Top Religious and Pilgrimage Destinations in India

India is famed for the richness in culture and deep-rooted heritage. Spirituality is also an integral aspect which has offered this country a pioneering position in the entire world. And it is because of India’s deep spiritual leanings that tourists from all over the globe are attracted here year after year.

The spiritual traditions in India also reflect upon the religious values and the colors of various religions which have graced this land since time immemorial. The unique nature of spiritual pursuit is found in various forms: such as temples, mosques, churches, holy books, scriptures, and religious ceremonies. The pilgrimage tour packages India exhibits how indigenously developed are the spiritual traditions in India.
Let us now look at the top 10 religious and pilgrimage destinations in India

Badrinath, Uttarakhand

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Badrinath Temple or the Temple of Badrinarayana in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district is one of the four main sites in Char Dham Yatra. It is dedicated to worshipping Lord Vishnu. After Badrinath, temples in Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri also bear great historical as well as religious significance in Hinduism. The river Ganges, which is a symbol of purity and sacredness, originates from Gangotri. The Gangotri Badrinath tour starts from Haridwar and includes some of the most scenic Himalayan towns like Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Joshimath, and Rishikesh. Apart from its religious importance, Badrinath Temple is very famous for its picturesque backdrop of the majestic snow-clad Himalayan range.

Sree Ayyappa Temple, Kerala

Kerala is located at the southernmost part of India and is very often known as the “land of Gods”. This is because the land is full of ancient temples whose roots can be traced back to nearly 2000 years ago. Sree Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala attracts worshippers of the Sun God Ayyappa. This temple is globally famous for drawing nearly 50 million devotees every year. The Kerala temple tour is an ideal option to seek spirituality in India. Shri Padmanabha Swamy temple and Guruvayoor Sree Krishna temple are also worth visiting in South India.

Golden Temple, Amritsar

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Amritsar, the land of golden cornfields and open-hearted people, also holds great religious significance for the Sikhs. This is because of the presence of the mesmerizingly beautiful Golden Temple built to worship Sikh Guru Govind Singh. Harmandr Sahib or Darbar Sahib, more popularly referred to as Golden Temple, is considered to be the holiest pilgrimage destination for Sikhs from all over the world. The peaceful bell tolls and the serene Gurbaaniin the dawn fills the heart with peace and reverence. The Hemkund Sahib and Paonta Sahib Tour will also showcase the deep roots of the Sikh religion in India.

Dilwara Temple, Rajasthan

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Dilwara Temple in Rajasthan’s hill station Mount Abu is one of the most ornate Jain temples in the world. The marble-wrapped Dilwara Temple was built inside a forest land and bear stunning pieces of intricate sculpture. There are five temples in the area which were constructed during the eleventh and thirteenth centuries AD by Vastupal Tejpal and are highly revered by the Jain population. Each of these five temples namely Luna Vasahi, Mahavir Swami Temple, Vimal Vasahi, Parshavanatha, and Pittalhar are dedicated to Lords Rishabhdeo, Mahavir Swami, Adinath, Parshvanath, and Neminath.

Rameshwaram Temple, Tamil Nadu

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Another of the four points in theChar Dham Yatra is Ramanathaswamy Temple in Tamil Nadu. This temple is located on Rameshwaram Island and is famous for being of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples developed in reverence of Lord Shiva. Rameshwaram Temple bears exquisite architectural wonders with the longest corridor out of all the Hindu temples in India. The present-day temple structure was constructed by rulers of the Pandya Dynasty, back in the 12th century AD. The southernmost Jyotirlinga of the Indian subcontinent, Indian Hindu mythology says that Lord Rama had offered his prayers to Lord Shiva at this place.

Haji Ali Dargah, Maharastra

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Amongst the many Dargahs in the country, the Haji Ali Dargah is quite famous. It is located at a picturesque point in the southern part of Mumbai, that is just off the coast of the mighty Arabian Sea. People from all over the world come here to seek blessings from the shrine formed by the Muslim Sufi Haji Ali, who gave up his worldly belongings to work for Allah and look after the poor people. India’s Mosque and Dargah tour cites the perfect example of secularism and harmonious living in the subcontinent.

Shri Jagannath Temple, Odisha

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The abode of Lord Jagannath and his siblings namely Subhadra and Balaram are Puri’s Jagannath Temple in the eastern state of Odisha. This temple is one of the most ancient pilgrimage centres in India and draws thousands of visitors every day. Jagannath Ratha Yatra is very famous and a sensational event with a global audience. Built on an elevated platform in the heart of the beachside city, Puri, this temple is one of the most important religious sites for Hindus all over the world. It is believed that the high walls surrounding this colossal temple took three generations’ efforts to be fully constructed.

Bodh Gaya, Bihar

Located in Bihar, this place one of the prime sites of the Buddha Tour. It is said that in Bodh Gaya, Lord Buddha had found enlightenment while meditating under a tree. This place has been included in the list of World Heritage sites by UNESCO. It is associated with the Mahabodhi temple complex and is a place of pilgrimage for both Hindus and Buddhists. The Mahabodhi temple is believed to be about 2500 years old. The Golden Path-Buddhist people find their enlightenment from this place till today. There are depictions of the life of Gautam Buddha around this place.

Sanchi Stupa, Madhya Pradesh

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The Buddhist Heritage Tour will be incomplete without a visit to this place that is located within a few miles of Sanchi town in Madhya Pradesh. It is one of the oldest structure in India and exhibits a different shade of ancient Indian architecture. The place has undergone through a number of ruling periods since being constructed under the rule of Samrat Ashoka. Today, fifty monuments are kept preserved along with several temples. It shows ancient Buddhist traditions and beliefs.

The Sun Temple, Odisha

The Sun Temple is situated in a small town named Konark in Odisha. The temple was built to worship the Sun God. The Sun God is known as Surya and is worshipped as a deity by the Hindus. The architecture of this temple is just marvellous. The entire temple resembles the form of a grand chariot that has got twelve wheels, and seven horses to pull it. It was constructed way back in the thirteenth century. You will just feel amazed about how much skilled the workers of that time were, that they could build such a wonderful piece of architecture. The civil work has attracted many people from all over the world to visit and experience the scintillating architecture.

India is an incredible mixture of various religions, diverse beliefs, and multifarious traditions. This amalgamation of diversity over the ages has been depicted by religious architectures all over the country. This intermingling of cultures is the main highlight of the pilgrimage tour packages India.