Our country’s great religious diversity leads to the emergence of several religious places or revered pilgrimage destinations in almost every corner of the country. Hinduism being the religion of the majority of Indian population, our country is dotted with several beautiful temples that differ from each other in terms of architectural style, presiding deity, and religious fervor and so on. When it comes to the various famed temples of India, their intense mythological connections cannot just be ignored. Thus every temple of our country is backed by the support of a fanciful myth that fuses with its religiosity to turn it into a compelling edifice of divinity. Some of the most famous temples of India has been listed below. Read on to learn more-

1. Badrinath Temple

Badrinath temple perched at an elevation of 3300m above the sea level falls in Uttarakhand Chamoli district and is a revered shrine belonging to lord Vishnu enshrined here in the form of Badrinarayan. The temple enshrines a black stone or Shaligram Shila Chaturbhuj idol of the lord seated in Padmasana; a meditative pose. Badrinath Dham is the last of the Chardham in the Chota Chardham circuit and devotees after having paid their Darshan at Badrinath Dham is said to have completed their Chardham Yatra successfully.

2. Kashi Vishwanath

Kashi Vishwanath temple is located in the ancient city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The temple is one of the most ancient and revered Lord Shiva shrines and finds a mention in many of our ancient Puranic texts such as the very old Skanda Purana. Kashi Vishwanath temple is counted among the 12 holy Jyotirlingam shrines that our country is graced with. The temple lies along the banks of holy Ganges River and has the famous Manikarnika Ghat in its vicinity. Lord Shiva is worshipped as ‘Vishwanath’ or ‘ruler of Universe’ at this place.

3. Jagannath Temple

Jagannath Temple of Puri along the eastern coastline of the country falling in the state of Orissa is a revered shrine dedicated to lord Jagannath who is but a manifestation of lord Vishnu. The temple however enshrines three idols and not alone the idol of Lord Jagannath. The 3 idols are that of Balabhadra; lord Jagannath’s elder brother; that of Subhadra, lord Jagannath sister and that of Lord Jagannath himself. The Jagannath Temple is one of the four Dham of the Maha-parikrama All-India Chardham circuit and the annual Rath yatra associated with the temple makes it acquire a distinct place in the world map.

4. Tirupati Balaji

Tirupati Balaji temple is a magnificent Dravidian temple atop Tirumala Hills of Andhra Pradesh. The temple houses the deity of Lord Venkateswara who is but a manifestation of lord Vishnu. As per legends lord Venkateswara will reside here for the entire span of this Kali Yuga. Each day this temple is thronged by millions of pilgrims who make hefty donations to the temple, thereby making it stand out as the country’s richest Vaishnava shrine.

5. Dwarka Temple

The temple of Dwarka is known by the name of Dwarkadheesh temple is an abode of Lord Krishna enshrined here in his royal ensembles. The lord is presented here as the supreme king or ruler of Dwarka. Dwarkadheesh temple is one of the revered Dham of the Maha Parikrama Chardham Yatra. The temple stands along the River banks of the Gomti and comes within the western Indian state of Gujarat. The temple is a huge 5-storied structure consisting in as many as 72 pillars. The other name for Dwarka temple is Jagat Mandir.

6. Rameshwaram Temple

Rameshwaram Temple belongs to lord Ramanathaswamy who is but a form of lord Shiva. The temple is situated on the island of Rameshwaram off the coastline of Tamil Nadu. The temple is one of the Dham of the All-India, Maha Parikrama Chardham circuit and is a revered Jyotirlingam shrine of Lord Shiva. According to the legendary tales, the lingam of Lord Shiva at this temple was installed by lord Rama who had worshipped lord Shiva at this spot to get respite from sin of destroying the demon king Ravana during the battle of Ramayana.

7. Golden Temple

Golden Temple, also known as the Harmandir Sahib is one of the holiest places for the pilgrims of the Sikh community. Pilgrims from every nook and corner of the country visit the Golden temple to find spiritual solace. The temple is located in Punjab’s famous city; Amritsar. The temple enshrines the much revered Guru Granth Sahib, a religious book of the Sikhs. The temple is called Golden Temple because the temple’s second level and dome are plated with pure gold amounting to nearly 750kgs. The pond amid which the temple stands is referred to as Amrit Sarovar and is considered to be a holy pond with miraculous healing powers.

8. Meenakshi Temple

Meenakshi temple is one of the most ancient and celebrated temples of South India. It is situated in Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu and calls forth pilgrims from far and wide. The central deity of this temple is Goddess Meenakshi who is none other than Goddess Parvati. Her consort; i.e. Lord Shiva too finds a place in the temple by the name of lord Sundareswarar but Goddess Meenakshi remains the main deity. As per legends the wedding between goddess Meenakshi and lord Sundareswarar was solemnized here and this temple is said to have been constructed by Indra Dev. The festival of Meenakshi Thirukalyanam associated with the temple is a pompous festival indeed and witnesses a huge conglomeration of pilgrims each year.

9. Vaishno Devi Temple

Vaishno Devi shrine belongs to Mata Vaishno devi commonly referred to as Mata Rani. The shrine is a cave shrine situated atop Trikuta Parvat ranges of Jammu and Kashmir. One has to trek uphill from Katra base camp to reach the shrine of Vaishno Devi; a celebrated Shakti Peeth of the country.

10. Kanchipuram Temples

Kanchipuram is dotted with several revered temples and each temple of this temple speaks of a rich Dravidian culture as well as of a glorious past. When we talk of Kanchipuram temples, the most important temples that come to our mind as the must-visit places of Kanchipuram are Ekambareswarar temple, Kamakshi Amman temple, Kailasanathar temple, Devarajaswami temple.