religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatur ...

and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a very long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred area or

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...

of importance to innate

faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people ofte ...

. Members of every major religion participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim. Unlike some other religions,

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

are not required to undertake pilgrimages during their lifetime. However, most Hindus go on such journeys to numerous iconic sites including those below:

India

Char Dham (Famous Four Pilgrimage sites): The four holy sites

Puri Puri () is a coastal city and a municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as '' ...

Rameswaram Rameswaram (; also transliterated as Ramesvaram, Rameshwaram) is a municipality in the Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is on Pamban Island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is about 40 ...

, Dwarka, and Badrinath (or alternatively the Himalayan towns of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and

Yamunotri Yamunotri, also Jamnotri, is the source of the Yamuna River and the seat of the Goddess Yamuna in Hinduism. It is situated at an altitude of in the Garhwal Himalayas and located approximately North of Uttarkashi, the headquarters of the Utt ...

) compose the ''Chota Char Dham'' (''four small abodes'') pilgrimage circuit. Kumbh Mela: The '' Kumbh Mela'' (the "pitcher festival") is one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages that is held every three years; the location is rotated among

Prayagraj Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the admini ...

Haridwar Haridwar (; ) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is situated on the ri ...

Nashik Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nash ...

, and

Ujjain Ujjain (, Hindustani pronunciation: �d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative centre of Ujjain district and Uj ...

. Old Holy cities as per Puranic Texts:

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

formerly known as Kashi,

also known as Prayag,

- Rishikesh,

Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childho ...

, Kurukshetra, the Land of Bhagavad Gita in

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ...

and

Ayodhya Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya, also known as Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and setting of the great epic Ramayana. Ayodhy ...

. Old Temple cities:

, which hosts a major Vaishnava

Jagannath Jagannath ( or, ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, lit=Lord of the Universe, Jagannātha; formerly en, Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra, and sister ...

temple and Rath Yatra celebration; Katra, home to the

Vaishno Devi Vaishno Devi (also known as Mata Rani, Trikuta, Ambe and Vaishnavi) is a manifestation of the Hindu Mother Goddess, Durga or Adi Shakti. The words "''Maa''" and "''Mata''" are commonly used in India for '' mother'', and thus are often heavil ...

temple; Tirumala - Tirupati, home to the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple; Madurai Meenakshi and Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in

Sri Rangam Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Marathi, Malay (including Indonesian and Malaysian), Javanes ...

;

Dwarkadhish Temple The Dwarkadhish temple, also known as the Jagat Mandir and occasionally spelled Dwarakadheesh, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Krishna, who is worshiped here by the name ''Dwarkadhish'', or 'King of Dwarka'. The temple is located at Dwarka ci ...

- Dwarka, home to Dwarkadhish form of

Sri Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

; Radharani Temple - Barsana, dedicated to Sri Radha, Sabarimala, where Swami Ayyappan is worshipped;

Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple The Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple located in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the state of Kerala, India. The name of the city of 'Thiruvananthapuram' in Tamil and Malayalam translates to "The City of Lord Ananta" (The City ...

at Thiruvananthapuram,

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

; Guruvayur temple at Guruvayur. The oldest of these temple pilgrimage is the Pandharpur Wari which is said to be in tradition from the past 800 years. New Pilgrimage Centres: Three comparatively recent temples of fame and huge pilgrimage are

Belur Math Belur Math () is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal, India. The ...

, the hub of the worldwide

Ramakrishna Movement Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) is a Hindu religious and spiritual organisation which forms the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as the ''Ramakrishna Movement'' or the ''Vedanta Movement''. The mission is named after and inspired by th ...

in West Bengal, Dakshineswar Kali Temple,

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

;

Vivekananda Rock Memorial Vivekananda Rock Memorial is a monument and popular tourist attraction in Kanyakumari, India's southernmost tip. The memorial stands on one of the two rocks located about 500 meters off mainland of Vavathurai. It was built in 1970 in honour o ...

at Kanyakumari; Sri Ramana Ashram at Tiruvannamalai; and ISKCON temples in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

