Famous Temples of North India

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Akshardham, New Delhi 

In the matter of the number of persons to visit, the Taj Mahal would claim first place. Every person coming to India for the first time, wishes to see this Mughal monument situated in the city of Agra. If there is any place in India that can compete with the Taj Mahal in the matter of visitors coming to it, it is the Akshardham temple, situated in the city of New Delhi. Almost seventy per cent of total visitors coming to India do not miss visiting this sacred place.

This temple is also referred to as Delhi Akshardham. It is known as Swaminarayan Akshardham, too. Huge and situated in a vast area, the complex displays traditional Hindu culture and spirituality. It also depicts Indian culture and architecture.

The whole project was inspired by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who is the spiritual head of one of the factions of the Hindu sect known as Swaminarayan. The temple is the fruit of the love and sweat of 3,000 volunteers and 7,000 artisans.

India is a country where all modern world religions have a good presence. This made India a liberal land for erecting huge monuments by the people following all faiths on earth.

Har-ki-pair Ghat in the Evening, Haridwar

Dirk Hartung from Bonn, Germany, 
CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Hindu religion and Hindu philology extend from approximately 100 BC to AD 1800. This marks the beginning of the modern period. As religion cannot be meaningfully separated from the culture of the people following it, the temples are representatives of different cultures prevailing in different periods. 

So the religious places, the temples and monasteries, tell the journey of Indian civilisation. If we look at the list of religious places in India, we can see how harmoniously the people of India live. The following are some of the temples representing the colourful religious embroidery of India.

Golden Temple, Amritsar

Koshy Koshy from
New Delhi, India, 
CC BY 2.0,
via Wikimedia Commons

If any person comes to visit India, and he or she misses seeing the Golden Temple situated in Amritsar, he or she would miss a lot of things. This is the temple of the highest order for the followers of the Sikh religion. 

The Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib is the most sacred place for the followers of the Sikh religion. Built in the sixteenth century (from 1588 to 1604), this temple is one of the most visited religious places in India. 

Those who come to India for a pleasure tour or a pilgrimage would certainly desire to see this marvellous temple and pay regard to it.

Situated in Amritsar, one of the biggest cities in the State of Punjab in India, this temple is on a lake. The main temple is surrounded by water, and other buildings of the temple are on the banks of the lake. 

The beautiful water surrounding the temple makes it stunningly attractive at night. The temple walls are gold-plated, so it is known as the Golden Temple.

How to reach Amritsar: With a population of about two million people, the city of Amritsar is easily approachable. The city has its own international airport. All the domestic airlines and many international airline companies have the city on their flight schedules. It would be easy to book a ticket to Amritsar.

The city is well connected with the rest of India by railways and motorways. From here you can board a direct train going to Delhi, Jammu (Kashmir), Mumbai, Nagpur, Calcutta, Bangalore and Chennai. Indian railways provide one of the best train services to tourists and passengers. You can book a ticket online or by contacting a travel agent.

Badrinath Temple

Subarno Banerjee from Farakka, India, 

CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Situated on one of the high hills of the Himalayan range of mountains, it is a temple of Lord Vishnu. Now we can reach the temple by motorway, but in past, it was one of the toughest pilgrimages. It is one of the four most sacred temples of the Hindu religion.

Temples of North India have the beauty of the Himalayan mountains on which most of them are built. The Badrinath temple is near the Indo-China border. The tourists visiting this temple would get two types of benefits. They would feel like performing a pilgrimage to a sacred place. 

They would also enjoy the beauty of the unspoilt hills of the mountain Himalayas, especially the Badrinath Valley and the Alaknanda River.

Religious Importance of the Temple: Hinduism is the oldest religion in this part of the Earth. Hindus worship several Gods and Goddesses. Hindu temples are places of worship where the idols of different Gods are placed and worshipped by offering regular prayers. 

Badrinath is the temple of Lord Vishnu. The temple is believed to be built by Adi Shankaracharya. Constructed in the ninth century, it is one of the oldest shrines in India. Situated within the enclosure of the beautiful mountain peaks of the Himalayan range, the temple complex owns its unmatched natural beauty.

How to reach Badrinath: Tourists can reach this place by road from Haridwar, which is 200 kilometres away from New Delhi. Considered to be one of the holiest shrines and one of the four sacred pilgrimages in India, the temple of Badrinath attracts much traffic in summer. It is would be safe to put on warm clothes while visiting this area.

