🛕 Pilgrimage

Annavaram

Satyanarayana temple on Ratnagiri hill

Srikurmam

Kurma (tortoise) avatar temple

Best: Nov–FebAndhra Pradesh

Puttaparthi

Sathya Sai Baba's ashram town

Tirupati

Gateway to the Tirumala hill shrine

Srikalahasti

Vayu Linga temple by the river

Kanipakam

Varasiddhi Vinayaka temple

Vontimitta

Kodandarama temple of the Ramayana

Rajahmundry

Godavari river city with islet temple

Vijayawada

Kanaka Durga temple city on the Krishna

Mahanandi

Shiva temple and caves of the Nallamala

Best: October–February (20–30°C) for dry trails and open forest access · March–May 40°C+ — start the climbs at 7 AM · monsoon (Jun–Sep) heavy rain and closed gates · Narasimha Jayanti (May) and the 10-day Brahmotsavam (Feb–Mar) are crowd weeksAndhra Pradesh

Ahobilam

Nine Narasimha shrines inside a Nallamala tiger reserve — the cave sanctum cut into an egg-shaped rock where the man-lion slew Hiranyakashipu, an 8-km ghat-road climb to cliff shrines, and the 1398 Ahobila Matha feeding pilgrims since the 15th century

Srisailam

Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga in the forest

Penchalakona

Narasimha temple at a river source

Kotappakonda

Tri-hill temple with a big fair

Best: Jan (fair)Arunachal Pradesh

Parshuram Kund

Sacred lake of Parshuram

Guwahati

Gateway of the Northeast by the Brahmaputra

Best: Oct–AprAssam

Hajo

Three-faith temple town

Best: Oct–MarAssam

Barpeta

Satra town of Vaishnavism

Best: Oct–MarAssam

Bodh Gaya

Where Buddha attained enlightenment

Pawapuri

Mahavira's nirvana site

Kesaria

Largest Buddhist stupa in the world

Gaya

Pind-daan ghats of the Falgu

Sultanganj

Cave shrine on the Ganga

Best: Aug (kanwar)Bihar

Sitamarhi

Sita's birthplace

Best: Oct–MarChhattisgarh

Dantewada

Danteshwari temple of the Bastar

Dongargarh

Maa Bamleshwari hill shrine

Best: Oct–MarChhattisgarh

Rajim

Prayag of Chhattisgarh at the Triveni

Best: Oct–MarChhattisgarh

Gangeshwar Mahadev

Sea-temple of five Shiva lingams

Best: Oct–MarDadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu

Akshardham

Delhi's Guinness-record mandir — a 141-ft pyramid of Rajasthani pink sandstone and Carrara marble raised in five years without a single beam of steel, wrapped in animatronic halls, a 10,000-year boat ride and the Sahaj Anand water show on India's largest stepwell

Best: October–March (8–31°C) is the golden window: clear winter light on the sandstone, comfortable courtyard walking and a crisp evening for the water show · arrive at the 10 AM opening or just after the 10:30 AM aarti to beat the queues · April–June climbs past 40°C — the shaded courts and air-conditioned exhibitions save the day, but mornings are best · July–September monsoon brings humidity and can cancel the outdoor show · closed every Monday, and weekends swell with families — a Tuesday–Thursday morning is the expert's slotDelhi

Pavagadh

Kalika Mata hill shrine

Best: Nov–FebGujarat

Somnath

First Jyotirlinga by the sea

Dwarka

Krishna's city of the Dwarkadhish

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga

Jyotirlinga near Dwarka

Porbandar

Gandhi's birthplace by the sea

Koteshwar

Temple at the Arabian Sea edge

Palitana

900 Jain temples on Shatrunjaya hill

Ambaji

Shakti peetha of the Aravalis

Chotila

Chamunda hill shrine

Dakor

Ranchhodrayji Krishna temple

Best: Sep–JunHimachal Pradesh

Kurukshetra

Land of the Mahabharata battle and Brahma Sarovar

Best: Oct–MarHaryana

Manikaran

Hot springs and Gurudwara by the Parvati

Baijnath (Kangra)

