Temples and tirthas

Temples and tirthas

• Ayodhya (अयोध्या) Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh

  The birthplace of Shri Ram on the Saryu, with the Ram Mandir, Hanuman Garhi and the evening Saryu aarti.

• Char Dham (चार धाम)
• Jagannath Temple, Puri (जगन्नाथ मंदिर, पुरी) Puri, Odisha

  The home of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra on the Odisha coast, and one of the four dhams. The Rath Yatra sets out from here every summer.

• The Jyotirlingas (ज्योतिर्लिंग)
• Kashi Vishwanath Temple (काशी विश्वनाथ मंदिर) Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

  One of the twelve Jyotirlingas, on the western bank of the Ganga in Varanasi. Pilgrims come for darshan of Vishwanath, the lord of the universe, and stay for the evening aarti on the ghats.

• Kedarnath Temple (केदारनाथ मंदिर) Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

  A Jyotirlinga high in the Garhwal Himalaya, one of the Char Dham of Uttarakhand. The temple opens in spring and closes for the winter around Diwali.

• Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain (महाकालेश्वर मंदिर, उज्जैन) Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

  A Jyotirlinga beside the Shipra, known for the Bhasma Aarti before dawn. Ujjain is also one of the four cities of the Kumbh.

• Prayagraj (प्रयागराज) Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh

  Where the Ganga, the Yamuna and the unseen Saraswati meet at the Triveni Sangam, and where the Kumbh returns every twelve years.

• Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram (रामनाथस्वामी मंदिर, रामेश्वरम) Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu

  A Jyotirlinga on Pamban island, where Shri Ram is said to have worshipped Shiva. Its pillared corridors are among the longest of any temple in India.

• Uttarakhand (उत्तराखंड)
• Vrindavan (वृंदावन) Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh

  The town of Shri Krishna's childhood on the Yamuna, with Banke Bihari and hundreds of smaller temples along its old lanes.