There are a considerable amount of qualities that string India together, one such quality that draws an obvious conclusion to the more profound importance of life is religiousness. Indians spend a significant amount of their time participating in spiritual activities and visiting temples. Hence it isn’t much of a shock that a census in 2001 recorded nearly 2 million temples in India and ever-increasing since then.
Even though there are temples at nearly every nook and corner, a few temples are visited by millions of devotees each year due to its religious beliefs and mythological importance.
Here we made the list of most famous temples in India to visit. These temples in India belongs to different Gods and Goddess. Let’s have a look at most famous of those.
Famous Temples of India
Here is the list of famous temples in India to visit once. If you are also Hindu God and Goddess devotes do visit these temples. This will make your heart calm and make your spirit pure.
1. Badrinath Temple – Badrinath, Uttarakhand
The Badrinath Temple is one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage Yatras in Uttrakhand dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams devoted to Lord Vishnu in India. It is popularly believed that it was originally established by Saint Adi Shankaracharya.
The idol of Lord Vishnu is made of Black stone and is 1 meter tall. It is a common belief of the devotees that the statue of Lord Vishnu is self-manifested (One of the 8 Swayam Vyakta Kshetras). The temple is situated at a terrifying height of 10,279 feet with the Alaknanda River flowing by and the gorgeous snow-clad Himalayas surrounding it. The said River Alaknanda originates from here. The temple houses not only the image of Lord Vishnu but several other deities and saints.
The temple remains closed from November to April end due to harsh climatic conditions. The Badrinath temple also has a hot water spring which many people believe to have healing values. The Badrinath Temple attracts many devotees over the year due to its religious importance and purity.
2. Somnath Temple – Somnath, Gujarat
The Somnath Jyotirling Temple is the first of the twelve holy Jyotirling sanctums of Lord Shiva. It is mentioned in ancient manuscripts and mythological texts like the Shreemad Bhagavad Geeta, Shivpuran and Rig-Veda. This makes it an important site of the many important pilgrimage locations.
Apart from its religious beliefs and ancient importance, the temple has other significant traits which are also major attractions. The temple is located on the confluence of three Rivers, namely Kapila, Hiran, and Saraswati or as called by the locals – The Ancient Triveni.
The temple has held its perseverance against time which has made it famous as an eternal shrine. It has withstood many disasters and calamities over the years and not shredded any if its beauty. The temple has also been looted by historical Mughal emperors many times and stood strongly after all the trying times.
3. Kedarnath Temple – Kedarnath, Uttarakhand
Standing tall at a height of 3,583 meters, the Kedarnath temple is the highest of the 12 Jyotirlingas dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is a part of the Chota Char Dham Yatra. Kedar is an alias of Lord Shiva after which the temple was named. It is one of the holiest sanctums dedicated to Lord Shiva.
It is a famous belief that the person who takes up a journey to Kedarnath attains Moksha or opens up the doorways to salvation. It is located on the Garhwal range of the Himalayas. Situated in front of the Mandakini River and with the snow-clad Himalayas surrounding, the Kedarnath temple is a scenic beauty that attracts millions of devotees each year.
Originally built by the Pandavas, the present-day Kedarnath temple was rebuilt by Saint Adi Shankaracharya. The rich historical importance, spiritual values, intricate architecture and mesmerizing view of the Himalayas are just a few of the reasons to visit Kedarnath Temple
4. Ramanathaswamy Temple – Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
Better known as the Rameshwaram temple, the Ramanathaswamy temple is a dedication to Lord Shiva. Being one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of India it holds great spiritual importance. This temple also has a great architecture with the longest corridor of the world and very intricate carvings and engravings on its pillars.
The Rameshwaram houses two lingams – Ramalingam and Shiva Lingam. The Shiva Lingam was installed by Lord Ram in the older era of Indian history. And to honor the words of Lord Rama, the Shiva Lingam is always worshipped first. Although the lingams were established earlier the temple construction was carried out by several kings later over many centuries.
The 22 holy water bodies of the temple aid people to attain salvation and absolve their sins by taking dips in the water. It is believed that the sanctity of the temple reaches deep within a person and makes him free of his inner troubles, that Lord Shiva can light the darkest parts of a person’s inner soul.
5. Ma Vaishno Devi Mandir – Jammu and Kashmir
Popularly known as Vaishnavi, Mata Rani and Trikuta, Vaishno Devi is a manifestation of Goddess Durga. It is a common belief among the devotees that the goddess herself calls the devotees to reach here and pay their respects. It is also believed that during the pooja, goddesses themselves visit the holy caves of Vaishno Devi to pay their respect to Mata Rani.
The Vaishno Devi caves are one of the 108 Shakti Peetha. The caves house Maa Vaishno Devi not in the form of a statue but in the form of three rock heads called the Pindies. The temple is located in a cave at a height of 1585 meters in the Trikuta Mountain.
6. Siddhivinayak Temple – Mumbai, Maharashtra
This temple is a holy sanctum dedicated to Lord Shiva’s son Lord Ganesha. It is believed that the statue present here is self-manifested and – when asked with utmost dedication – grants wishes. It was built by a couple residing in Maharashtra who did not have any children of their own and hence built the temple to fulfill the wishes of other infertile women.
The idol of Lord Ganesha installed in the temple is comparatively small being barely two and a half feet wide and made of a single black stone but it is religiously recognized for its reverence.
7. Golden Temple – Amritsar, Punjab
Also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib temple, The Golden Temple is one of the most spiritually known places in India. For the followers of Sikhism, it is extremely sacred and holy. Its light and glory are not just external.
