Pilgrimages and sacred places

12 Jyotirlingas (12)

The twelve shrines where Shiva is worshipped as a jyotirlinga, a linga of light, named in the Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram. They stretch from Kedarnath in the Himalaya to Rameswaram in the far south.

Some traditions place Vaidyanath at Parli Vaijnath (Maharashtra), and Nageshwar at Aundha Nagnath (Maharashtra) or Jageshwar (Uttarakhand).

12 Jyotirlingas

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Somnath Temple	Prabhas Patan, Gir Somnath district	Gujarat	Shiva
2	Mallikarjuna and Bhramaramba Temple, Srisailam	Srisailam, Nandyal district	Andhra Pradesh	neck · Bhramarambika
3	Mahakaleshwar Temple	Ujjain	Madhya Pradesh	upper lip · Mahakali
4	Omkareshwar	Mandhata island in the Narmada, Khandwa district	Madhya Pradesh	Shiva
5	Kedarnath	Rudraprayag district (about 3,580 m)	Uttarakhand	Shiva
6	Bhimashankar	Sahyadri hills, Pune district	Maharashtra	Shiva
7	Kashi Vishwanath Temple	Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh	Shiva as Vishwanath
8	Trimbakeshwar	Trimbak, Nashik district	Maharashtra	Shiva
9	Baidyanath Dham	Deoghar	Jharkhand	heart · Jayadurga
10	Nageshwar Jyotirlinga	near Dwarka, Devbhumi Dwarka district	Gujarat	Shiva
11	Ramanathaswamy Temple	Rameswaram island, Ramanathapuram district	Tamil Nadu	Shiva as Ramanathaswamy
12	Grishneshwar	Verul (Ellora), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district	Maharashtra	Shiva

Char Dham (4)

The four abodes at the four corners of India, associated with Adi Shankaracharya: Badrinath in the north, Dwarka in the west, Puri in the east and Rameswaram in the south. Visiting all four is a lifelong goal for many Hindus.

Char Dham

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Badrinath	Chamoli district, on the Alaknanda (about 3,100 m)	Uttarakhand	Vishnu as Badrinarayan
2	Dwarkadhish Temple	Dwarka, Devbhumi Dwarka district	Gujarat	Krishna as Dwarkadhish
3	Jagannath Temple (Puri)	Puri	Odisha	Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra
4	Ramanathaswamy Temple	Rameswaram island, Ramanathapuram district	Tamil Nadu	Shiva as Ramanathaswamy

Chota Char Dham (Uttarakhand) (4)

The four Himalayan shrines of Uttarakhand, visited in order from west to east: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. They open in April–May and close for winter around Diwali.

Chota Char Dham (Uttarakhand)

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Yamunotri	Uttarkashi district	Uttarakhand	Goddess Yamuna
2	Gangotri	Uttarkashi district	Uttarakhand	Goddess Ganga
3	Kedarnath	Rudraprayag district (about 3,580 m)	Uttarakhand	Shiva
4	Badrinath	Chamoli district, on the Alaknanda (about 3,100 m)	Uttarakhand	Vishnu as Badrinarayan

Sapta Puri (the seven holy cities) (7)

Seven cities that the scriptures call giver of liberation (moksha): Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya (Haridwar), Kashi (Varanasi), Kanchi (Kanchipuram), Avantika (Ujjain) and Dvaravati (Dwarka).

Sapta Puri (the seven holy cities)

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Ayodhya	on the Sarayu, Ayodhya district	Uttar Pradesh	Shri Ram
2	Mathura	on the Yamuna, Mathura district	Uttar Pradesh	Krishna
3	Haridwar	where the Ganga leaves the Himalaya, Haridwar district	Uttarakhand	Holy city
4	Varanasi (Kashi)	on the Ganga	Uttar Pradesh	Holy city
5	Kanchipuram	Kanchipuram district	Tamil Nadu	Holy city
6	Ujjain (Avantika)	on the Shipra, Ujjain district	Madhya Pradesh	Holy city
7	Dwarka	Devbhumi Dwarka district	Gujarat	Holy city

Kumbh Mela sites (4)

The four places where the Kumbh Mela is held in turn, on the banks of sacred rivers: Prayagraj (the Sangam of the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati), Haridwar (Ganga), Nashik-Trimbakeshwar (Godavari) and Ujjain (Shipra).

