Hindu pilgrimage sites in India

In Hinduism, the yatra to the tirthas has special significance for earning the punya needed to attain the moksha by performing the darśana, the parikrama, the yajna, the Dhyana, the puja, the prarthana, the dakshina, the seva, the bhandara, etc. These sacred places are usually located on the banks of sacred waters, such as sacred rivers or their tributaries, the kundas, the ghats, or the stepwells, or the temple tanks.
In India there are 7 Sapta Puri holy cities, 4 Dhams and 12 Jyotirlings devoted to the Lord Shiva, 51 Shakti Pithas devoted to the feminine manifestation of the god, the eight swayambhu Vishnu temples and the important Lord Rama circuit and Lord Krishna circuit.

Holy Places: Himalayan Chota Char Dham - Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Haridwar-Rishikesh, Mathura-Vrindavan, Ayodhya, Dwarka, Rameswaram, Shirdi, Tirupati, Nashik, Pancharama Kshetras.
Holy Fairs: The Kumbh Mela is one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages that is held four times every twelve years; the location is rotated among the four cities of Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain. The Mahamaham in temple town of Kumbakonam is also celebrated once in 12 years. Annual Gita Mahotsav at Kurukshetra, Shravani Mela at Deoghar, and Pitrapaksha Mela at Gaya are also notable holy fairs.
Holy Temples: the Char Dham, Pancharama Kshetras, Rameswaram, Dwarka, Puri and Badrinath; the Pancha Bhoota Stalam; the eight Ashta Veeratta Sthalams; the Six Abodes of Murugan; the five Pancha Sabhai; the 108 Divya Desams; Katra, home to the Vaishno Devi temple; Puri home to Vaishnava Jagannath temple and Rath Yatra celebration; Tirumala - Tirupati, home to the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple; Shirdi, home to Sai Baba of Shirdi; Sabarimala home to Swami Ayyappan; the Shakti Peethas; the twelve Jyotirlingas; the seven Sapta Puri.
Cities Celebrated in Literature: 276 Paadal Petra Sthalams, 108 Shiva Temples established by Paraśurāma.
Holy Deity : Kuladaivat Hindu families have their own family patron deity. This deity is common to a lineage, a clan or a locality.
Samadhis of Saints: Alandi, Samadhi of Dnyaneshwar:Mantralayam, Shri Sai baba temple, Shirdi -Shri Samadhi Mandir of Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi at Shirdi,samadhi of Raghavendra Tirtha, Belur Math which enshrine that Holy remains of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda Puri, and other direct Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, Tulsi Ghat, Varanasi where Saint Tulsidas left his mortal coil, Samadhi Mandir of Meher Baba in Meherabad, Samadhi Mandir of Saint Kabir at Gorakhpur, near Varanasi, Panchaganga Ghat, Varanasi where Trailanga Swami lived and left his mortal body, Karar Ashram, Puri where Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, attained the Mahasamadhi.
All the tirth places which are important in Hinduism is mentioned below. Madhva saint Vadiraja Tirtha of sixteenth century has written Tirtha Prabandha a document on travelogue of pilgrimage centres throughout India.

Most visited Pilgrimage Places

Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi

Ayodhya is an ancient holy city in Uttar Pradesh, which is one of the seven holy Hindu Saptapuri cites, and considered the home to Ram Janmabhoomi, the birth place of Rama. The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, India is a Hindu temple, that was inaugurated on 22 January 2024 after a prana pratishtha ceremony. In Hindu tradition, this temple is believed to be located at an ancient pilgrimage site of Ram Janmabhoomi, the birthplace of Rama, a principal deity of Hinduism. Ayodhya's Ram temple is projected to have 50 million visitors per year, which will make it the top pilgrimage site in the world.

Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi)

Kashi Vishwanath Temple is Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in the ancient holy city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple is a prominent Hindu pilgrimage site, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines. The presiding deity is known by the names Vishwanath and Vishweshwara, literally meaning Lord of the Universe. The temple has been managed by a board of trustees set up by the government of Uttar Pradesh since 1983. On 1 January 2023, a record 3.35 lakh pilgrims visited the temple. In the month of January 2023, the temple saw an average footfall of above 45,000 per day.

