Dhauli, Odisha The Kalinga War was the last major effort of expansion of the Maurya Empire in India, and the final military campaign of Ashoka the Great. The battle, which was actually a series of engagements in the Dhauli Hills, is believed to have been the bloodiest campaign in history until World War I nearly twenty-two centuries later. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers … [Read more...]
PARINIRVANA TEMPLE
Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh The Parinirvana Temple is one of three of the great Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India (the fourth great Buddhist pilgrimage site being located in Nepal). According to tradition, Kushinagar is the place where Siddhartha Gautama died and where he achieved Parinirvana, or Nirvana after death. There are actually two sites of importance here: the temple, … [Read more...]
MAHABODHI TEMPLE
Bodh Gaya, Bihar The Mahabodhi Temple is one of three of the great Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India (the fourth great Buddhist pilgrimage site being located in Nepal). As the location where it is believed Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment, it is by some accounts the most sacred Buddhist site in the world. It is also one of the most awe-inspiring Buddhist temples … [Read more...]
GOVARDHAN
Uttar Pradesh (179 m) – Sacred Hill of Lord Krishna Govardhan Hill, located between New Delhi and Agra, is one of the most accessible of the major sacred Hindu mountains in India. It is believed to have been a sacred site going back to primordial times. In these early days, evidence indicates that the hill was once home to followers of Indra, the god of rain and storms. But he … [Read more...]
NANDA DEVI
Uttar Pradesh (7,816 m) – Sacred Mountain of the Goddesses Nanda and Sunanda Nanda Devi is arguably India’s most famous mountain. The tallest mountain located entirely within India’s borders, it is famous for several reasons. First, it is home to one of the world’s biosphere reserves, and as such has been declared a world heritage site. Second, its glacier is one of the three … [Read more...]
SHIVLING
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...]
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...]
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...]
GHATS OF VARANASI
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Varanasi is a city of tens of thousands of temples, but it is religiously defined more than anything by its fabled ghats. These giant, wide stone stairways which descend from the city to the banks of the Ganges River provide access for millions of pilgrims to pay homage to and bathe in the holy river every year. While ghats can be found in many cities … [Read more...]
DAKSHINESHWAR KALI TEMPLE
Kolkata, West Bengal The Dakshineshwar Kali Temple is the greatest temple to the goddess Kali in India. It is also one of the preeminent Hindu temples in the city of Kolkata, and one of that city’s most popular tourist sites. Constructed in the 19th century, it is among the youngest major temples in eastern India and one of the best examples of colonial-era temple architecture … [Read more...]
