हिंदीOn this day
तीर्थ

The great tirthas of Bharat

The Char Dham, the twelve Jyotirlingas, the seven sacred cities, the Shakti Peethas and the great temples of the south: each with its sacred story, its history of destruction and rebuilding, and the way pilgrims reach it.

56 Tirtha: sacred places

The sacred geography

From Kedarnath in the Himalaya to Kanyakumari at the southern sea.

On the map

The Char Dham

BadrinathUttarakhand (Chamoli)BadrinathNarayan in tapas where the Alaknanda leaves the snowsDwarkadhish Temple, DwarkaGujarat (Devbhumi Dwarka)Dwarkadhish Temple, DwarkaKrishna’s city on the western sea, still crowned by his flagShri Jagannath Temple, PuriOdishaShri Jagannath Temple, PuriThe Lord of the World comes out to his peopleRamanathaswamy Temple, RameswaramTamil NaduRamanathaswamy Temple, RameswaramWhere Rama worshipped Shiva before crossing to Lanka

The Himalayan Char Dham

KedarnathUttarakhand (Rudraprayag)KedarnathShiva’s hump of rock under the Kedar peaksGangotriUttarakhand (Uttarkashi)GangotriWhere Ganga first touched the earth for BhagirathaYamunotriUttarakhand (Uttarkashi)YamunotriThe sister of Yama, born of hot springs and ice

The twelve Jyotirlingas

Somnath JyotirlingaGujarat (Prabhas Patan, Gir Somnath)Somnath JyotirlingaThe first Jyotirlinga, broken many times, never abandonedMallikarjuna Jyotirlinga, SrisailamAndhra PradeshMallikarjuna Jyotirlinga, SrisailamShiva and Devi on the hill above the KrishnaMahakaleshwar, UjjainMadhya Pradesh (Ujjain)Mahakaleshwar, UjjainThe south-facing Lord of Time in AvantikaOmkareshwarMadhya Pradesh (Khandwa, Mandhata island)OmkareshwarMahadev on an island the Narmada wraps like OmBhimashankar JyotirlingaMaharashtraBhimashankar JyotirlingaWhere the Bhima rises in the Sahyadri cloud forestKashi VishwanathUttar Pradesh (Varanasi)Kashi VishwanathThe city Shiva never leaves, Lord of the universeTrimbakeshwar JyotirlingaMaharashtraTrimbakeshwar JyotirlingaThree-eyed Lord where the Godavari is bornBaidyanath Dham, DeogharJharkhand (Deoghar)Baidyanath Dham, DeogharBaba Dham, where Ravana set Shiva downNageshwar JyotirlingaGujarat (Devbhumi Dwarka)Nageshwar JyotirlingaLord of serpents in the forest of DarukaGrishneshwar Jyotirlinga, VerulMaharashtraGrishneshwar Jyotirlinga, VerulGhushma’s Lord, the twelfth light, beside Ellora

The Shakti Peethas

Kamakhya TempleAssamKamakhya TempleThe Devi’s seat in the wet rock of NilachalMata Vaishno DeviJammu and KashmirMata Vaishno DeviThree pindis at the end of a mountain caveKalighat Kali Temple, KolkataWest BengalKalighat Kali Temple, KolkataKali’s golden tongue on the bank of Adi GangaJwalamukhi TempleHimachal PradeshJwalamukhi TempleThe Devi who burns without oil or wickAmbaji (Arasuri Amba)Gujarat (Banaskantha district)Ambaji (Arasuri Amba)The Mother of the Arasur hills, worshipped as a yantraHinglaj MataLasbela District, Balochistan (Hingol National Park)Hinglaj MataThe Mother in a desert cave by the HingolTarapithWest BengalTarapithTara’s seat beside the burning ground of BirbhumChamundeshwari Temple, Chamundi HillKarnatakaChamundeshwari Temple, Chamundi HillThe slayer of Mahisha keeps watch over MysuruKanyakumari Bhagavathy Amman TempleTamil NaduKanyakumari Bhagavathy Amman TempleThe maiden Devi at the land’s last rock

