Hindu Pilgrimage Sites in India

In religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a naat 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. However, most Hindus who can afford to go on such journeys travel to numerous iconic sites including those below:

Char Dham (The Four Corners of India Pilgrimage sites): The four holy sites Puri, Rameswaram, Dwarka, and Badrinath (or alternatively the Himalayan towns of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri) compose the Char Dham (four abodes) pilgrimage circuit.

Kumbh Mela: The Kumbh Mela (the "pitcher festival") is one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages that is held every four years; the location is rotated among Allahabad, Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain.

Old Holy cities as per Puranic Texts: Varanasi formerly known as Kashi, Allahabad formerly known as Prayag, Haridwar-Rishikesh, Mathura-Vrindavan, and Ayodhya.

Major Temple cities: Puri, which hosts a major Vaishnava Jagannath temple and Rath Yatra celebration; Katra, home to the Vaishno Devi temple; Three comparatively recent temples of fame and huge pilgrimage are Shirdi, home to Sai Baba of Shirdi, Tirumala - Tirupati, home to the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple; and Sabarimala,where Swami Ayyappan is worshipped.

Shakti Peethas:, where the Mother Goddess is worshipped, the two principal ones being Kalighat and Kamakhya.

Many Hindu families have their own family patron deity or the Kuladaivat. This deity is common to a lineage or a clan of several families who are connected to each other through a common ancestor. The Khandoba of Jejuri is an example of a Kuladaivat of some Maharashtrian families; he is a common Kuladaivat to several castes ranging from Brahmins to Dalits. The practice of worshiping local or territorial deities as Kuladaivats began in the period of the Yadava dynasty. Other family deities of the people of Maharashtra are Bhavani of Tuljapur, Mahalaxmi of Kolhapur, Renuka of Mahur, and Balaji of Tirupati.

Following is a comprehensive list of Hindu Pilgrimage sites in India:

• Ahobilam, Andhra Pradesh
• Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
• Alandi, Maharashtra
• Amararama, Andhra Pradesh
• Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh
• Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh
• Amarnath, Jammu and Kashmir
• Ambejogai Yogeshwari
• Anandasram kanhangad
• Annamalai Hill
• Arasavalli
• Attukal
• Avittathur
• Ayodhya
• Baba Dhansar
• Badrinath
• Bhadrachalam
• Basistha Ashram
• Batu Caves
• Belur Math
• Bhadrachalam
• Bhavani
• Bhimashankar Temple
• Brindarvan
• Chitrakuta
• Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu
• Dakor
• Dharmasthala
• Draksharama
• Dwaraka Pītha
• Dwarka
• Gajanan Maharaj
• Gangotri
• Gaya, India
• Ghatikachala
• Godachi Veerbhadhreshwar Temple
• Gor Khuttree
• Gosaikunda
• Govardhana matha
• Govindavadi
• Hajo, Assam
• Haridwar
• Hemkund
• Idagunji
• Jonnawada
• Jyotirlinga
• Jejur Khandoba
• Jyotirmath
• Kalaram Temple
• Kaleshwaram
• Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu
• Kataragama
• Kateel
• Katra
• Kedarnath
• Kolhapur Mahalaxmi
• Kollur
• Konark
• Ksheerarama
• Kukke Subramanya Temple
• Kumararama
• Kumbakonam
• Kumbh Mela
• Kurukshetra
• Madurai Meenakshi Temple
• Maha Devi Tirth temple in Kullu
• Maihar Devi
• Majuli
• Mahur
• Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi
• Manikaran
• Mayapur
• Mount Abu
• Mount Kailash
• Mukhalingam
• Nainativu
• Narasimha Konda
• Gnana Saraswati Temple, Basar
• Narayanalayam
• Narmada River
• Nashik
• Nellitheertha
• Omkareshwar
• Palani
• Pancharama Kshetras
• Panchavati
• Pandharpur
• Parashuram Kund,Assam
• Pithapuram
• Puri
• Pushkar
• Puttaparthy Sri Sathya Sai
• Ramatheertham
• Rameswaram
• Rishikesh
• Ryali
• Sabarimala Swamisaranam
• Sabarimalai, kerala
• Sammakka Saralamma Jatara
• Sangam, Srikakulam district
• Saptashrangi
• Shanti Ashram, Kanaighat, Assam
• Shirdi
• Shivkhori
• Simhachalam
• Sivagiri, Kerala
• Somarama
• Sri Kurmam
• Sringeri Sharada Peetham
• Srirangam
• Srisailam
• Talapady
• Thanjavur
• Thiruchendur
• Thirumanthamkunnu Temple
• Thrissur
• Tirtha and Kshetra
• Tirupati
• Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple
• Tuljapur Bhavani temple
• Thiruvananthapuram
• Udupi
• Ujjain
• Vaishno Devi
• Vani (Nashik)
• Varanasi
• Vemulavada
• Vindhayachal
• Vithoba
• Vrindavan
• Yadagirigutta Temple
• Yamunotri

These Hindu pilgrimage sites can be divided into dhams, kumbhs, jyotirlingas, devi sites etc. Every category has got its own significance. It is believed that those who visit char dhams helps to attain salvation. There are Four Dhams and Twelve Jyotirlings along with 51 Shakti Peeths in India.