, Patna, Tirumala, Vishakapatnam,

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, and

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

. Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House and Cultural Centre, the birthplace of Swami Vivekananda is also another popular destination. Shakti Pitha: An important set of pilgrimages are the '' Shakti Pitha'', where the Mother Goddess is worshipped, the two principal ones being '' Kalighat'' and '' Kamakhya''. The original Shakti Pitha are * Mahamaya, Amarnath, Jammu and Kashmir * Phullara, in Attahasa, West Bengal * Shri Shakambhari Devi, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh * Bahula, Bardhaman, West Bengal * Mahishmardini, Bakreshwar, Siuri town * Avanti, Bairavparvat Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh * Aparna, Bhavanipur, Bangladesh * Gandaki Chandi, Chandi River * Bhamari, Janasthaan * Kottari, Hinglaj, Karachi * Jayanti, Bourbhag Village, Bangladesh * Yogeshwari, Khulna district * Jwala or Shakti Siddhida, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh * Kalika, Kalighat, West Bengal * Kali in Kalmadhav, Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh * Khamakya, Guwahati, Assam * Devgarbha/Kankleshwari, Birbhum, West Bengal * Sravani, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu * Chamudeshwari/Jaya Durga, Chamundi Hills, Mysore * Vimla, Murshidabad, West Bengal * Kumara Shakti at Anandamayee Temple of West Bengal * Shakti Bhraamari, Ratnavali, West Bengal * Shakti Dakshayani, Manasarovar * Gayatri Manibandh, Pushkar, Rajasthan * Uma at Mithila, border of Nepal and India * Indraksh, Nainativu, Manipallavam * Mahashira, Guhyeshwari near Pashupatinath Temple * Bhawani at Chandranath Hills, Bangladesh * Varahi, Panch Sagar, Uttar Pradesh * Chandrabhaga, Junagarh, Gujarat * Lalita of Prayag * Savitri/Bhadra Kali, Kurukshetra, Haryana * Maihar/Shivani, Satna, Madhya Pradesh * Nandini or Nandikeshwari, Birbhum, West Bengal * Sarvashail/Rakini on Godavari river banks at Kotilingeswar Temple * Mahish Mardini at Shivaharkaray near Karachi of Pakistan * The Narmada Shondesh, Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh * Sundari at Sri Sailam (currently in Bangladesh) * Maha Lakshmi at Sri Shail (currently in Bangladesh) * Devi Narayani, Suchindram, Tamil Nadu * Suganda of Shikarpur (currently in Bangladesh) * Tripura Sundari, Udaipur in Tripura * Mangal Chandika at Ujjain * Vishalakshi, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh * Kapalini of Vibash, Medinipur, West Bengal * Ambika, Bharatpur, Rajasthan * Uma at Vrindavan/Bhooteswar Temple of Uttar Pradesh * Tripurmalini, Jalandhar, Punjab * Amba at Ambaji, Gujarat * Jai Durga, Deogarh, Jharkhand * Danteshwari, Chhattisgarh * Nabi Gaya, Biraj, Jaipur. According to later texts there are altogether 51 or 108 shakti peethas, though many in the lists cannot be confirmed to exist and may have been added in order to list a religiously significant number. Jyotirlingas: Other set of important pilgrimages are the '' Jyotirlingas'', where lord

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

is worshipped in the form of Shiva Lingas. There are twelve Jyotirlingas in India. The twelve Jyotirlingas are: * Bhimashankar Temple, near

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

* Somnath in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

* Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh * Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga at

in Madhya Pradesh * Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh * Kedarnath in Uttarakhand * Vishwanath Temple at

in Uttar Pradesh * Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple at

in Maharashtra *

Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga temple, also known as ''Baba dham'' and ''Baidyanath dham'' is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the most sacred abodes of Shiva. The location of Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga is disputed. The claimed locations are: *Vaidyanath Jyot ...

* Aundha Nagnath in

Hingoli Hingoli is a city and a municipal council in Hingoli district in the Indian state of Maharashtra with the population of 184,443. Description Hingoli is a city and a municipal council in Hingoli district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Hin ...

