The leitmotif of southern culture is its tapestry of magnificent temple architecture going back to the 6th century, the unaltered traditions of food, religion and lifestyle, handicrafts, heritage of sandalwood, silk, rosewood and brass and, of course, the grandeur of classical dance and music. This is a land of temples, a land of the devout, the profusion of jasmine and 'kanakambaram' flowers and the soft beat of distant drums that herald the beginning of another festival or celebration. But, under such superficial, though attractive similarities there runs the distinctive character of each state. Pondicherry and Lakshadweep even more different from the four highly individual states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.