Religious tourism in India

Last updated July 02, 2024

Religious tourism in India is a focus of Narendra Modi's national tourism policy. Uttarakhand has been popular as a religious and adventure tourism hub.^[1]

Tourism by religion

India-origin religions

Since India is birthplace of Indian-origin religions, namely Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, their holiest sites and highest concentration of religious sites pertaining to these religions are in India. Common pilgrim circuits, sites and practices are as follows:

Parikrama pilgrim circuits and sites
Pilgrim yatras and sites
Sacred rivers and their ghats, notably Ganges, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Narmada
Fairs, such as Kumbh Mela.

Buddhism

Mahabodhi Temple Mahabodhitemple.jpg — Mahabodhi Temple

The Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya is one of the holiest sites in Buddhism.^[2] Buddhist sites, many related to the travels of Buddha, are spread across India. Important Buddhist prikarma sites are, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Sravasti (Jetavana), Rajgir hills, Kurukshetra (Bodh Stupa on bank of Brahma Sarovar, pilgrimage undertaken by Gautama Buddha), Shrughna (Yamunanagar, vihara visited by Buddha for sermon), Adi Badri (saraswati udgam sthal and vihara visited by Buddha), Parinirvana Stupa (place of death and nirvana of Lord Buddha at Kushinagar, and Sankissa. See also Buddhist pilgrimage sites.

Hinduism

Hindus pilgrims in India undertake yatra (pilgrimage) to numerous sites, temples and samadhis (shrines) of saints) for puja and parikrama to earn punya with the aim to attain moksha. In order of importance for pilgrims in India, there are 4 Dhams (Char Dham) and 12 Jyotirlings devoted to the Lord Shiva, 51 Shakti Pithas devoted to the feminine manifestation of the god, and the important Lord Rama circuit (Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Hampi and Rameswaram) and Lord Krishna circuit (Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana, Govardhan, Kurukshetra, Dwarka and Bhalka). Sacred pilgrim sites related to Lord Rama are Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Chitrakoot, Hampi and Rameswaram. Sacred pilgrim sites related to Lord Krishna are Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana, Govardhan, Vraja Parikrama, 48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra, Dwarka, Bhalka (place of death of Lord Krishna).

India has become a major destination for yoga tourism,^[3] bringing business to ashrams in places such as Mysore (for Ashtanga Yoga) and Rishikesh (for Sivananda Yoga, among others). That has led to the creation of many yoga schools offering teacher training and promotion of India as a "yoga tourism hub"^[4] by the Indian Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of AYUSH.^[5]

Jain

The holiest site of Jainism are spread across India.

Sikhism

The Golden Temple is the holiest site in Sikhism.

The holy sites for Sikhs include the following in the order of importance:

Panj Takht, namely Golden Temple, Takht Sri Patna Sahib, Nanded Hazur Sahib, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Bhatinda, and Anandpur Sahib.
Guru Nanak related places, he was the founder of Sikh religion. His birth and death places at Gurdwara Janam Asthan and Kartarpur Corridor (both in Pakistan) are considered sacred.
Sikh martyrs's related sites who gave their lives for protecting dharma and Sikhism. These include Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Fatehgarh Sahib of martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur and children of Guru Gobind Singh respectively by Muslim rulers for refusing to convert to Islam
Place where Sikh gurus performed pilgrims and travels: Kurukshetra, Kapal Mochan, Paonta Sahib, etc.
Capitals of important Sikh states: Lahore (capital of largest Sikh state of Maharaja Ranjit Singh) and Lohgarh (capital of Sikh state founded by Baba Banda Bahadur in Yamunanagar). Fateh Burj at Chapar Chiri where Banda bahadur defeated mughals in Battle of Chappar Chiri and avenged murder of Sikh gurus and their children is also considered important.

Foreign-origin religions

Baháʼí

The roots of the Baháʼí Faith in India go back to the first days of the Bábí religion in 1844.^[6] For Baháʼís in India, the Lotus Temple in Delhi, is most well known Baháʼí House of Worship that was dedicated in December 1986.^[7]

Islam

The dargahs or shrines of major Sufi figures in India, such as Ajmer Sharif and Nizamuddin, attract many Muslims. Qadian is a considered a holy city by Ahmadi Muslims.

Zoroastrianism

Due to persecution of Zoroastrians, in other countries and the liberal atmosphere and patronisation of India, today the largest population of Zoroastrians resides in India.

Zoroastrians, the practitioners of Zoroastrianism have been living in India since the Sasanian period (224-651 CE),^[8] started to migrate to India in successive waves migrations after the Muslim invasion of Persia when invading Muslim started religious persecution and Zoroastrianism suffered a decline in Iran, later another wave of migration to India started when Safavids forced their subjects to convert to Shiism.^[9] Zoroastrians in India, have numerous fire temples in India where they travel for worship. Udwada Atash Behram is the oldest fire temple in India The temple attracts Zoroastrian pilgrims from around the world and considered the most sacred for Zoroastrians.

