In Hinduism, the yatra (pilgrimage) to the tirthas (sacred places) has special significance for earning the punya (spiritual merit) needed to attain the moksha (salvation) by performing the darśana (viewing of deity), the parikrama (circumambulation), the yajna (sacrificial fire offering), the Dhyana (spiritual contemplation), the puja (worship), the prarthana (prayer, which could be in the form of mantra - sacred chants, bhajan - prayer singing, or kirtan - collective musical prayer performance), the dakshina (alms and donation for worthy cause), the seva (selfless service towards community, devotees or temple), the bhandara (running volunteer community kitchen for pilgrims), etc. These sacred places are usually located on the banks of sacred waters, such as sacred rivers or their tributaries (among the rigvedic rivers of sapta sindhu the trio ganges-yamuna-saraswati are considered most sacred), the kundas (pond or lake, among these the Lake Manasarovar is considered most scared), the ghats (water bodies with stairs such as Ghats in Varanasi), or the stepwells (among these the rani ki vav in the form of inverted temple is considered most spectacular), or the temple tanks.
In order of importance, in India there are 7 Sapta Puri holy cities, 4 Dhams (Char Dham) and 12 Jyotirlings devoted to the Lord Shiva, 51 Shakti Pithas devoted to the feminine manifestation of the god, the eight swayambhu Vishnu temples (Badrinath, Naimisharanya, Saligram Muktinath, Srimushnam, Tiruchirappalli, Tirupati, Nanguneri, Pushkar) and the important Lord Rama circuit (Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Hampi and Rameswaram)[1] and Lord Krishna circuit (Braj, Kurukshetra and Dwarka).[2]
All the tirth places which are important in Hinduism is mentioned below. Madhva saint Vadiraja Tirtha of sixteenth century has written Tirtha Prabandha a document on travelogue of pilgrimage centres throughout India.
Most visited Pilgrimage Places
Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi
Ayodhya is an ancient holy city in Uttar Pradesh, which is one of the seven holy HinduSaptapuri cites, and considered the home to Ram Janmabhoomi, the birth place of Rama. The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, India is a Hindu temple, that was inaugurated[4] on 22 January 2024 after a prana pratishtha (consecration) ceremony.[5][4] In Hindu tradition, this temple is believed to be located at an ancient pilgrimage site of Ram Janmabhoomi, the mythical birthplace of Rama, a principal deity of Hinduism.[6][7][8]Ayodhya's Ram temple is projected to have 50 million visitors per year, which will make it the top pilgrimage site in the world.[9][10]
Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi)
Kashi Vishwanath Temple is Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in the ancient holy city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple is a prominent Hindu pilgrimage site, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines. The presiding deity is known by the names Vishwanath and Vishweshwara (IAST: Viśvanātha and Viśveśvara), literally meaning Lord of the Universe. The temple has been managed by a board of trustees set up by the government of Uttar Pradesh since 1983.[11] On 1 January 2023, a record 3.35 lakh pilgrims visited the temple. In the month of January 2023, the temple saw an average footfall of above 45,000 per day.[12] According to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, 10 crore (1 billion) visitors have made the pilgrimage to this temple since the inauguration of the corridor in December 2021.[13]
Vaishno Devi Temple, also known as the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple and Vaishno Devi Bhavan, is a Hindu mandir (temple) located in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, dedicated to Vaishno Devi, a manifestation of Durga.[16][17][18][19] It is located on the Trikuta mountain at 5,000 feet elevation.[20] The Shakti tradition considers it to be a Shakti Pitha.[21] The temple is governed by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) and has been chaired by the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir since August 1986.[22]
It is one of the most popular Hindu pilgrimage sites in north-west India, with millions of devotees visiting the hill temple annually.[23] In 2018, the Vaishno Devi shrine reported that it had received 8.5 million pilgrims that year.[24]
Braj, also called as Mathura Puri is a 84 kos tirth kshetra present in the state of Uttar Pradesh,India. It is dedicated to Vishnu as krishna. Today this Braj region consist of mathura district of uttar pradesh and some parts of the state of Haryana and Rajasthan.Temples present here are established by the Grandson of Krishna, "Vajranabh". Therefore this tirth is known by the name of Vajranabh as Braj.This tirth is mentioned in skand puran,bhagvat puran,Brahma vaivarta puran,etc.
Braj Region is divided into many villages,these villages and their respective temples are mentioned below:-
Yogananda, Paramahansa (1997). Autobiography of a Yogi, 1997 Anniversary Edition p. 383. Self-Realization Fellowship (Founded by Yogananda) http://www.yogananda-srf.org/Archived 2020-12-18 at the Wayback Machine,
"India's Modi leads consecration of Ram temple in Ayodhya". Reuters. 22 January 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the consecration on Monday of a grand temple to the Hindu god Lord Ram on a site believed to be his birthplace