Visitors have often reviewed its experience as divine and something which cannot be described in plain words but must be experienced. It was built purely with marble and gold by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1830. The glistening dome and large Amrit Sarovar are said to bring infinite calmness. It is largely visited by people of all caste and religions irrespectively marking it as an important symbol of equality.
Located in the heart of Amritsar, it is easily accessible. It is also a well-known fact that the Golden temple feeds around 100,000 people daily in its langar.
8. Kashi Vishwanath Temple – Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
The Kashi Vishwanath is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India. Located on the western banks of the River Ganga, Kashi is dedicated to Lord Shiva who is also known as Vishwanath or Vishweshwar literally translating to ‘The ruler of the Universe’ after which, the temple is named. Within the temple is another complex called the Jnapa Vapi which allows only Hindus to enter.
The temple is built beautifully with extreme care and attention and has nearly 800 kilograms of gold plating on its towers. The Kashi Vishwanath is mentioned in many ancient and mythological Hindu scriptures. The temple also houses other smaller temples like Kaalbhairav, Vishnu, Avimukteshwar, Vinayak and Virupaksha Gauri who are also religiously worshipped by visitors.
9. Lord Jagannath Temple – Puri, Odisha
The Jagannath temple is a great pride of India and is the abode of Lord Jagannath – a form of Lord Vishnu. Built-in the 11th century, it is one of the most respected pilgrim locations among Hindus. It is included in the holy Char Dham Yatra. The temple celebrates many religious festivals with great pomp and glory among which the most awaited is the Rathyatra.
Apart from the religious beliefs and importance, the Jagannath temple has a heart-warming architecture designed with intricate drawings and carvings on the walls and pillars. Its four gates are well known for the fine artworks. And the delicious Mahaprasad is a must-have.
10. Amarnath Cave Temple – Jammu and Kashmir
Another one of the beauties of Jammu and Kashmir is the Amarnath cave temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is one of the most important temples to the devotees of Lord Shiva. It is very often termed as a haven for pilgrims. Historical scriptures say that this is the very same cave where Lord Shiva revealed the secrets of life and eternity to Goddess Parvati.
Located at an impressive height of 3888 meters, this cave is surrounded by ice-clad mountains from all sides and is layered by snow year-round. This is why it remains closed most times of the year except in summers between June and August. These caves are believed to be over 5000 years old and hold great religious importance.
11. Tirupati Balaji – Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh
Also known as Tirumala Venkateswara temple, this temple is devoted to Lord Venkateshwara popularly known as Balaji and an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is one of the most famous south Indian temples in India. This temple celebrates many festivities with great joy and pompousness, the most important of which is the Brahmotsav and is celebrated for 9 days.
This place is also well known for people getting their ‘mundan’ or getting a haircut the way Hindu priests have. The Prasad of laddoos is famous worldwide for its succulent flavors.
12. Kanchipuram Temples
Kanchipuram is famously known as the city of thousand temples in India and is one of the seven sacred places of worship. According to ancient scripts, visiting these seven sacred places can help people attain moksha. Kanchipuram is home to many temples as the name suggests and each temple is equally revered and religious. The architecture of these temples is unlike any other. The Varadaraja Perumal Temple is one of the 108 temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
13. Akshardham Temple – Delhi
The famous Akshardham temple of India is dedicated to Lord Swaminarayan. An embodiment of Indian culture, spirituality, and design, the Akshardham Temple is a renowned Hindu sanctuary. It is the world’s largest comprehensive Hindu place of worship. This temple is well known for its architecture.
The Lord Swaminarayan’s Idol is placed in the center along with 20,000 other lords, priests and significant Indian personalities on the walls of the temple, divided equally between 8 beautifully artisanal mandaps. The Akshardham temple also houses the Narayan Sarovar.
14. Dwarkadhish Temple – Dwarka, Gujarat
One of the four Char Dham Yatra sites, Dwarkadhish temple also known as Jagat Mandir is dedicated to Lord Krishna. The town of Dwarka owes its religious importance to the kingdom of Dwarka in the Mahabharata. The architecture of this five-storied shrine is 2200 years old.
The magnificent black idol of Lord Krishna is so enchanting that devotees feel the presence of lord around themselves. There are other sanctums within the temple devoted to Vasudeva, Rukmini, Balaram, Yashoda, and many others. The Swarg Dwar which opens up the gates of the Dwarkadhish temple expects the devotees to take a dip in the Gomti River before paying their respects to the deities.
Among the other festivals celebrated here, Janmashthami is the most special festival celebrated here. Decorated with tons of flowers and garlands and preparing multiple delicacies, it is the best time to visit Dwarkadhish.
15. Shri Sai Baba Temple – Shirdi, Maharashtra
This holy sanctum is built in dedication to Shri Sai Baba who is worshipped as the greatest of the saints to be born in India. It is believed by commoners that Sai Baba was blessed with pioneering powers of healing which is why he is worshipped as an incarnation of God.
The people who visit Shirdi Sai Baba are said to experience a feeling of being close to god. The temple is located in the heart of Shirdi village. Shirdi is a significant location in the growing up days of Sai Baba since he stayed here throughout his life helping and solving people’s lives.
Read More, Top monuments in India you must visit
All in all, one can witness India in its complete glory on its spiritual trails with rich historical architectures, gorgeous views, brilliant cultural festivals and tiny streets bustling with devotion and strong beliefs. These famous Temples in India are the best places if you want to see real and true India.