The Sapta Puri

Ayodhya (Saketa)Uttar PradeshAyodhya (Saketa)The Sarayu’s city, where Shri Ram was bornShri Krishna Janmabhoomi, MathuraUttar Pradesh (Mathura)Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi, MathuraMadhupuri on the Yamuna, where Shri Krishna was bornHaridwarUttarakhand (Haridwar)HaridwarGangadwara, where the Ganga steps down onto the plainsThe Ghats of KashiUttar Pradesh (Varanasi)The Ghats of KashiWhere Shiva whispers the taraka mantra to the dyingKanchipuram, city of learningTamil NaduKanchipuram, city of learningShiva Kanchi and Vishnu Kanchi, round Kamakshi’s seat

The Kumbh cities

Prayagraj, Triveni SangamUttar Pradesh (Prayagraj)Prayagraj, Triveni SangamTirtharaj, where white Ganga meets dark YamunaKalaram Temple, Panchavati, NashikMaharashtraKalaram Temple, Panchavati, NashikPanchavati on the Godavari, where Shri Ram made his hut

The Divya Desams

Sri Venkateswara Temple, TirumalaAndhra PradeshSri Venkateswara Temple, TirumalaSeven hills, one Lord, and a debt still being repaidSri Ranganathaswamy Temple, SrirangamTamil NaduSri Ranganathaswamy Temple, SrirangamThe Lord who stopped on an island, facing LankaSree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, ThiruvananthapuramKeralaSree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, ThiruvananthapuramThe Lord seen through three doors, to whom a kingdom was givenMuktinathMustang, Gandaki ProvinceMuktinathVishnu of liberation above the Kali Gandaki

Sung in the Tevaram

Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, MaduraiTamil NaduMeenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, MaduraiWhere the queen of the Pandyas married Shiva

The Pancha Bhoota sthalas

Thillai Nataraja Temple, ChidambaramTamil NaduThillai Nataraja Temple, ChidambaramThe hall of consciousness, where Shiva dances in space

The six abodes of Murugan

Palani Dandayudhapani TempleTamil NaduPalani Dandayudhapani TempleThe hill where the boy-god stood with only his staff

Great tirthas

VrindavanUttar Pradesh (Mathura)VrindavanRadha’s forest on the Yamuna, where the flute was heardVishnupad Temple, GayaBiharVishnupad Temple, GayaWhere a son’s pinda frees his ancestorsBrahma Temple, PushkarRajasthan (Ajmer district)Brahma Temple, PushkarThe lake where Brahma’s lotus fellGuruvayur Sri Krishna TempleKeralaGuruvayur Sri Krishna TempleKrishna of Dwaraka, carried south by Guru and VayuSabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha TempleKeralaSabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha TempleEighteen steps up to the son of Hari and HaraVitthal–Rukmini Temple, PandharpurMaharashtraVitthal–Rukmini Temple, PandharpurVitthala waits on a brick for his devoteesSri Krishna Matha, UdupiKarnatakaSri Krishna Matha, UdupiChild Krishna, found in a lump of claySringeri Sharada PeethamKarnatakaSringeri Sharada PeethamWhere a cobra shaded a frog, Shankara built his first mathBrihadeeswara Temple, ThanjavurTamil NaduBrihadeeswara Temple, ThanjavurRajaraja’s Dakshina Meru, finished in 1010Amarnath CaveJammu and KashmirAmarnath CaveThe cave where Mahadev told the secret of immortalityKailash and MansarovarNgari, TibetKailash and MansarovarMahadev’s mountain and the lake born of Brahma’s mindPashupatinathKathmandu, Bagmati ProvincePashupatinathLord of all beings on the BagmatiKonark Sun TempleOdishaKonark Sun TempleSurya’s stone chariot on the Odisha shoreMahabodhi Temple, Bodh GayaBiharMahabodhi Temple, Bodh GayaWhere Siddhartha sat down and rose the BuddhaShravanabelagolaKarnatakaShravanabelagolaBahubali stands as he stood, unmoving, on the hillSri Harmandir Sahib, AmritsarPunjabSri Harmandir Sahib, AmritsarThe house of Hari in the pool of nectar