Ancient Shiva temple on the road to Bir

Chamunda Devi

Cliff-top Devi temple with ghats below

Jawalamukhi

Shrine with an eternal flame

Bharmour

Ancient Shiva shrine and Manimahesh trek base

Mandi

Varanasi of the hills — 81 temples

Rewalsar

Sacred lake shared by three faiths

Key Monastery

Hilltop Buddhist monastery over the Spiti river

Tabo

Ajanta of the Himalayas — 1,000-year-old murals

Triloknath

Sacred shrine of the three worlds

Best: Mar–Jun, Sep–NovHimachal Pradesh

Sarahan

Bhimakali temple town facing the Kinnaur peaks

Charar-e-Sharief

Sufi shrine of Sheikh Noor-ud-din

Best: Apr–OctJammu & Kashmir

Katra

Base town for the Vaishno Devi trek

Vaishno Devi

One of India's most-visited shrines

Sudhmahadev

Shiva shrine at a sacred river confluence

Best: Oct–MarJammu & Kashmir

Purmandal

Chhota Kashi of temples on the Devika

Shiv Khori

Natural cave shrine of Shiva

Best: Aug (shravan), Oct–MarJharkhand

Deoghar

Baidyanath Jyotirlinga town

Basukinath

Shiva temple of the Santal hills

Best: Oct–MarJharkhand

Trikut Hill

Three-peak hill with ropeway

Best: Oct–MarJharkhand

Parasnath

Highest Jain pilgrimage hill

Best: Oct–MarJharkhand

Melukote

Vaishnava hill shrine and weaving town

Bylakuppe

Tibetan settlement with the golden temple

Nanjangud

Srikanteshwara temple town

Male Mahadeshwara Hills

Hillside Shiva shrine

Sringeri

Adi Shankaracharya's first matha

Best: Sep–MarKarnataka

Kalasa

Hanuman temple on the Bhadra river

Best: Sep–MarKarnataka

Horanadu

Annapoorneshwari temple in the hills

Best: Sep–MarKarnataka

Udupi

Krishna Matha and South Canara's heart

Kollur

Mookambika temple by the Sowparnika

Murudeshwar

123ft Shiva statue above the sea

Ulavi

Cave shrine of Channabasavanna

Shravanabelagola

57ft Gommateshwara statue on a hill

Dharmasthala

Manjunatha temple town of charity

Kukke Subramanya

Snake-god shrine by the Kumaradhara

Thirunelli

Ancient temple at the Papanasini river

Ambalappuzha

Krishna temple famous for palpayasam

Best: Nov–Jan (mandala season)Kerala

Guruvayur

One of South India's holiest Krishna temples

Best: Nov–MarKerala

Sabarimala

Ayyappa shrine in the hills

Chottanikkara

Bhagavathy temple near Kochi

Vaikom

Shiva temple by Vembanad

Thiksey

Hilltop monastery of gompas and giant Buddha

Best: Jun–Jul (festival)Ladakh

Hemis

Ladakh's largest monastery, site of the Hemis festival

Diskit

Nubra's main town with cliff monastery

Best: Jun–SepLadakh

Phugtal

Monastery built into a cliff cave

Best: Jun–SepLadakh

Stongdey

Gompa with Zanskar's best murals

Best: Jun–SepLadakh

Spituk

Monastery with a guardian goddess statue

Best: Jul (festival)Ladakh

Phyang

Red-hat monastery above the Indus

Likir

Monastery with a giant golden Buddha

Lamayuru

Moonland monastery on the Srinagar road

Omkareshwar

Om-shaped island Jyotirlinga

Ujjain

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga city

Amarkantak

Source of the Narmada

Chitrakoot (MP side)

