This has been the practice since ancient times. India Pilgrimage Tours take you to some of the most sacred temples, pilgrimage sites, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and synagogues across different regions and states of the country.

The philosophy in Hindu Vaastu Shastra highlights the temple as figurative representation of creator. The dictum necessitates a temple to be with entrance and the affiliated structures, and the internal sacred sanctum. To visit a series or some of these significant temples is believed to lead one to Moksha or Salvation; in other words, an exit from the birth-death cycle. For this reason, many Hindus specifically plan pilgrimage tour to holy temples at least once in a lifetime.

The world’s highest mountain Himalayas, since time immemorial, has religious connation; it is also called the Abode of Gods. Thus, it is the first pilgrimage choice of most Hindus. The tours in this difficult terrain include the well-known trek annually in July-August to ice idol of Lord Shiva – Amarnath Yatra – in the Jammu and Kashmir State. The North India travel packages and pilgrimage tour to Char Dhaam, namely Badrinath shrine devoted to Lord Vishnu, Kedarnath – an abode of Lord Shiva, Gangotri – the inception point of the Ganges, and Yamunotri of River Yamuna, is a tour package that covers major pilgrimage sites in Himalayas that are situated above 3000 ft elevation.

Yet another more elaborate Char Dhaam Yatra in India covers Badrinath in the North, Jagannath Puri in the East, Dwarka in the West and Rameshwaram in the South. It is believed that after undertaking a holy pilgrimage tour to these Four Holiest Hindu Sites, one must visit Pushkar in Rajasthan and take a dip in its Holy Lake to attain Salvation. The chain of Indian pilgrimage tours includes the revered Vaishno Devi Yatra to the pious 100-meter long cave with three idols of Goddess on Shivalik Hills in Jammu. Other crowd-puller temples include the Tirupati Balaji in South India at 2800 ft, the Golden Temple in Amritsar in Punjab with Sikh ideology, and the Hemund Sahib at 4329 ft at Parvati Valley near Kullu Manali. Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh is sacred city since ancient times.

The Jain community goes for Tirth Yatra to Shri Achalagadh on Aravalli Ranges, Shri Amarsagar Tirth located at Amarsagar village, Shri Aur Tirth at Aur village, the Nasik Tirth and many others scattered all over India where Jainism flourished. Buddhism has been a part of Indian philosophy right from its inception. People of all nationalities are ardent devotees of this philosophy of life. Bodh Gaya is the site where Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment, Sarnath is the place where Buddhist philosophy was perpetuated to the world, Shravasti in Uttar Pradesh is pious because the Buddha as God did miracle acts here to prove his divinity. Nalanda, the world renowned University, is also a sacred pilgrimage center for Buddhists along with Kushinagar, where Lord Buddha attained Nirvana.

Muslim, the second largest community in India, has many significant mosques and revered shrines to visit too. Ajmer Sharif, Jama Masjid at Delhi, and Sheikh Salim Chisti’s Dargah at Fatehpur Sikri near Agra are just some of the places where millions and billions of devotees throng to seek blessings of the saints and prophets. Among the churches, the most sought-after is the Church of Goa built way back in the 16th century. Discover grand India by planning theme-based holidays to see and experience how diversity in culture, language and lifestyle can add beauty to the social fabric of a nation.

By: Adiba Roshan Khan