Visiting Temples in India – Planning Indian Temple tours

Religious Tourism

India is a popular destination for those interested in religious tourism. With thousands of ancient temples of just about every faith spread across India, people from across the globe, regardless of their faith have so much to see when it comes to religious tourism. Popular religious tourism destinations commonly known to foreigners are:

• Amarnath
• Vaishno Devi
• Ajmer Sharif
• Tirupati
• Balaji
• Haridwar
• Nalanda
• Badinath & Kedarnath
• Haridwar
• Mathura

However, despite the list above, there are many other destinations that those considering religious tours of India should keep in mind. India has many Temples, Churches, Gurdwaras, Mosques, each with their own splendor and history located all across India.

The Golden Temple in Amritsar, India

The Golden Temple is also referred to as The Harmandir Sahib and is one of the most famous Sikh gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab (India). Many regard this as the the holiest shrine of the Sikh religion. The temple building has four entrances that are supposed to symbolize the openness of Sikh religion and indicates that followers of all faiths are allowed inside.

The Khajuraho Temples

The Khajuraho Temples are located in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. The Khajuraho Temples decipt Aryan architecture during 1050 AD. Originally there were 85 temples but at present only 25 temples have survived the test of time.

The Khajuraho Temples can be categorized into the Eastern Group, the Western Group and the Southern Group of Temples. Given below are the details, which are: The Eastern Group: It comprises three Jain Temples, which are the Parsavanath, Ghantai and the Adinath and the three Brahmanical Temples, which are Vamana, Javari and the Brahma. The Southern Group: It is the most distinct one and it includes two monuments as well as the Chaturbhuja Temples and the Duladeo Temples.

The Western Group: The credit for the construction of these temples goes to the Chandala Rulers. The temples that form this group are Varaha Temple, Lakshmana Temple and the Matangesvara Temple. The other temples of this group are the Nandi and the Visvanatha temples.

So just, make sure that you have enough time on your hands as exploring these temples would require lot of time.

Bhubaneswar Temple

Bhubaneswar is the capital city of the state of Orissa in India. As it has over 500 temples, this city is referred to as the 'Temple City' of India. The largest and most popular temple in Bhubaneswar is said to be the Lingaraj Temple. Lingaraj temple was built in 617-657 AD and its height is about 55 meters. It depicts the Kalinga style of architecture.

The Chennakesava Temple

The Chennakesava Temple stands on the banks of the Yagachi River in the town of Belur in Hassan District of Karnataka state in India. It is about 220 km from Bangalore. The Chennakesava temple and its surrounding temples and monuments are the main attractions in Belur.

The Chennakesava temple depicts the architecture and craftsmanship during the Hoysala dynasty. The temple originally called Vijayanarayana temple. The Chennakesava Temple was commissioned by King Vishnuvardhana in the year 1117 AD, scholars believe that this temple was built to symbolize the kings military successes.

The temple is erected on a star shaped platform. It has three entrances and the doorways have decorated sculptures on either side. It is believed that the temple took 103 years to build.

Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple

Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple is a famous Hindu temple located in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Now known as one of the richest temples in the world. For more information, see The Richest Temple in the World.