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