Jagannath Dham (Puri)

Jagannath Temple, Puri is one of the most sacred places for hindus all over India. Located in township of Puri in Odisha.The Hindu temple dedicated to the god Jagannath, a form of Vishnu in Hinduism and two of his siblings, Balaram and Subhadra, alongside Sudarshan.

Tirupati Balaji (Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala)

Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala, also known as Tirupati Balaji Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hills of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared on the earth to save mankind from the trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. Venkateswara is known by many other names: Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa. The temple is run by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which is under the Andhra Pradesh Government. The head of TTD is appointed by Andhra Pradesh Government. The temple is one of the Pancha Kshethram where Maha Lakshmi was born as Bhargavi - the daughter of Maharishi Bhrigu. The other four temples of the Pancha Kshethram are Sarangapani temple, Kumbakonam, Oppiliappan temple, Nachiyar Koil and Sundararaja Perumal Temple, Salem. Tirumala hills are part of Seshachalam Hills range. The hills are above sea level and comprise seven peaks, representing the seven heads of Adisesha. The temple lies on the seventh peak—Venkatadri, on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini, a holy water tank. Hence the temple is also referred to as "Temple of Seven Hills", and it is one of the top Hindu pilgrimage destinations in India. The temple is visited by 50,000 to 100,000 devotees per day and reaching 30 to 40 million visitors annually who come to pray to Lord Venkateshwara.

Sri Sai Baba Temple (Shirdi)

Shri Sai Baba Temple, Shirdi, also known as Sri Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir and Sai Baba of Shirdi temple, is a temple which is located in holy city town of Shirdi, Maharashtra is among the top pilgrimage sites of the world.Sai Baba of Shirdi,also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master and fakir, considered to be a saint, revered by devotees during and after his lifetime.Hindu devotees believed to be an incarnation of the Hindu deity Dattatreya.The temple is a beautiful shrine which was constructed in the year 1922. Shirdi Sai Baba temple is approx. 200 KM from Mumbai city. Also, this temple is known to be the Second richest temple in India where millions of pilgrims visits daily..

Vaishno Devi Temple (Jammu)

Vaishno Devi Temple, also known as the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple and Vaishno Devi Bhavan, is a Hindu mandir (temple) located in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, dedicated to Vaishno Devi, a manifestation of Durga. It is located on the Trikuta mountain at 5,000 feet elevation. The Shakti tradition considers it to be a Shakti Pitha. The temple is governed by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and has been chaired by the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir since August 1986.
It is one of the most popular Hindu pilgrimage sites in north-west India, with millions of devotees visiting the hill temple annually. In 2018, the Vaishno Devi shrine reported that it had received 8.5 million pilgrims that year.

