Pilgrimages and sacred places

12 Jyotirlingas (12)

The twelve shrines where Shiva is worshipped as a jyotirlinga, a linga of light, named in the Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram. They stretch from Kedarnath in the Himalaya to Rameswaram in the far south.

Some traditions place Vaidyanath at Parli Vaijnath (Maharashtra), and Nageshwar at Aundha Nagnath (Maharashtra) or Jageshwar (Uttarakhand).

Char Dham (4)

The four abodes at the four corners of India, associated with Adi Shankaracharya: Badrinath in the north, Dwarka in the west, Puri in the east and Rameswaram in the south. Visiting all four is a lifelong goal for many Hindus.

Chota Char Dham (Uttarakhand) (4)

The four Himalayan shrines of Uttarakhand, visited in order from west to east: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. They open in April–May and close for winter around Diwali.

Sapta Puri (the seven holy cities) (7)

Seven cities that the scriptures call giver of liberation (moksha): Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya (Haridwar), Kashi (Varanasi), Kanchi (Kanchipuram), Avantika (Ujjain) and Dvaravati (Dwarka).

Kumbh Mela sites (4)

The four places where the Kumbh Mela is held in turn, on the banks of sacred rivers: Prayagraj (the Sangam of the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati), Haridwar (Ganga), Nashik-Trimbakeshwar (Godavari) and Ujjain (Shipra).

18 Maha Shakti Peethas (18)

The eighteen great seats of the Goddess named in the Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram, traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya.

The location of the Shankari Peetha in Sri Lanka is not certain; it is traditionally identified with Trincomalee.

Shakti Peethas (66)

Places where, in the legend of Sati and Shiva, parts of Sati's body or ornaments fell to earth, each a seat of the Goddess. Traditions count 51, 52, 64 or 108 and identify some sites differently; this list follows the commonly listed sites and the body part each is linked with.

Several sites lie outside India's present boundaries, in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Tibet. Sharada Peeth, one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas, is in Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir.

Three and a half Shakti Peethas of Maharashtra (4)

Maharashtra's own grouping of the Goddess's seats: Mahalakshmi of Kolhapur, Tulja Bhavani of Tuljapur and Renuka of Mahur, with Saptashrungi of Vani counted as the half.

Panch Kedar (5)

Five Shiva temples of the Garhwal Himalaya where, in legend, parts of Shiva in the form of a bull appeared to the Pandavas: Kedarnath, Tungnath, Rudranath, Madhyamaheshwar and Kalpeshwar.

Panch Badri (5)

Five temples of Vishnu as Badrinarayan in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand: Badrinath (Vishal Badri), Yogadhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Vridha Badri and Adi Badri.

Pancha Bhoota Sthalams (5)

Five Shiva temples of South India, each standing for one of the five elements: earth (Kanchipuram), water (Thiruvanaikaval), fire (Tiruvannamalai), air (Srikalahasti) and space (Chidambaram).

Arupadai Veedu (six abodes of Murugan) (6)

The six sacred abodes of Lord Murugan in Tamil Nadu, praised in the Sangam-era poem Tirumurugarruppadai.

Ashtavinayak (8)

Eight temples of Ganesha around Pune in Maharashtra, each with a self-manifested (swayambhu) idol, traditionally visited in a set order starting and ending at Morgaon.

Four Mathas of Adi Shankaracharya (4)

The four monasteries (Amnaya Mathas) founded by Adi Shankaracharya in the four directions, each headed by a Shankaracharya: Sringeri (south), Dwarka (west), Puri (east) and Jyotirmath (north).

Panj Takht (five seats of Sikh authority) (5)

The five Takhts are the seats of religious authority of the Sikhs. The Akal Takht in Amritsar is the foremost.

Eight great places of the Buddha (8)

The places of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, first sermon and passing (Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar), with four places of his miracles (Rajgir, Vaishali, Shravasti, Sankisa). Seven are in India; Lumbini is in Nepal.

Major Jain tirthas (7)

Some of the most important Jain pilgrimage places, linked with the Tirthankaras. Jain tradition has many more tirthas; this is not a fixed list.