These four most revered pilgrimage sites for the Hindus, which include Rameshwaram, Jagannath Puri, Dwarika and Badrinath, were grouped by the 8th century philosopher and reformer Shankracharya under the Char Dham pilgrimage.
Rameshwaram is located at the tip of the Indian Peninsula and temples to see there are Ramanathaswamy Temple, Agnitheertham, Gandamadana Parvatham and Dhanushkodi.
Jagannath Puri- located in Orrisa and built in the 12th Century the Jagannath Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. In the month of June-July the car festival celebrating the journey of Lord Krishna from Gokul to Mathura, takes place.
Dwarika- located in Gujarat and considered the abode of Lord Krishna has the Dwarikadheesh Temple believed to have been built by Krishna’s great grandson.
Badrinath- located in the state of Uttrakhand, Badrinth Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is visited by thousands of pilgrims.
Dedicated to the goddess Shakti, the Vaishnodevi Temple is located in Jammu and Kashmir. According to legend, the goddess was an ardent follower of lord Vishnu and hence her name. This holy cave temple is situated in the Shivalik Hill Range and is 50 km from the town of Katra in Jammu. From Katra a 13 km long steep trek leads to the cave temple. For the old, invalid and children there are porters who carry them in baskets or alternatively one can hire a pony. If you are planning to go on foot, you can hire walking shoes and sticks from roadside vendors. 6km away from the holy shrine is Ardhkwari temple which is part of the pilgrimage. Along the way there are water and food facilities as well as good lighting and toilet facilities. Morning and evening ‘Aarti’ or prayers are worth attending.
Earlier called Bhagsu, Dharamshala is the District Headquarters of Kangra and the Himachal Pradesh government’s winter seat. The Dalai Lama and his Tibetan government in exile are stationed in Dharamshala too. Their presence has given Dharamshala a mystic ambience and made it an important Buddhist pilgrimage centre. At the Namgyal Monastery in Dharamshala, hundreds of monks live and get training in the Buddhist scriptures and way of life. Everyday hundreds of monks engage in Buddhist debates. The enchanting Buddhist prayers are held at the monastery every morning and evening, which spread peace and calm all around.
In Mcleodganj, the residence of the Dalai Lama, there is the Tse-chok Ling Gompa Monastery and at a 25 minute walk from Mcleodganj lies the Tushita Meditation Centre. Down the road from Mcleodganj is the ancient Bagsu Nag Temple and the fresh water springs there are very sacred to the Hindus.
Vrindavan
Located in District Mathura of Uttar Pradesh state, Vrindavan is the place where Lord Krishna spent his childhood. Every nook and corner of the place is teeming with temples but the more popular ones are-
Madan Mohan Temple- this is the oldest temple in Vrindavan, near the Kali Ghat.
Banke Bihari Temple-the image in this temple was discovered by one of the greatest Krishna devotee, Swami Haridas.
Sri Radha Vallabh Temple-next to the Krishna image in this temple there is a crown of Radha.
Radha Raman Mandir- built in 1542, this temple still has the original image of Krishna.
Rangaji Temple- this is dedicated to Vishnu.
Shri Krishna Balrama Temple is built by the Society forKrishna Consciousness.
Ayodhya
One of the ancient most cities, Ayodhya lies in the Faizabad District of Uttar Pradesh. It is the birth place of Lord Rama and the important pilgrimage centers are-
Janmabhoomi- this is the site of Lord Rama’s birth and has a small temple.
Guptar Ghat- this is the place where Rama left his physical body and has several temples.
Ramkot- the birth day of Lord Rama ‘Ramnavmi’, thousands of pilgrims assemble here to celebrate Lord Rama’s birth.
The Hanuman Garhi- this temple is located in the centre of the town and one has to climb 76 steps to reach it. It is believed that this was the place where Hanuman lived and guarded the ‘Janmabhoomi’.
Treta-ke Thakur- it is believed that the temple is the site of the Ashvamedha Yagna performed by Lord Rama.
Nageshwarnath Temple is believed to have been built by Rama’s son Kush.
Sarnath
13 km from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Sarnath is the place from where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon. This place is also sacred to the Jains and has a Jain temple as well.
The pilgrimage attractions at Sarnath-
The Dhamek Stupa-site of Buddha’s second sermon.
Dharmarajika Stupa-only ruins of this stupa remain, as it was carried away to Varanasi.
Chaukhandi Stupa-built in the 5th century this is the place where Buddha met his initial disciples.
Mulagandha Kuti Vihara- This is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery constructed by the Mahabohi Society of Sri-Lanka.
Jain Temple-This temple is dedicated to the 11th Jain teerthankara Sreyamsamathawhose.
Sarangnath Temple- this Hindu temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
The Japanese Temple- is a Buddhist Temple built by the Japanese.
Tibetan Temple- this temple has the largest statue of Buddha installed in it. Hundreds of years old cloth frescoes, still look vibrant, adorn the temple.
Burmese Monastery erected in 1934.
Located in the Bodhgaya District of Bihar, Bodhgaya is the most important Buddhist pilgrimage site, being the place of Buddha’s enlightenment.
At the spot of Buddha’s enlightenment is now The Mahabodhi Temple. The temple has a large Buddha as well as a Shiva Linga as Buddha is considered by Hindus to be the incarnation of Vishnu.
The Bodhi Tree is the tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment. The present tree grew out of the sapling planted from the original tree which died.
Vajrasana is the red sand stone seat under the bodhi tree, which is considered to be the seat where Buddha sat and meditated to gain enlightenment.
Chankaramana-this marks the spot where the Buddha strolled around in meditative trance after his enlightenment.
Arimeshlochana-this is believed to be the place from where Buddha, in utter gratitude stood looking unblinkingly at the bodhi tree.
Ratnagar is believed to be the place where Buddha spent a week.
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Trip to Kashi
A trip to Kashi is the dream of every devout Hindu. The Kashi Yatra or a pilgrimage to Kashi is said to cleanse a man of all his sins, and bring him liberation. It is believed that every man who dies there attains liberation, and goes directly to the abode of Lord Shiva. Thousands of people travel to Kashi in their old age and live on there, hoping to meet their end at this sacred place
Trips are being organized by Sprirituyal Yatra. SpiritualYatra is the official website of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Sankara Mutt – Branch Varanasi
Please visit website for more detailed info