Kumbha Mela

Though held in other parts of India , the Kumbha Mela at Allahabad is the most auspicious and revered one. Held every 12 years the Mela draws about 15 million people from all parts of India and the globe.

A huge temporary city is created for the millions of pilgrims that arrive for the most auspicious bathing days. Kumbha-mela is like a "Yogi Convention", where yogis, sadhus (saints), holy people, and pilgrims come from all over India to take a dip in the holy waters.

Varanasi

Past and present, eternity and continuity are perfectly juxtaposed into the communal fabric of this wondrous city. With the Ganges freely flowing by the side, thousands of sadhus , pilgrims from various cultures and lots of milk, Varanasi is heaven on Earth. It is a magnificent city, with myriad attractions, both as an exalted place of pilgrimage and a microcosmic centre of faith. The unique relationship between the sacred river and the city is the essence of Varanasi - the land of sacred light. Life revolves around it right from the break of dawn to dusk.

Pilgrims flock Varanasi to visit the:
Kashi Vishwanath Temple - dedicated to Lord Shiva and one of the most revered by Hindus.
Durga Temple - dedicated to Goddess Durga, consort of Lord Shiva.

Bharat Mata Temple - dedicated to Mother India and is built in the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, which was built by Babu Shiv Prasad Gupt. You could get some patriotic juice right here.

Walk through the busy streets with flowers and fruits lined up for sale. See the boatmen as they wade through the river without a sweat. And the Brahmins performing their religious rituals in a trance. Get into the Varanasi vibe!

Getting There: Varanasi is well connected by air, rail and buses with all the important places of India . It's about 700 Kms from Delhi . The airport is about 25 km from the city centre. From ancient times the city was connected to cities like Taxila, Gazipur, Pataliputra, Vaishali, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur , Agra etc.

Bhubaneswar

With 500 temples in-and-around Bhubaneswar it proudly owns the sobriquet of the “ Temple Metropolis of India ". These temples epitomise a comprehensive history of the Orissan style of temple architecture. Orissa's capital city's history goes back over 2000 years.

At one time, the Bindu Sagar tank had over 7000 temples around it. Of these, 500 still survive, all built in the extravagant Orissan style. The Lingaraj, Rajarani, Mukteswar, Brahmeswar and Parasurameswar temples are some of the best specimens of the Orissa Temple Architecture.

Getting There: Bhubaneswar is well conneted by air, rail and roads to various towns and cities in India . If you are coming by air, there are regular Indian Airlines flights connecting Bhubaneswar and major cities of India .

Badrinath

“There are several sacred shrines in heaven, on earth, and in hell; but there is no shrine like Badrinath.” - Skanda Purana

Several venerated pilgrimage sites dot the foothills and the peaks of the Himalayas , but the most noteworthy is Badrinath. The temple of Shri Badrinathji on the banks of the Alaknanda River dates back to the vedic times. Built by the renowned 8th century philosopher and saint, Adi Guru Shankaracharya, the temple is situated at an altitude of 3,133 meters. Also known as 'Vishal Badri', Badrinath is one of the most revered in the Char Dham circuit. The colourful gates welcome you at first and leads you through various statutes of Hindu Gods. But the main attraction is a one meter tall black stone image of Vishnu, as Lord Badri Narayan. The statue depicts Vishnu sitting in meditative posture, rather than his far more typical reclining pose. The best time to visit Badrinath is between June and September.

Getting There: The Jolly Grant Airport near Dehradun (317 km from Badrinath) is the best way to get here. Or you could board a train to Rishikesh (297 km) and Kotdwar (327 km).

Kedarnath

It is set amidst the stunning mountainscape of the Garhwal Himalayasthe holy Kedarnath temple is at the head of the Mandakini River . Kedar is another name of lord Shiva. The lingam at Kedarnath, unlike its usual form, is pyramidal and is regarded as one of the 12 jyotirlings. As per rituals pilgrims first visit Yamunotri and Gangotri from where they carry holy water to offer abhishekams to the Lord. If you happen to be in Haridwar in the month of June do visit the Badri Kedar festival held in the sacred shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath The eight- day long festival acts as a platform for the greatest artists of the country.

