Places for Pilgrimage

Allahabad the meeting place of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the invisible Saraswati, known as prayag or also the Sangam.

Amarnath the sacred cave, is about 150 kms from Srinagar and is open only during the summer months.

Calcutta the temple of Kali from which the city gained its name, Dakshineshwar and the Belur Math, the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission.

Chidambaram near Tiruchi, devoted to Nataraja, Shiva in the cosmic dance pose.

Dwaraka means the door, and is the western tip of the Gujarat peninsula. One of the four original mutts founded by Shankaracharya.

Eklingji 22kms from Udaipur, houses the patron god of Maharanas of Mewar who were crowned in the temple and given the royal rights. The temple is built in pure white marble.

Gaya again on the ganga, the spot for shraddhas to proptitate the departed ancestors.

Guruvayur going north-eastwards from Cochin via Trichur, is reputed by believers to be the idol worshipped by Vasudeva and originally installed at Dwaraka. The Narayana idol was said to have been given to Uddhava by Sri Krishna and, when the sea bagan its incursion into Dwaraka, the idol, legend has it, was transported by Guru (Jupiter) and Vayu (air) to the present location.

Kaladi on the banks of the Periyar close to Cochin, is the birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya, the philosopher who lived in the eigth century. There are two shrines, one dedicated to Dhakshinamurthi and the other Goddess Sharada.

Kanchipuram said to be one of the seven sacred cities of India where once there were a thousand temples. It has 108 temples where daily worship still takes place. Among these are those devoted to Ekambareshwara, Kailasanatha, Sri Kamakshi, Sri Vaikuntaperumal and Sri Varadaraja. It is also the seat of one of the Shankaracharyas.

Kannyakumari (Cape Comorin) is the land's end of India and the meeting point of the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. The temple is devoted to the virgin Durga. Here one can see the sun rise as well as set into the sea and the beach in Kannyakumari is resplendant with sands of different colours and a variety of shells. A site of interest is the Vivekananda statue and rock which can be visited after a small ferry crossing if the weather is right.

Madurai a modern industrial and commercial city built against the backdrop of the tall gopurams depicting Dravidian architectural glory. Madurai is mentioned in recorded history even before the Christian era and is reputed to have traded with ancient Greece and Rome. The Meenakshi temple is the focal point from which the city developed. The temple has two sancturies, one developed. The temple has two sancturies, one devoted to Shiva as Sundareshwara and the other to Meenakshi, his wife, Highlight of the temple is the hall of a thousand pillars.

Mathura and Brindavan and the surrounding area known as Briji Bhoomi are where Lord Krishna is reputed to have spent his childhood among the shepherds (Yadava), In Mathura proper are the Dwarakadeheesh temple, with one of the most beautiful images of Krishna, and the Vishram Ghat, built one and a half centuries ago on the banks of the Yamuna where Krishna is supposed to have rested after killing the tyrant king Kansa. Brindavan is 13 kms from Mathura and on the way is the Gita Mandir. Brindavan contains several temples, pools and ghats associated with the life of Lord Krishna.

Mayapur three hour's drive north-east of Calcutta, is the centre of the Gauyida Math. Reputed to be the birthplace of Chaitanya, the Vaishnavite saint, the small and elegant temples of Mayapur are set amid natural pastoral surroundings.

Modhera about 100 kms from Ahmadabad, contains the majestic ruins of a shrine to Surya, the sun god.

Nasik where the great Godavari river rises. Sri Rama is reputed to have spent the major part of his exile here. According to mythology, Surpanka, sister of Ravana, lost her nost or "nasika" in an encounter with Lakshmana, brother of Rama. And there by the name Nasik.

Nathdwara 60 kms from Udaipur, has a notable Krishna temple where the idol is that of Shri Nathji. The daily prayer service here is unusual, split into eight phrases, starting with the awakening of the Lord to putting Him to sleep.

Palani a Subramanya temple atop a hill, is 120 kms from Madurai. Five kms off Madurai is Tiruparankundram, a rock-cut temple.

Puri for the great Jagannatan temple and the chariot festival. Also the seat of one of th Shankaracharyas.