List of Important Places

MAP of Places
Sr	Place	Deity	Importance
1	Sharda Peeth, POK	Sharada	Shaktipeeth
2	Nankana Sahib, Pakistan		Sikh
3	Kartarpur Sahib, Pakistan		Sikh
4	Dharamshala		Buddhist
5	Jwalamukhi, Kangra	Jwalamukhi	Shaktipeeth
6	Amritsar	Golden Temple	Sikh
7	Anandpur Sahib		Sikh
8	Talwandi Sabo		Sikh
9	Kurukshetra	Krishna	Gita
10	Behat	Shakambari	Shaktipeeth
11	Haridwar		Saptapuri, Kumbha Mela
12	Rishikesh
13	Yamunotri		Chota Dham
14	Gangotri		Chota Dham
15	Kedarnath	Shiva	Jyotirlinga, Chota Dham
16	Badrinath	Vishnu	Char Dham, Chota Dham, Swayambhu Vishnu
17	Garbyang	Adi Kailash
18	Kailash, Tibet	Shiva
19	Delhi	Nizamuddin, Lotus Temple, Akshardham	Muslim, Bahai, Hindu
20	Vrindavan		Krishna Circuit
21	Mathura		Saptapuri, Krishna Circuit
22	Naimisharanya	Vishnu	Swayambhu Vishnu
23	Ayodhya	Rama, Hanumangarhi	Saptapuri, Rama Circuit, Hanuman
24	Lumbini, Nepal		Buddhist
25	Muktinath, Nepal	Shaligram Vishnu	Swayambhu Vishnu
26	Pashupati, Nepal	Pashupatinath	Shiva
27	Kushinagar		Buddhisht
28	Prayagraj	Alopi Sankari, Hanuman	Shaktipeeth, Kumbha Mela, Hanuman
29	Chitrakoot		Rama Circuit
30	Sarnath		Buddhist
31	Varanasi (Kashi)	Vishalakshi & Vishveshwar, Hanuman	Saptapuri, Shaktipeeth, Jyotirlinga
32	Patna	Mahavir Hanuman, Takht Sri Harimandir	Sikh, Hanuman
33	Pawapuri		Jain
34	Rajgir		Buddhist, Jain
35	Gaya	Mangla Gauri	Shaktipeeth
36	Bodhgaya		Buddhist
37	Parasnath		Jain
38	Baidyanath		Jyotirlinga
39	Kamakhya	Maa Kamakhya	Shaktipeeth
40	Pandua, West Bengal	Maa Shrinkhala	Shaktipeeth
41	Kolkatta	Maha Kali	Shaktipeeth
42	Jajpur	Birajadevi	Shaktipeeth
43	Bhubaneswar	Lingaraj Temple	Swayambhu Hari Har
44	Puri	Jagannath & Vimala	Char Dham, Shaktipeeth.
45	Purusottampur	Maa Tara Tarini	Shaktipeeth
46	Pithapuram	Kukkuteswara, Dattatreya	Shaktipeeth, Sripad Vallabha
47	Draksharama	Bheemeswara	Shaktipeeth
48	Tirupati	Venkateshwara	Swayambhu Vishnu
49	Kanchipuram	Kamakshi	Saptapuri, Shaktipeeth
50	Srimushnam	Bhuvarahswamy	Swayambhu Vishnu
51	Tiruchirappalli	Ranganath Swamy	Swayambhu Vishnu
52	Rameshwaram	Shiva, Panchamukhi Hanuman	Jyotirlinga, Char Dham, Hanuman
53	Koneshwaram, Sri Lanka		Shaktipeeth
54	Nanguneri	Vanamamalai Perumal	Swayambhu Vishnu
55	Chamundeshwari, Mysuru	Chamundeshwari	Shaktipeeth
56	Hampi		Rama circuit
57	Alampur	Jogulamba	Shaktipeeth
58	Srisailam	Mallikarjun & Bhramaramba, Dattatreya	Jyotirlinga, Shaktipeeth, Narsimha Saraswati
59	Kurvapur, Raichur	Dattatreya	Sripad Vallabha
60	Kudalasangama	Basaveshwar	Lingayat
61	Ganagapura	Dattatraya	Narsimha Saraswati
62	Manikanagara	Dattatraya	Manik Prabhu
63	Akkalkot	Dattatreya	Swami Samartha
64	Tuljapur	Bhavani Mata	Shaktipeeth
65	Pandharpur	Vithoba Rukmini
66	Shikhar Shingnapur	Shambhu Mahadev	Shiva
67	Narsobawadi	Dattatreya	Narsimha Saraswati
68	Mahalaxmi Kolhapur	Ambabai Mahalaxmi	Shaktipeeth
69	Pali, Satara	Khandoba
70	Janai Malai Satara	Devi
71	Mahad	Varadavinayak Ganesha	Astavinayak
72	Harihareshwar	Hari Har, Kalbhairavnath	Swayambhu
73	Pali, Raigad	Ballaleshwar Ganesha	Astavinayak
74	Kalaj	Khandoba
75	Jejuri	Khandoba
76	Morgaon	Mayureshwar Ganesha	Astavinayak
77	Siddhatek	Siddhivinayak Ganesha	Astavinayak
78	Theur	Chintamani Ganesha	Astavinayak
79	Ranjangaon	Mahaganapati	Astavinayak
80	Ozhar	Vigneshwar Ganesh	Astavinayak
81	Lenyadri	Girijatmaj Ganesh	Astavinayak
82	Bhimashankar		Jyotirlinga
83	Mumbai	Siddhi Vinayak, Mahalaxmi
84	Udvada	Iranshah Atash Behram	Parsi / Zoroastrian
85	Trimbakeshwar		Jyotirlinga
86	Nashik	Panchavati	Rama Circuit, Kumbha Mela
87	Saptshrungi		Shaktipeeth
88	Shirdi	Sai Baba
89	Shani Shingnapur	Shanidev
90	Ellora	Grishneshwar	Jyotirlinga
91	Ambejogai	Yogeshwari
92	Nanded		Sikh
93	Aundha Nagnath		Jyotirlinga
94	Mahur	Renuka	Shaktipeeth
95	Shegaon	Gajanan Maharaj
96	Omkareshwar		Jyotirlinga
97	Ujjain	Mahakal, Mahakali	Jyotirlinga, Shaktipeeth, Saptapuri, Kumbha Mela
98	Palitana		Jain
99	Somnath		Jyotirlinga
100	Girnar	Dattatreya, Neminatha
101	Dwarka	Nageshwar, Dwarkadish	Char Dham, Saptapuri, Jyotirlinga
102	Ajmer	Ajmer Sharif	Sufi Saint
103	Pushkar	Varah Swamy	Swayambhu Vishnu