Kumbh Mela sites

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Prayagraj (Sangam)	the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the unseen Saraswati	Uttar Pradesh	Holy city
2	Haridwar	where the Ganga leaves the Himalaya, Haridwar district	Uttarakhand	Holy city
3	Nashik	on the Godavari, Nashik district	Maharashtra	Holy city
4	Ujjain (Avantika)	on the Shipra, Ujjain district	Madhya Pradesh	Holy city

18 Maha Shakti Peethas (18)

The eighteen great seats of the Goddess named in the Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram, traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya.

The location of the Shankari Peetha in Sri Lanka is not certain; it is traditionally identified with Trincomalee.

18 Maha Shakti Peethas

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Shankari Devi (Trincomalee)	Trincomalee (traditionally identified with the Koneswaram area; the original site is not certain)	Sri Lanka	groin · Shankari
2	Kamakshi Amman Temple	Kanchipuram	Tamil Nadu	abdomen · Kamakshi
3	Shrinkhala Devi (Pandua)	Pandua, Hooghly district	West Bengal	stomach · Shrinkhala
4	Chamundeshwari Temple	Chamundi hills, Mysuru	Karnataka	hair · Chamundeshwari
5	Jogulamba Temple (Alampur)	Alampur, Jogulamba Gadwal district	Telangana	teeth · Jogulamba
6	Mallikarjuna and Bhramaramba Temple, Srisailam	Srisailam, Nandyal district	Andhra Pradesh	neck · Bhramarambika
7	Mahalakshmi Temple (Kolhapur)	Kolhapur	Maharashtra	eye · Mahalakshmi
8	Renuka Devi (Mahur)	Mahur, Nanded district	Maharashtra	left hand · Renuka
9	Mahakaleshwar Temple	Ujjain	Madhya Pradesh	upper lip · Mahakali
10	Puruhutika Devi (Pithapuram)	Kukkuteswara temple, Pithapuram, Kakinada district	Andhra Pradesh	back (hip in some lists) · Puruhutika
11	Biraja Temple (Jajpur)	Jajpur	Odisha	navel · Biraja
12	Manikyamba (Draksharamam)	Bhimeswara temple, Draksharamam, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district	Andhra Pradesh	left cheek (navel in some lists) · Manikyamba
13	Kamakhya Temple	Nilachal hill, Guwahati	Assam	yoni · Kamakhya
14	Alopi Devi Mandir	Prayagraj	Uttar Pradesh	fingers · Alopi Devi (Madhaveshwari)
15	Jwalamukhi Temple	Jwalamukhi, Kangra district	Himachal Pradesh	tongue · Jwala (Ambika)
16	Mangla Gauri Temple	Gaya	Bihar	breast · Sarvamangala
17	Vishalakshi Temple	Mir Ghat, Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh	earrings · Vishalakshi
18	Sharada Peeth	Sharda, Neelum valley, Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK)	Jammu and Kashmir	right hand · Sharada

Shakti Peethas (66)

Places where, in the legend of Sati and Shiva, parts of Sati's body or ornaments fell to earth, each a seat of the Goddess. Traditions count 51, 52, 64 or 108 and identify some sites differently; this list follows the commonly listed sites and the body part each is linked with.

Several sites lie outside India's present boundaries, in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Tibet. Sharada Peeth, one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas, is in Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir.