Pushkar tem kms from Ajmer, is one of the holiest lakes for Hindus, a green rectangel surrounded by temples dedicated by devorees. Legend has it that Lord Brahma, while passing this place let slip a lotus flower. Water sprang out from the spots where the petals fell and the lake was formed. Pushkar means the lotus.

Sabarimalai set in the middle of the mountains, is devoted to Hariharaputra, the son of Shiva and Vishnu (who was in the form of Mohini). The pilgrimage to Sabarimalai is normally in the month of January after 41-day penance.

Shirdi, an important place of pilgrimage for the followers of Sai Baba, is 150 kms from Aurangabad. Little is known of his early life, but his followers believe Sai baba was a reincarnation of Guru Dattatraya.

Simhachalam close to Visakhapatnam, is popular temple with the image of Varaharanasimhaswami.

Somnath sanctified as the place where Sri Krishna died, the temple here has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. Originally said to have been made of gold, then in silver and then in wood, the temple is now in stone.

Sringeri the source of the Tungabhadra river is the place where Shankaracharya started his first mutt. A seat of one of the four generally accepted Shankaracharyas. A small but beautiful Sharada temple.

Srirangam Vishnu as Ranganatham in repose.

Srisailam accessible from Kurnool, with the temple of Mallikarjuna, is a favourite of Saivaites.

Thanjavur cultural centre of the Cauvery delta, and capital of the Chola empire between the tenth and fourteenth centuries. Known for the Brihadeeswarar temple. Chiselled out of a single rock is a Nandi bull, the second biggest in the country.

Tiruchendur one of six famous temples devoted to Murugan or Subramanya.

Tiruchirapalli whose landmark is the rock fort with the Ganesgh temple on top.

Tirupati a temple which has large number of devotees spread all over India. The Diety is Lord Venkateshwara, worshipped as Balaji by North Indians. Holy place for both Saivaites and Vaishnavites.

Trivandrum(Ananthasayanam) capital of Kerala, is the seat of Sri Padmanabha, who was the presiding deity of the old State of Travancore. The idol of Lord Vishnu is in repose and is seen through three doors.

Udupi Krishna temple established by Madhavacharya, one of the major Vaishnavite gurus.

Uttar Yatra This consists of a pilgrimage of Haridwar, Rishikesh, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

One of the holiest of places Haridwar stands on the right bank of the Ganga at the foot of the Siwalik Hills. The rishi Kapila was reputed to have stayed near Haridwar. Bhimgoda tank, whose origin is connected with Bhima, the second of the Pandavas, was created when Bhima struck the ground with his knee. Sapt Rishi Ashram where the Ganga is said to have divided herselt into seven currents to avoid incurring in the area.

It is believed that Bharat, brother of Rama, performed penance at Rishikesh and the town has sprung up around the Bharat temple. Lakshamana Jhula, a suspension bridge, the Lakshmana temple where Lakshana died in penance, Rishikund where Rama is said to have bathed and the Triveni Ghat where the Ganga, Gupta Yamuna and Gupta Saraswati have their confluence.

Badrinath and Kedarnath have been immortalised in Hindu scriptures as favourite resorts of rishis. According to legend, the shrine at Kedarnath was built by the Pandavas after the Mahabharata war. The temple is open from the last week of April to the last week of October, and the area is snow bound in winter. Gangotri, in the district of Uttarkashi, is believed to be the source of the Ganga and Yumunotri is the source of the Ramuna. Yamunotri has a cluster of hot springs and there is a temple for the goodness Yamuna.

Vaishno Devi, 60 kms from Jammu, but the last 14 kms have to be covered on foot or by pony.

Varanasi (Banaras), also known as Kashi, is the holiest of holy Indian cities on the banks of the Ganga which legendanly falls from heaven and flows from the head of Lord Shiva, who receives thge celestial fountain. The major deity is Shiva in the form of Vishwanath. The city's reputation as a seat of learning from times immemorial is perpetuated by the Baranas Hindu University.

Varkalai, on the cost, an hour's drive north of Trivandrum, is also unusual in its image of Janardana where the right hand of god is shown approaching the lips. And the belief is that when the hand touches the lips to sip water, the next "Pralaya" will occur.