The country is dotted with such different pilgrimage sites. The most revered amongst the Hindu pilgrimage is Char Dham Tour. Comprising the visit to four major holy cities - Puri, Rameswaram, Dwarka and Badrinath, this pilgrimage is believed to relieve the souls from the cycle of birth and death. Also, there is Chota Char Dham, based on the spiritual experience in the divine bliss of Uttarakhand.
Besides the Char Dham Yatra, North India is also dotted with many temples and pilgrimage sites. Prominent among them are Haridwar, Rishikesh, Prayag (Allahabad), Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Amarnath, etc comprising the spiritual pilgrimage tour to India.
Another important set of pilgrimage are dedicated to virgin goddess in the form of Shakti-Peeths. These are also followed with equal faith. Most of them are in Himachal Pradesh. Some of the sacred Shakti-Peeths are also located in Assam (Kamakhya Devi Temple), Dakshineshwari Temple in West Bengal, Tara Tarini in Odisha, etc. Vaishno Devi tour is also the most followed pilgrimage in the North India.
But, Hindu Pilgrimage tour is incomplete without South India Pilgrimage Tour due to its treasured temple traditions. Most of the regions iconic temples are in Tamil Nadu. (Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Tanjore, Kanyakumari) But that does not mean other three South Indian states have no temple heritage. Andhra Pradesh hosts the venerated Tirupati pilgrimage amidst the mountains where Tirumala Venkateswara Swamy temple is located. Dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, this is one of the most important and busiest pilgrimage centers in the world, drawing millions of devotees. Next important temple shrines are based in Kerala’s capital Trivandrum. Here, the world’s richest temple, Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is located. The temple shrine built by the royal family of Travancore is dedicated to Lord Padmanabha and has vaults treasured with gold as royal offerings. Karnataka has Udupi and Gokarna beach shaped as OM, which is also a major pilgrim attraction for the state.
Kumbh Mela is the greatest celebration of Hinduism where millions of devotees take a dip in the mighty Ganges. Old holy cities like Allahabad, Nasik, Haridwar-Rishikesh, Mathura-Vrindavan, and Ayodhya also form the most visited Hindu Pilgrim circuit in India.
Apart from them, there are 12 major shrines known as Jyotirlinga dedicated to Lord Shiva. Somnath, Mahakaleshwar, Kedarnath, Tryambakeswar, Visweswar and Rameshwaram constitute the more known Jyotirlingas in India. Some sacred cities are devoted to Lord Vishnu, the nourisher in Hindu beliefs - Puri, Tirupati, Dwarka, Ayodhya and Mathura, etc.
Pushkar, the only temple in India dedicated to Lord Brahma, the creator of mankind, holds reverence as a major pilgrim destination in India.
There are other branches that rose up from Hinduism. Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism emerged out of Hinduism, hence form a part of the India Pilgrimage Tour. India Sikh Pilgrimage Tour is primarily based on visiting the sacred Gurudwaras of this 500 year old religion in different parts of the country and taking the dip in the holy tanks or sarovars. Of all the Gurudwaras, the visit to the Golden Temple Tour is considered the most sacred.
The Jain pilgrimage tour includes a visit to the most ornate marble temples and ruined heritage sites dedicated to the religion. This includes a visit to Dilwara Temples near Mount Abu, Ranakpur Temples near Udaipur, Pawapuri in Bihar, Sravanabelgola in Karnataka, etc.
TheBuddhist pilgrimage tour is dedicated to Lord Buddha’s journey from ignorance to enlightenment via Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar and Lumbini.
Being the source of many religions, philosophies and doctrines, Hindu Pilgrimage Tour is one of the most visited Indian pilgrimages.