Getting There: Kedarnath is 239 km from Dehradun of which the first 225 kms. is by road and the remaining 14 km a trekking route. Rishikesh is the nearest railway station, 221 km from Kedarnath. You get on a pony or hire porters at Gaurikund, from where the 14 km trek to Kedarnath starts.

Dwarka

This ancient sacred city on the edge of the Saurashtra peninsula was once the capital of Lord Krishna's empire. The city gets its name from the Sanskrit word ‘Dwar', which translates as “door”. You can find references of this splendid city in the Mahabharata, the Harivansha, the Bhagavata Purana, the Skanda Purana, and the Vishnu Purana. Other than being a pilgrimage hub, the city is a centre of archeologists' attraction all over. Its main attraction is the Dwarkadhish Temple which is on of the main "dhams" along with Badrinath, Puri, Rameshwaram. The existing temple is a 15th / 16th century structure constructed in Chalukya style.

Getting There: Jamnagar (145 kilometres away) is the nearest airport. You could book train tickets on the Western Railway line. State Transport buses, private buses and taxis and conducted tours run to Dwarka.

Haridwar

Referred to as Mayapur in ancient Indian scriptures, Haridwar is the most revered temples in India . Millions flock Haridwar with wishes, prayers and chants from various parts of the globe. Haridwar was the spot where the immortal nectar fell when it was carried in a Kumba after the famed churning of the oceans. And that gives all the Hindus enough reason to take a holy dip to attain salvation from their sins of birth.

When you are in Haridwar don't forget to attend the dusk arathi performed at Hari-Ki-Pairi. It's a spectacular sight full of sound and colour as the pilgrims float diyas on the Ganges , to commemorate their deceased ancestors. The city is the gateway to three other important pilgrimage destinations: Rishikesh, Badrinath, and Kedarnath. This is the second most holy pilgrimage site after Varanasi for Hindus all over the globe. Haridwar is even the site of the Kumbh Mela , humanity's largest festival.

Getting There: Haridwar is about 200 kms from Delhi . You can take a plane from Dehradun's Jolly Grant airport. Though you could board a Rajdhani or Shatabdi from Delhi (4-5 hours) and Dehradun (1 hour), buses are faster and much more frequent.

Madurai

The oldest South Indian city has a lot to offer. From being the cultural centre for Tamilians to being the temple town, Madurai has many faces. But the Meenakshi temple is what attracts millions to this land of harmony. The temples gopurams , rising high above the surrounding countryside, is dedicated to Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva.The only hitch being the restriction of non-Hindus into the inner sancta of the temple. The complex itself is a splendid example of the south Indian Dravida architectural idiom. When in Madurai also visit the Tirumala Nayak Palace , a gracious building in the Indo-saracenic style, famous for the Stuccowork on its domes and arches; the Alagar Hills; and the Tirupara Kundran Rock temple.

Getting There: There are daily flights to and from Tiruchirapalli, Chennai and Bangalore . There are train connections to Madurai from Chennai, which takes eight hours via Trichy and from Rameshwaram, takes six hours. If you approach Madurai from Kerala, some spectacular scenes of the Western Ghats can be viewed.

Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram is famous for its' seven pagodas – a group of ancient rock hewn temples on the seashore. They are an excellent example of the Dravidian style of architecture. Mahabalipuram itself is a good example of a temple town, where a multi layered society that preached faith and grew from social harmony developed within the temple precincts.

Getting There: Chennai (58-km) is the nearest airport with both domestic and international terminus. While the nearest railway stations are Chengalpattu (29-km) and Chennai (58-km). You could even board a bus from Pondicherry , Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu or Chennai directly to Mahabalipuram daily.