, Maharashtra or

Nageshvara Jyotirlinga Nageshvara is one of the legendary temples mentioned in the Shiva Purana and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. It is located in Dwarka, Gujarat, India. Jyotirlinga According to Shiv Mahapuraan, Brahma (The Creator) and Vishnu (The Preserver) ...

at Dwarka *

Rameshwar Rameshwar also known as Rameshwar Wadi is a small town located on the coast of Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra on the west coast of India. A very old Shri Dev Rameshwar Temple is located in this town which is dedicated to the Hindu deity ...

at Rameshwaram in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

* Grishneshwar at Verul near Ellora Aurangabad

Sri Lanka

* Pancha Ishwarams - the 5 ancient Shiva temples of the island from classical antiquity. * The

Arunagirinathar Arunagirinaadhar (Aruna-giri-naadhar, ', ) was a Tamil Saiva saint-poet who lived during the 15th century in Tamil Nadu, India. In his treatise ''A History of Indian Literature'' (1974), Czech Indologist Kamil Zvelebil places Arunagirinathar's ...

-traversed ancient Murugan pilgrimage route of Sri Lanka including ** Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple, Maviddapuram, Kankesanthurai ** Nallur Kandaswamy temple, Jaffna, ** Koneswaram temple, Trincomalee, ** Verugal Murugan Kovil, Verugal Aru, Verugal, Trincomalee District ** Thirukkovil Sithira Velayutha Swami Kovil, in Thirukkovil, Batticaloa, ** Arugam Bay, Amparai ** Panamai, Amparai ** Ukanthamalai Murugan Kovil, in Okanda, Kumana National Park ** Kataragama temple,

Katirkamam Kataragama temple (, ) in Kataragama, Sri Lanka, is a temple complex dedicated to Buddhist guardian deity Kataragama deviyo and Hindu War God Murugan. It is one of the few religious sites in Sri Lanka that is venerated by the Buddhists, Hindu ...

in the South.

Mauritius

Ganga Talao Ganga Talao (commonly known as Grand Bassin) is a crater lake situated in a secluded mountain area in the district of Savanne, deep in the heart of Mauritius. It is about above sea level. The first group of pilgrims who went to Ganga Talao were ...

* Sagar Shiv Mandir

Trinidad and Tobago

Temple in the Sea The Temple in the Sea, also known as the Siewdass Sadhu mandir, is a Hindu mandir in Waterloo, Carapichaima, Trinidad and Tobago. Sewdass Sadhu constructed the original temple in the Gulf of Paria in 1952. The temple was reconstructed by Randal R ...

, Waterloo Road, Waterloo, Carapichaima, Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo,

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

*Dattatreya Mandir and 85-foot Karyasiddhi Hanuman Murti, Datta Drive, Orangefield, Carapichaima, Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo,

*Shiva Lingam Mandir, Patiram Trace, Penal, Penal-Debe,

* Ganga Dhara festival at the Trinnaadeeshwar Mahadeo Ghat, Kailash Ghat, Hanuman Ghat, Tulsidas Ghat, Ardha Naareshvar Ghat, and Mundan Sanskaar Ghat at Marianne River Blanchisseuse, Tunapuna-Piarco,

* Siapria Mai (La Divina Pastora) Church, La Pastora Street, Siparia, Siparia region,

*Exchange Village Shiv Mandir, Brickfield Road Exchange Village, Couva, Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo,

*Moose Bhagat Mandir, Naparima Mayaro Road Mairad Village, Tableland,

Princes Town Princes Town is a town within the Princes Town Regional Corporation, located on southern Trinidad island in Trinidad and Tobago. The population of the town is 28,335. History Founded as the Amerindian '' Mission of Savana Grande'', the town ...

*Shiva Mandir, 1 Railway Road Reform Village, Gasparillo,

*Balka Devi Mandir (Mud Volcano Temple), St. Marie Road,

Cedros Cedros, Portuguese and Spanish for ''cedars'', may refer to the following places: Honduras * Cedros, Francisco Morazán, a municipality in the Department of Francisco Morazán Mexico *Cedros Island, an island in the State of Baja California Portu ...

