Religious Places in India, 30 Best Religious Places in India to Visit, Treebo

India is a spiritual land of different religions. People from all around the world come to visit to find themselves. The monk places and the grave historical stories about Gods, has made the hearts of people living here with faith and positivity. India has a lot of beauty, but on the same note, if you want to get to know the core of India, you must visit the famous religious places spread out in all parts of this country. We have listed for you the most beautiful religious places in India, where you can go with your friends, family or by yourself.

Best Religious Places in India

1. Madurai

South India is famous for its n number of temples. One of the most popular is Meenakshi Amman Temple which beautifully designed by architects and is located on the banks of River Vaigai. It attracts around 15,000 people every day, who pray to the almighty here.

Known for: Meenakshi Temple, the most famous temple here, is dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi, who was another form of Goddess Parvati.

Religious Significance: It is believed that this temple was founded by Indra, King of Deva when he was atoning for his bad deeds.

2. Amritsar

Golden Temple is one place which surpasses the beauty of all other places in this city and is enough to mark this city as one of the best on this list. People from nearby cities, love to visit Amritsar and bend their knees in front of God in this beautifully carved temple. It is the most popular heritage in Punjab and is marvelous to look at. It was built many years ago by fifth Guru, Guru Arjan and the “Sarovar” was finished by Ram Das in the year 1577.

Known for: Being the holiest pilgrimage city for the Sikh community.

Religious significance: Akal Takht which is built opposite the Golden Temple symbolizes in giving away only justice and temporal activity.

3. Shirdi

People of all religions have been known to have faith in Saint Sai Baba. It is one of the few places where both Hindus and Muslims come to worship God. It is located 296 km far from Mumbai and thousands of people pay their respects in the Sai Baba temple here every year.

Known for: Dedicated to Sai Baba, who is considered to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva.

Religious Significance: Devotees believe in unison of all religions, just as Sai Baba believed in.

4. Vaishno Devi, Jammu Kashmir

There might be only a few Indians who haven’t been to this holy place in Jammu and Kashmir. It is widely popular all over India and remains very crowded. It is marvelously high at the altitude of 5300 ft and people go with their families and relatives quite regularly. They don’t mind they long uphill walk, when their faith is higher than it.

Known for: It is believed that Mata Vaishno Devi viewed the fight of Lord Rama and Ravana and prayed for the victory of Lord Rama, from this hill.

Religious Significance: Mata Vaishno Devi turned herself into a rock which is worshipped here in the temple and devotees believe that she blesses them with peace of mind and strength.

5. Tirupati

Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh is very popular because of Trimula Venkateswara temple and its richness. Around 50 thousands to 1 lakh people visit this temple in India every year, even though it is at the seventh peak of Tirumala Hill. They even host a festival called Brahmotsavam, which gathers a large crowd.

Known for: Being India’s Richest Pilgrimage

Religious Significance: Body is known to attain bliss when they visit the Lord Venkateshwara here who is always in a state of bliss.

6. Sravanabelagola

Sravanabelagola is a small district in Karnataka which is visited by people of India because of the Jain Temple. One of the very popular is Gomateshwara Bahubali. It has two peaks Chandragiri and Vindhyagiri. Those who abide by this religion love to visit and it is also ideal if you want to learn about Jainism.

Known for: 57-feet tall statue of Lord Gomateshwara Bahubali, second tallest in Karnataka

Religious Significance: A Jain King built the Gomateshwara Bali statue in the year 1432 and hence, is quite ancient.

7. Belur

Belur is a holy place which has very popular Chennakeshva Temple, which was known as Vijayanarayana Temple in earlier days. It is nestled on the banks of the River Yagachi. It is known to be constructed many years ago by Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana. They say, that Chennakeshwa was one of the appearances of Lord Vishnu. People love to visit this temple because of gorgeous architecture it has.

Known for: Built-in 12th century, it got damaged during wars but this is the temple which has always been repaired since then.

Religious Significance: The artwork done in the temple discusses how the life of Hindus used to be and also states illustrations based on Ramayana and Mahabaratha.

8. Halebid

Halebid in Karnataka is visited by many spiritual people because of Hoysaleswara Temple, also known as Dorasamudra. This temple was attacked by Muslim invaders in the 14^th century, which led to a lot of damage. But it still is admired because of the magnificent architecture that it sustains. There are two significant shrines made of soapstone which is created for the King and Queen, whose name was Shantala Devi. Her shrine is called Shantaleshwara.

Known for: The exquisite architecture here is the reason people from all around the world come to visit this pilgrim site.

Religious Significance: It has one of the largest temples in South India, which is created for the worship of Lord Shiva.

