A Hindu temple is the house of God according to Hindu beliefs, there are much more temples in India you must visit in once. Some of them you need to know about are written below. These are some of Hindu Indian Temples you must visit before you die.
# 1. Dwarkadhish
The Hindu temple is situated in Dwarka, Gujarat dedicated to god Krishna who was worried by the name Dwarkadhish or King Of Dwarka. The temple is known to people as Jagat Mandir or on occasion spelt as Dwarkadheesh. Trilok Sundar is another name for this temple looking upon its stunning interior and architecture. The temple has scriptures of dancers and elephants and beautifully carved drawings. The temple was built 2500 years by the great-grandson of Lord Krishna. The temple is so huge that it can be seen from 10km away due to its 43m high flag hosting on the top of 5 storied temple Shikhar with 52 yards of cloth built on over 72 pillars. The flag hosting on top has a symbol of sun and moon that shows that till the existence of sun and moon there will be the existence of Lord Krishna. With the same symbol, the flag is changed five times a day. It is one of Hindu Indian Temples you must visit before you die.
According to the Hindi beliefs and many stories, it is said that this temple was built by the great-grandson of Lord Krishna, Vajranabha, over the Krishnas residential place knows as Hari Graha. The spectacular structure was first destroyed by sultan Mahmud Begada in 1472 and it was rebuilt subsequently in 15th and 16th century. The temple was built on a piece of land of lord Krishna named Dwarka that reclaimed from the sea. This town has a history and the name is mentioned in Mahabharata as the Dwarka Kingdom. The temple has real main entrances in north Moksha Dwar(door to salvation) and in south Swarga Dwar(gate to heaven).
The temple became pilgrimage part of Chardham Yatra with other three comprises of Rameshwaram, Badrinath and Puri as guru Adishakracharya visited all these shrines and found religious importance. The timings are 7 am to 12:40 in the morning and 5 pm to 9 pm in the evening. On the festivals, days temple is open all day. It can be easily approached by roadways and trains and even through flights and thereafter travelling by roads.
# 2.Kedarnath
Kedarnath was just a small town in Uttarakhand like others until Pandavas built lord shiva’s temple there to penance lord shiva by worshipping them. It is most remote in Chhota char Dham yatra is located in the Himalayas over 11,755 above sea level. According to Hindu beliefs, this is the place where lord shiva released the water of Ganga from his hairs, that results in the formation of Ganga river. Kedarnath is 223 km always from Rishikesh and situated on the bank of Mandakini river but the beauty of Himalayan mountains that surrounds the temple with snow attract more and more pilgrims and the mountains attract trackers also for trekking. The yatra can be done only between April to November in the Akshaytritya and in winters the yatra is closed due to extreme conditions and for the safety of pilgrims.
The temple can’t be reached by any vehicle or transport. You need to trek 22km from Gauri Kund area. You can reach there by pony, khachkar or by air service by chopper. You can also trek to reach the temple. This temple was highest among the 12 jyotirlingas of lord shiva. You need to get registered before going to yatra in Haridwar or Rishikesh. Registration can be done directly through yatra counters or can be done online. You need to specify the date and Dham yatra you are visiting. You have not required a medical certificate now but mandatory early for all the pilgrims visiting the temple. The yatra is started from sonprayag and you can hire a pony or for old age people there are talkies. It takes a maximum of 6 hours to reach Kedarnath temple from sonprayag. It is one of Hindu Indian Temples you must visit before you die.
If you want to go but trekking you can avail sharing jeeps to tracking area with 20rs per person charges. For tracking one has to cover 16km distance after showing medical certificate. It takes around 7hours to reach to the temple by tracking. Proper shelters are made for better stay of tourists and the route have become now safer and comfortable. The medical facility is also provided by the staff and the yatra organisation. Small hotels provide rooms for pilgrims. Helicopter services are also provided from the starting route and you have to travel 500 m to temple from the helipad. You can also see small shops selling articles and worship items.
