Sacred India

Airavatesvara Temple

UNESCO Heritage, Hindu

12th century Chola temple, UNESCO site with musical stone chariot

Ajanta Caves

UNESCO Heritage, Buddhist

2nd century BCE Buddhist caves with paintings and sculptures, UNESCO site

Amarnath Temple

Cave Temple, Hindu

Natural ice Shiva lingam cave temple, annual pilgrimage at 3,888m altitude

Ambaji Temple

Shakti Peetha, Hindu

51 Shakti Peethas, no idol but marble yantra

Anantha Padmanabha Temple

Kerala, Hindu

Lake temple accessible only by boat, unique architecture

Arunachaleswara Temple

Tamil Nadu, Hindu

Fire element temple, Girivalam pilgrimage, 5th century origins

Baba Baidyanath Temple

Jyotirlinga, Hindu

Deoghar Jyotirlinga where Ravana is believed to have worshipped Shiva as the divine physician, famed for Shravan month Kanwar yatra.

Badrinath Temple

Char Dham, Hindu

Char Dham temple at 3,300m altitude, dedicated to Vishnu

Baijnath Temple

Uttarakhand, Hindu

13th century Shiva temple, Kumaon region

Bajreshwari Temple

Shakti Peetha, Hindu

Ancient Shakti Peetha, rebuilt after 1905 earthquake

Belur Math

West Bengal, Hindu

Ramakrishna Mission headquarters, synthesis of world religions

Bengaluru

Urban Anchor, Hindu

Southern tech & transit base

Bhadrachalam Temple

Telangana, Hindu

Rama temple on Godavari banks, 17th century reconstruction

Bhimashankar Temple

Jyotirlinga, Hindu

Sahyadri forest Jyotirlinga believed to have manifested after Shiva’s battle with Tripurasura, surrounded by wildlife sanctuary.

Brahma Temple

Rajasthan, Hindu

Rare temple dedicated to Brahma, one of few in world

Brihadeeswarar Temple

UNESCO Heritage, Hindu

UNESCO World Heritage Chola temple (1010 CE), 216ft granite tower, world's tallest of its time

Brihadiswara Temple

UNESCO Heritage, Hindu

11th century Chola temple, UNESCO Great Living Chola Temples

Chennai

Urban Anchor, Hindu

Gateway to Tamil sacred circuits

Chennakeshava Temple

UNESCO Heritage, Hindu

12th century Hoysala masterpiece, UNESCO Sacred Ensembles (2023)

Dakshineswar Temple

West Bengal, Hindu

Kali temple associated with Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Delhi

Urban Anchor, Hindu

National capital hub

Dilwara Temples

Jain Tirtha, Jain

11th-13th century marble Jain temples, architectural masterpieces

Dwarka Nageshwar Temple

Jyotirlinga, Hindu

One of 12 Jyotirlingas near Dwarkadhish temple

Dwarkadhish Temple

Char Dham, Hindu

Krishna temple, one of Char Dham sites, Chalukya architecture

Ekambareswarar Temple

Tamil Nadu, Hindu

Pancha Bhoota temple representing earth element, 2000-year-old mango tree

Elephanta Caves

UNESCO Heritage, Hindu

6th century rock-cut Shiva caves near Mumbai, UNESCO World Heritage

Ellora Caves

UNESCO Heritage, Jain

Hindu-Buddhist-Jain rock-cut temples (6th-10th century), UNESCO site

Gangotri Temple

Char Dham, Hindu

Source temple of Ganges, Char Dham pilgrimage

Golden Temple

Punjab, Hindu

Holiest Sikh gurdwara, gold-plated sanctum, spiritual center of Sikhism

Gomateshwara Temple

Jain Tirtha, Jain

World's tallest monolithic statue (57ft) of Jain saint Gomateshwara

Grishneshwar Temple

Jyotirlinga, Hindu

Last of the twelve Jyotirlingas, near Ellora caves, rebuilt in the 18th century with red sandstone shikhara and intricate carvings.

Guruvayur Temple

Kerala, Hindu

Krishna temple called 'Dwarka of South', famous for elephant sanctuary

Hidimba Temple

Himachal Pradesh, Hindu

Unique wooden temple in cedar forest, dedicated to Hidimba Devi

Hoysaleswara Temple

UNESCO Heritage, Hindu

12th century twin temple, intricate stone carvings, UNESCO site

Jagannath Temple

Char Dham, Hindu

12th century temple famous for Rath Yatra, one of Char Dham sites

Jwalamukhi Temple

Shakti Peetha, Hindu

Natural flame temple, one of 51 Shakti Peethas

Kailasa Temple

Cave Temple, Hindu

8th century monolithic rock-cut temple, largest single rock excavation in world

Kalighat Temple

Shakti Peetha, Hindu

Shakti Peetha dedicated to Kali, associated with Ramakrishna

Kamakhya Temple

Shakti Peetha, Hindu

Tantric temple, one of 51 Shakti Peethas, Ambubachi Mela

Kapaleeshwarar Temple

Tamil Nadu, Hindu

7th century Dravidian architecture, rebuilt by Vijayanagara rulers

Karni Mata Temple

Rajasthan, Hindu

Famous rat temple, 20,000+ rats considered sacred

Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Jyotirlinga, Hindu

Most sacred Jyotirlinga in holy city of Varanasi, rebuilt by Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar

