Hindu pilgrimage sites

Unlike some other religions, Hindus are not required to undertake pilgrimages during their lifetime.^[1] However, most Hindus go on such journeys to numerous iconic sites including those below:^[2]

India

Varanasi known as *Kashi* is one of the holiest pilgrimage sites.

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

Ancient Temple of Shakumbhari devi is near Saharanpur UP

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

Kumbh Mela: The Kumbh Mela (the "festival of the sacred pitcher")^[3] is one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages that is held every three years; the location is rotated among Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain.

Old Holy cities as per Puranic Texts: Varanasi formerly known as Kashi, Prayagraj also known as Prayag, Haridwar-Rishikesh, Mathura-Vrindavan, Kurukshetra, the Land of Bhagavad Gita in Haryana and Ayodhya.^[4]^[5]

Old Temple cities: Puri, which hosts a major Vaishnava Jagannath temple and Rath Yatra celebration; Katra, home to the Vaishno Devi temple; Tirumala – Tirupati, home to the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple; Shirdi, home to the Sai Baba of Shirdi temple; Madurai Meenakshi and Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Sri Rangam; Dwarkadhish Temple – Dwarka, home to Dwarkadhish form of Sri Krishna; Radharani Temple – Barsana, dedicated to Sri Radha, Sabarimala, where Swami Ayyappan is worshipped; Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala; Guruvayur temple at Guruvayur. The oldest of these temple pilgrimages is the Pandharpur Wari which is said to be in tradition from the past 800 years.

New Pilgrimage Centres: Three comparatively recent temples of fame and huge pilgrimage are Belur Math, the hub of the worldwide Ramakrishna Movement in West Bengal, Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Kolkata West Bengal; Tarapith West Bengal, Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari; Sri Ramana Ashram at Tiruvannamalai; and ISKCON temples in Ujjain, Bangalore,^[6] Patna, Tirumala, Vishakapatnam, Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai. Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House and Cultural Centre, the birthplace of Swami Vivekananda is also another popular destination. Nandikeshwari Temple West Bengal,Kankalitala, Kiriteswari Temple, Nabadwip, Mayapur,

Shakti Pitha: An important set of pilgrimages are the Shakti Pitha, where the Mother Goddess is worshipped, the three principal ones being Kalighat, Tarapith and Kamakhya.^[7]

Jyotirlingas: Other set of important pilgrimages are the Jyotirlingas, where lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Shiva Lingas. There are twelve Jyotirlingas in India.^[8] The twelve Jyotirlingas are:

Bhimashankar Temple, near Pune
Somnath at Veraval in Gujarat
Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh
Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh
Kedarnath in Uttarakhand
Vishwanath Temple at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh
Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple at Nashik in Maharashtra
Baidyanath Jyotirlinga at Deoghar in Jharkhand
Aundha Nagnath in Hingoli, Maharashtra or Nageshvara Jyotirlinga at Dwarka
Rameshwar at Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu
Grishneshwar at Verul near Ellora Aurangabad

Sri Lanka

Pancha Ishwarams – the five ancient Shiva temples of the island from classical antiquity.
The Arunagirinathar-traversed ancient Murugan pilgrimage route of Sri Lanka including
- Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple, Maviddapuram, Kankesanthurai
- Nallur Kandaswamy temple, Jaffna,
- Koneswaram temple, Trincomalee,
- Verugal Murugan Kovil, Verugal Aru, Verugal, Trincomalee District
- Thirukkovil Sithira Velayutha Swami Kovil, in Thirukkovil, Batticaloa,
- Arugam Bay, Amparai
- Panamai, Amparai
- Ukanthamalai Murugan Kovil, in Okanda, Kumana National Park
- Kataragama temple, Katirkamam in the South.

Mauritius

These Hindu pilgrimage sites are only located on the main island country and not on the other outer islands of the Republic of Mauritius.

Ganga Talao (Grand Bassin) together with Mangal Mahadev statue in Savanne district
Maheswarnath Mandir, Triolet
Sagar Shiv Mandir, Poste de Flacq

Trinidad and Tobago

Temple in the Sea, Waterloo Road, Waterloo, Carapichaima, Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo
Dattatreya Mandir and 85-foot Karyasiddhi Hanuman Murti, Datta Drive, Orangefield, Carapichaima, Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo
Shiva Lingam Mandir, Patiram Trace, Penal, Penal-Debe
Ganga Dhara festival at the Trinnaadeeshwar Mahadeo Ghat, Kailash Ghat, Hanuman Ghat, Tulsidas Ghat, Ardha Naareshvar Ghat, and Mundan Sanskaar Ghat at Marianne River Blanchisseuse, Tunapuna-Piarco^[9]
Siapria Mai (La Divina Pastora) Church, La Pastora Street, Siparia, Siparia region
Exchange Village Shiv Mandir, Brickfield Road Exchange Village, Couva, Couva–Tabaquite–Talparo^[10]
Moose Bhagat Mandir, Naparima Mayaro Road Mairad Village, Tableland, Princes Town^[11]^[12]
Shiva Mandir, 1 Railway Road Reform Village, Gasparillo, Princes Town^[13]
Balka Devi Mandir (Mud Volcano Temple), St. Marie Road, Cedros, Siparia^[14]
Shree Pavan Putra Hanuman Shiv Shakti Mandir Cunjal Road, Cunjal, Princes Town^[15]
Triveni Mandir, Sisters Road, Hardbargain Village, Williamsville, Princes Town^[16]