Pilgrimage Destinations in India

There are numerous pilgrimage destinations in India that are visited by thousands of followers every year. Even those who are just interested in admiring the architecture and understanding the culture visit these pilgrimage places, though not from a religious point of view.

India is known throughout the world for its spirituality. People from various religions live here in harmony while following their own religious beliefs.

Rameshwaram:

Rameshwaram is known as temple town and has a great mythological background. Apart from the Ramanathaswamy Temple, the city has other popular spots such as Adam’s bridge, rail route built over sea and Palk Strait. People visit Rameshwaram to wash away their sins, as per Hindu religion. There are many other temples like Kothandaramaswamy Temple, Gandhamathana Parvatham and four temples of Shiva, which are popular amongst pilgrims.

Varanasi:

Also known as Banaras, the city is considered to be the religious capital of India. It has a number of ancient as well as modern-day temples like Vishwanath Temple, Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Dhanvantari Temple and several others. It has as many as 88 ghats leading to the holy river Ganges where many rituals are performed. Varanasi also has 15 ancient mosques.

Sarnath:

This is the place where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon after enlightenment. The lion- headed Ashoka Stambh is also situated here. It is also the birthplace of one of the great Jain religious leader, and there is also a temple here to commemorate him. Hence, Sarnath is also a popular pilgrimage place for followers of Jainism.

Amritsar:

Amritsar is a very important pilgrimage city for the Sikh community. The Golden Temple is situated here, which is visited by lakhs of people every year. There are Hindu temples too like the Durgiana temple, Model Town temple and Shivala Mandir, which are also very popular amongst pilgrims.

Rishikesh:

This Yoga capital of the country is visited by thousands of people for meditation and spiritual learning. Triveni Ghat in Rishikesh is where 3 mountain streams are united. People visit here to perform many religious rites and rituals.