11 Pilgrimage Sites You Should Visit At Least Once In Your Life

India was the birth place of several religions and many parts of the country are considered sacred due to their relevance in the development and evolution of spirituality. These sites witness several devotees and pilgrims on an annual basis. 

1. Rajgir

Once the capital of the Magadha empire, Rajgir today is an important pilgrimage site to Buddhists all over the world. It is said that the Buddha spent 12 years of his life here, where he preached 2 sermons and attended the first Buddhist Council after attaining Nirvana. His favourite retreat was the Jivkamaravana Monastery. Additionally, the Shanti Stupa is a beautiful structure in white and is one of the major attractions at Rajgir. The stupa has four golden statues symbolising the four major stages in his life: his birth, his enlightenment, his teaching and his death.

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a. Rajgir has many sights like the Gridhakuta Hill where the Buddha preached the Lotus Sutra and Prajnaparamita after attaining enlightenment.

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b. The Hot springs at the foot of the Vaibhava Hills have a temperature of 45 degrees Celsius and have medicinal properties.

c. The Saptparni Caves were where the first Buddhist Council took place after the Buddha attained nirvana. It has temples built by the Burmese and the Japanese.

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2. Dargah Sharif, Ajmer

Ajmer is known for the Dargah of the Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti who came from Persia and set up the Chistia or Sufi order in the Rajasthani town while taking up the cause of serving the poor. 

The annual Urs commemorates the six days where pilgrims irrespective of faith come to the Dargah, where it is said that the wishes of everyone will be fulfilled. The Dargah even attracted Mughal emperors like Akbar and Shah Jahan who came to pray for their loved ones. 

The Dargah Sharif houses the tombs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, his daughter and the daughter of Shah Jahan who built a separate prayer room for women. The monument is impressive with silver doors that have intricate carvings. 

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3. Golden Temple

The Darbar Sahib or Golden Temple in Amritsar is the most sacred place for Sikhs. Built on a 67 foot platform in the middle of a tank, the gurudwara houses the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the holy text of the Sikh religion. Admission into the temple is open to all irrespective of creed, caste and religion. There is a langar which feeds up to 10,000 people everyday. The community kitchen that makes it possible is absolutely fascinating as food is prepared in massive cauldrons and chapatis are made with the help of machines. 

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4. Char Dham

The Char Dham or four shrines pilgrimage is the most popular pilgrimage made by Hindus every year. Located in the Garhwal mountain ranges of Uttarakhand, it is believed that this journey has all the virtues of other pilgrimages. The entire route of the pilgrimage is in the shape of a crescent moon and is a total of 600 km. 

Pilgrims visit the four shrines Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri. 

a. Badrinath is devoted to Shiva and has hot springs beneath it. Nearby are four other shrines that are dedicated to the Hindu God, Vishnu, namely, Yogadhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Bridha Badri and Adi Badri. One can trek from the temple through a valley of flowers to the Hemkund Lake with views of the Neelkanth peak. 

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b. Kedarnath stands with the backdrop of the Kedarnath range and is said to be the place where the Pandavas came to seek atonement from Shiva after killing their cousins in the battle of Kurukshetra. 

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c. Yamunotri shrine is dedicated to the Goddess of the river Yamuna and the main attractions here are the temple and several hot springs in the vicinity. 

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d. Gangotri is the shrine dedicated to Goddess Ganga and is located near the Gangotri glacier which is the main source of the river. 

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5. Jain Pilgrimages

Jains make pilgrimages to the temples and architectural marvels that stand as a testament to their great spiritual beliefs.

a. Dilwara Temples, Rajasthan

Dating back to the 11th to 13th Centuries, the fantastic use of marble and intricate carvings on the ceilings make this group of temples on Mount Abu, one of the most stunning of all temples of ancient India. 

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b. Palitana Temples, Gujarat

Located in the Shetrunjaya Hills, this complex consists of 863 temples that are elegantly engraved in marble. Smaller temples use plaster, saving the marble for domes and spires. These temples are simpler compared to the Dilwara temples but are nonetheless impressive. 

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c. Ranakpur, Rajasthan

One of the most extensive of Jain pilgrimage sites, this temple site covers 40,000 square feet. The Ranakpur temple can be called a treasure house of pillars. The pillars are arranged in a manner that none of them obstructs the view of the pilgrims wishing to have a glimpse. From any corner of the temple one can easily view the deity's image. It is believed that there are about 1444 pillars in the Ranakpur temple. 