List of Important Pilgrimage Places

Place	State	Importance
Ayodhya	Uttar Pradesh	Saptapuri
Dwarka	Gujarat	Saptapuri
Haridwar	Uttarakhand	Saptapuri
Kanchipuram	Tamil Nadu	Saptapuri
Mathura	Uttar Pradesh	Saptapuri
Ujjain	Madhya Pradesh	Saptapuri
Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh	Saptapuri
Haridwar	Uttarakhand	Kumbh Mela
Nashik	Maharashtra	Kumbh Mela
Prayagraj	Uttar Pradesh	Kumbh Mela
Ujjain	Madhya Pradesh	Kumbh Mela
Badrinath Temple	Uttarakhand	Char Dham
Dwarkadhish Temple	Gujarat	Char Dham
Jagannath Temple	Odisha	Char Dham
Ramanathaswamy Temple	Tamil Nadu	Char Dham, 12 Jyotirlinga
Bhimashankar Temple	Maharashtra/ Odisha	12 Jyotirlinga
Vaidyanath Temple	Maharashtra/ Jharkhand/ Himachal Pradesh	12 Jyotirlinga
Trimbakeshwar Temple	Maharashtra	12 Jyotirlinga
Grishneshwar Temple	Maharashtra	12 Jyotirlinga
Omkareshwar Temple	Madhya Pradesh	12 Jyotirlinga
Somnath Temple	Gujarat	12 Jyotirlinga
Nageshvara Temple	Gujarat	12 Jyotirlinga
Kedarnath Temple	Uttarakhand	12 Jyotirlinga
Vishwanath Temple	Uttar Pradesh	12 Jyotirlinga
Mahakaleshwar Temple	Madhya Pradesh	12 Jyotirlinga, Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Mallikarjuna Temple	Andhra Pradesh	12 Jyotirlinga, Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Shrinkhala Temple, Pandua	West Bengal	Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Mangla Gauri Temple, Gaya	Bihar	Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Ekvira Temple, Mahur	Maharashtra	Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Biraja Temple, Jajpur	Odisha	Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Alopi Devi Temple, Prayagraj	Uttar Pradesh	Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Kukkuteswara Temple, Pithapuram	Andhra Pradesh	Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Shri Sai Baba Temple, Shirdi	Maharashtra	Sai Baba of Shirdi
Bhimeswara Temple, Draksharamam	Andhra Pradesh	Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Jawalamukhi, Kangra	Himachal Pradesh	Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur	Maharashtra	Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Jogulamba Temple, Alampur	Telangana	Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Kamakshi Amman Temple, Kanchipuram	Tamil Nadu	Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Vishalakshi Temple, Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh	Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Chamundeshwari Temple, Mysuru	Karnataka	Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Sharada Peeth, Neelam	POK	Astadasha Maha Shaktipeeth
Vimala Temple, Puri	Odisha	Adi Shaktipeeth
Tara Tarini Temple, Ganjam	Odisha	Adi Shaktipeeth
Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati	Assam	Adi Shaktipeeth
Kalighat Kali Temple, Kolkata	West Bengal	Adi Shaktipeeth
Janai Malai Satara		Swayambhu
Pushkar	Rajasthan	Swayambhu Vishnu
Naimisharanya		Swayambhu Vishnu
Tirupati		Swayambhu Vishnu
Srimushnam		Swayambhu Vishnu
Tiruchirappalli		Swayambhu Vishnu
Nanguneri		Swayambhu Vishnu
Muktinath, Nepal		Swayambhu Vishnu
Pashupati, Nepal		Shiva
Shikhar Shingnapur		Shiva
Narsobawadi		Narsimha Saraswati
Ganagapura		Narsimha Saraswati
Kudalasangama		Lingayat
Manikanagara		Manik Prabhu
Akkalkot		Swami Samartha
Kurvapur, Raichur		Sripad Vallabha
Hampi		Rama circuit
Nashik		Rama Circuit
Nabadwip	West Bengal	Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Gaudiya Vaishnavism circuit
Mayapur	West Bengal	Gaudiya Vaishnavism Circuit
Tarapith	West Bengal	Shaktipith, Tarapith Temple. Also tantric seat of power along with Kamakya Temple
Attahas	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Kankalitala	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Dakshineswar Kali Temple	West Bengal	Siddhapith, famous Kali Temple
Ekachakra	West Bengal	Gaudiya Vaishnavism Circuit
Juranpur Satipith	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Kiriteswari Temple	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Taraknath Temple	West Bengal	one of the 64 Jyotirlingas
Bargabhima Temple	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Nandikeshwari Temple	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Bahula Shaktipeet	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Bahula Temple	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Bakreshwar	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Ujani Temple Burdwan	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Bhramari Temple Jalpaiguri	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Tripura Sundari Temple	Tripura	Shaktipeeth
Ratnavali Temple	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Kshirgram Jogadya Temple	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Sarvamangala Temple, Purba Bardhaman district	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Fullora Temple Labhpur	West Bengal	Shaktipeeth
Kachua	West Bengal	Lokenath Baba Janmasthan
Baneswar Shiva temple	West Bengal	Shiva Temple
Jalpesh Temple	West Bengal	Shiva Temple
Shibnibas Nadia	West Bengal	Shiva Temple

Haridwar-Rishikesh (Maya Puri) region

The importance of Maya Puri (Haridwar)-Rishikesh) tirth region is clearly mentioned in puranas. This tirth is located in Uttarakhand, India. Haridwar tirth region is mainly dedicated to shiva and Parvati, whereas Vishnu is primarily worshipped in Rishikesh tirth region.
Temples in Haridwar Tirth region:-
1.Daksheshwar Mahadev Temple
2.Shitla mata Temple
3.Narayani shila Temple
4.Mansa Devi Temple
5.Maya Devi Temple
6.Chandi Devi Temple
7.Bilkeshwar Mahadev Temple
8.Paradeshwar Mahadev Temple
9.Nileshwar Mahadev Temple
10.[Har Ki Pauri|Har ki Paudi Ganges|Ganga Ghat(Ganesh ji Temple)]
11.Dakshin Kali Temple
12.Aanand Bhairav Temple
Temples in Rishikesh Tirth Region:-
1.Shri Hrishikesh Narayan Temple
2.Veerabhadra Temple
3.Neelkanth Mahadev Temple
4.Laxman temple
5.Shatrughna Temple
6.Chandreshwar Mahadev temple