Shakti Peethas

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Amarnath Cave Temple	Amarnath cave, Kashmir Himalaya (about 3,880 m)	Jammu and Kashmir	throat · Mahamaya
2	Attahas	Attahas, Birbhum district	West Bengal	lips · Phullara
3	Bahula Devi	Purba Bardhaman district	West Bengal	left arm · Bahula
4	Bakreshwar	Bakreshwar, Birbhum district	West Bengal	the space between the eyebrows · Mahishamardini
5	Vimala Temple (Puri)	inside the Jagannath temple complex, Puri	Odisha	feet · Vimala
6	Bhabanipur	Bogura district	Bangladesh	left anklet · Aparna
7	Biraja Temple (Jajpur)	Jajpur	Odisha	navel · Biraja
8	Uma Devi (Mithila)	near Janakpur	Nepal	left shoulder · Uma
9	Mahamaya (Kathmandu)	Kathmandu	Nepal	both knees · Mahamaya
10	Guhyeshwari Temple	near Pashupatinath, Kathmandu	Nepal	hidden part (anus in some lists) · Guhyakali
11	Muktinath	Mustang district	Nepal	head (forehead) · Gandaki Chandi
12	Saptashrungi Devi (Vani)	Vani, Nashik district	Maharashtra	chin · Saptashrungi
13	Hinglaj Mata	Hingol, Lasbela district, Balochistan	Pakistan	crown of the head (brahmarandhra) · Hinglaj
14	Kalighat Temple	Kolkata	West Bengal	toes of the right foot · Kali
15	Kamakhya Temple	Nilachal hill, Guwahati	Assam	yoni · Kamakhya
16	Kankalitala	near Bolpur, Birbhum district	West Bengal	waist · Devgarbha
17	Bhagavathy Amman Temple (Kanyakumari)	Kanyakumari	Tamil Nadu	back · Kanyakumari
18	Bajreshwari Devi (Kangra)	Kangra	Himachal Pradesh	left breast · Jayadurga
19	Kiriteswari	Murshidabad district	West Bengal	crown (kirit) · Kiriteshwari
20	Ratnavali	Hooghly district	West Bengal	right shoulder · Kumari
21	Bhramari Devi (Jalpaiguri)	Jalpaiguri district	West Bengal	left leg · Bhramari
22	Manasa (Mansarovar)	near Lake Mansarovar and Mount Kailash	Tibet Autonomous Region (China)	right hand · Dakshayani
23	Ugratara (Mahishi)	Mahishi, Saharsa district	Bihar	left eye · Tara
24	Manibandh (Pushkar)	Gayatri hill, Pushkar, Ajmer district	Rajasthan	wrists · Gayatri
25	Nagapooshani Amman (Nainativu)	Nainativu island, Jaffna	Sri Lanka	anklets · Indrakshi
26	Nartiang Durga Temple	Nartiang, West Jaintia Hills district	Meghalaya	left thigh · Jayanti
27	Jeshoreshwari Kali	Ishwaripur, Satkhira district	Bangladesh	palms and soles · Jeshoreshwari
28	Jwalamukhi Temple	Jwalamukhi, Kangra district	Himachal Pradesh	tongue · Jwala (Ambika)
29	Varahi (Panchsagar)	Champawat district (identifications differ)	Uttarakhand	lower teeth · Varahi
30	Chandrabhaga (Prabhas)	near the Somnath temple, Prabhas Patan	Gujarat	stomach · Chandrabhaga
31	Alopi Devi Mandir	Prayagraj	Uttar Pradesh	fingers · Alopi Devi (Madhaveshwari)
32	Bhadrakali Temple (Kurukshetra)	Thanesar, Kurukshetra	Haryana	ankle · Bhadrakali (Savitri)
33	Maa Sharda Temple (Maihar)	Trikut hill, Maihar	Madhya Pradesh	necklace · Sharada
34	Nandikeshwari	Sainthia, Birbhum district	West Bengal	necklace · Nandini
35	Manikyamba (Draksharamam)	Bhimeswara temple, Draksharamam, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district	Andhra Pradesh	left cheek (navel in some lists) · Manikyamba
36	Naina Devi Temple	Bilaspur district	Himachal Pradesh	eyes · Mahishamardini (Naina Devi)
37	Narmada Udgam (Amarkantak)	Amarkantak, Anuppur district	Madhya Pradesh	right buttock · Narmada
38	Mallikarjuna and Bhramaramba Temple, Srisailam	Srisailam, Nandyal district	Andhra Pradesh	neck · Bhramarambika
39	Narayani (Suchindram)	Suchindram, Kanyakumari district	Tamil Nadu	upper teeth · Narayani
40	Sugandha (Shikarpur)	Shikarpur, near Barishal	Bangladesh	nose · Sugandha
41	Tripura Sundari Temple (Matabari)	Udaipur, Gomati district	Tripura	right foot · Tripura Sundari
42	Mangal Chandika (Ujani)	Ujani, Purba Bardhaman district	West Bengal	right wrist · Mangal Chandika
43	Vishalakshi Temple	Mir Ghat, Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh	earrings · Vishalakshi
44	Bargabhima Temple (Tamluk)	Tamluk, Purba Medinipur district	West Bengal	left ankle · Kapalini (Bargabhima)
45	Ambika (Bharatpur)	Bharatpur district (identifications differ)	Rajasthan	toes of the left foot · Ambika
46	Katyayani Peeth (Vrindavan)	Vrindavan, Mathura district	Uttar Pradesh	ringlets of hair · Katyayani
47	Devi Talab Mandir	Jalandhar	Punjab	left breast · Tripuramalini
48	Baidyanath Dham	Deoghar	Jharkhand	heart · Jayadurga
49	Adi Kamakshi Temple	Kanchipuram	Tamil Nadu	navel · Kamakshi
50	Jogadya	Kshirgram, Purba Bardhaman district	West Bengal	big toe · Jogadya
51	Puruhutika Devi (Pithapuram)	Kukkuteswara temple, Pithapuram, Kakinada district	Andhra Pradesh	back (hip in some lists) · Puruhutika
52	Ambaji Temple	Ambaji and Gabbar hill, Banaskantha district	Gujarat	heart · Amba
53	Danteshwari Temple	Dantewada	Chhattisgarh	tooth · Danteshwari
54	Tara Tarini Temple	near Berhampur (Brahmapur), Ganjam district	Odisha	breasts · Tara Tarini
55	Nalhateswari	Nalhati, Birbhum district	West Bengal	nala (throat or stomach, by different accounts) · Kalika
56	Avanti Devi (Ujjain)	Ujjain	Madhya Pradesh	elbow · Avanti
57	Shankari Devi (Trincomalee)	Trincomalee (traditionally identified with the Koneswaram area; the original site is not certain)	Sri Lanka	groin · Shankari
58	Mahalakshmi (Sylhet)	Sylhet	Bangladesh	neck · Mahalakshmi
59	Dhakeshwari	Dhaka (the original idol is now at Kumartuli, Kolkata)	Bangladesh	gem of the crown · Dhakeshwari
60	Tarapith	near Rampurhat, Birbhum district	West Bengal	third eye · Tara
61	Chintpurni Temple	Una district	Himachal Pradesh	feet · Chhinnamastika
62	Kalika Mata Temple (Pavagadh)	Pavagadh hill, Panchmahal district	Gujarat	toe of the right foot · Mahakali
63	Aranya Devi (Arrah)	Arrah, Bhojpur district	Bihar	right thigh · Aranyani
64	Vaishno Devi	Trikuta hills above Katra, Reasi district	Jammu and Kashmir	skull (right arm in some accounts) · Vaishno Devi
65	Chattal Bhawani (Sitakunda)	Sitakunda, Chattogram	Bangladesh	upper teeth (right arm in some lists) · Bhawani
66	Harsiddhi Devi (Rangir)	Rangir, Sagar district	Madhya Pradesh	thigh · Harsiddhi

