Pilgrimage places in India
In religion and spiriuality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Members of every major religion participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim. India is the most popular in pilgrimage tourism because it is the land of every religion like Sikh, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Jain.
Hinduism
Most Hindus who can afford to go on such journeys travel to numerous iconic sites including those below:
- Ahobilam
- Allahabad
- Amararama
- Amaravathi village, Guntur district
- Amarkantak
- ahamdabad
- Amarnath
- Anandasram kanhangad
- Annll
- Arasavalli
- Attukal
- Avittathur
- Ayodhya
- Baba Dhansar
- Badrinath
- Basistha Ashram
- Batu Caves
- Belur Math
- Bhadrachalam
- Bhavani
- Bhimashankar Temple
- Brindarvan
- Chitrakuta
- Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu
- Dakor
- Dharmasthala
- Draksharama
- Dwaraka Pītha
- Dwarka
- Gajanan Maharaj
- Gangotri
- Gaya, India
- Ghatikachala
- Godachi Veerbhadhreshwar Temple
- Gor Khuttree
- Gosaikunda
- Govardhana matha
- Govindavadi
- Hajo
- Haridwar
- Hemkund
- Hornad,Annapurnadevi Temple
- Idagunji
- Jonnawada
- Jyotirlinga
- Jyotirmath
- Kalaram Temple
- Kalighat Temple, Kolkata
- Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu
- Karanja Datta Mandir
- Kataragama
- Kateel
- Katra
- Kedarnath
- Kolhapur
- Kollur
- Konark
- Ksheerarama
- kuchanpally
- Kukke Subramanya Temple
- Kumararama
- Kumbakonam
- Kumbh Mela
- Kurukshetra
- Kuruvapur
- Madurai Meenakshi Temple
- Maha Devi Tirth temple in Kullu
- Maihar Devi
- Mahur,Renuka Devi
- Ghata Mehandipur Balaji, Rajasthan
- Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi
- Manikaran
- Mayapur
- Mantralayam,Raghavendr Swamy Temple
- Mount Abu
- Mount Kailash
- Mukhalingam
- Narasimha Konda
- Narayanalayam
- Narmada River
- Nashik
- Nellitheertha
- Omkareshwar
- Palani
- Pancharama Kshetras
- Panchavati
- Pandharpur
- Parashuram Kund
- Pithapuram
- Puri
- Pushkar
- Puttaparthy Sri Sathya Sai
- Ramatheertham
- Rameswaram
- Rishikesh
- Ryali
- Sabarimala Swamisaranam
- Salasar Balaji , churu Rajasthan
- Sabarimalai, kerala
- Sangam, Srikakulam district
- Saptashrangi
- Shirdi
- Shivkhori
- Shri Kali Temple, Sanganeri Gate, Jaipur(Rajasthan)
- Shri Mahadev Mandir
- Simhachalam
- Sivagiri, Kerala
- Somarama
- Sri Kurmam
- Sringeri Sharada Peetham
- Srirangam
- Srisailam
- Talapady
- Thanjavur
- Thiruchendur
- Thirumanthamkunnu Temple
- Thrissur
- Tirtha and Kshetra
- Tirupati
- Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple
- Tuljapur Bhavani temple
- Thiruvananthapuram
- Udupi
- Ujjain
- Vaishno Devi
- Vani (Nashik)
- Varanasi
- Vindhayachal
- Vithoba
- Vrindavan
- Yamunotri
- Yadagirigutta, Telangana
These Hindu pilgrimage sites can be divided into dhams, kumbhs, jyotirlingas, devi sites etc. Every category has got its own significance. It is believed that visiting char dhams help you to attain salvation. There are Four Dhams and Twelve Jyotirlings along with 51 Shakti Peeths in India.
Sikhism
- Golden Temple
- Patna Sahib
- Paonta Sahib (Himachal Pradesh)
- Anandpur Sahib (Punjab)
- Baba Bakala (Punjab)
- Gobindwal Sahib (Punjab)
- Taran Taran (Punjab)
- Sirhind (Punjab)
- HemKund Sahib (Uttarakhand)
- Nanded Sahib (Maharashtra)
Islam
- Meera syed Ali Datar, Gujarat
- Hazratbal
- Dargah of Moinuddin Chishti, Ajmer
- Haji Ali Dargah Mumbai
- Hazrat Saber pak Darga Calyari sharif Roorkee
- Darga khawaja kanoon sahib madya pardesh
- mazar-e-najmi ujjain MP
- BuddishaiBaba dargah in Telangana
- Hazrat NazamuddinDargah Delhi
Buddhism
- Bodh Gaya: the place of his Enlightenment (in the current Mahabodhi Temple).
- Sarnath: (formally Isipathana) where he delivered his first teaching.
- Kusinara: (now Kusinagar, India) where he died.
- Sravasti: Place of the Twin Miracle, showing his supernatural abilities in performance of miracles. Sravasti is also the place where Buddha spent the largest amount of time, being a major city in ancient India.
- Rajgir: Place of the subduing of Nalagiri, the angry elephant, through friendliness. Rajgir was another major city of ancient India.
- Sankasia: Place of the descending to earth from Tusita heaven (after a stay of 3 months teaching his mother the Abhidhamma).
- Vaishali: Place of receiving an offering of honey from a monkey. Vaishali was the capital of the Vajjian Republic of ancient India.
Some other pilgrimage places in India and Nepal connected to the life of Gautama Buddha are: Pataliputta, Nalanda, Vikramshila, Gaya, Kapilavastu, Kosambi, Amaravati, Nagarjuna Konda, Sanchi, Varanasi, Kesariya, Devadaha, Pava and MathuraMandaver(Bijnor U.P),Hapur(ghaziabad U.P). Most of these places are located in the Gangetic plain.
Jainism
- North India: Hastinapur, Taxila, and Ashtapada
- South India: Shravanabelagola, Moodabidri, Humbaj, Anantnath Swami Temple near Kalpetta
- Eastern India: Shikharji, Pawapuri, Champa, Pundravardhan
- Western India: Palitana, Girnar, Mount Abu, Mahavirji, Shankheshwar, Mahudi
- Central India: Vidisha, Kundalpur, Sonagir
Zoroastrianism
The Zoroastrians take pilgrimage trips in India to the eight Atash Behrams in India and one in Yazd (Iran).
Christianity
- Goa. St. Francis Xavier
- St. Thomas Mount. Place where St. Thomas was martyred.
- Vailankanni. 16th-century Marian apparition site.
- Thodupuzha. Divine Mercy Shrine of Holy Mary :- Marian apparition site.
Nashik, Mahrashtra, Shrine of the Infant Jesus.