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References

↑ "U'khand eyes wellness tourism", The Times of India , 13 February 2016
↑ "Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
↑ Goldberg, Philip (2010). American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation – How Indian Spirituality Changed the West. New York: Harmony Books. pp. 7, 152. ISBN 978-0-385-52134-5.
↑ Singh, Shikha. "Yoga Tourism in India India can be the Wellness Destination for the World" . Retrieved 3 December 2019.
↑ Maddox, Callie Batts (2014). "Studying at the source: Ashtanga yoga tourism and the search for authenticity in Mysore, India". Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change. 13 (4): 330–343. doi:10.1080/14766825.2014.972410. ISSN 1476-6825. S2CID 143449133.
↑ The Baháʼí Faith - Brief History Archived 2009-04-14 at the Wayback Machine National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of India.
↑ "Achievements of the Seven Year Plan" (PDF). Baháʼí News. July 1987. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
↑ Fereshteh Davaran. Continuity in Iranian Identity: Resilience of a Cultural Heritage. Routledge. pp. 54–55, 136–137.
↑ Monica M. Ringer (13 December 2011). Pious Citizens: Reforming Zoroastrianism in India and Iran. Syracuse University Press. pp. 25, 26. ISBN 9780815650607.

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[1] "U'khand eyes wellness tourism", The Times of India , 13 February 2016

[2] "Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 29 July 2019.

[3] Goldberg, Philip (2010). American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation – How Indian Spirituality Changed the West. New York: Harmony Books. pp. 7, 152. ISBN 978-0-385-52134-5.

[Singh-4] Singh, Shikha. "Yoga Tourism in India India can be the Wellness Destination for the World" . Retrieved 3 December 2019.

[Maddox2014-5] Maddox, Callie Batts (2014). "Studying at the source: Ashtanga yoga tourism and the search for authenticity in Mysore, India". Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change. 13 (4): 330–343. doi:10.1080/14766825.2014.972410. ISSN 1476-6825. S2CID 143449133.

[brief-6] The Baháʼí Faith - Brief History Archived 2009-04-14 at the Wayback Machine National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of India.

[sevenyear-7] "Achievements of the Seven Year Plan" (PDF). Baháʼí News. July 1987. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2017.

[Continuity-8] Fereshteh Davaran. Continuity in Iranian Identity: Resilience of a Cultural Heritage. Routledge. pp. 54–55, 136–137.

[Ringer-9] Monica M. Ringer (13 December 2011). Pious Citizens: Reforming Zoroastrianism in India and Iran. Syracuse University Press. pp. 25, 26. ISBN 9780815650607.

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