9. Sabarimala

Sabarimala in Kerala is known to be a spiritual land because it has the well known Lord Ayyappan Temple on the famous and magnificent Western Ghats of the region. It is surrounded by thick lush green forests and almost 18 hills. There are around 40 to 50 million devotees who visit this temple every year! But, somehow women between the ages of 10 to 50 are not allowed in this temple.

Known for: Lord Ayyappan started meditation at this place when demoness Mahishi was assassinated.

Religious Significance: This temple welcomes people of all religions, as values like equality and fraternity were believed by Lord Ayappa.

10. Palani

Palani in Tamil Nadu has a famous Murugan temple, situated in the foothills of Palani Hills in the northwest of Madurai. It is known to be one of the most important pilgrimage place in India for the Hindus. Dedicated to the son of Lord Shiva, Lord Kartikeya, who is believed to have come here when he chose to welcome mature hood and not remain a boy anymore.

Known for: Panchamrit and Javaadu Vibhuti

Religious Significance: It is one of the six abodes of Lord Murugan, also known as Lord Kartikeya.

11. Ramanathapuram

This city is famous for being one of the holiest places in India an has various pilgrimage sites. It is one of the Char Dhams of India which has been known to be the four holiest places for Hindu religion. It is located on the Pamban Island, connected to the city by a channel, also known as the Pamban Channel.

Known for: It has the longest corridor, in comparison to all Hindu temples in India.

Religious Significance: It is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines, where Lord Shiva is worshipped as the God of Light.

12. Konark

Konark is the city of Orissa which is most famous for Sun Temple. Sun Temple is usually visited for its architectural beauty, more than it is visited for devotion. Created many years ago for the devotion of Sun God, it is one of the most ancient temples in India. UNESCO called it a World Heritage site as it attracts millions of people from all over the world, throughout the year.

Known for: It was made in a shape which resembles a big chariot, having 7 horses and 12 wheels.

Religious Significance: After assassinating the demon Gyasur, Lord Vishnu is known to place his belongings at different spots to announce his victory and he places his lotus at Konark.

13. Puri

There are many Jagannath Temples in India, but the one in Puri, Odisha is the most popular. It is one of the Char Dhams of Hindu. The devotees worship the three idols Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra. These idols are constructed using Daru Brahma, which is a kind of wood.

Known for: Being one of the most sacred pilgrimage places for Hindus

Religious Significance: It is known to be created by King Indradyumna who worshipped the Lord and held a fast to death unless the God pays him a visit and then, he saw the vision of Lord in his sleep and made the idols.

14. Trivandrum

Temples in this region are visited by people in South India on a regular basis. Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple situated in Thiruvananthapuram is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is one of the most amazing pilgrimage sites in India. Also widely popular for being the principal worship place of Lord Vishnu and thus, people tend to pay their respects here on a yearly basis.

Known for: It is one of the richest Hindu temples in India.

Religious Significance: It is one of the 108 Divya Desams in India, that is the holiest abodes of Lord Vishnu.

15. Uttrakhand

Situated in a small city of Uttrakhand, the most famous place to be visited here is the Badrinarayana temple in Northern Dham. This is also one of the Char Dhams of India amid the Hindus. It is nestled on the banks of the River Alakananda and devotees have to walk all the way up in order to reach this famous Badrinath temple which is at a high elevation of 10170 ft.

Known for: It is also one of the 108 abodes (Divya Desams) of Lord Vishnu.

Religious Significance: The main idol placed in this temple was discovered in the 9th century by the scholar and great saint Adi Shankara.

16. Gujarat

The fourth Dham of Hindus is in the west, that is in Gujarat. It is built in the Dawarka city, popular for being the capital of Lord Krishna. The most famous temple here is Dwarkadhish Temple. This building is about five stories tall and is put together strong by 72 pillars.

Known for: It is one of the seven most religious cities in India and saint Adi Shankaracharya visited this site, making it one of the sacred pilgrimages.

Religious significance: The Dwarka town is even mentioned in the Epic Mahabharata.

17. Mumbai

In the hustling, bustling city, there is a very famous pilgrimage site which is visited by devotees on a yearly basis. It is known to be constructed by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil. It is widely popular as many famous celebrities and politicians keep worshipping it.

Known for: Having presence of one of the richest temples in Mumbai and all over India.

Religious Significance: It was built in dedication to Lord Ganesha in the year 1801.

18. Kerala

Situated in a town of Kerala, another famous temple in South India is Guruvayoor Temple which is also dedicated to Lord Krishna. This temple is also known as ‘Bhooloka Vaikuntam’ which is a translation of “holy abode of Lord Vishnu”. It was built by a great architect Viswakarma.

Known for: Here, the rays of the sun touch the feet of the deity.

Religious Significance: It is known that Lord Krishna himself ordered his disciple Uddhva to place the idol of the deity properly.

