“India has two million gods, and worships them all. In
religion all other countries are paupers; India is the only
millionaire.” – Mark Twain (American author)
1. Badrinath Temple
Situated close to the Alaknanda River,
the abode of Lord Badrinath
is located in the Chamoli district, a small town of Badrinath
(Uttarakhand). This holy shrine of Lord Vishnu forms a part of the four
holiest sites (Char Dhams) in Hindu religion. It is also one of the four
Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites (comparatively minor pilgrimage
sites). It is one of the 108 temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu (Divya
Desams), which find mention in the works of Tamil saints who existed
from 6th to 9th century.
The ancient abode of Lord Vishnu can be
visited only between April to November as in the rest of the months the
weather is too harsh for undertaking a pilgrimage journey. Two of the
famous festivals related to the temple are –
Mata Murti-Ka-Mela – in which the mother of Lord Badrinath is worshipped and it takes place in the month of September.
Badri-Kedar Festival – extending to 8 days, it takes place in the month of June and is celebrated in both the temples of Badrinath and Kedarnath.
2. The Konark Sun Temple
The Sun temple is situated in the small town of Konark, which is
situated in the Puri district of Odisha. This marvel of architecture is
dedicated to Lord Sun. And resembling his carriage, the temple has been
built in the shape of a chariot, which has twelve wheels and is shown as
being dragged by the seven horses.
The temple is believed to be
constructed in the 13th century by a king called Narasimhadeva. Like
with most things in India, this temple too has connections with a few
legends. As per one of the legends, God Krishna cursed, one of his own
sons with leprosy. To seek penance, Samba worshiped Lord Sun (Surya)
for a period of twelve years. Pleased with his devotion, Surya healed
him. Samba made the Sun temple in return to express his gratitude.
The
mesmerizing beauty of the place was best summed up by the Rabindranath
Tagore through these words: ‘Here the language of stone surpasses the
language of man.’
3. Brihadeeswara Temple
Also known as Peruvudaiyar Kovil and RajaRajeswaram, this 11th century
temple was built by the Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola I. Dedicated to
Lord Shiva,
Brihadeeswara temple is the largest temple in India that is situated at Thanjavur city of Tamil Nadu.
Cholas
are known for their majestic and splendid scale of structures. The
opulence and artistic proficiency of Cholas is well reflected in the
grand and magnificent architecture of the temple. Made entirely of
granite stone, it was built as per the principles of Vaastu Shastras and
Agamas.
The most remarkable thing related to the architecture of
this UNESCO World Heritage Site is that it doesn’t leave any shadow on
the ground at the noon time. The millenary celebrations of its
construction took place in 2010 amid many enthusiastic and grand
cultural events.
4. Somnath Temple
This is one of the oldest pilgrimage centres in India and finds mention
in the ancient books, like Shivpuran, Skandpuran and Shreemad Bhagvat.
Som refers to the ‘Moon God’, thus Somnath means ‘Protector of the Moon
God’. According to a legend, Som got the temple built in the honor of
Lord Shiva as it was Shiva who cured the illness, which was inflicted on
him due to his father-in-law’s curse.
It is one of the most
revered ‘jyotirlings’ among the 12 existing jyotirlings of India. The
temple is located in Prabhas Kshetra in Saurashtra (Gujarat). Prabhas
Kshetra is also the region in which, it is believed that, Lord Krishna
left his mortal body.
Another interesting thing about the place is
that it is built on the shore of Arabian Sea and in between the temple
and the South Pole, in a straight line there is no land area. Somnath
temple was destroyed and re-built many times. The place also has a
Somnath museum, Junagadh gate, beach and a sound and light show to amuse
the pilgrims.
5. Kedarnath Temple
Situated in the Himalayan range of Garhwal area (Uttarakhand),
Kedarnath temple
is one of the most sacred Shiva temples in the world. This holy abode
of Shiva is said to be built by the Pandavas to atone for their sins
committed during their battle with Kauravs. The temple was restored by
Adi Sankaracharya in 8th century. It is one of the Chota
Char Dhams of Uttarakhand
and requires a pilgrim to walk a distance of 14 kms over the hilly
surface. One can make use of a pony or manchan to simplify the journey.
Surrounded
by the glaciers and snow-covered peaks and standing at a height of
3,583 m, the temple is closed during winters due to severe cold
conditions. Even the idol of Lord Shiva is shifted to Ukhimath and
worshiped there throughout the 5/6 months for which the extreme
conditions prevail.
6. Sanchi Stupa
Sanchi is a village in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, which is a
home to several Buddhist structures built in between 3rd century BC to
12th century AD. The most significant of them all is the
Sanchi Stupa,
also known as the Great Stupa. A Stupa is a holy place of Buddhist,
which is built in the shape of a dome that consists of relics of Buddha.
A
UNESCO World Heritage Site this famous pilgrimage site in India was
built by the great emperor Asoka in the 3rd century BC. There are four
intricately designed gateways surrounding the Stupa known as Toranas,
each individually symbolizing the four emotions of love, peace, courage
and trust. The Great Stupa is 16 meters high and 37 meters in diameter
and preserves the relics of Buddha.
[ You may also like Popular Buddhist Pilgrimages in India
7. Ramanathaswamy (Rameshwaram) Temple 
Rameshwaram (or Rameswaram) is a small island town in Tamil Nadu and is one of the four holiest pilgrimage places (Char Dhams) of the Hindus.
The
reason for its being so sacred is the belief that Lord Rama along with
his wife Sita first landed on its shore after defeating the demon Ravana
(who was also a Brahmin). To seek atonement for killing a Brahmin, Rama
wanted to pray to Shiva. Hanuman was sent off to Kailash to bring an
idol of the God. In the mean time, Sita made a small lingam. The one
made by Sita is called Ramalingam and one brought by Hanuman is called
Vishwalingam.
As per the instructions of Lord Rama, Vishwalingam is worshiped before the Ramalingam, even today.
8. Vaishno Devi Mandir
After a trek of about 12 km from Katra (base camp), one reaches the holy cave, which is the abode of Maa (mother) Vaishno Devi and is located at an altitude of 5200 ft in a mountain called Trikuta. It is situated in Jammu and Kashmir, near Katra town.
Vaishno
Devi is present here in the form of three rock heads, called the
Pindies, instead of a statue. Due to the strong faith of the people,
every year millions of them come to take the blessings of Maa Vaishno
Devi. It is said that it is Maa Vaishno who decides her visitors. It is
she who calls her devotees to her doorsteps. Anyone making a successful
journey to her shrine is there because of her wish. The shrine is open
all year round.
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