Varanasi is one of the most prominent tourist places in India. The city attracts millions of domestic and international tourists. [1] The temples across the city attract pilgrims. The ghats and the Buddhist site Sarnath attract tourists from abroad. Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world, which makes it rich with cultural heritage. [2] The city is home to ghats, temples, museums, and many Puranic places. [3]
| Types | Picture | Attraction | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple |  | Kashi Vishwanath Temple | 1780 |
| Temple |  | New Kashi Vishwanath Temple (BHU) | 1966 |
| Temple |  | Bharat Mata Mandir | 1936 |
| Temple |  | Durga Mandir | 18th Century |
| Temple |  | Tulsi Manas Mandir | 1964 |
| Temple |  | Sankat Mochan Mandir | 16th Century |
| Ghat |  | Dashashwamedh Ghat | 1748 |
| Ghat |  | Assi Ghat | 1988 |
| Ghat |  | Manikarnika Ghat | 5th Century |
| Ghat |  | Scindia Ghat | 1830 |
| Ghat |  | Tulsi Ghat | 1941 |
| Fort |  | Ramnagar Fort | 1750 |
| Mosque |  | Alamgir Masjid | 1669 |
| Tomb |  | Tomb of Lal Khan | 1773 [4] |
| Museum |  | Bharat Kala Bhavan | 1920 |
| Museum |  | Man Mahal Observatory | 1737 |
| Park |  | Sant Ravidas Smarak Park | 2008 |
| Fort |  | Chet Singh Fort | 18th Century |
| Cathedral |  | St. Mary's Cathedral | 1970 |
| Church | - | St. Thomas Church [5] | - |
| University |  | Benaras Hindu University (BHU) | 1916 |
| Museum |  | Deendayal Hastkala Sankul | 2017 [6] |
| Archaeological |  | Dhamek Stupa | 500 CE |
| Temple |  | Sarnath Buddhist Temple | 649 CE [7] |
| Temple |  | Thai Temple | 1933 [8] |
| Statue |  | Standing Buddha | 2011 [9] |
| Museum |  | Sarnath Museum | 1910 |
| Archaeological | - | Chaukhandi Stupa | 1589 [10] |
| Temple |  | Japanese Temple [11] | - |
| Temple |  | Chinese Temple [12] | - |
| Monastery |  | Cambodian Monastery [13] | 2014 [13] |
| Temple |  | Tibetan Temple [14] | - |
| Temple |  | Burmese Temple [15] | - |
| Temple |  | Korean Temple [16] | - |
| Temple |  | Sri Lankan Temple [17] | - |
| Temple |  | Shri Digamber Jain Temple [18] | - |
| Temple |  | Golden Temple [19] | - |
| Park/Zoo |  | Sarnath Deer Park | 1956 [20] |
| Park |  | Garden of Spiritual Wisdom [21] | - |
Nalanda was a renowned mahavihara in ancient Magadha, eastern India. Considered by historians to be the world's first residential university and among the greatest centers of learning in the ancient world, it was located near the city of Rajagriha and about 90 kilometres (56 mi) southeast of Pataliputra. Operating from 427 until 1197 CE, Nalanda played a vital role in promoting the patronage of arts and academics during the 5th and 6th century CE, a period that has since been described as the "Golden Age of India" by scholars.
Lumbinī is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi District of Lumbini Province in Nepal. It is the place where, according to Buddhist tradition, queen Maya gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama at around 566 BCE. Gautama, who, according to Buddhist tradition, achieved Enlightenment some time around 528 BCE, became Shakyamuni Buddha and founded Buddhism. Lumbini is one of many magnets for pilgrimage that sprang up in places pivotal to the life of the Buddha.
Sarnath is a place located 10 kilometres northeast of Varanasi, near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Bodh Gayā is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous as it is the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained Enlightenment under what became known as the Bodhi Tree. Since antiquity, Bodh Gaya has remained the object of pilgrimage and veneration both for Hindus and Buddhists. In particular, archaeological finds including sculptures show that the site was in use by Buddhists since the Mauryan period.
Tourism is one of an economic contributor to the union territory of Ladakh in Northern India. The union territory is sandwiched between the Karakoram mountain range to the north and the Himalayas to the south and is situated at the height of 11,400 ft. Ladakh is composed of the Leh and Kargil districts. The region contains prominent Buddhist sites and has an ecotourism industry.
The most important places in Buddhism are located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain of northern India and southern Nepal, in the area between New Delhi and Rajgir. This is the area where Gautama Buddha lived and taught, and the main sites connected to his life are now important places of pilgrimage for both Buddhists and Hindus. Many countries that are or were predominantly Buddhist have shrines and places which can be visited as a pilgrimage.
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 to a shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Members of every major religion participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim.
McLeod Ganj, also spelt McLeodganj, is a suburb of Dharamshala in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is known as "Little Lhasa" or "Dhasa" because of its large population of Tibetans. The Tibetan government-in-exile is headquartered in McLeod Ganj which treats the suburb as its capital-in-exile.