3.Badrinath
This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is also called by name Badrinarayan temple. This temple comes in one of the temples in char Dham yatra. Like Kedarnath, it only opens from April to November due to extreme conditions. The temple is located in Garhwal hills in Chamoli district along the Alaknanda river bank. Situated approximately 10,300ft above sea level. It is considered as one of the most visited temples. Mata Murti k mela is the most prominent festival celebrated here. The shrine consists of 1ft tall idol of lord Vishnu holding Chakra and Shankha in his hand. It was discovered by Adi Shankaracharya in the early ninth century and he resides in this place for six years. It is another lord shiva Hindu Indian Temples you must visit before you die.
The popularity of this town has increased in recent year’s as no of visitors starts increasing year by year. It gives way to nilkanth to the mountaineering expeditions. The temple is nearly 50ft (15m) tall with a small cupola made of gold. Bypassing through a broad staircase you enter the temple. The temple and the mountains surrounding the temple has religious importance in Mahabharata. Badrinath is 233 km from Gauri Kund where Kedarnath yatra begins.
You can reach there by airways as Jolly Grant airport is the nearest airport to Badrinath and is connected from Delhi and other parts of India with daily flights. You can opt for a taxi from the airport to Badrinath. You can also reach there by trains as the nearest station is Rishikesh is well connected with all over India. Then u can avail bus services and taxi to reach the temple.
Badrinatharea is well connected with roads and you can reach Uttarakhand by buses and then you can find various ways to reach Badrinath Temple.
# 4.Shree Jagannath Temple(puri)
The Shree Jagannath Temple is situated in puri district of Odisha at the eastern coast of India. It is an important temple of Hindu dedicated to Lord Shree Jagannath a form of Lord Vishnu. Shree Jagannath temple is a famous pilgrim and tourist destination as well. The present temple was rebuilt from the 10th century onwards, on the site of an earlier temple, and begun by King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva, first of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.
The temple is famous for its annual Ratha Yatra, or chariot festival, in which the three principal deities are pulled on huge and elaborately decorated temple cars. These gave their name to the English term Juggernaut. Unlike the stone and metal icons found in most Hindu temples, the image of Jagannath is made of wood and is ceremoniously replaced every twelve or nineteen years by an exact replica.This temple is one of the Char Dham, established by jagadguru and Shankaracharya.Hindu devotees worship the idols of Bhagwan Jagannath in form of Bhagwan Vishnu or Krishna along with His elder brother Balram and their younger sister Subhadra in this temple, idols are made by wood. It is Hindu Indian Temples of lord shiva you must visit before you die.
Non-Hindus are not permitted to enter the temple. The temple is open from 5:00 am to midnight. Unlike in many other temples, devotees can go around and behind the idols. During the special darshan or parimanik darshan, devotees pay a small fee to go right up to the statues.Reaching Jagannath puri is so easy, the nearest airport is Bhubaneswar, 60 km.
Reaching Puri through Rail, Puri is a terminus on the East Coast Railway having direct express and super fast train links with New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Okha, Ahmedabad, Tirupati etc.
# 5.Vaishno Devi Mandir
This is also a Hindu temple dedicated to Maa Vaishno. Maa word is used to offer respect as she is like a mother to all of us. She is also calmed by devotees as Trikuta the goddes who live in trikut mountains and called Pahadawali.
In the Treta Yug the earth was full of demons and evils goddess Laxmi, Saraswati and Gauri combined their energies to fight demons and get rid of them. After the removal of all the demons, Devi Vaishnavi was requested to stay on earth to give blessings to humans.
Devi Vaishnavi started solving problem’s of locals and those who are in trouble. The local tantrika were threatened by her so they requested Bhairo baba to find more information regarding Maa Vaishnavi and get rid of her. But Baba fall lustfully in her beauty and started following her wherever she goes. Then after worshipping in the cave for 9 months she came out and killed Bhairo baba and his head fell 3 km away from the temple part. Then Bhairo baba realised his mistake and ask for forgiveness. Then Vaishno mama shrined him in the mountains 3 km away from her cave. His body rested beside matas temple. It is now one of most prominent Hindu Indian Temples you must visit before you die.
