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Attraction
Haridwar, Uttarakhand
A yoga and ayurveda campus fifteen kilometres out on the Delhi road. A working institution and a factory rather than a monument — go if the subject interests you, not for the buildings.
Porbandar, Gujarat
A city beach with a paved promenade and a line of food carts, which is what most people actually come for — sunset, then bhajiya. Kirti Mandir, at Gandhi's birthplace, is a short walk inland.
Viewpoint
Madurai (Meenakshi Amman Temple), Tamil Nadu
The sacred golden lotus stepwell tank inside the complex, surrounded by historic columned corridors and painted murals.
Mathura & Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh
A vast white-marble temple in Vrindavan, floodlit in colour after dark, which is when everyone comes. Built by a modern sect rather than an old one, and it looks it.
Puri (Jagannath Temple & Beach), Odisha
The clean, wide sandy shore front flanking the Bay of Bengal, famous for evening local seafood stalls and traditional sand art sculptures.
Pushkar, Rajasthan
Fifty-two ghats ring the water, each attached to a different community or ruler, and the lake is old enough to appear on coins from the fourth century BC. Hindu tradition calls it tirtha-guru, the teacher of pilgrimage places, and a bath here is held to wash away sin; more than five hundred temples stand around the shore. The crowds peak at Kartik Poornima in October or November, when the Pushkar fair runs. Shoes off on every ghat, and photographing people bathing is not welcome. A priest will press a puja on you the moment you sit down — fix the amount first or say no plainly.
Kullu, Himachal Pradesh
The historic 17th-century spiritual anchor of the valley housing the sacred royal idol of Lord Rama.
Chidambaram (Nataraja Temple), Tamil Nadu
A columned hall built as a stone chariot, with wheels and horses cut into its base. It is opened only on certain festival days, so check before making a trip for it.
Experience
Ujjain (Mahakaleshwar), Madhya Pradesh
The main bathing ghat on the Shipra, central to the Kumbh Mela.
Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
A suspension footbridge three kilometres upstream, linking Swargashram to Muni Ki Reti. Motorbikes use it too, so crossing is a negotiation. Laxman Jhula further up is narrower and older.
Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh
Stone bathing ghats along the Saryu. On Deepotsav, the night before Diwali, they are lined with several hundred thousand oil lamps, which the state lights as a record attempt each year.
The grand new temple at the birthplace of Lord Rama.
Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh
The large stupa marking the site of the Buddha's cremation.
Dakor, Gujarat
Built in 1772 by a Maratha noble, with eight spires over a walled compound and a black stone Krishna inside. Full-moon days bring very large numbers on foot from the surrounding villages — avoid those unless that is what you came for.
Sabarimala, Kerala
The hilltop forest shrine of Lord Ayyappa, reached by a trek from Pamba.
Jwalamukhi (Jwala Ji) Temple, Himachal Pradesh
The inner rock sanctum featuring nine natural gas flames emerging directly from stone cracks, each representing a distinct goddess form.
Shirdi, Maharashtra
The temple enshrining Sai Baba's tomb, the heart of the pilgrimage.
Riverfront ghats famous for the evening aarti and the Deepotsav festival.
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Where the Buddha gave his first sermon, with stupas and a museum, 10 km away.
Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh
India's oldest site museum gallery housing the original 3rd-century BCE Ashokan Lion Capital and masterfully carved sandstone Buddha statues.
Home to the original Ashoka Lion Capital, India's national emblem.
A prominent hilltop temple perched on Ratnagiri Hill, accessible via a passenger ropeway and famous for panoramic sunrise views of the entire town.
Old Goa Churches (Velha Goa), Goa
One of the largest churches in Asia, dedicated to St. Catherine.
Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh
A dramatic high mountain pass (~4,170 m) with a sacred lake.
