Pilgrim Places of India

Badrinath Temple

Vishnu (Badri Narayan)

Vishnu's abode in the Himalayas — one of the four Char Dham and 108 Divya Desams.

Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib)

Guru Granth Sahib (holy scripture)

The holiest gurdwara in Sikhism — golden-domed sanctuary rising from the Amrit Sarovar.

Kedarnath Temple

Shiva (Kedarnath Jyotirlinga)

One of the 12 Jyotirlingas and part of the Char Dham — Lord Shiva's Himalayan abode at 3,583 m.

Mahabodhi Temple

Buddha (site of enlightenment)

Where Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree — UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Somnath Temple

Shiva (Somnath Jyotirlinga)

First of the 12 Jyotirlingas — the eternal shrine on the Arabian Sea coast.

Vaishno Devi Bhawan

Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, Mahasaraswati (holy pindis)

Cave shrine of the three-faced goddess in the Trikuta hills — 10M+ pilgrims annually.

Baidyanath Temple

Shiva

The divine physician Shiva — a Jyotirlinga at the heart of India's greatest Shravan pilgrimage.

Ballaleshwar Temple

Ganesha

The only Ashta Vinayak named after a devotee — Ganesha as protector of child-devotion.

Banke Bihari Temple, Vrindavan

Krishna (Banke Bihari)

The playful, bliss-giving Krishna — Vrindavan's most beloved temple in the sacred forest town.

Barsana (Shriji / Radha Rani Temple)

The village of Radha — famous for the boisterous Lathmar Holi celebrated a week before the festival.

Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa

UNESCO World Heritage Site — resting place of St Francis Xavier's incorrupt body.

Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, Velankanni

Our Lady of Good Health (Virgin Mary)

The Lourdes of the East — a Marian shrine where miracles have drawn pilgrims since the 16th century.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, Bandra

Mumbai's most-visited Marian shrine — famous for the annual Bandra Fair drawing pilgrims of all faiths.

Bhadrachalam (Sri Sita Ramachandraswamy Temple)

Rama's shrine on the Godavari — where the poet-saint Ramadasu was granted vision of the Lord.

Bhimashankar Temple

Shiva

Sixth Jyotirlinga in the Sahyadri — surrounded by India's biodiversity sanctuary.

Chintamani Temple

Ganesha

The wish-fulfilling gem — the Ashta Vinayak closest to Pune, on the Mula–Mutha river.

Chitrakoot (Ram Ghat & Kamadgiri)

Rama's forest-exile abode — where the divine trio lived for 11 of their 14 exile years.

Dakshineshwar Kali Temple

Bhavatarini (Kali)

Ramakrishna's abode of divine vision — the 12-spired Kali temple on the Hooghly river.

Dargah Khwaja Sahib, Ajmer

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti

The most revered Sufi dargah in South Asia — where Khwaja Gharib Nawaz still grants wishes.

Dharamshala / McLeodganj (Tsuglagkhang Complex)

Home of His Holiness the Dalai Lama — the spiritual capital of Tibetan Buddhism in exile.

Dwarkadhish Temple

Krishna (Dwarkadhish)

Krishna's legendary kingdom — one of the four Char Dhams on the Arabian Sea coast.

Ekambareswarar Temple, Kanchipuram

Shiva (Prithvi Linga)

City of 1,000 temples — Kanchipuram's grand Ekambareswarar among the Sapta Puri sacred cities.

Gangotri Temple

Ganga

Source of the sacred Ganga — the Char Dham shrine at 3,415 m.

Girijatmaj Temple

Ganesha

Born of the mountain goddess — the only Ashta Vinayak inside a Buddhist cave temple.

Girnar Jain Temples

Neminath (22nd Tirthankara)

Sacred peak in Saurashtra — 10,000 steps lead to Jain temples and the Amba Mata shrine.

Gokul (Nand Bhavan)

Where baby Krishna was raised by Yashoda and Nanda — village of the divine childhood.

Govardhan Hill (Giriraj)

The hill Krishna lifted on his little finger — worshipped as Giriraj-ji, the mountain-form of the Lord.

Gridhrakuta Hill (Vulture's Peak), Rajgir

Gautama Buddha

The Vulture's Peak where the Buddha gave the Lotus Sutra — heart of India's Buddhist pilgrimage.

Grishneshwar Temple

Shiva

The 12th and last Jyotirlinga — a serene red-stone shrine beside the Ellora Caves.

Hampi (Virupaksha Temple & Kishkindha)

Kingdom of the vanaras and Hanuman's birthplace — set among the surreal boulders of Vijayanagara.

Har Ki Pauri, Haridwar

Ganga (Har)

The gateway where the Ganga meets the plains — Haridwar's sacred ghat and Sapta Puri city.

Hemis Monastery

Drukpa Lineage (Tibetan Buddhism)

Ladakh's wealthiest and largest monastery — famous for the vibrant masked Hemis Festival.

Jagannath Temple, Puri

Jagannath (Vishnu)

Lord of the Universe — one of the four Char Dhams and the world's greatest rath yatra.

Kalighat Kali Temple

Kali

Where Sati's toes fell — the namesake of Kolkata, the mother goddess in her fiercest form.

Kalpeshwar Temple

Shiva (Kalpeshwar)

The only Panch Kedar open year-round — Shiva's matted locks in a cave by the Urgam valley.

Kamakhya Temple

Kamakhya Devi

The supreme Shakti Peetha — a living goddess on Nilachal Hill, Guwahati.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Shiva

Lord of Kashi — the eternal Jyotirlinga in the world's oldest living city.

Katra — Base Camp for Vaishno Devi

The Himalayan foothill town where the 13 km trek to Mata Rani's cave shrine begins.