19. Rajasthan

Rajasthan is known for its culture and faith in God. Situated in the city Deshnoke, this temple is created to worship Karni Mata who is known to be one of the incarnations of Goddess Durga. It was constructed by Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner many years ago and is worshipped by people who have grave faith in her.

Known for: It is also known as Temple of Rats and attracts tourists from all around the world for the same reason.

Religous Significance: Presence of about 20,000 black rats which are worshipped by many people in India for blessings.

20. Madhya Pradesh

Central India attracts many tourists from all over the world and one of the reasons is the Khajuraho group of temples and monuments which are designed magnificently and were constructed in the medieval era. The sculptures and carvings on the pilgrim sites and other monuments are eye-captivating, telling different stories.

Known for: Having one of the seven wonders of the world

Religious Significance: Built together for both Hindu and Jain religious beliefs.

21. Kedarnath

When you are able to get your eyes off the scenic beauty of Kedarnath, the temple is what you must visit. Situated on the banks of Mandakini River, the temple is one of the very popular religious places all over India. But it is only open in between April and November.

Known for: It is known that it was built by Pandavas and then again revived by the saint Adi Shankaracharya

Religious Significance: Dedicated to Lord Shiva, in the appearance of Lord Kedar Khand.

23. Varanasi

One of the most religious and cultural places in India is the beautiful Varanasi. Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi attracts many tourists and is located on the banks of River Ganges. Devotees of Lord Shiva visit this temple frequently, or at least once in their life. Some Hindus believe in cremating their ancestors in the holy city of Varanasi and nowhere else.

Known for: Its muslin and silk fabrics, perfumes, ivory works, and beautiful sculptures.

Religious Significance: It is also known as another temple where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of light, and also for the devotees of Vishvanath.

24. Prabhas Patan

One of the Jyotirlinga temples is Somnath Temple situated in Prabhas Patan, which is in Gujrat, near the Western Ghats. People come from different parts of India to pay their respects to Lord Shiva. It is one of the most important pilgrimage places for the Hindus and has also become a popular tourist spot.

Known for: The name “Somnath” itself means ‘protector of Moon God’.

Religious significance: It sustains one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva and the name has been mentioned in the epic Shreemad Bhagavat.

25. Tungnath

There are five Kedar temples in India, known for worshipping Lord Shiva. One of them is Tungnath, situated in Rudraprayag district, where people have to trek in order to reach the temple which is at the altitude of 12073ft. There is also a trekking place nearby, which is why many tourists come to visit.

Known for: It is the highest shrine built for the worship of Lord Shiva.

Religious Significance: It is a majestic place and Lord Shiva is known to have lived at the point.

27. Hampi

Hampi in the city of Vijayanagar is a holy place is India where Virupaksha temple is built in the dedication of Lord Shiva. Mythology states that the temple was built in 7th Century AD. It is built on the banks of the river Tunghabadra.

Known for: It is one of the oldest temples in India.

Religious Significance: People with grave faith in Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva come from different parts of the country to worship these Lords in different temples here.

28. Jabalpur

Chausath Yogini Temple in Jabalpur is one of the oldest pilgrimage sites in India and devotees of Goddess Durga come to worship it from all around the country. Located on the banks of the river Narmada, this temple has a lot of resemblance to the temples of Khajuraho. The temple might be a bit damaged, but it has a grave historical significance.

Known for:

Religious Significance: Goddess Durga is worshipped along with her 64 Yoginis.

29. Bishnupur

The small town of West Bengal, Bishnupur entails so many beautiful Terracotta Temples which stand proud, even though they were created centuries ago and using just bricks. People are marveled by the strength and long-term life of these simply built temples. Jor Bangla Temple, Madanmohan Temple, Lalji Temple are the one of the most famous out of all.

Known for: Terracotta temple bestows gorgeous Bengali styled architecture.

Religous Significance: It was one of the principal centers of culture in Bengal when the Kings ruled and everyone came to learn classical music here.

30. Srirangam

Srirangam is an important religious site because of its Ranganathaswamy temple where people worship Ranganathaswamy. Built on the island beside the river Cauvery, this temple is one of the most favorite religious sites in India and Srirangam is well-known for its illusionary Vaishnava temples.

Known for: Ranganthaswamy temple, which is one of the largest religious complexes in the world.

Religious Significance: Ranganathaswamy is known as reclining form of God Vishnu and hence the city is visited by his devotees from all around India.

If you want to gain knowledge about different religions or explore where you came from, you should visit these pilgrimage sites to learn about the culture. It will help you get in touch with the world which is so much bigger than you. A trip to a pilgrim site with your family is the best way to develop faith in both your kids and yourself. Let us know your experience in the comments section below.