| Pilgrimage
of india |
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 India
is a religious land.
Ever since the dawn
of civilization, India
has been the birthplace
of many religions.
Being so, the country
boasts of a lot of
pilgrim destinations
within its precincts.
Rich in mythology,
it has a number of
temples, mosques,
monasteries, churches
and gurdwaras, which
attract lakhs of devotees
every year. People
belonging to various
religions come here
to visit the various
pilgrimages and obtain
the divine blessings
of God, seeking forgiveness
for all their sins.
Hinduism, the oldest
religion of the world,
has many shrines all
over India. Hindus
settled in various
parts of the world
come to India to visit
their scared temples
and get darshan of
the Divine Being.
Similarly, the country
has numerous shrines
belonging to other
religions as well.
Buddhists come to
visit Bodhgaya, where
Lord Buddha received
enlightenment, and
Sarnath, where He
delivered his first
sermon.
There are also many
Buddhist monasteries
in Himachal Pradesh
and Ladakh. For the
Sikhs, there is Anandpur
Sahib, Golden Temple
and Gurudwara Bangla
Sahib. It is said
that Christianity
was introduced in
India by St. Thomas
or Doubting Thomas,
in 52 AD. Indian Churches,
with their distinct
archaeological British,
Portuguese, French
and Indian designs,
serve as a reminder
of the same. If this
was not enough, India
boasts of housing
shrines of Jains and
Muslims too.
 The
multi hued country,
India is probably
the ultimate destination
of all kinds of pilgrims
following any faith
around the world.
The great religions
like Hinduism, Buddhism,
Jainism, Islam, Christianity
and Sikhism are the
integral part of Indian
culture and heritage
whose values and faiths
are mingled with the
air, soil and the
sky of India. You
can feel the blissful
serenity of the Indian
atmosphere where Lord
Buddha, Mahabir Jain,
Shri Sathya Sai Baba
and Guru Nanak once
walked turning the
Indian soil pious
and blessed at the
different circle of
time wheel. There
are numerous destinations
in India which are
considered sacred
by people following
different faith because
of their religious
importance. A visit
to the Kedarnath or
Badrinath will take
you to the Himalayas
which is believed
to be the abode of
330 million gods and
goddesses and you
can feel the immense
divinity in the air
itself. It is widely
believed that after
breathing in the holy
atmosphere of Varanasi
or Haridwar or taking
a dip into the sacred
Pushkar Lake or river
Ganges washes away
the sins and helps
one to attain nirvana
(salvation). The divine
Buddha pilgrimages,
Bodhgaya and Sarnath
are the destinations
of thousands of Buddhist
pilgrims every year
coming from each and
every corner of the
earth.
India is a nation
that believes in the
ideology of unity
in diversity. It is
an abode to different
religions, cultures,
traditions, ethnic
values and customs.
Over 80% of India's
population practices
Hinduism. Other major
religions in India
are Sikhism, Jainism,
Christianity, Buddhism
and Islam.
 The
holy Ganges flow abundantly
in North India which
makes it a popular
destination for devotees.
North India is dotted
with popular pilgrim
places like Rishikesh,
Kedarnath, Haridwar,
Gangotri, Badrinath,
Mathura, Ayodhya and
Ujjain. Gangotri,
Yamunotri, Kedarnath
and Badrinath are
the four major shrines
that constitute the
Char Dham. The Char
Dham tour is considered
to be the most scared
of all Hindu religious
tours.
North India also has
various Buddhist Pilgrim
sites like Kapilavastu
(Piprahwa), Kaushambi,
Kushinagar, Sanchi,
Sankisa and Sravasti.
Harmandir Sahib, popularly
known as the Golden
Temple, is located
in Amritsar. It is
considered the holiest
shrine for Sikhs.
Western India includes
states of Goa, Gujarat
and Maharashtra. Goa
is a state of diverse
religious cultures
and attracts tourist
from all over the
world. Goa has beautiful
churches, elaborate
temples and mosques.
The state of Gujarat
has important Jain
temples, besides several
Hindu shrines. The
most prominent Jain
shrine is the rectangular
Neminath temple. Akshardham
Temple, Dwarkadhish
Temple, Sun Temple
and Somnath Temple
are other popular
religious places in
Gujarat.
 In
Maharashtra, there
are many popular pilgrimage
sites like Shirdi,
Hazi Ali tomb, Mount
Marry Church, Nashik
and Shri Hazur Abchalnagar
Sahib of Nanded (Gurudwara)
to name a few.
Eastern India includes
pilgrimage sites of
West Bengal, Orissa,
Bihar and Jharkhand.
West Bengal has holy
places like Katra
mosque, Adinath Temple,
Hare Krishna Mandir
and Kali Mandir. Sacred
places in Darjeeling
are St. Andrew?s Church
and Bhutia Busty Monastery.
In Odisha, one can
visit famous religious
places like Jagannath
Temple in Puri and
Temple at Konark.
Religious places in
South India are: Amaravati,
Guruvayoor Temple,
Kalpathi Temple,?Meenakshi
Temple, Udupi, The
Thousand Pillars Temple
and Sabarimala Temple. |
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