Uttar Pradesh (6,543 m) – Sacred Mountain of Shiva Shivling is one of the great sacred mountains that is associated with the deity Shiva, for which it is named. Located in the Himalayas in northern Uttar Pradesh close to the border of China, it is neither quite as tall nor as prominent as other mountains in the vicinity. However, its almost perfectly pyramidal shape makes it … [Read more...]
SRILAKSHMI GOLDEN TEMPLE
Vellore, Tamil Nadu The Srilakshmi Golden Temple is one of the newest major temples in India, and the most important modern temple in the south of the country. Constructed less than ten year ago, much of the temple is covered in copper plate which is in turn covered in layer upon layer of magnificent gold leif artwork. Dedicated to the goddess Lakshmi, it is popular with the … [Read more...]
AKSHARDHAM TEMPLE
Delhi, NCT The Akshardham Temple in New Delhi is the religious architectural triumph of modern India. A temple of the Swaminarayan sect of Hinduism, it was constructed at the turn of the millennium and is India’s most recent major temple. It is also, by some measures, the largest Hindu temple in the world. Despite the fact that it is barely a decade old, it has skyrocketed to … [Read more...]
RAJ GHAT
Delhi, NCT The Raj Ghat, the most famous ghat in Delhi, is possibly the most visited ghat in India, and arguably the most popular site of Hindu interest in the capital. Although the current ghat stands on an an ancient site, it is not for its ancient history that it has achieved great importance; but rather for its association with Mohandas Ghandi, the father of modern India. … [Read more...]
KRISHNA BALRAM TEMPLE
Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh The Krishna Balram Temple is one of India’s most jaw-dropping modern temples. The centerpiece shrine for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, it is a standout in a city full of centuries-old temples, most of which are dedicated to the Lord Krishna. It is now considered to be among the most important Krishna religious sites in India, and … [Read more...]
BIRLA TEMPLE
Jaipur, Rajasthan The Birla Temple of Jaipur is one of modern India’s architectural masterpieces. Constructed in the 1980s, it is one of a series of shrines known as the Birla temples. These temples, about twenty of which have been constructed all over India throughout the last century or so, were sponsored by the wealthy Birla family as a way of reinvigorating Hinduism in the … [Read more...]
ASHRAMS AND HOLY SITES OF RISHIKESH
Rishikesh, Uttarakhand The city of Rishikesh is one of India’s most popular spiritual centers, where people from all over the world come to seek enlightenment (religious, philosophical or otherwise) at its many ashrams and schools. Although it has been an important Hindu center for many centuries, it is only in the last few decades that Rishikesh has soared into the … [Read more...]
SEVAGRAM ASHRAM
Sevagram, Maharashtra India is home to many Ashrams, monastic communities (of sorts) which function as centers of religious and academic learning as well aspious retreat. Ashrams throughout India covering centuries of history can be found everywhere, but few, if any, have achieved the prominence of the Sevagram Ashram outside of the town of Wardha. It was here, from 1936 to … [Read more...]
SWAMINARAYAN TEMPLE
Ahmedabad, Gujarat The Swaminarayan Temple of Ahmedabad was the first temple to be established by Swaminarayan Sampraday, one of the most popular Hindu leaders of recent centuries. It is also serves as one of the two seats (headquarters) of that movement. Among the nine temples personally founded by Swaminarayan, it is arguably the most popular among pilgrims as he spent much … [Read more...]
HAR-KI-PAIRI GHAT
Haridwar, Uttar Pradesh Haridwar is one of the seven most sacred cities in Hinduism. Unlike its six brethren, whose most important sites are temples, the most sacred place in Haridwar is the Har-Ki-Pairi Ghat. This ghat is arguably the most famous and religiously important in India, and is the site of one of Hinduism’s most important festivals. The importance of the … [Read more...]