Three and a half Shakti Peethas of Maharashtra (4)

Maharashtra's own grouping of the Goddess's seats: Mahalakshmi of Kolhapur, Tulja Bhavani of Tuljapur and Renuka of Mahur, with Saptashrungi of Vani counted as the half.

Three and a half Shakti Peethas of Maharashtra

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Mahalakshmi Temple (Kolhapur)	Kolhapur	Maharashtra	eye · Mahalakshmi
2	Tulja Bhavani Temple	Tuljapur, Dharashiv district	Maharashtra	The Goddess as Tulja Bhavani
3	Renuka Devi (Mahur)	Mahur, Nanded district	Maharashtra	left hand · Renuka
4	Saptashrungi Devi (Vani)	Vani, Nashik district	Maharashtra	chin · Saptashrungi

Panch Kedar (5)

Five Shiva temples of the Garhwal Himalaya where, in legend, parts of Shiva in the form of a bull appeared to the Pandavas: Kedarnath, Tungnath, Rudranath, Madhyamaheshwar and Kalpeshwar.

Panch Kedar

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Kedarnath	Rudraprayag district (about 3,580 m)	Uttarakhand	Shiva
2	Tungnath	Rudraprayag district (about 3,680 m)	Uttarakhand	Shiva
3	Rudranath	Chamoli district	Uttarakhand	Shiva
4	Madhyamaheshwar	Rudraprayag district	Uttarakhand	Shiva
5	Kalpeshwar	Urgam valley, Chamoli district	Uttarakhand	Shiva

Panch Badri (5)

Five temples of Vishnu as Badrinarayan in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand: Badrinath (Vishal Badri), Yogadhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Vridha Badri and Adi Badri.

Panch Badri

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Badrinath	Chamoli district, on the Alaknanda (about 3,100 m)	Uttarakhand	Vishnu as Badrinarayan
2	Yogadhyan Badri	Pandukeshwar, Chamoli district	Uttarakhand	Vishnu
3	Bhavishya Badri	Subhain, near Jyotirmath, Chamoli district	Uttarakhand	Vishnu
4	Vridha Badri	Animath, near Jyotirmath, Chamoli district	Uttarakhand	Vishnu
5	Adi Badri	near Karnaprayag, Chamoli district	Uttarakhand	Vishnu

Pancha Bhoota Sthalams (5)

Five Shiva temples of South India, each standing for one of the five elements: earth (Kanchipuram), water (Thiruvanaikaval), fire (Tiruvannamalai), air (Srikalahasti) and space (Chidambaram).