, Siparia,

*Shree Pavan Putra Hanuman Shiv Shakti Mandir Cunjal Road, Cunjal,

*Triveni Mandir, Sisters Road, Hardbargain Village, Williamsville,

Suriname

Arya Dewaker Arya Dewaker (Hindi: आर्य दिवाकर) is a Hindu association that built the biggest mandir (Hindu temple) of Suriname. The temple attracts many visitors, both Hindus and non-Hindus, coming from Suriname and from all over the world ...

Mandir

Pakistan

* Hinglaj Mata - A ''Shakthi Peeth'' in Pakistan's

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

province * Katasraj temple - Site of a famous temple which has a lake that is said to have been created from the tear drops of

. Also known for being home of the Pandava brothers during part of their exile. * Sharada Peeth -An abandoned ''Shakti Peeth'' * Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar -

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

shrine that is important to Sindhi Hindus * Tilla Jogian - ancient shrine reportedly over 2,000 years old. * Shakti Peetha * Chandragup *

Panj Tirath Panj () is a city in southern Tajikistan which is situated on the Afghan border, some south of the capital Dushanbe. It is located along the north bank of the river Panj, from which it derives its name. The population of the town is 12,500 (Ja ...

Amb Temples The Amb Temples ( ur, ), locally known as Amb Sharif ( ur, ; ''"Noble Amb"''), are part of an abandoned Hindu temple complex on the Sakesar mountain, located at the western edge of the Salt Range in Pakistan's Punjab province. Although fou ...

* Umarkot Shiv Mandir * Churrio Jabal Durga Mata Temple * Kalat Kali Temple * Goraknath Temple * Kalibari Mandir, Peshawar

Nepal

Barahachhetra Barahachhetra (also Barahakshetra or Varahakshrata; ne, वराहक्षेत्र) is a Hindu and Kirat piligram site which remains between the confluence of Koka and Koshi rivers in Barahakshetra, Sunsari of Province No. 1, Nepal. Th ...

* Janakpurdham * Muktinath * Pashupatinath Temple *

Changu Narayan Temple Changu Narayan is an ancient Hindu temple, located on a high hilltop that is also known as Changu or Dolagiri in Changunarayan Municipality of Bhaktapur District, Nepal. This hill is about 7 miles (or 12km) east of Kathmandu and a few miles n ...

* Buddhanilkantha * Krishna Temple of Patan Durbar Square * Rishikesh Complex of Ruru Kshetra *

Vyas Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...

cave * Doleshwor Mahadev (considered the head part of Kedarnath temple of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

) * Dolakha Bhimsen temple *

Pathibhara Devi temple Pathibhara Devi (in Nepali: पाथिभरा देवी मन्दिर, in Limbu: Mukkumlung) is one of the most significant temples in Nepal, located on the hill of Taplejung. It is also considered one of the holy places for the Ne ...

* Halesi Mahadev Temple and

Halesi-Maratika Caves The Halesi-Maratika Caves (also the Haleshi Mahadev temple) are located next to the village of Mahadevasthan, in the Khotang District of eastern Nepal, 3,100 ft. – 4,734 ft. above sea level. The cave and temple are about 185 km s ...

China

* Mount Kailash *

Lake Manasarovar Lake Manasarovar (Sanskrit: मानसरोवर), also called Mapam Yutso (;) locally, is a high altitude freshwater lake fed by the Kailash Glaciers near Mount Kailash in Burang County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. ...

Indonesia

* Mother Temple of Besakih * Prambanan * Mount Bromo

Cambodia

* Preah Vihear Temple * Angkor Wat

Malaysia

* Batu Caves *

Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple, Penang The Balathandayuthapani Temple, officially the ''Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Kovil'', better known as the Waterfall Hill Temple or "Thaneer Malai" ( ta, அருள்மிகு பாலதண்டாயுதபாணி கோயில் ...

United States

* Vivekananda Cottage,

Thousand Island Park 1000 or one thousand is the natural number following 999 and preceding 1001. In most English-speaking countries, it can be written with or without a comma or sometimes a period separating the thousands digit: 1,000. A group of one thousand thi ...

, Jefferson County, New York

References

{{Worship in Hinduism https://www.iskconbangalore.org/ Hinduism-related lists Lists of pilgrimage sites