Naimisharanya

Naimisa-Forest or Naimisharanya (Misrikh-Neemasar) is a Vaishnav tirth region located in Uttar Pradesh, India. Vishnu is mainly worshipped in this tirth.
Temples in Misrikh tirth region:-
1.Rishi Dhadichi Temple
2.Dhadichi Kund
Temples in Neemsar(Naimisharanya) tirth region:-
1.Naimishnath Vishnu Temple
2.Chakra Tirth Temple
3.Bhooteshwar Mahadev Temple
4.Vyas Gaddi
5.Sut Gaddi
6.Chakranarayan Temple
7.Hanuman Garhi Temple
8.Lalita Devi Temple
9.Devdeveshwar Mahadev Temple
10.Gomti river
11.Hatya-Haran Tirth

Tirths of Uttarakhand

kedar Tirth Region:-
In kedar Tirth mainly Shiva and Parvati is worshipped.
1.Kedarnath Temple
2.Gaurikund Temple
3.Triyuginarayan Temple
4.Guptkashi Temple
5.Ukhimath Omkareshwar Temple
6.Kalimath Temple
7.Tungnath Temple
8.Rudranath Temple
9.Madhyamaheshwar Temple
10.Bhairav Temple, kedarnath
11.Gopinath Temple, Gopeshwar
12.Munkatia Ganesh Temple
13.Anasuya Devi Temple, Gopeshwar
Badri tirth Region:-
In Badri Tirth mainly Vishnu and Lakshmi is worshipped.
1.Badrinath Temple
2.Kalpeshwar Temple
3.Bhavishya Badri Temple
4.Vishnuprayag Temple
5.Kuber Temple, Pandukeshwar
6.Yog dhyan Badri Temple, Pandukeshwar
7.Dhyan Badri Temple
8.Vyas Gufa, Mana
9.Vriddha Badri Temple
10.Joshimath Narsingh Mandir
Panch Prayag Tirth Region:-
1.Uma devi Temple, Karnaprayag
2.Umra Narayan Temple
3.Rudranath Temple, Rudraprayag
4.Nandprayag Temple
5.Adi Badri Temple, Karnaprayag
6.Augustmuni Temple
7.Neelmegha Vishnu Temple, Devaprayag
8.Dhari Devi Temple
9.Koteshwar Mahadev Temple
10.Chamunda devi Temple, Rudraprayag
11.Tungeshwar Mahadev Temple
12.Kartik Swami Temple
13.Indrasani Devi Temple, Kandali, Rudraprayag
14.Karmajeet Temple, Pillu, Rudraprayag
kumaon tirth Region:-
1.Bagnath Temple, Bageshwar
2.Baijnath Temple, Garur
3.Jageshwar Dham
4.Kot Bhramari Temple, Kajyuli
5.Devidhura Varahi Temple
6.Poornagiri Temple
7.Danda Nagraja Temple
Garhwal tirth Region:-
1.Tapkeshwar Mahadev Temple
2.Daat Kali Temple, Dehradun
3.Santala Devi Temple, Dehradun
4.Sem Mukhem Nag Temple
5.Budha Kedar Temple
6.Surkanda Devi Temple
7.Uttarkashi Shiva-Shakti Temple
8.Lakhamandal Temple
9.Yamunotri Temple
10.Gangotri Temple
11.Gaumukh
12.Shani Dev Temple, Kharsoli
13.Kyunkaleshwar Temple
14.Mahasu Devta Temple, Hanol
15.Prachin Bhairav Temple, Gangotri