It is believed maa Vaishno came in dreams of his one of devotee Shridhar and asked him to do Bhandara which he failed to do. Then another day with all others villagers Maa Vaishno Devi came at his residence and arranged all the facilities and Bhairo baba was also invited but he didn’t come and later the girls got disappeared. She tells Shridhar about her cave and he starts to travel in search of the cave and after few days he discovered the cave and starts worshipping Mata there. The three rocks signify the three goddess Sarawati, Mahalaxmi and Mahakali. The temple is of great religious beliefs and all your problems get solved after doing the yatra.
The yatra starts from Katra from Bal Ganga(where Vaishno Mata washed her hairs) where all the hotels and resorts are situated and people starts yatra from here by getting registration ticket and after that go to checking section and after verified you are allowed to start the journey. The journey 24-25 km up down and 12-13km on one side. You can hire a pony and khachchars to reach the temple and they charge a nominal rate of 800 for one side. For old age people, you can opt trolley services, palkis etc. Now you can also go to the temple by car service and even through helicopters. The helipad is a few miles away from the Bhawan. You have to go by walking from the helipad. The route is well maintained with water coolers and food shops with various medical and important equipment facility. These shops made your route even easier. You can access massage machines and tea stalls with maggie shops and other things. After reaching the Bhawan you need to be verified and then you can go ahead. Now you have to stand in long lines and queues waiting for your turn for darshan of temple. No mobile network will work other than postpaid sims. You can buy a temporary sim from there. The route is covered by sheds and grills were installed at the corners. Stairs are also made to make the journey easier. If you have heavy loads you can hire pitthhoo that carry your bags or even your child. The yatra is open in all seasons and can be conducted in any month or on any day. During Navratri, no of devotees increased at a huge amount because it is the main festival dedicated to Maa Vaishno. At Ardhquari you can rest and there were restaurants and shops for convenience. Then you can again start the yatra.
There are air, train and road transports are available to reach Vaishnav Devi Dham, the Nearest airport is Jammu after on Jammu one can avail road transport for Katra.Katra is terminus point for railway service, it links several important cities with Vaishnav Devi Dham.
#6.kashi Vishwanath
Kashi Vishwanath temple is one of the significant temple dedicated to Bhagwan Shiva. This temple is located in ancient city name Kashi in Uttar Pradesh India. The temple is situated on the banks of holy Ganga (Ganges). This temple is in count one of the twelve jyotirlingas of Bhagwan shiva. The city Kashi is one of the oldest city of the world, it is said that this city was made by Bhagwan shiva Himself according to Hindu mythology.
The temple is mentioned in the Puranas including the Kashi Khanda (section) of Skanda Purana. The original Vishwanath temple was destroyed by the army of Qutb-al-din Aibak in 1194 when he defeated the Raja of Kannauj as a commander of Mohammad Ghori. The temple was rebuilt by a Gujarati merchant during the reign of Delhi’s Sultan Iltutmish (1211–1266 ).
It was demolished again during the rule of either Hussain Shah Sharqi (1447–1458) or Sikandar Lodhi (1489–1517). Raja Man Singh built the temple during Mughal emperor Akbar’s rule, but some Hindus boycotted it as he had let the Mughals marry within his family. Raja Todar Mal further re-built the temple with Akbar’s funding at its original site in 1585.
The Maratha ruler Malhar Rao Holkar made a plan to demolish the mosque and reconstruct Vishweshwar temple at the site in 1742. However, his plan did not succeed, partially because of intervention by the Nawab of Awadh, who was given the control of the territory Around 1750, the Maharaja of Jaipur commissioned a survey of the land around the site, with the objective of purchasing land to rebuild the Kashi Vishwanath temple, However, his plan to rebuild the temple did not succeed also. In 1780, Malhar Rao’s daughter-in-law Ahilyabai Holkar constructed the present temple adjacent to the mosque. In 1828, Baiza Bai, widow of the Maratha ruler Daulat Rao Scindhia of Gwalior State, built a low-roofed colonnade with over 40 pillars in the Gyan Vapi precinct. During 1833–1840, the boundary of Gyanvapi Well, the ghats and other nearby temples were constructed. A 7-foot high stone statue of Nandi bull, gifted by the Raja of Nepal lies to the east of the colonnade. Many noble families from various ancestral kingdoms of the Indian subcontinent and their prior establishments make generous contributions for the operations of the temple. In 1841, the Bhosales of Nagpur donated silver to the temple. In 1835, Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire donated 1 tonne of gold for plating the temple’s dome. It is one of Hindu Indian Temples you must visit before you die.
