All Time Popular Pilgrimage Destinations in India
Devotion gives peace to our burdensome soul”, right? Our hectic daily lives have thrown our souls into disarray, which we want to avoid. This chaotic and hectic life of ours puts a lot of pressure on our minds and souls. India is a destination that is rich with spirituality and a temple land. A destination where you can see the various religions living together in harmony. Tourists across the world come to India to find peace for their souls and minds, as India is the land of many pilgrimage destinations. There are many temples in India that one should visit with affordable pilgrimage holiday packages.
Shirdi
Shirdi is a pilgrimage town in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district and a prominent pilgrimage destination in India. The shrine of Shirdi Sai Baba, who lived in the twentieth century, is regarded as the greatest saint in India. The shrine attracts a large number of tourists from across the world.
The Shirdi temple complex is around 200 square metres in size and covers many attractions such as Gurusthan, Samadhi Mandir, Dwarkamai, Chavadi, and Lendi Baug. Throughout the year, followers of various religions visit Shirdi to seek the blessings of Sai Baba.
How to reach:
The nearest airport is Pune International Airport, around 185 kilometres from Shirdi. Shirdi is very well connected by train to many cities, and the nearest station is Manmad Junction Railway Station, 58 kilometres from Shirdi. Shirdi is located on the Ahmednagar-Manmad Highway and has good bus services to major towns.
Best time to visit:
Tourists can visit Shirdi throughout the year; however, the peak season is from October to November.
Tirupati
Tirupati is a pilgrimage city in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Tirupati is one of India's oldest and most revered pilgrimage destinations. Tirupati, which covers an area of 450 square kilometres, is a spectacular religious and natural joy for devotees and tourists.
Apart from Lord Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala, if you love to spend some time in devotion, you can visit Varahaswami Temple, Padmavati Temple in Tiruchanur, Govindaraja Temple, Srinivasa Mangapuram, Avanakshamma Temple, and ISKCON Lord Krishna Temple.
How to reach:
The nearest airport is Tirupati, barely 15 kilometres from Tirupati and provides direct flights from major cities. The major railway station is Tirupati Railway Station, which has excellent connections to all of India's major cities. Also, Tirupati has good road connections with the major cities in Andhra Pradesh.
Best time to visit:
The best time to visit Tirupati is from October to March, with April to May and September to December being the peak seasons.
Rameshwaram
Rameshwaram is a Tamil Nadu religious town in the Ramanathapuram district. It is one of India's most well-known pilgrimage sites in Tamilnadu. Rameshwaram Temple is one of India's most prominent Shiva shrines and a popular tourist destination. Rameshwaram is one of the Dhams of the four Char Dhams, along with Rameswaram, Dwarka, Puri, and Badrinath.
If you want a glimpse of the world’s first bridge, Rameshwaram is the site where Lord Rama constructed a bridge over the sea to save his consort, Sita, from Ravana. The notable places to visit in Rameshwaram are Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple, Agnitheertham, Gandamadana Parvatham, Dhanushkodi, Kothandaraswamy Temple, and Erwadi.
How to reach:
The closest airport to Rameshwaram is Madurai Airport, 176 kilometres away. The railway station and transport lines in Rameshwaram are well-connected to the major cities of Tamil Nadu.
Best time to visit:
The optimum time to visit Rameshwaram is between July and August and November to March, while the peak season is between July and August and February to March.
Dwarka
Dwarka is an ancient city on the banks of the Gomti River in Gujarat, India's westernmost state. It is also known as the “home of Lord Krishna,” and is said to have been Gujarat's ancient capital. Dwarka is also one of the most influential Char Dhams for Hindus and one of India's oldest religious towns.
Dwarka nowadays is a popular pilgrimage place in India with various shrines. The 2000-year-old Dwarkadhish temple is the most prominent of the temples; other pilgrimages include Nageshwar Jyotirlinga Temple, Gomti Ghat, Rukmani Devi Temple, Beyt Dwarka, Gopi Talav, Bhadkeshwar Mahadev Mandir, and Swaminarayan Temple to visit in Dwarka.
How to reach:
The nearest airport is Jamnagar Airport, around 126 kilometres from Dwarka. The Dwarka Railway Station and highways link the city to neighbouring cities.
Best time to visit:
The best time to visit Dwarka is from October to March, with November to February being the peak season when the city endures chilly winters.
Puri
Puri is a historic temple town in Odisha, located on the Bay of Bengal's shore. It is home to the world-famous Sri Jagannath Temple. Puri is known as the spiritual centre of Odisha, along with Konark and Bhubaneswar, making the Golden Triangle of Orissa. Puri is one of the Hindu Char Dham Yatra's original pilgrimage places in India.
Sri Jagannath Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, is a revered Hindu site and one of the top locations to visit in Puri. Moreover, there are numerous tourist attractions such as Puri Beach, Gundicha Temple, Lokanath Temple, Amarnath Temple, Bedi Hanuman Temple, Pipili, Raghurajpur, and Chilika Lake & Sanctuary to visit in Puri.
How to reach:
The nearest airport is Biju Patnaik Airport in Bhubaneswar, around 59 kilometres from Puri. Puri Junction has frequent connectivity of trains with several routes as well. Puri is well-served by public transportation, with Bhubaneshwar as its nearest bus terminal.
