In religion and spirituality , a pilgrimage is a very long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred area or shrine of importance to innatefaith . Members of every major religion participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim .
Unlike some other religions, Hindus are not required to undertake pilgrimages during their lifetime.[1] However, most Hindus go on such journeys to numerous iconic sites including those below:[2]
India Varanasi known as Kashi is one of the holiest pilgrimage sites.Kodlamane Shree Vishnumurthy Temple Tirupati temple Shakumbhari devi, right side Bhima and Bhramari left side Goddess Shatakshi Ancient Temple of Shakumbhari devi is near Saharanpur UP Char Dham (Famous Four Pilgrimage sites): The four holy sites Puri, Rameswaram , Dwarka , and Badrinath (or alternatively the Himalayan towns of Badrinath , Kedarnath , Gangotri , and Yamunotri ) compose the Chota Char Dham (four small abodes ) pilgrimage circuit.
Kumbh Mela: The Kumbh Mela (the "pitcher festival") is one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages that is held every three years; the location is rotated among Prayagraj , Haridwar , Nashik , and Ujjain .
Old Holy cities as per Puranic Texts: Varanasi formerly known as Kashi, Prayagraj also known as Prayag, Haridwar -Rishikesh , Mathura -Vrindavan , Kurukshetra , the Land of Bhagavad Gita in Haryana and Ayodhya .
Old Temple cities: Puri, which hosts a major Vaishnava Jagannath temple and Rath Yatra celebration; Katra , home to the Vaishno Devi temple; Tirumala – Tirupati , home to the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple ; Madurai Meenakshi and Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Sri Rangam ; Dwarkadhish Temple – Dwarka , home to Dwarkadhish form of Sri Krishna ; Radharani Temple – Barsana , dedicated to Sri Radha , Sabarimala , where Swami Ayyappan is worshipped; Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple at Thiruvananthapuram , Kerala ; Guruvayur temple at Guruvayur . The oldest of these temple pilgrimages is the Pandharpur Wari which is said to be in tradition from the past 800 years.
New Pilgrimage Centres: Three comparatively recent temples of fame and huge pilgrimage are Belur Math , the hub of the worldwide Ramakrishna Movement in West Bengal, Dakshineswar Kali Temple , Kolkata West Bengal;Tarapith West Bengal ,Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari; Sri Ramana Ashram at Tiruvannamalai ; and ISKCON temples in Ujjain , Bangalore ,[3] Patna , Tirumala , Vishakapatnam , Delhi , Chennai , and Mumbai . Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House and Cultural Centre , the birthplace of Swami Vivekananda is also another popular destination. Nandikeshwari Temple West Bengal,Kankalitala , Kiriteswari Temple , Nabadwip , Mayapur ,
Shakti Pitha: An important set of pilgrimages are the Shakti Pitha , where the Mother Goddess is worshipped, the three principal ones being Kalighat , Tarapith and Kamakhya .
Jyotirlingas: Other set of important pilgrimages are the Jyotirlingas , where lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Shiva Lingas. There are twelve Jyotirlingas in India. The twelve Jyotirlingas are:
Sri Lanka Pancha Ishwarams – the five ancient Shiva temples of the island from classical antiquity.The Arunagirinathar -traversed ancient Murugan pilgrimage route of Sri Lanka includingMaviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple , Maviddapuram , Kankesanthurai Nallur Kandaswamy temple , Jaffna ,Koneswaram temple , Trincomalee ,Verugal Murugan Kovil, Verugal Aru , Verugal , Trincomalee DistrictThirukkovil Sithira Velayutha Swami Kovil , in Thirukkovil , Batticaloa ,Arugam Bay , Amparai Panamai , AmparaiUkanthamalai Murugan Kovil , in Okanda , Kumana National Park Kataragama temple , Katirkamam in the South.
Mauritius
Trinidad and Tobago Temple in the Sea , Waterloo Road, Waterloo, Carapichaima , Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo Dattatreya Mandir and 85-foot Karyasiddhi Hanuman Murti, Datta Drive, Orangefield, Carapichaima , Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo Shiva Lingam Mandir, Patiram Trace, Penal , Penal-Debe Ganga Dhara festival at the Trinnaadeeshwar Mahadeo Ghat, Kailash Ghat, Hanuman Ghat, Tulsidas Ghat, Ardha Naareshvar Ghat, and Mundan Sanskaar Ghat at Marianne River Blanchisseuse , Tunapuna-Piarco [4] Siapria Mai (La Divina Pastora) Church , La Pastora Street, Siparia , Siparia region Exchange Village Shiv Mandir, Brickfield Road Exchange Village, Couva , Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo [5] Moose Bhagat Mandir, Naparima Mayaro Road Mairad Village, Tableland, Princes Town [6] [7] Shiva Mandir, 1 Railway Road Reform Village, Gasparillo, Princes Town [8] Balka Devi Mandir (Mud Volcano Temple), St. Marie Road, Cedros , Siparia [9] Shree Pavan Putra Hanuman Shiv Shakti Mandir Cunjal Road, Cunjal, Princes Town [10] Triveni Mandir, Sisters Road, Hardbargain Village, Williamsville, Princes Town [11]
Suriname
Pakistan Katas Raj Temples are said to date from the times of the Mahabharata .
Nepal A view of Pashupatinath Temple Bindhyabasini Temple , Pokhara , Nepal Ambikeshwari Temple is a Shaktipeetha which is supposed to have emerged due to the falling of right ear of Satidevi according to the Swasthani Purana.
China Lake Manasarovar
Indonesia
Cambodia Angkor Wat
Malaysia Batu Caves
United States
See also Wikiquote has quotations related to Hindu pilgrimage sites .
References ^ Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs - Hinduism See drop-down essay on "Hindu Practices" ^ "Hindu Temple Pilgrimage". Archived from the original on 2023-05-20. Retrieved 2023-04-12 . ^ "ISKCON temple in Bangalore". Retrieved 2020-09-04 . ^ "Ganga Dhaaraa Teerath: Water is Life: TriniView.com". www.triniview.com . Retrieved 2019-09-19 . ^ "Exchange Village Mud Mandir". National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago . Retrieved 2019-09-19 . ^ "Moose Bhagat Hindu Temple". National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago . Retrieved 2019-09-19 . ^ Bissessarsingh, Angelo (November 6, 2016). "The Moose Bhagat Mandir". guardian.co.tt . Retrieved 2019-09-19 . ^ "Shiva Mandir". National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago . Retrieved 2019-09-19 . ^ "Balka devi Temple". National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago . Retrieved 2019-09-19 . ^ "Hanuman Temple". National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago . Retrieved 2019-09-19 . ^ "Triveni Mandir". National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago . Retrieved 2019-09-19 .