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d. Shravanbelagola, Karnataka

This is situated at a distance of about 100 km from Mysore. Shravanbelagola is famous for its colossal statue of Gomateshwara, also referred to as Lord Bahubali. The statue is carved out of monolithic stone and is 17 meters high. It can be seen from 20 km away.

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6. Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

Ujjain is one of the oldest cities in India and also one of the most sacred for Hindus. It hosts the Kumbh Mela every 12 years and is home to 12 Jyotirlingas, one of which is the Mahakal Shiva Temple. 

The Kalideh Palace on the outskirts of the city is the finest example of Indian architecture which boasts a strong Persian influence. The Bhartuhari Gufa is an ancient cave which has some interesting legends associated with it. The observatory at Ujjain is another remarkable example. It was built by Raja Jai Singh of Udaipur and is one of the five such observatories in India and has many ancient astronomical devices. 

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7. Dwarka, Gujarat

Lord Krishna travelled with the Yadava clan to the coast of Gujarat where he founded the city of Dwarka in Saurashtra. It is believed that a part of the city was submerged under water and recently marine archaeologists have proved it.  

The Dwarkadhish Temple was originally built in 200 B.C and rebuilt in the 17th Century after being destroyed by the Mughals. Other prominent temples here are the Devi Rukmini temple, Hanuman Dandi Temple and the Nageshwar Mandir. 

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Gomti Ghat consists of steps leading to the Gomti River which is also a holy place for pilgrims to take a dip in the river to get rid of sins. The ghat has a number of small shrines dedicated to the Samudra (God of the Sea), Saraswati and Lakshmi.

8. Kailash Mansarovar

Mount Kailash is located 6714 metres above sea level and is believed by many Hindus to be the abode of Lord Shiva. They believe that making the pilgrimage will rid them of the clutches of ignorance and disillusionment. The Jains call the Kailash Mountain as Astapada. They believe that 'Risabha Dev', the first of the twenty-four Tirthankars attained liberation at the Kailash Mountain. 

Tibetan Buddhists call the Kailash Mountain as Kang Rimpoche ("the precious one of Glacial Snow") and look upon it as the abode of Demchog (also known as Chakra Samvara) and his companion, Dorsephagmo. 

The journey to Mt. Kailash is tough and the route takes 3 days. Pilgrims start their journey from Kathmandu in Nepal. 

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9. Vaishno Devi

Many pilgrims visit this temple on the Trikuta Mountains which is 60 km from Jammu. The story behind the temple is the victory of good over evil as a maiden killed a demon who threatened her existence. 

Beyond is the Bhairon Temple which is dedicated to the demon who pursued Vaishno Devi. She granted him with a boon that her devotees would not return without visiting his shrine. Hence pilgrims visit the temple on their way back. 

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10. Guruvayoor Temple, Kerala

The Guruvayoor Temple has an interesting legend behind it. It is said that the idol in the temple was worshiped by Lord Brahma himself at the holy city of Dwarka. It was then installed in this place after Brihaspati and Vayu searched all the holy places on Earth. 
The temple is known to conduct the highest number of weddings and "Annaprasanam" (feeding rice to a child or the first time). The temple is home to around 60 elephants that are trained to do temple work. During festivals, these elephants are decorated beautifully and a procession is taken out. 

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11. Bodhgaya

Bodhgaya is one of the four most sacred pilgrimage places for the Buddhists where the Buddha had attained enlightenment under a Bodhi tree. Bodh Gaya is located about 13 km from Gaya, 450 km from Kolkata and 90 km from Patna. When in Bodhgaya, this is what you must see. 

a. Mahabodhi Temple
The Mahabodhi Temple is located where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment. The present Mahabodhi temple was restored around 1880 AD. In the inner sanctuary of the temple there is a huge statue of Lord Buddha. 

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b. Bodhi Tree 
It was under the Bodhi tree that Buddha attained enlightenment. A sapling of the original bodhi tree was carried by Ashoka's daughter (Sanghamitta) to Sri Lanka. That tree is situated at Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. A cutting from the Bodhi tree of Anuradhapura was planted at Bodhgaya when the original tree died. 

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c. Vajrasana
Vajrasana (the seat of stability) is believed to be the same seat that Buddha sat on, while performing meditation. The stone platform, under the Bodhi tree symbolises the Vajrasana. 

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