, Chennai is the capital of the southeastern state of Tamil Nadu.  Located on the Bay of Bengal, Chennai is the cente of the fourth-largest metropolitan area in India as of 2022, behind only Mumbai, New Delhi, and Kolkata, and the largest urban agglomeration in Southern India.  It regularly sits atop various rankings of India's most-livable cities.  

Check out this drone video of a pair of Hindu temples in southern India, compliments of new AirVuz contributor and pilot arispeter.  The Perakkattu Sree Mahadeva Temple and Koottumadom Sree Subramanya swami Temple are two of the most prominent landmarks in the town of Rayamangalam.  The town lies in the state of Kerala, in the region east of the coastal plain on the Arabian Sea and west of the Western Ghats, a mountain chain which forms the "spine" of western India.  It's part of Ernakulam, one of the central districts of Kerala.

Get a rare aerial look at a famous Hindu temple in southern India, compliments of AirVuz contributor and drone pilot Amith.  The Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple is located in the town of Melukote, about 30 mi. (50 km) north of the city of Mysore in the southwestern state of Karnataka.  It's one of the Abhimana Kshethram, a group of 108 sacred temples dedicated to the Hindu deity Vishnu.  Originally contructed during the 11th century, the temple sits atop a granite hill overlooking the Cauvery Valley,

Contributor srinivas akula created this fascinating drone video of the Dowleswaram Barrage, an irrigation structure on the Godavari River in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.  The original structure was built in 1850 and is credited with having prevented instances of drought-induced famine which were not uncommon in this area of southeastern India.  The structure was completely rebuilt in the early 1970's and is now known as Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage / Godavari Barrage in honor of its original builder.  

AirVuz contributor Amith brings us this fascinating drone video of a Hindu festival near the Indian city of Bangalore.  The Grand festival is held every year at the Sri Madduramma Temple in the Huskur area to the southeast of central Bangalore, capital of the southern state of Karnataka.  At the center of the festival are giant chariots constructed by local villagers; the tallest one seen in the video reaches over 150 ft. high (just under 50 m).  The temple was constructed during the Chola dynasty and dates to the 11th century AD.  

For a first upload to AirVuz,  brand-contributor amiths brings us this excellent drone video from Southern India.  The video was shot around the environs of Udupi, a port city on the Arabian Sea in the state of Karnataka, which covers much of the southwestern part of the country.  The video features footage of the following locations in and around Udupi: Padubidri Beach, Malpe Beach, Maravanthe Beach, Kaup Lighthouse, Kodi Bengre Beach, Mattu Beach, Varanga Jain Temple, Ottinene Beach, and the Malpe Sea Walk.  

A hilltop Hindu temple set amongst a group of giant wind turbines in the southern part of India is the subject of this fascinating drone video by AirVuz contributor Amith.  The Mavanuru Malleshwara Temple is situated within the foothills of the Western Ghats mountains in the Hassan district in the southern part of the state of Karnataka.  It shares a ridge with an array of wind turbines, which are driven by some of the highest average wind speeds in the country.  As of 2023, India had the fourth-highest installed windpower capacity.  

The southern Indian state of Kerala is emerging as one of the "winners" in the country's rapidly-growing domestic tourism industry.   One of the reasons for this is the state's long Arabian Sea coastline, which is lined with bays, natural harbors, and small islands.  Part of the Malabar Coast, it's a landscape which bears resemblance to Florida's Gold Coast and which many believe has similar potential.  To see what this looks like on the ground, check out this drone video from the area around Kappil Beach, 45 minutes south of Kollam.        

Check out this drone video of a recent shipwreck on the coast of India, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot Amith.  In October of 2019, the dredging ship Bhagawati Prem got stuck in the sand in heavy seas near the beach of Surathka in Mangalore, Karnataka, on the country's southwestern (Arabian Sea) coast.  All 15 of the ship's crew were safely recovered, and no fuel leakage occurred.  The ship remains an environmental hazard to the area and its owner faces legal action from its failure to relocate it.  

Get a mini-tour of the southern Indian state of Kerala in this beautiful reel by contributor and drone pilot Crawlawe.  One of the smaller of the country's 29 states, Kerala occupies the southern portion of the Malabar Coast  along the Indian Ocean (also called the Arabian Sea here).  Although Kerala is a fairly narrow state, the geography in this part of the country quickly transitions from the seaside plain to the Western Ghats Mountains, and Kerala essentially includes the western side of the range.  

Check out this beautiful drone video from an important historical site in Southern Indian, compliments of contributor Tapas Ghosh.  Hampi is a monument complex in the interior of  Karanataka, in the southwestern part of the country.  The structures were built by the  Vijayanagara Empire, a Hindu kingdom which arose in the 14th century and eventually succumbed to Muslim invasions.  At the height of its power, the city was the second largest in the world.  It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

Take a first person view (FPV) drone dive over a famous waterfall in India, compliments of AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot vqnxz.  Jog Falls is situated on the Sharavati River in the (interior) Shimoga District of the southern state of Karnataka.  It has a total height of 830 ft. or 253 m, and depending on the season it is sometimes segmented and sometimes a single plunge-type waterfall.  It's the third-highest waterfall in India and a major tourist attraction in the Western Ghats mountain region.   

Top contributor Pritzy created this marvelous mini-tour of Kerala, India's southwesternmost state.  Its coastline is called the Malabar Coast and is known in part for its intense rainfall during Monsoon season.  With a population of about 35 million as of 2018 and no mega-cities, it's a largely rural state.  The long, narrow state is characterized by parallel "strips" of differing landscapes, with the easternmost highlands running up into the Western Ghats Mountains which form its eastern border.  

AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot Dronediary_ earned a spot on the FPV Pilots to Watch list in July of 2022 with this fantastic FPV video of a shipwreck off the coast of Southern India.  The ship is the Bhagwati Prem, a dredging vessel which was deliberately put aground off Surathkal Beach in October of 2019 due to the possibility of the ship sinking as heavy weather was approaching.  Surathkal is a northern suburb of Surathkal, one of the main cities in the state of Karnataka.  

Southern India is emerging as one of India's top leisure destinations, in no small measure due to interest in the region's mountainous interior.  Seen in this drone video, the Western Ghats mountain range runs parallel to the western (Indian Ocean) coastline, crossing parts of most of the South Indian states.  Covered in semi-tropical rainforests, the Western Ghats (sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India) are becoming a top eco-tourist destination not just in India but for travelers aroound the world.