Shookar kshetra

In Narsingh Puran, It is mentioned that Shookar kshetra in one of the abodes of Vishnu which is Located in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is dedicated to Varah form of Vishnu. Today shookar kshetra consist of parts of Kasganj and Bulandsahar District. Whole Shookar kshetra is located on the banks of the river Ganga.
Temples in Shookar Kshetra(Soron) tirth:-
1.Shookar Temple, Soron
2.Har ki paudi Teerth, Soron
3.Belon Devi Temple, Belon
4.kalyani Devi Temple, Karanwas
5.Ram ghat near Narora
6.Raj ghat near Narora
7.Suryakund, Soron
8.Navdurga Temple, Soron
9.Batuk Bhairav Nath ji Temple, Soron
10.Sheetla Mata Temple, Soron
11.Laddu Waale Balaji Mandir, Soron

Kanyakubj

kanyakubj or Kannauj is a very ancient tirth present in Uttar Pradesh, India.It is also has a great importance in Indian history. It was the capital of the Harshvardhan dynasty. Its importance is given in Devi Bhagwat puran and Brahma puran.Brahmins from kanyakubj are world wide famous and are regularly appointed as the head priest of many hindu temples located in kannauj and north india.
Major Temples located in Kannauj Tirth are:-
1.Gauri shankar temple
2.Phoolmati Devi temple
3.Annapoorna Temple, Tirwaganj
4.Dauleshwar Mahadev Temple, tirwaganj
5.Govardhani Devi Temple
6.Gangeshwarnath Temple, chhibramau
7.Mansheshwarnath Temple, chhibramau
8.Kalika Devi Mandir, chhibramau
9.Bagiya Waale Hanumanji Temple, Chhibramau
10.Maa Aanandi Devi Temple, Prempur

Braj

Braj, also called as Mathura Puri is a 84 kos tirth kshetra present in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is dedicated to Vishnu as krishna. Today this Braj region consist of mathura district of uttar pradesh and some parts of the state of Haryana and Rajasthan.Temples present here are established by the Grandson of Krishna, "Vajranabh". Therefore this tirth is known by the name of Vajranabh as Braj.This tirth is mentioned in skand puran, bhagvat puran, Brahma vaivarta puran, etc.
Braj Region is divided into many villages, these villages and their respective temples are mentioned below:-
Mathura tirth region:-
1.Shri Keshav Deo Temple
2.Shri Bhooteshwar Mahadev Temple
3.Shri Rangeshwar Mahadev temple
4.Shri Gokarneshwar Mahadev Temple
5.Shri Galteshwar Mahadev Temple
6.Shri Pipleshwar Mahadev Temple
7.Vishram ghat
8.Chamunda Mata Temple
9. Shri mathura Devi Temple
10.Kankali devi Temple
11.Mahavidya devi Temple
12 Shantanu Bihari Temple
13.Dirgh vishnu Temple
Gokul-Mahavan-Baldeo Tirth Region
1.Gokulnathji Temple
2.Nand Bhavan, Gokul
3.Chandravali Mata Temple
4.Chintaharan Mahadev Temple
5.Brahmaand ghat
6.Raman Reti Temple
7.Baldeo Temple
8.Bandi Anandi Manomanccha maa Temple
9.Rawal Radha Rani Temple
Vrindavan tirth Region:-
1.Bankey Bihari Temple
2.Radha Raman Temple
3.radha Damodar Temple
4 Radha Govind dev ji temple
5.Radha Shyam sundar Temple
6.Radha Madan Mohan Temple
7.Radha Gokulnand Temple
8.Radha Gopinath Temple
9.Radha Vallabh Temple
10.Shri Garud Govind ji Temple
11.Nidhivan
12.Mota ganesh ji Temple
13.Sewa kunj
14.Gopeshwar Mahadev Temple
15.chamunda Mata Temple
16.Katayani Mata Temple
Govardhan Tirth kshetra:-
1.Giriraj ji Temple, Daanghati
2.Giriraj ji Temple, Jatipura
3.Giriraj ji Temple, Mansi Ganga
4.Luk luk Dauji Temple
5.Chandra Sarovar
6.Kusum sarovar
7.Radha Kund
8.Haridev ji Temple
9.Punchhari ka Lauthra Temple
10.Chakleshwar Mahadev Temple
11.Indra Maan Daman Temple
12.Mansa Devi Temple
13.Vankhandi Mahadev Temple
14. Kundeshwar Mahadev Temple
15.Radha Kund Mukharvind temple
16.Narayan Sarovar
17.lalit Kund
7.Ra