India is known for its rich heritage and culture and being part of one of the
world’s oldest civilisations, it has beautifully preserved its ancient roots and
beliefs through various art and architecture such as temples, monuments,
inscriptions, etc.
India is known as the land of temples that are very sacred to its devotees.
Though most temples belong to Hinduism but Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists too have
their own temples. These temples generally are the houses of different Gods and
Goddesses but more than that they are deeply rooted into the hearts of the
devotees.

Importance of Temples

• These are the places of worship. People come with hopes, devotion and love for their Gods.
• Many temples are also used as meditation centers that focus on the divine and self.
• They are great source of information. Temples tell a lot about history and their relevance in present context.
• Temples also help decode history. They are rich source of information about kings, people, socio-cultural constructs, etc.
• They help people overcome stress, fight fear and above all, introspect about their actions.
• Temples are also very beautiful and with little intricate designs, they are great works of art.

Famous Temples in India

Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand

District	Rudraprayag
Climate	Summers are cool with average temperature of 17 degree celsius
Built by	Built by the Pandavas and restructured by Adi Shankaracharya
Best season to visit	April to June
Elevation of place	3553m
Nearest Airport	Jolly Grant Airport near Dehradun
Main Deity	Shiva

The temple lies in the Garhwal range of Himalayas. It is one of the most sacred temples in India. This temple is said to have been built by the Pandavas at the time of Mahabharata. Then in the 8^th century, it was restructured by Adi Shankaracharya. To reach to the temple, one needs to trek for a distance of 14kms on a hilly terrain.

The temple has glaciers, snow-laden peaks and it is closed in winters. 

Jagannath Temple, Odisha

District	Puri
Climate	Tropical climate, humidity is high, winters are cool
Built by	Ananta Varman Chodaganga Deva of Ganga Dyansty
Best season to visit	October to February
Elevation of place	65m
Nearest Airport	Bhubaneswar Airport
Main Deity	Lord Vishnu as Jagannath

Jagannath temple forms part of the Chardhams of India. This temple is very famous for its ratha yatra festival. The temple was built in 12^th century AD. Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs are also allowed in the temple. At one point of time, the temple was destroyed by Firoz Shah Tughlaq towards the end of his reign. 

Kashi Vishvanath Temple, Uttar Pradesh

District	Varanasi
Climate	Hot summer, cool winters
Built by	Rani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore
Best season to visit	October to February
Elevation of place	77m
Nearest Airport	Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport or Babatpur Airport
Main Deity	Lord Shiva

It is a general belief among Hindus that those who spend their final days in Varanasi, get relieved from cycle of brith and rebirth. The temple is situated close to river Ganga and it forms part of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva temples. It was repeatedly destroyed by many invaders such as Muhammad Ghori, Sikander Lodi, Aurangzeb. 

Vaishno Devi Temple, Jammu and Kashmir

District	Katra
Climate	summers are short, hot, humid, and clear and the winters are short, cold, and partly cloudy
Built by	Padavas
Best season to visit	March to October
Elevation of place	1585m
Nearest Airport	Jammu (IXJ) Airport
Main Deity	Parvati, Saraswati, Lakshmi

The temple is recognised as one of the 51 Maha Shakti Peethas dedicated to Durga. The sacred place is one of the most visited pilgrimages in the world. The first mention of Vaishno Devi is found in the Mahabharata and therefore it is believed that it was Pandavas who started worshipping at this place first and made it sacred. 

Somnath Temple, Gujarat

District	Somnath
Climate	Summers are extremely hot, winters are pleasant
Built by	Pratishtha King Nag Bhatt II
Best season to visit	October to February
Elevation of place	8m
Nearest Airport	Diu Airport
Main Deity	Lord Shiva

The temple is located in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples of India. Mahmud Ghazni looted the precious jewels of the temple and also slaughtered many pilgrims. He then went on to burn the temple and destroyed it. 

Badrinath Temple, Uttarakhand

District	Chamoli
Climate	Summers are pleasant with average temperature of 18 degree celsius, winter remains cold, chilly and snowy
Built by	Adi Shankaracharya
Best season to visit	May to June and September to October
Elevation of place	3300m
Nearest Airport	Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun
Main Deity	Lord Vishnu

This temple is also known as Badrinarayana temple. It is located close to Alaknanda river and this one of the Char Dhams of Hindus. This temple can be visited only from April to November due to harsh winter in rest of the months.

Sun Temple, Odisha

District	Konark
Climate	tropical climate, characterised by high temperature, high humidity, medium to high rainfall and short and mild winters
Built by	King Narasimha Deva I
Best season to visit	September to March
Elevation of place	2m
Nearest Airport	Bhubaneswar (BBI) Airport
Main Deity	Surya Deva

The temple is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it has been built in the shape of a chariot. The inside of the temple is mesmerising, beautifully decorated with intricate designs. 

Ramanathaswamy Temple, Tamil Nadu

District	Rameswaram
Climate	tropical climate, characterised by high temperature, high humidity
Built by	Sethupathy Maravar started, finished by Maravar
Best season to visit	December to February
Elevation of place	10m
Nearest Airport	Madurai Airport
Main Deity	Lord Shiva

This temple is part of 12 Jyotirlingas dedicated to Lord Shiva. Rameswaram is also part of Char Dhams in India. Here Lord Ram, after defeating Ravana prayed to Lord Shiva for atonement of killing Ravana who was a Brahmin.

Siddhivinayak Temple, Maharashtra

District	Mumbai
Climate	tropical, wet and dry climate
Built by	Laxman Vithu
Best season to visit	October to February
Elevation of place	14m
Nearest Airport	Chhatrapati Shivaji Aiport
Main Deity	Lord Ganesh

The temple has eight images of Lord Ganesha. It was built around 1801 AD. The temple witnesses a huge crowd during the aarti. There is also a Hanuman temple in the complex. 

Golden Temple, Punjab

District	Amritsar
Climate	hot semi-arid climate, extreme winters
Built by	Guru Arjan Dev
Best season to visit	October to February
Elevation of place	218m
Nearest Airport	Amritsar (ATQ) Airport
Main Deity	Unknown

The temple is one of the most pious places for Sikhs. It represents universal equality and brotherhood. People from any religion can visit the place. The temple is also known as Harmandir Sahib or Darbar Sahib.

WELL THAT’S ALL YOU NEED FOR YOUR NEXT MEMORABLE TEMPLE VISIT. YOU HAVE THE LOCATIONS, YOU HAVE THE GEARS, YOU HAVE THE SPIRIT. DISCOVER THE ANCIENT BEAUTY OF INDIA WITH THESE MAGNIFICENT TEMPLES.

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