Ramayana forest of holy hills

Maihar

Sharda Mata hill shrine

Salkanpur

Siddhidatri hill shrine

Marleshwar

Cave temple of Shiva

Kolhapur

Mahalakshmi temple and Kolhapuri chappals

Jyotiba

Hill shrine near Kolhapur

Nashik

Kumbh city of temples and vineyards

Trimbakeshwar

Jyotirlinga at the Godavari source

Saptashrungi

Devi temple on seven peaks

Shirdi

Temple town of Sai Baba

Best: Nov–FebMaharashtra

Shani Shingnapur

Shani shrine village of no doors

Best: Nov–FebMaharashtra

Grishneshwar

One of the 12 Jyotirlingas

Paithan

Sant Eknath town of Paithani sarees

Ramtek

Ram temple on a hill

Sajjangad

Samarth Ramdas' shrine

Bhimashankar

Jyotirlinga in the Sahyadri forest

Kaina

Krishna temple of the sacred mountain

Best: Oct–AprManipur

Bishnupur (Manipur)

Vishnu temple town

Best: Oct–AprManipur

Hiyangthang

Lairembi temple town

Best: Oct–MarManipur

Dhauligiri

Peace pagoda of Ashoka's Kalinga war

Puri

Jagannath temple and beach

Harishankar

Temple at a spring

Kapilash

Shiva temple hill

Vedapureeswarar Temple

Oldest Shiva temple of the town

Best: Oct–MarPuducherry

Amritsar

Golden Temple, Wagah border and jalebis

Goindwal Sahib

Sikh holy town of the 84-step baoli

Tarn Taran

Town of the vast golden sarovar

Kartarpur Corridor

Visa-free corridor to the Kartarpur gurdwara

Best: Mar (Hola Mohalla), Oct–MarPunjab

Anandpur Sahib

Birthplace of the Khalsa and Hola Mohalla

Nathdwara

Shrinathji temple town

Best: Oct–MarRajasthan

Eklingji

State deity temple of Mewar

Best: Oct–MarRajasthan

Deshnoke

Karni Mata temple of holy rats

Best: Oct–MarRajasthan

Pushkar

Brahma temple by a holy lake

Best: Nov (fair), Oct–MarRajasthan

Ajmer

The dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti — free, open 364 days, its day measured in khidmat, Roshni Dua and post-Isha qawwali — with Aibak's 124-pillar Adhai Din ka Jhonpra, Akbar's fort-museum and Ana Sagar's marble pavilions in the same day, Pushkar's rare Brahma temple 14 km away

Best: October–March (8–25°C, cool mornings at the shrine) · Friday is the biggest day at the dargah — Thursday or Sunday visits are calmer · April–June climbs past 40°C — use the summer dargah hours (4 AM–10 PM) · July–September monsoon greens the Aravallis but muddies the Taragarh climb · Urs 11–19 December 2026 packs the city; Pushkar Camel Fair (November) fills every room within 30 kmRajasthan

Rumtek

Seat of the Karmapa, Tibet's replica monastery

Pemayangtse

Sikkim's oldest monastery on a ridge

Sangachoeling

Oldest monastery in Sikkim

Tashiding

Most sacred monastery in Sikkim

Namchi

Hill town with giant statue of Guru Rinpoche

Ralong

Karmapa monastery on a hill above Ravangla

Kanchipuram

City of thousand temples and silk

Tiruvannamalai

Arunachala hill and the Annamalaiyar temple

Kumbakonam

Temple town on the Cauvery delta

Best: Nov–MarTamil Nadu

Tiruchirappalli

Rock Fort temple and the Cauvery isle

Srirangam

Largest functioning temple complex in the world

Madurai

Meenakshi temple and the Kumbhabhishekam city

Best: Dec (festival)Tamil Nadu

Rameswaram

Char Dham seashore shrine with long corridors

Best: Oct–FebTamil Nadu

Velankanni

Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health

Palani

Murugan hill shrine on Palani hill

Thiruchendur

Seashore Murugan temple

Tiruvarur

Tyagaraja temple and the chariot festival

Nagore

Dargah town on the coast

Bhadrakali Temple

Kali temple by a lake

Yadadri

Lakshmi Narasimha hill temple

Kaleshwaram

Shiva temple at the Godavari–Pranahita sangam

Medak

Gothic cathedral and fort