10 Sacred Yatra Destinations You Must Visit

Holy cave shrine of Mata Rani at Trikuta Hills — visited by 10 million devotees yearly.

Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala — the wealthiest temple on earth and most visited religious site in the world.

Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath — the four sacred Himalayan abodes of Uttarakhand.

Samadhi Mandir of Sri Sai Baba in Shirdi — visited by 60,000 devotees daily.

Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga, Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh, and the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth.

Sacred ice Shiva Lingam at 3,888m in the Kashmir Himalayas. Open July-August only.

Sacred Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar — the holiest pilgrimage in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bon.

Ramanathaswamy Jyotirlinga, Meenakshi Amman and Dhanushkodi — a Tamil Nadu temple trail.

Lord Krishna's Dwarka, Bet Dwarka, Nageshwar Jyotirlinga and the first-ever Jyotirlinga at Somnath.

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga and the famous 4 AM Bhasma Aarti — only place where Shiva is worshipped with sacred ash.

The only Brahma temple in India on the sacred Pushkar Lake — completing all four dhams without Pushkar is incomplete.

Birth place of Lord Krishna at Mathura and the lila-bhoomi of Vrindavan where the divine flute still echoes.

One of the four Char Dham of Adi Shankara, home of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra — and the world-famous Rath Yatra.

Birth place of Lord Sri Rama and home of the consecrated Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir inaugurated in January 2024.

Lord Ayyappa atop the Sahyadri at Sabarimala — requiring 41 days of austerity and the famous 18 sacred steps.

Twin Ganga tirthas — Haridwar where the river enters the plains, and Rishikesh the world capital of Yoga.

Tirth Raj Prayag — confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati, and venue of the largest religious gathering on Earth.

Sri Harmandir Sahib — the Golden Temple of Amritsar, holiest Gurdwara of Sikhism, open to all faiths around the clock.

Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple at Palani — the third of the six Aaru Padai Veedu (sacred abodes) of Lord Muruga.

Southernmost tip of India — Kumari Amman temple, Vivekananda Rock Memorial, and the only place to see sunrise, sunset, and moonrise over the same horizon.

Twin Himalayan shrines marking the sacred sources of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in Uttarkashi district.

Adi Shankaracharya consecrated Devi shrine on the banks of Souparnika river in coastal Karnataka.

Second of twelve Jyotirlingas and an Ashtadasha Shakti peetha on the Krishna river Nallamala hills.

Renowned Kerala Devi temple near Kochi famed for exorcism rituals and Makam Thozhal darshan.

Sri Vaishnava sacred hill town near Mysuru sanctified by Sri Ramanujacharya and Vairamudi festival.

Headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission on the banks of the Hooghly, blending temple architectures of the world.

One of the twelve Jyotirlingas where Lord Shiva manifested as the divine physician, drawing kanwariyas from across eastern India.

UNESCO World Heritage site marking the spot where Prince Siddhartha attained Buddhahood under the Bodhi tree.

Largest functioning Hindu temple in the world and foremost of the 108 Divya Desams of Sri Vaishnavism, on a Cauvery river island.

A three day pilgrimage to the birthplace of Lord Krishna covering Janmabhoomi, Dwarkadhish, and the sacred ghats of Mathura.

Bhuloka Vaikuntha of the south — a three day pilgrimage to the celebrated Krishna shrine of Kerala and its surrounding temples.

A four day spiritual and heritage pilgrimage through the living Virupaksha temple and the UNESCO ruins of the medieval Vijayanagara empire on the Tungabhadra.

Three day pilgrimage to the OM shaped island Jyotirlinga on the Narmada, with the sacred parikrama and the twin Mamleshwar shrine.

Five day Himalayan pilgrimage to the northernmost Jyotirlinga at 3583 metres, including the sixteen kilometre trek from Gaurikund.

A four day pilgrimage to the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas on the Saurashtra coast, with Bhalka Tirth, Triveni Sangam and the Gir lion sanctuary.