Kedarnath Temple

Jyotirlinga, Hindu

Jyotirlinga at 3,583m, rebuilt after 2013 floods

Keshava Temple

Karnataka, Hindu

13th century Hoysala temple with detailed sculptural work

Khajuraho Temples

UNESCO Heritage, Jain

Medieval Hindu-Jain temples (950-1050 CE) famous for erotic sculptures, UNESCO site

Kolkata

Urban Anchor, Hindu

Cultural & Shakti hub

Konark Sun Temple

UNESCO Heritage, Hindu

13th century Sun temple designed as gigantic chariot, UNESCO World Heritage

Lingaraj Temple

Odisha, Hindu

11th century Kalinga architecture masterpiece, dedicated to Harihara

Mahabodhi Temple

UNESCO Heritage, Buddhist

Buddhist temple marking Buddha's enlightenment site (3rd century BCE), UNESCO World Heritage

Mahakaleshwar Temple

Jyotirlinga, Hindu

Jyotirlinga on the Shipra River, renowned for the pre-dawn Bhasma Aarti and cremation-ground traditions honouring Mahakal.

Mallikarjuna Temple

UNESCO Heritage, Hindu

8th century Chalukya temple, UNESCO World Heritage

Meenakshi Temple

Tamil Nadu, Hindu

Historic temple complex with thousand-pillar hall, fish-eyed goddess Meenakshi

Mukteshwar Temple

Odisha, Hindu

10th century temple, 'Gem of Odisha architecture'

Mumbai

Urban Anchor, Hindu

Western gateway metropolis

Mundeshwari Temple

Bihar, Hindu

Oldest functional Hindu temple in India (108 CE), dedicated to Durga and Shiva

Nalanda Mahavihara

UNESCO Heritage, Buddhist

Ancient Buddhist university ruins (5th-12th century), UNESCO site

Nataraja Temple

Tamil Nadu, Hindu

Cosmic dancer Shiva temple, center of world's magnetic equator

Navagraha Temple

Assam, Hindu

Nine planets temple, ancient astronomical significance

Omkareshwar Temple

Jyotirlinga, Hindu

Mandhata island Jyotirlinga shaped like the sacred syllable ‘Om’, with twin shrines of Omkareshwar and Amareshwar across the Narmada.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Kerala, Hindu

Vishnu temple with immense treasure, Travancore royal family temple

Palitana Temples

Hill Temple, Jain

863 Jain temples on Shatrunjaya hill, major pilgrimage site

Panchavarnaswamy Temple

Tamil Nadu, Hindu

Ancient Chola period temple, one of Divya Desams

Rajarani Temple

Odisha, Hindu

11th century temple without deity, called 'Love Temple'

Ramanathaswamy Temple

Jyotirlinga, Hindu

Jyotirlinga and Char Dham, longest temple corridor in India (1200m)

Ramappa Temple

UNESCO Heritage, Hindu

13th century Kakatiya temple, UNESCO World Heritage (2021), floating brick construction

Ranakpur Temple

Jain Tirtha, Jain

15th century Jain temple with 1,444 unique pillars

Ranganathaswamy Temple

Tamil Nadu, Hindu

Largest functioning Hindu temple complex, Vishnu shrine on river island

Sabarimala Temple

Hill Temple, Hindu

Hill temple dedicated to Ayyappa, restricted pilgrimage practices

Sahasra Kamba Temple

Telangana, Hindu

13th century temple with intricately carved pillars

Sanchi Stupa

UNESCO Heritage, Buddhist

3rd century BCE Buddhist monument by Emperor Ashoka, UNESCO site

Shirdi Sai Baba Temple

Maharashtra, Hindu

20th century spiritual master's samadhi, millions of devotees annually

Shore Temple

UNESCO Heritage, Hindu

7th century Pallava coastal temple, UNESCO World Heritage site

Siddhivinayak Temple

Maharashtra, Hindu

Popular Ganesha temple in Mumbai, major urban pilgrimage site

Somnath Temple

Jyotirlinga, Hindu

First Jyotirlinga, destroyed and rebuilt multiple times, current structure from 1951

Srisailam Temple

Jyotirlinga, Hindu

Jyotirlinga and Shakti Peetha combination, ancient hilltop temple

Srivilliputhur Andal Temple

Tamil Nadu, Hindu

Andal temple with 196ft gopuram on Tamil Nadu emblem

Sun Temple Modhera

UNESCO Heritage, Hindu

11th century Sun temple with stepwell, tentative UNESCO list

Thousand Pillar Temple

Telangana, Hindu

12th century Kakatiya temple with star-shaped architecture

Tirumala Temple

Andhra Pradesh, Hindu

World's richest temple, Venkateswara shrine receiving 75,000+ pilgrims daily

Trimbakeshwar Temple

Jyotirlinga, Hindu

One of 12 Jyotirlingas, source of Godavari river