Shakumbhari devi,right side Bhima and Bhramari left side Goddess Shatakshi

In Hinduism, the yatra (pilgrimage) to the tirthas (sacred places) has special significance for earning the punya (spiritual merit) needed to attain the moksha (salvation) by performing the darśana (viewing of deity), the parikrama (circumambulation), the yajna (sacrificial fire offering), the Dhyana (spiritual contemplation), the puja (worship), the prarthana (prayer, which could be in the form of mantra - sacred chants, bhajan - prayer singing, or kirtan - collective musical prayer performance), the dakshina (alms and donation for worthy cause), the seva (selfless service towards community, devotees or temple), the bhandara (running volunteer community kitchen for pilgrims), etc. These sacred places are usually located on the banks of sacred waters, such as sacred rivers or their tributaries (among the rigvedic rivers of sapta sindhu the trio ganges-yamuna-saraswati are considered most sacred), the kundas (pond or lake, among these the Lake Manasarovar is considered most scared), the ghats (water bodies with stairs such as Ghats in Varanasi), or the stepwells (among these the rani ki vav in the form of inverted temple is considered most spectacular), or the temple tanks.

In order of importance, in India there are 7 Sapta Puri holy cities, 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)[1] and Lord Krishna circuit (Braj, Kurukshetra and Dwarka).[2]

List

Varanasi is one of the main pilgrimage sites.
Dwaraka temple
Tirupati temple
Jagannath temple
Badrinath temple
Amarnath temple
Prem Mandir, Vrindavan
Guruvayoor Temple

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Hindu Temple Yatra". Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  2. ^ "Hindu Temple Pilgrimage – India". Retrieved 2021-04-18.
  3. ^ Yogananda, Paramahansa (1997). Autobiography of a Yogi, 1997 Anniversary Edition p. 383. Self-Realization Fellowship (Founded by Yogananda) http://www.yogananda-srf.org/ Archived 2020-12-18 at the Wayback Machine,
  4. ^ "Kurukshetra map". kurukshetra.nic.in. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Haryana Tourism". Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Development of all pilgrimage sites located within a radius of 48 kos (miles) of Kurukshetra would be carried out". Chief Minister's Office, Haryana. 11 October 2015. Archived from the original on 27 July 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  7. ^ "The 48 Kos Kurukshetra Region". harekrsna.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.

Further reading