The temple was managed by a hereditary group of pandas or mahants. After the death of Mahant Devi Dutt, a dispute arose among his successors. In 1900, his brother-in-law Pandit Visheshwar Dayal Tewari filed a lawsuit, which resulted in him being declared the head priest.
Kashi Vishwanath temple is one of the centres of Hindu devotee, there are several media to reach there. The city is connected with air, train and road transport very well. The nearest airport is Lal Bahadur Shastri airport Jabalpur Varanasi.
# 7.Amarnath
Amarnath or Amarnath cave temple is considered one of the holiest shrines in Hindi religion of lord shiva. It is considered most important of 18 Shakti peethas. It is one of the most admired temples in South Asia. The main worshipping site is the Ice Shiv Lingam and the Amarnath cave. According to Hindu beliefs and rituals that this long represents lord shiva and shivling is formed by water drops falling from the roof of cave and shivling starts forming itself vertically. According to Purans, it is believed that this is the place where lord shiva narrated the truth of life and eternity to his consort, Parvati Ji. When Parvati Ji was listening to the story she fell asleep and there was two(couple)region sitting there and they listened to the whole story and became immortal and were seen till now.The local community gadaria was the first to saw the glace of Baba Barfani.
Pahalgam(Bail gam) is a place where lord shiva left his bail Nandi and he released his moon at chadanwari and left his snake to rest at the bank of sheshnag river. His son Lord Ganesha rest at Mahagunas part(Mahaganesha mountain) and the five elements he left at Santorini. Lord Shiva performed tandav and then entered the Amarnath Ji cave with his consort Parvati Ji. It is another lord shiva Hindu Indian Temples you must visit before you die.
Yatra starts from Baltal which is 8 km from Srinagar. 13 km of distance should be covered in one day and pilgrims has to go, worship and come back on the same day. At baltal, there were tents and Bhandara running 24 hours during the yatra. Pilgrims can stay in Bhandara’s, tents. The food facilities were provided to pilgrims 24^7. You cannot leave food leftover otherwise you will be punished. The pass was made in the bank in the region where you live after submitting your fitness and medical certificate. People who are not fit or have some medical issue or suffering from heart disease are not allowed. If you have the correct pass with valid date only then you are allowed to begin the yatra and you need to show your pass at the gate. The yatra starts in July and ends in august on day of Raksha Bandhan. You can hire a horse in 1500rs and for old age people, you can hire palki in 3000rs. Over 5000 – 6000 helicopter fights are also beings used to travel to cave and from helipad, you have to travel 2km to cave and u will get VIP darshan and you don’t have to stand in long Queues. You have to travel 13km through the dangerous track to reach the cave by walking. If you travel by baaltaal you have to return the same
day and gates are not closed till the last devotee arrived. Raincoats and umbrellas are highly required and you cannot visit there without these items and you cannot carry other items other than some foodstuff and necessary item. Doctors and medical staff are appointed for surveillance of devotees. Over lacs of Paramilitary force and CRPF force is appointed to yatra place to complete yatra safely and without any problems. You can see stalls of tea and noodles in the middle and only airtel and Aircel network is being provided there. If you have any issue they can issue you a new sim card whose validity is just for 7 days. Children below 12 years are not allowed. There was ice all around and everything is seen white. After visiting there you need to go 1km by walking in ice to the cave. Then you need to stand in long queues and by climbing the stairs you can approach Amarnath Ji shivling.
Walking path is so dangerous that every year nearly 100 people lost their life. When you reach higher level oxygen level became low and people suffer from lack of oxygen. The camps in Baltaal provides all the necessary facilities. Access to Amarnath Ji is simple as easy as you can directly go by car or bus to Baltal or you can go from train to Srinagar and get a taxi from there. Flights are also available to Srinagar and then taxi can easily take to the Baltal.
Pahalgam is another way to reach cave but it is the longest route of over 23 km and it took 3 days to reach there but it is a safer way to reach there than Baltal. You can stay in the middle which is not possible in Baltal.
ALSO EXPLORE