Yātrā, in Indian-origin religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, generally means a pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, sacred mountains, places associated with Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and other sacred pilgrimage sites. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine. The journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves.
The Culture of Uttar Pradesh is an Indian culture which has its roots in Hindi, Bhojpuri and Urdu literature, music, fine arts, drama and cinema. Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, has historical monuments including Bara Imambara and Chhota Imambara, and has preserved the damaged complex of the Oudh-period British Resident's quarters, which are being restored.
Bihar (Hindi: Bihar,, [Bihar] in eastern India is one of the oldest inhabited places in the world with a history going back 3000 years. The rich culture and heritage of Bihar is evident from the innumerable ancient monuments that are dotted all over the state. Bihar is home to many tourist attractions and is visited by large numbers of tourists from all over the world. Around total 6 million tourists visit Bihar every year.
Situated in the northern part of India, bordering with the capital of India New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh is one of the most popular and an established tourist destination for both Indians and non-Indians alike in India. The most populous state of India, Uttar Pradesh contains many historical monuments and places of religious significance. Geographically, Uttar Pradesh is very diverse, with Himalayan foothills in the extreme north and the Gangetic Plain in the centre. It is also home of India's most visited sites, Hinduism's holiest city, Varanasi. Kumbh city, Prayagraj. Kathak, one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh is at the heart of India, hence it is also known as The Heartland of India. Cuisine of Uttar Pradesh like Awadhi cuisine, Mughlai cuisine, Kumauni cuisine are very famous not only in India but also many places abroad and Pratapgarh is also famous for Rajputana.
Ghats in Varanasi are riverfront steps leading to the banks of the Ganges river. The city has 84 ghats. Most of the ghats are bathing and puja ceremonial ghats, while two ghats, Manikarnika and Harishchandra, are used exclusively as cremation sites.
The architecture of Uttar Pradesh demonstrates a diverse and eclectic combination of Buddhist, Hindu, Indo-Islamic, and Indo-European architectural styles. Three of its architectural monuments—the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort, as well as the township of Fatehpur Sikri founded by the Mughal emperor Akbar—are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The architectural structures in Uttar Pradesh include ancient Buddhist stūpas and vihāras, ancient Buddhist and Hindu monasteries, townships, forts, palaces, temples, mosques, mausoleums, memorials, and other community structures. Uttar Pradesh's architectural structures also include various Hindu temples, Ghats, etc. largely found in ancient cities like Benares (Varanasi), Brindaban (Vrindavan), Mathura, and Prayagraj (Allahabad).
Varanasi is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. The city has a syncretic tradition of Muslim artisanship that underpins its religious tourism. Located in the middle-Ganges valley in the southeastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi lies on the left bank of the river. It is 692 kilometres (430 mi) to the southeast of India's capital New Delhi and 320 kilometres (200 mi) to the east of the state capital, Lucknow. It lies 121 kilometres (75 mi) downstream of Prayagraj, where the confluence with the Yamuna river is another major Hindu pilgrimage site.
Northeast India consists of the eight states Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. Tourism in this area is based around the unique Himalayan landscape and culture distinct from the rest of India.
Tourism in Himachal Pradesh relates to tourism in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. This is popularly renowned for its Himalayan landscapes and popular hill-stations. Many outdoor activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, paragliding, ice-skating, trekking, rafting, and heli-skiing are popular tourist attractions in Himachal Pradesh.
Varanasi, also known as Kashi, is considered as the religious capital of Hinduism. In the Hindu faith, it is the holiest of all of its cities; the four dhams in the four cardinal directions of the country – Badrinath in the north, Puri in the east, Dwarka in the west and Rameshwaram in the south – are all represented in the city in "archetypal forms" as the presiding deities at Badrinath Ghat, Assi's Jagannath Temple area, Shankudhara Pokhra, and Mir Ghat respectively. Other Hindu holy places, such as the Kedarnath at Kedar Ghat, Mathura at Bakaruia Kund or Nakhi Ghat, Prayagraj (Allahadbad) at Dashahvamedha Ghat, Kamakhya (Assam) at Kamachha, Kurukshetra at Kurkukshetra Kund near Asi, and Lake Manasarovar at Mansarovar near Shyameshvara are a part of the city's religious and cultural heritage.
Nalanda railway station, station code NLD, is a railway station and under Danapur railway division of East Central Railway. Nalanda is connected to metropolitan areas of India, by the Delhi–Kolkata main line via Mugalsarai–Patna route. Station is located in Nalanda city in Nalanda district in the Indian state of Bihar. Due to its location on the Bakhtiyarpur–Tilaiya main line many Patna and other cities via Express trains coming from Rajgir and Gaya Junction stop here.
Tourism in India is economically important and ever-growing. The World Travel & Tourism Council calculated that tourism generated ₹14.02 lakh crore (US$180 billion) or 9.6% of the nation's GDP in 2016 and supported 40.343 million jobs, 9.3% of its total employment. The sector is predicted to grow at an annual rate of 6.8% to ₹28.49 lakh crore (US$360 billion) by 2027. Various states and union territories of India attract tourists from all over the world, mainly due to the cultural diversity.
