In India, religion, deeds and forgiveness are given utmost importance. India is a country where people belonging to many castes and religions live with great love and show brotherhood. Many people have termed India as the “land of faiths”. There are many temples, mosques, churches and gurudwaras in the religious places of India besides pilgrimage sites.
Residents of India visit these holy places according to their religion and get blessings from their God, Allah and other Godly figures. Learn about some of the top pilgrimage sites and temples in India.
Top 10 Indian Pilgrimages
1. Vaishno Devi Temple
The temple of Mata Vaishno Devi, one of the religious places in India, is a major pilgrimage site of Hinduism. Located on the attractive Trikut hill of Jammu and Kashmir, this holy place is the ultimate abode of Mata Vaishno Rani, one of the 9 Goddesses in Hinduism. The crowd of devotees coming to see the Goddess is huge on the occasion of Navratri. Devotees travel a long way on the stairs and shout-out to “Mata Rani”. Vaishno Devi temple has many holy places.
How to Reach the Vaishno Devi Temple?
You can visit the temple of Maa Vaishno Devi once or twice a year. It is a wonderful place, and if you have full faith in your energy, then you will have a good visit to the temple. To reach Jammu and Kashmir, you have to take a train or flight. Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has given many facilities to the devotees. After reaching Jammu, you can book your room in the Dormitory located 500 meters away from the railway station.
To visit the temple of Maa Vaishno Devi, you can reach Katra by hiring a cab, taxi or bus from the railway station itself. The Shrine Board has not yet provided the transport facility to reach Katra from Jammu. If you want to avoid last-minute hassles to avoid expensive hotel rents, make a hotel reservation in advance online.
Related: Order Food in Train at Jammu Tawi Junction
2. Golden Temple/Swarn Mandir/Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar
Among the religious pilgrimage sites of India, the Golden Temple/Harmandir Sahib of Amritsar was built by Sri Ramdas Sahib, the fourth Guru of the Sikhs. Gurdwara Harmandir Sahib is considered to be one of the most special Sikh pilgrimage sites in India for visiting religious places in India. This sacred tourist place of gold has many historical events associated with it. The Golden Temple of Amritsar attracts tourists from all over the world. Tours of the Amrit Kalash (lake) and the pilgrimage complex are major tourist attractions.
How to Reach the Golden Temple, Amritsar?
If you are going from Delhi to Amritsar by train or by road, then it will take about 9 hours while flight will take only 1 hour. If you are going to the Golden Temple by flight, the nearest airport is Raja Sansi Airport. It takes 15 minutes to reach here from Amritsar.
If you are going from Delhi by road, then you can reach Amritsar by Grand Trunk Road. If you are going through the highway, then you can reach Amritsar even after passing from Karnal, Ambala, Khanna, Jalandhar and Ludhiana.
The nearest railway station to the Golden Temple is the Amritsar Junction, which is around 2.4 Km away.
Related: Food Delivery in Train at Amritsar Junction
3. Sun Temple (Surya Mandir) in Konark
The Konark Sun Temple is located in northeast Konark, about 35 km from Puri on the coast of Odisha in India. This huge temple is dedicated to the Hindu deity Surya, and it has become one of the major tourist attractions in India. Konark word is made up of two words kon (kona) and aark (arka), where kon means angle (corner) and aark means sun. After the combination of these two words, you get the term corner of the Sun, i.e., Konark. The world-famous Konark Sun Temple is also known as Kalaa Pagoda.
How to Reach the Konark Temple?
February to October is considered the best time to visit the Konark Sun Temple. The most famous tourist spot is situated on the banks of the Chandrabhaga River in the state of Odisha. Since Konark is a small place where this temple is located, one has to first reach the surrounding cities and then go to the Konark temple.
By Air: Located 65 km from Bhubaneswar Airport, Konark temple is easily accessible for pilgrims. The city of Bhubaneswar is well-connected by flights to major Indian cities such as New Delhi, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Bangalore, and Mumbai. There are regular flights to Bhubaneswar from all the major domestic airlines like IndiGo, Go Air, Air India. You can reach Bhubaneswar by air and then go to Konark temple by bus or taxi.
By Road: Konark is about 65 km from Bhubaneswar via Pipli, and it takes a total of two hours to reach Konark from here. If you are planning to visit Konark by road, the nearest city will be Puri. Konark temple is located 35 km from Puri and takes an hour to reach here. There are buses which run from Puri and Bhubaneswar to Konark. Apart from public transport, private tourist bus services and taxis are also available from Puri and Bhubaneswar.
4. Jagannath Temple in Puri
Among the major pilgrimage sites in India, the Jagannath Temple is considered one of the best religious places in Odisha. The main deities of Puri Jagannath Temple are Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra. Jagannath Rath Yatra is very famous, in which the three main deities of the temple are placed in a chariot. This sacred temple is considered an authentic reflection of Indian culture.
How to Reach Puri Jagannath Temple?
By Air: The nearest airport to Puri is Bhubaneswar which is 60 km from Puri. You can reach Puri by booking a bus, taxi or car from Bhubaneswar Airport.
By Road: There are bus stands near Gundicha temple from where buses are available to reach Puri. Apart from this, it can also be reached by bus from Bhubaneswar, Cuttack. A number of buses ply from Kolkata and Visakhapatnam to Puri as well.
By Train: The nearest railway station is Puri which is directly connected with New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Okha, Ahmedabad, Tirupati etc. by express and super fast trains. Some important trains that run for Puri are Kolkata Puri Express, Jagannath Express, New Delhi Purushottam Express etc. The Khurda Road station, 44 km from Puri, is a convenient train route to Chennai and Western India. Khurda Road station is located about one km north of the city. After this, you can reach the temple by rickshaw or auto-rickshaw.