Pancha Bhoota Sthalams

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Ekambareswarar Temple	Kanchipuram	Tamil Nadu	Earth
2	Jambukeswarar Temple	Thiruvanaikaval, Tiruchirappalli	Tamil Nadu	Water
3	Arunachaleswarar Temple	Tiruvannamalai	Tamil Nadu	Fire
4	Srikalahasti Temple	Srikalahasti, Tirupati district	Andhra Pradesh	Air
5	Thillai Nataraja Temple	Chidambaram, Cuddalore district	Tamil Nadu	Space

Arupadai Veedu (six abodes of Murugan) (6)

The six sacred abodes of Lord Murugan in Tamil Nadu, praised in the Sangam-era poem Tirumurugarruppadai.

Arupadai Veedu (six abodes of Murugan)

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Thiruparankundram Murugan Temple	Madurai	Tamil Nadu	Murugan
2	Tiruchendur Murugan Temple	Thoothukudi district	Tamil Nadu	Murugan
3	Palani Murugan Temple	Palani, Dindigul district	Tamil Nadu	Murugan
4	Swamimalai Murugan Temple	Thanjavur district	Tamil Nadu	Murugan
5	Tiruttani Murugan Temple	Tiruvallur district	Tamil Nadu	Murugan
6	Pazhamudircholai Murugan Temple	Alagar hills, Madurai district	Tamil Nadu	Murugan

Ashtavinayak (8)

Eight temples of Ganesha around Pune in Maharashtra, each with a self-manifested (swayambhu) idol, traditionally visited in a set order starting and ending at Morgaon.

Four Mathas of Adi Shankaracharya (4)

The four monasteries (Amnaya Mathas) founded by Adi Shankaracharya in the four directions, each headed by a Shankaracharya: Sringeri (south), Dwarka (west), Puri (east) and Jyotirmath (north).

Four Mathas of Adi Shankaracharya

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Sringeri Sharada Peetham	Sringeri, Chikkamagaluru district	Karnataka	Goddess Sharada
2	Dwaraka Sharada Peetham	Dwarka	Gujarat	Matha
3	Govardhan Matha (Puri)	Puri	Odisha	Matha
4	Jyotirmath	Jyotirmath (Joshimath), Chamoli district	Uttarakhand	Matha

Panj Takht (five seats of Sikh authority) (5)

The five Takhts are the seats of religious authority of the Sikhs. The Akal Takht in Amritsar is the foremost.

Panj Takht (five seats of Sikh authority)

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Sri Akal Takht Sahib	Harmandir Sahib complex, Amritsar	Punjab
2	Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib	Anandpur Sahib, Rupnagar district	Punjab
3	Takht Sri Damdama Sahib	Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda district	Punjab
4	Takht Sri Patna Sahib	Patna	Bihar
5	Takht Sri Hazur Sahib	Nanded	Maharashtra

Eight great places of the Buddha (8)

The places of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, first sermon and passing (Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar), with four places of his miracles (Rajgir, Vaishali, Shravasti, Sankisa). Seven are in India; Lumbini is in Nepal.

Eight great places of the Buddha

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Lumbini	Rupandehi district	Nepal
2	Mahabodhi Temple (Bodh Gaya)	Bodh Gaya, Gaya district	Bihar
3	Sarnath	near Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh
4	Kushinagar	Kushinagar district	Uttar Pradesh
5	Rajgir	Nalanda district	Bihar
6	Vaishali	Vaishali district	Bihar
7	Shravasti	Shravasti district	Uttar Pradesh
8	Sankisa	Farrukhabad district	Uttar Pradesh

Major Jain tirthas (7)

Some of the most important Jain pilgrimage places, linked with the Tirthankaras. Jain tradition has many more tirthas; this is not a fixed list.

Major Jain tirthas

#	Place	Location	State/UT or country	Deity or details
1	Sammed Shikharji (Parasnath hill)	Giridih district	Jharkhand
2	Pawapuri	Nalanda district	Bihar
3	Palitana temples (Shatrunjaya hill)	Palitana, Bhavnagar district	Gujarat
4	Girnar	Junagadh	Gujarat
5	Shravanabelagola	Hassan district	Karnataka
6	Dilwara temples	Mount Abu, Sirohi district	Rajasthan
7	Ranakpur Jain temple	Ranakpur, Pali district	Rajasthan