Krishna Janmabhoomi, Mathura

Krishna

Lord Krishna's birthplace — the city of the divine cowherd in the sacred Braj Mandal.

Madhyamaheshwar Temple

Shiva (Madhyamaheshwar)

The navel of Shiva — second Panch Kedar amid high-altitude Himalayan meadows.

Mahaganapati Temple

Ganesha

The great Ganesha who empowered Shiva against Tripurasura — last stop of the Ashta Vinayak.

Mahakaleshwar Temple

Shiva

The only south-facing Jyotirlinga — Shiva as the lord of time in ancient Ujjain.

Mahaparinirvana Temple, Kushinagar

Gautama Buddha

Where the Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana — the holiest of Buddhist pilgrimage destinations.

Mallikarjuna Temple

Shiva and Parvati

Where Shiva and Parvati reside together — a rare Jyotirlinga and Shakti Peetha in one.

Mayureshwar Temple

Ganesha

The starting shrine of the Ashta Vinayak — Ganesha seated on a peacock at Morgaon.

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga

Shiva

Lord of Serpents — the Jyotirlinga guarding the western Char Dham town of Dwarka.

Nalanda Mahavihara Ruins

Gautama Buddha

The world's first residential university — ancient Nalanda where the Buddha and Mahavira both taught.

Nashik (Panchavati & Kalaram Temple)

Where Sita was abducted by Ravana from the Panchavati grove — a defining moment of the Ramayana.

Omkareshwar Temple

Shiva

The Jyotirlinga on an island shaped like the sacred syllable OM.

Palayoor Mahatirtha (St Thomas Church)

One of the seven churches founded by Apostle Thomas in 52 CE — India's oldest continuously-functioning church.

Palitana Jain Temples

Adinath (Rishabhanatha)

The world's largest temple city — over 800 marble temples crowning the sacred Shatrunjaya hill.

Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, Ayodhya

Rama

Lord Rama's birthplace — the newly consecrated Ram Mandir in the holiest Sapta Puri city.

Ramanathaswamy Temple

Shiva

The southern Char Dham and Jyotirlinga — where Lord Rama worshipped Shiva after Lanka.

Ranakpur Jain Temple

Adinath (Rishabhanatha)

A marble marvel of 1,444 uniquely carved pillars in the Aravalli hills.

Rudranath Temple

Shiva (Rudranath)

Shiva's face in the cliff — the most dramatic and remote of the five Panch Kedar shrines.

Rumtek Monastery

Seat of the Karmapa in exile — the largest monastery in Sikkim and centre of the Karma Kagyu lineage.

Sammed Shikharji

Parshvanatha and 20 Tirthankaras

The most sacred Jain pilgrimage — the hill where 20 of 24 Tirthankaras attained moksha.

Sanchi Stupa

Buddha (relic stupa)

India's oldest stone structure — a UNESCO World Heritage Buddhist complex crowned by the Great Stupa.

Sarnath (Dhamek Stupa)

Buddha (first sermon site)

Where the Buddha delivered his first sermon and set the Wheel of Dharma in motion.

Shirdi Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir

Sai Baba of Shirdi

The samadhi shrine of Sai Baba — a saint revered by Hindus and Muslims alike.

Shravanabelagola (Gommateshwara)

Bahubali (Gommateshwara)

The 57-foot monolithic Bahubali statue — site of the grand Mahamastakabhisheka every 12 years.

Shringverpur (Nishadraj Ghat)

Where Lord Rama crossed the Ganga into exile with the boatman Nishadraj — a moving Ramayana milestone.

Siddhivinayak Temple, Siddhatek

Ganesha

The only right-trunked Ganesha in the Ashta Vinayak — on the banks of the Bhima river.

Sravasti (Jetavana Monastery)

Where Buddha spent 24 rainy seasons — the monastery gifted by the merchant Anathapindika.

Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib

Guru Gobind Singh (final resting place)

One of the five Takhts — where Guru Gobind Singh left his mortal body and vested Guruship in the Guru Granth Sahib.

Takht Sri Damdama Sahib

Guru Granth Sahib

The fifth Takht — where Guru Gobind Singh compiled the Guru Granth Sahib in its final form.

Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib

Birthplace of the Khalsa

The birthplace of the Khalsa — where Guru Gobind Singh founded the Sikh warrior order in 1699.

Takht Sri Patna Sahib

Guru Gobind Singh (birthplace)

One of the five Takhts of Sikhism — birthplace of the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.

Tara Tarini Temple

Tara and Tarini

Twin Shakti goddesses on Kumari hills — one of the four primary Shakti Peethas of Odisha.

Tawang Monastery

Gelugpa Tibetan Buddhism

India's largest monastery and the second-largest in the world — a Gelugpa citadel at 3,000 m.

Trimbakeshwar Temple

Shiva

Source of the Godavari and abode of the three-faced Shiva — one of 12 Jyotirlingas.

Tungnath Temple

Shiva (Tungnath)

The world's highest Shiva temple — third of the Panch Kedar in the Garhwal Himalayas.

Vaishali (Ashoka Pillar & Buddhist Stupas)

Where Buddha delivered his last sermon and announced his mahaparinirvana — cradle of the Licchavi republic.

Varadvinayak Temple

Ganesha

The boon-granting Ganesha with an ever-burning lamp — Ashta Vinayak on the Amba river.

Vighnahar Temple

Ganesha

The destroyer of all obstacles — the Ashta Vinayak beside Nashik's international airport.

Wagah–Attari Border Ceremony

The daily India–Pakistan flag-lowering ceremony — 60 years of choreographed patriotic theatre on the Grand Trunk Road.

Yamunotri Temple

Yamuna

Cradle of the Yamuna — the westernmost Char Dham at 3,293 m.