5. Somnath Jyotirlinga in Gujarat
Somnath Jyotirlinga is the first of the 12 Jyotirlinga (pillar of light) of Lord Shiva included in the religious places of India. Somnath Jyotirlinga is one of the most ancient and important religious places of Hinduism located in the state of Gujarat. This holy place related to Hindu religion invites tourists to its court.
How to Reach the Somnath Temple?
By Air: A trip to Somnath by air can be considered the last option as there are no regular flights to Somnath.
Nearest airports to Somnath are:
- Diu Airport: 85 km
- Porbandar Airport: 150 km
- Rajkot Airport: 200 km
- Ahmedabad Airport: 420 km
By Road: Travelling by bus to Somnath is a very easy and convenient option. Being of mythological importance, there are many state transport buses and private buses that run at regular intervals. It has regular buses to all major cities of India. Luxury buses, non-AC and AC buses are available, which you can choose according to your budget.
By Train: Somnath railway station comes under the Western Railway of Bhavnagar Division. A daily train runs from Jabalpur to Ahmedabad Junction, Rajkot Junction, Okha and Porbandar. These trains run for Somnath:
- Ahmedabad-Somnath Intercity Express
- Rajkot-Somnath Passenger
- Porbandar-Somnath Passenger
- Okha-Somnath Passenger
6. Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati
Venkateswara Temple of Tirupati is one of the famous places in India, which is devoted to Lord Vishnu. The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple of Lord Vishnu is located on the last hill of Seshachalam range in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh state. This temple is one of the most visited Hindu temples in India.
How to Reach the Venkateswara Temple?
Tirupati Balaji Temple is accessible by all three routes. The nearest airport here is Tirupati Airport.
For the rail route, you can resort to Tirupati railway station to reach here.
It can also be reached by road. Tirupati is well connected to many major cities of South India by better roadways.
7. Varanasi
Located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi is a famous pilgrimage site in India, which is related to the faith of Hinduism. To see the beauty and integrity of Varanasi, there are long queues of tourists from all over the country and abroad. The holy river Ganges flowing through the city undoubtedly enhances the beauty and sanctity of the city of Varanasi. Bhakti wave runs in the city of Varanasi due to the Ganga river aarti in the morning.
How to Reach Varanasi?
By Air: If you are planning to travel to Varanasi by air, then you can take a flight to Varanasi from any major city of the country. The nearest airport in Varanasi city is Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport which is well connected to other cities in India.
By Road: If you want to go to Varanasi, then for this city, you will get a bus easily from Delhi and nearby cities.
By Train: Varanasi Junction railway station is well connected to many major cities of India via rail. You can catch trains to Varanasi from Delhi, Mumbai, Bhopal and many big cities of India. After reaching Varanasi railway station, you can hire a taxi or cab to visit this tourist town.
8. Sabarimala Mandir in Kerala
Sabarimala is a prominent temple among the famous temples of India. More than 30 lakh pilgrims visit the Sabarimala temple after the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. A large number of pilgrims makes this temple the second largest in the world and the first temple in India. The temples are located in Kerala and remain open only for two months.
How to Reach the Sabarimala Temple?
By Air: The nearest airports to Sabarimala are Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. The airport is connected to New Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata. After reaching there, you can reach Pampa by bus or train which is 104 km from Kochi Airport.
By Road: KSRTC has started a bus service from Pampa to Coimbatore, Palani and Thenkasi for the convenience of Sabarimala pilgrims. In addition, buses to Pampa are operated by the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments. Through these buses, you can reach Sabarimala.
By Train: The nearest stations to Sabarimala are Chengannur and Kottayam which are connected to Pampa by road. Tourists can reach Kottayam, Ernakulam or Chengannur by trains followed by a bus to Pampa and reach Sabarimala on foot.
9. Shirdi Sai Baba Temple in Shirdi
The famous Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of India is the ultimate abode of the great saint Sai Baba. This shrine of Shirdi is located near Nashik in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. Shirdi city is small but full of religious places and activities. Apart from Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, there are many religious places here.
How to Reach Shirdi Sai Temple?
By Air: If you are planning to fly to Shirdi by aeroplane, then the nearest airport to Shirdi is Aurangabad Airport which is 130 km from Shirdi. Aurangabad Airport is well connected to major cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. To reach Shirdi from Aurangabad, you can take the help of a taxi or cab or bus.
By Road: For passengers who want to travel by bus, Maharashtra State Transport buses are available from major cities like Nashik, Mumbai, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Pune and Kopargaon to Shirdi. Apart from this, many private AC buses go to Shirdi from different cities of Bhima Maharashtra.
By Train: If you want to go to Shirdi by train, then the nearest railway station of Shirdi is Kopargaon railway station which is just 16 km from Shirdi. Kopargaon is well connected to many major cities of India by rail route. After reaching this station, you will get buses, taxis, and private buses to Shirdi from here.
10. Virupaksha Temple in Hampi
The Virupaksha Temple of Hampi is one of the religious places in India dedicated to Lord Virupaksha, who is another form of Lord Shiva. Virupaksha Temple is a sacred place located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River at Hampi in the state of Karnataka. Built during the seventh century, this temple was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its history and beautiful architecture. The temple is currently located in Hampi and was a small temple in the midst of the ancient and majestic Vijayanagara Empire.
How to Reach the Virupaksha Temple?
By Air: The nearest airport to Virupaksha Temple is at Bellary, and the nearest International airport is at Bangalore.
By Road: Virupaksha Temple, Hampi, is located 350 km from Bangalore and is easily accessible via road. You can book a cab or taxi and reach the Virupaksha Temple in 2 hours (approx). Regular bus service is also available.
By Train: The nearest railway station to Virupaksha Temple is Hospet. One can hire a cab or taxi from the railway station to reach the place.