India
is a land of diverse cultures and religion. It is because of this reason
that numerous sacred places belonging to various religions like Hinduism,
Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism are located here.
Numerous exquisite temples, mosques, churches, monasteries, stupas that
stand as symbols of different religions attract tourists from all over the
world. The God's own country shows unity and the diversity in terms of
different sects and faiths. The faith reflected at all its pilgrimage
destinations has been keeping the whole population together.
Major Pilgrimage Destinations
Numerous pilgrimage places of different religions attract pilgrims and
tourist from all over world. These pilgrimage sites have been categorized
as:
Hindu Pilgrimage Sites
» Haridwar - Haridwar, or the door to God, is
located at the northern state of Uttranchal and is considered as the gateway
to the four shrines(Chardham) of the state. It is the emerging point of the
holy river Ganga from the Himalayas. The Chandidevi temple and Mansadevi
Hardwar Temple and Har ki Pauri are some of the important destination in
Haridwar.
» Chardhams - The Chardham consists of
four holy places of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri are located
on the state of Uttranchal. It is a major pilgrimage attraction of India and
attracts pilgrims from all corners of India.
» Rishikesh - It is considered as the access point
to the pilgrimage place Chardham. Lakshman Jhula, Swarga Ashram, Neelkanth
Mahadev Temple, Triveni Ghat are the major attractions of this religious
place.
» Vaishno Devi Temple - The cave shrine of Vaishno
Devi is another Hindu pilgrimage place, situated at the Katra district of
Jammu & Kashmir. It is one of the popular shrines of India, dedicated to
the Goddess Mata Vaishno Devi - a reincarnation of goddess Kali.
»
Varanasi - Varanasi or Kasi is a major cultural and religious centre in
North India. Situated on the bank of river Gnages, this is one of the twelve
Jyotir Linga sites in India.
» Puri - It is one of the four holiest sites for
Hindus located in the eastern India state of Orissa. The city houses the
famous temple of Lord Jagannath - an incarnation of Lord Krishna.
Muslim Pilgrimage Sites
» Ajmer Sharif - The city Ajmer in central Rajasthan
is known as Ajmer Sharif for its holiness. The city is popular for its
tomb(dargah) of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, which invites
innumerable pilgrims of different faiths.
» Jama Masjid - Located in the capital city New
Delhi, it is the country's largest mosque, built in 1656 by Mughal emperor
Shahjahan. It is one of the most popular Muslim pilgrimage sites in India,
which attracts pilgrims for offering prayer.
» Fatehpur Sikri - It was the home for renowned Sufi
saint Saikh Salim Chishti. The mosque of the saint and the Fatehpur Sikri
Mosque are two of the most visited Muslim pilgrimage sites in India.
» Haji Ali Mosque - Located in the sea side of
Mumbai, the mosque of Muslim saint Haji Ali is another important pilgrimage
site for Muslims.
Sikh Pilgrimage Sites
» Golden Temple - Also known as Darbar Sahib is
situated in Amritsar, Punjab. It is the most sacred temple for Sikhs that
invites pilgrims from all over the world.
» Hemkund Sahib - It is a important pilgrimage for
Sikhs for its Gurudwara built on the bank of the lake Lokpal, in the state
of Uttar Pradesh. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikh Faith hand
meditated on the bank of this lake.
» Poanta Sahib - This small town of the state
Himachal Pradesh was founded by the tenth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh.
»
Bodhgaya - This is one of the four major Buddhist pilgrimage sites.
It is the place where Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism attained
enlightenment. The Mahabodhi Temple, the holy Bodhi Tree and several
other Budhist monasteries are located here.
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