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 innate
faith . 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:
India
Varanasi known as Kashi is one of the holiest pilgrimage sites
[2]
Kodlamane Shree Vishnumurthy Temple
Tirupati temple
Shakumbhari devi,right side Bhima and Bhramari left side Goddess Shatakshi
Very ancient and too much old 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 ;
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.
Shakti Pitha: An important set of pilgrimages are the
Shakti Pitha , where
the Mother Goddess is worshipped, the two principal ones being
Kalighat 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 5 ancient Shiva temples of the island from classical antiquity.
The
Arunagirinathar -traversed ancient
Murugan pilgrimage route of Sri Lanka including
Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple ,
Maviddapuram ,
Kankesanthurai
Nallur Kandaswamy temple ,
Jaffna ,
Koneswaram temple ,
Trincomalee ,
Verugal Murugan Kovil,
Verugal Aru ,
Verugal , Trincomalee District
Thirukkovil Sithira Velayutha Swami Kovil , in
Thirukkovil ,
Batticaloa ,
Arugam Bay ,
Amparai
Panamai , Amparai
Ukanthamalai 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 ,
Trinidad and Tobago
Dattatreya Mandir and 85-foot Karyasiddhi Hanuman Murti, Datta Drive, Orangefield,
Carapichaima ,
Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo ,
Trinidad and Tobago
Shiva Lingam Mandir, Patiram Trace,
Penal ,
Penal-Debe ,
Trinidad and Tobago
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 ,
Trinidad and Tobago
[4]
Siapria Mai (La Divina Pastora) Church , La Pastora Street,
Siparia ,
Siparia region ,
Trinidad and Tobago
Exchange Village Shiv Mandir, Brickfield Road Exchange Village,
Couva ,
Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo ,
Trinidad and Tobago
[5]
Moose Bhagat Mandir, Naparima Mayaro Road Mairad Village, Tableland,
Princes Town ,
Trinidad and Tobago
[6]
[7]
Shiva Mandir, 1 Railway Road Reform Village, Gasparillo,
Princes Town ,
Trinidad and Tobago
[8]
Balka Devi Mandir (Mud Volcano Temple), St. Marie Road,
Cedros ,
Siparia ,
Trinidad and Tobago
[9]
Shree Pavan Putra Hanuman Shiv Shakti Mandir Cunjal Road, Cunjal,
Princes Town ,
Trinidad and Tobago
[10]
Triveni Mandir, Sisters Road, Hardbargain Village, Williamsville,
Princes Town ,
Trinidad and Tobago
[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
References
Main topics Rituals
Mantras Objects Materials Instruments
Iconography Places Roles Sacred animals Sacred plants
Trees Fruits and other plants
See also
Main topics Rituals
Mantras Objects Materials Instruments
Iconography Places Roles Sacred animals Sacred plants
Trees Fruits and other plants
See also