Best time to Visit:
The ideal season to visit Puri is from November to February during this season, the weather is beautiful and perfect for sightseeing.
Amritsar
Amritsar is an ancient pilgrimage town and the most popular Sikh shrine in Punjab. Tourists come from all over the world to seek blessings at the Golden Temple, making it one of India's most popular pilgrimage destinations.
The Golden Temple, the seat of the Sikh faith, is a world-famous landmark in Amritsar. The Golden Temple in Amritsar, also known as Harmandir Sahib, is noted for its complete golden dome and is one of Punjab's most popular pilgrimage places in India. The Jallianwallah Bagh, Durgiana Temple, Gobindgarh Fort, Central Sikh Museum, Maharaja Ranjith Singh Museum, and Wagah Border are also worth seeing in Amritsar.
How to reach:
The nearest airport is Guru Ram Das International Airport, which is around 11 kilometres from Amritsar Junction. Amritsar is well-served by railroads and has excellent transport connections to major Indian cities.
Best time to visit:
November to March is the best time to visit Amritsar since the weather is mild and excellent for touring and seeing the Golden Temple.
Varanasi
Varanasi, also known as Kashi and Banaras, is one of India's most renowned pilgrimage destinations. The city takes its name from two rivers, Varuna and Assi, and is known as India's cultural centre. According to legend, Lord Shiva chose this sacred city as his home. Varanasi is an important Hindu pilgrimage site where one can get salvation.
This 3000-year-old city is known as the city of temples and attracts millions of tourists every year with its spectacular temples, ceremonies, and spiritual beliefs. Varanasi's attractions include the Dashaswamedh Ghat, Assi Ghat, Sarnath, Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Annapurna Temple, Kashi Vishalakshi Temple, Manikarnika Ghat, Ramnagar Fort, and Banaras Hindu University.
How to reach:
The nearest airport is Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Babatpur, around 23 kilometres from Varanasi Junction. Trains are also available from many states at Varanasi Junction railway station. Varanasi is well-served by buses from neighbouring states.
The best time to visit:
The best time to visit Varanasi is from November to March since you can see the holy city without becoming exhausted.
Haridwar
Haridwar is an ancient holy city in Uttarakhand's Haridwar district. Haridwar, literally translated as "Gateway to God," is one of Hinduism's holiest cities, located on the banks of the Ganges River. It is the point at which the Ganga flows into the plains.
The sacred city of Haridwar is as old as Varanasi, and tradition has it that gods left their footprints there. The must-see sights in Haridwar are Chandi Devi Temple, Mansa Devi Temple at Bilwa Parvat, Vaishno Devi Temple, Bharat Mata Temple, Maya Devi Temple, Bhimgoda, Shanti Kunj, Sapt Sarovar, Triveni Ghat, Kanva Rishi Ashram, and Chila Wildlife Sanctuary.
How to reach:
The nearest airport is Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport, around 38 kilometres from Haridwar. The train station in Haridwar is well-linked. Haridwar is also accessible by state-run buses that connect to surrounding cities.
Best time to visit:
October to March is the best season to visit Haridwar since the weather is nice and ideal for touring.
Somnath
Somnath is a Hindu temple town in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district. It is also known as Prabhas Patan and is one of India's most prominent pilgrimage sites that you should visit when in Gujrat.
Somnath is known for the Somnath Temple, regarded as one of India's most reverenced and sacred places.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of Gujarat's oldest pilgrimage sites. Aside from Somnath Temple, the destination is famous for having Somnath Beach, Gita Mandir, Bhalka Tirtha, Rudreshwara Temple, Triveni Sangam Temple, Suraj Mandir, Parshuram Temple, Kamnath Mahadev Temple, Junagadh Gate, Somnath Museum, and Panch Pandav Gufa.
How to reach:
The nearest airport is Diu Airport, roughly 80 kilometres from Somnath. Regular trains go from several towns to Somnath Railway Station, while Veraval Junction Railway Station is the nearest major railhead. Somnath Bus Stand is easily connected to cities by bus; therefore, visiting Somnath would not be difficult.
Best time to visit:
Somnath is a seaside town and has a humid climate all year. The ideal months to visit Somnath are October to March, with November to February being the busiest.
Kedarnath
Kedarnath is a town and a well-known pilgrimage destination in India’s Uttarakhand. It is located at 3584 metres above sea level, near the Chorabari Glacier, at the source of the Mandakini River. Kedarnath is one of the four significant Hindu pilgrimage destinations in Uttarakhand known as the Chota Char Dham pilgrimage, including Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri.
It is the most isolated of the four Char Dham locations, with stunning snow-capped peaks on all sides. Thousands of visitors visit Kedarnath each year to seek blessings; other than Kedarnath Temple, Bhairavnath temple, Chorabari Tal, Shankaracharya Samadhi, and Hans Kund are some of the major holy sites around Kedarnath.
How to reach:
The nearest airport to Kedarnath is Dehradun's Jolly Grant airport, only 239 kilometres away. Rishikesh railway station is the closest railhead to Kedarnath, 224 kilometres away. Gaurikund, 14 kilometres from Kedarnath and well accessible by motorable highways, is the nearest road point.
Best time to visit:
The best time to visit is from the end of April to the beginning of November when the temple is only open for six months due to the harsh weather conditions in Kedarnath.