The temple is at a height of 3,415 metres (11,204 feet). During winter, the temple remains closed to tourists. During this season entire area remains under heavy snowfall. If a tourist is suffering from heart disease or similar difficulties, he or she should take care of it accordingly. It would be advisable to consult a physician before going to visit this temple.

The temple is located in a small valley situated on one of the high mountains. From Delhi, we can go by train up to Dehradun, which is the capital city of the state of Uttarakhand. This city also has an airport where domestic flights are available. Alternatively, tourists can travel from Dehradun to Badrinath by motorway. The road to the temple is very safe, but the drivers should be very careful while driving. If any vehicle goes off the road, it can be fatal, as the valley is very steep.

Kedarnath Temple

Situated at a height of 3581 metres, this temple of Lord Shiva is one of the most visited sites in northern India. It is 250 km from Haridwar and 450 km from New Delhi. One can go by motorway, up to the foot of the hill on which the temple of Kedarnath is situated. Thereafter, we have to walk for 14 km.

Akshardham, New Delhi

In the matter of the number of persons to visit, the Taj Mahal would claim first place. Every person, coming to India for the first time, wishes to see this Mughal monument situated in the city of Agra. If there is any place in India that can compete with the Taj Mahal, in the matter of visitors coming to it, it is Akshardham temple, situated in the city of New Delhi. Almost seventy per cent of total visitors coming to India do not miss visiting this sacred place.

This temple is also referred to as Delhi Akshardham. It is known as Swaminarayan Akshardham, too. Huge and situated in a vast area, the complex displays traditional Hindu culture and spirituality. It also depicts Indian culture and architecture.

The whole project was inspired by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who is the spiritual head of one of the factions of the Hindu sect known as Swaminarayan. The temple is the fruit of the love and sweat of 3,000 volunteers and 7,000 artisans.

Kashi Viswanath Temple

Ilya Mauter, CC BY 3.0,
 via Wikimedia Commons

This temple is one of the most ancient temples in India. It is believed that Lord Shiva built this temple on the bank of the sacred river Ganga. 

It is believed that this temple has been built for 5000 years.

It is believed that the original temple of Lord Shiva was destroyed by the Muslim Emperor Aurangzeb during his rule. 

He had also built a mosque on the very site of the temple. But we can see the relics of that time behind the mosque. 

The present temple was built by Queen Ahilya Bai of the princely state of Indore, India. It was completed in the year 1776.

Banaras, the Varanasi: Standing on the bank of river Ganga, Varanasi is one of the most sacred places of the Hindu religion. It is also known as Benaras and Kashi, too. The religious culture that this city represents is also associated with the holy river Ganga. 

This river is considered holy by the followers of Hinduism, Jain, Buddhism and other religions, too. Varanasi is mentioned in Hindu scriptures like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In past, this was a centre for learning culture and literature. In recent times, too, the city has many centres providing training in yoga and meditation.

How to Reach Varanasi: The city of Varanasi is situated in the northern part of India. It is one of the major cities in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The tourists can easily reach here from all other major cities of India, as it is well connected with other centres. 

To Travel by railway would be a good idea. Indian railway is one of the biggest networks of passenger and goods transport in the world. Being a pilgrimage centre for Hindus, Varanasi has several religious places. These places are major attractions for tourists.

Ghats on the River Bank: A Ghat is a place on the bank of a river where pilgrims take a sacred bath. Varanasi has the longest chain of Ghats. A boatman would help us to see all such ghats. It would be a very pleasant journey to sail on the river while seeing all the sacred places situated on the bank.

Lotus Temple or Bahai Temple

eclicks_by_bunny, 
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via Wikimedia Commons

Situated in the southern part of New Delhi, the Lotus Temple is a sacred place for the followers of the Bahai faith in India. 

Like all the above temples, every person, irrespective of his or her faith, is allowed to visit this temple.

"There is one God; mankind is one; the foundations of religion are one." Bahá'í Holy Writings

LOTUS TEMPLE

As the purest symbol of beauty and purity, the representative of divinity, the lotus flower is revered in Indian iconography. 

In addition to the beauty and symmetry in architecture, which is sufficient to immortalise this edifice, this temple is known for the pious response it evokes in the hearts of the people.

I am sure you have enjoyed the details about the Temples of North India.

Now let us go to the southern part of India and enjoy seeing the temples there.

               

Visit Here:     

TEMPLES OF SOUTH INDIA