Prabhas Patan, Veraval, Gujarat Shiva

The first of the twelve Jyotirlingas, on the Arabian Sea coast — rebuilt many times through history.

Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh Shiva

Both a Jyotirlinga and a Shakti Peetha, set on the Nallamala hills above the Krishna river.

Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh Shiva

Famous for the pre-dawn Bhasma Aarti, where the lingam is bathed with sacred ash.

Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh Shiva

On an island in the Narmada shaped like the sacred 'Om' symbol.

Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand Shiva

The highest Jyotirlinga, in the Garhwal Himalayas — part of the Chota Char Dham yatra.

Pune, Maharashtra Shiva

In the Sahyadri hills, source of the Bhima river and surrounded by a wildlife sanctuary.

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Shiva

The golden-spired Jyotirlinga in the holiest city, beside the Ganga ghats.

Nashik, Maharashtra Shiva

Source of the Godavari river; the lingam has three faces of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

Deoghar, Jharkhand Shiva

A Jyotirlinga and Shakti Peetha; the Shravani Mela draws millions of kanwariyas.

Dwarka, Gujarat Shiva

Near Dwarka, marked by a towering open-air statue of a seated Shiva.

Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu Shiva

A Jyotirlinga and one of the four Char Dham; famed for its long corridors and 22 sacred wells.

Ellora, Aurangabad, Maharashtra Shiva

The last of the twelve Jyotirlingas, beside the Ellora caves.

Chamoli, Uttarakhand Vishnu

Vishnu's Himalayan abode — one of the four Char Dham and the Chota Char Dham.

Dwarka, Gujarat Krishna

Krishna's western kingdom — one of the four Char Dham, its flag changed five times daily.

Puri, Odisha Krishna (Jagannath)

One of the four Char Dham; home of the world-famous Rath Yatra chariot festival.

Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand Goddess Yamuna

Source shrine of the Yamuna and the first stop of the Chota Char Dham.

Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand Goddess Ganga

Source shrine of the Ganga, part of the Chota Char Dham yatra.

Katra, Jammu & Kashmir Goddess Durga

The hill cave shrine of the Mother Goddess, reached by a ~13 km uphill walk from Katra.

Guwahati, Assam Goddess Kamakhya

The foremost Shakti Peetha and a major Tantric centre, on Nilachal Hill.

Kolkata, West Bengal Goddess Kali

One of the 51 Shakti Peethas, from which the city of Calcutta takes its name.

Kolkata, West Bengal Goddess Kali

The grand riverside Kali temple associated with Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

Kangra, Himachal Pradesh Goddess Jwalamukhi

A Shakti Peetha where the Goddess is worshipped as an eternal natural flame.

Kangra, Himachal Pradesh Goddess Chamunda

A revered Devi shrine in the Dhauladhar foothills near Dharamshala.

Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh Goddess Naina Devi

A hilltop Shakti Peetha overlooking the Govind Sagar lake.

Haridwar, Uttarakhand Goddess Mansa Devi

A wish-fulfilling Devi temple on Bilwa Parvat above Haridwar.

Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh Goddess Vindhyavasini

An ancient Devi shrine on the Ganga, centre of the Vindhya Parikrama.

Kolhapur, Maharashtra Goddess Lakshmi

A Shakti Peetha where sunrays touch the deity (Kirnotsav) on certain days each year.

Madurai, Tamil Nadu Goddess Meenakshi (Parvati)

A vast temple city with towering, sculpture-covered gopurams, dedicated to Meenakshi and Sundareshwarar.

Kollur, Karnataka Goddess Mookambika

A famed Devi temple in the Western Ghats, popular for Vidyarambham (start of learning).

Tirupati (Tirumala), Andhra Pradesh Vishnu (Balaji)

One of the most-visited shrines on earth — Lord Venkateswara on the Tirumala hills.

Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu Vishnu (Ranganatha)

The foremost of the 108 Divya Desams and one of the largest functioning temple complexes in the world.

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Vishnu (Anantha Padmanabha)

Vishnu reclining on the serpent Ananta — a Divya Desam known for its strict traditions.

Guruvayur, Kerala Krishna (Guruvayurappan)

The 'Dwarka of the South' — a beloved Krishna temple, a major venue for weddings and rice-feeding ceremonies.

Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh Krishna

Vrindavan's most popular Krishna shrine, where the curtain opens and closes through darshan.

Mathura, Uttar Pradesh Krishna

The birthplace of Lord Krishna in Mathura.

Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh Rama

The grand temple at Ram Janmabhoomi, the birthplace of Lord Rama on the Sarayu.

Mumbai, Maharashtra Ganesha

Mumbai's most famous Ganesha temple, thronged on Tuesdays and Sankashti Chaturthi.

Pune, Maharashtra Ganesha

Pune's celebrated Ganesha temple, the heart of the city's Ganeshotsav.

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Hanuman

An ancient Hanuman temple founded by Goswami Tulsidas in Kashi.

Salasar, Churu, Rajasthan Hanuman

A hugely popular Hanuman shrine in Shekhawati, where the deity is shown with a beard and moustache.

Palani, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu Murugan (Kartikeya)

One of the six abodes (Arupadai Veedu) of Lord Murugan, atop a hill.

Pathanamthitta, Kerala Ayyappa

A forest hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa, reached after a vratham and a trek through the Periyar reserve.

Shirdi, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra Sai Baba

The samadhi shrine of Sai Baba of Shirdi, visited by people of all faiths.

Ahmednagar, Maharashtra Shani (Saturn)

A famous Shani shrine in a village known for houses without doors, kept safe by Shani Dev.

Konark, Puri, Odisha Surya (Sun)

The 13th-century Sun temple shaped as Surya's chariot — a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bhubaneswar, Odisha Shiva (Harihara)

The largest and grandest of Bhubaneswar's ancient temples, dedicated to Harihara.

Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu Shiva

The thousand-year-old Chola 'Big Temple' — a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a colossal vimana.

Hampi, Karnataka Shiva (Virupaksha)

A living temple amid the ruins of Vijayanagara — part of the Hampi World Heritage Site.

Mumbai, Maharashtra Goddess Lakshmi

A seaside temple to Mahalakshmi, Mahakali and Mahasaraswati in south Mumbai.

New Delhi, Delhi Vishnu & Lakshmi

Delhi's landmark Birla Mandir to Lakshmi-Narayan, inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi.

Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu Shiva (Fire)

The Pancha Bhoota Sthalam for the fire element, at the foot of the sacred Annamalai hill.

Srikalahasti, Andhra Pradesh Shiva (Air)

The Pancha Bhoota Sthalam for the air element, famed for Rahu-Ketu and Kala Sarpa Dosha pujas.

Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu Shiva (Nataraja / Space)

The Pancha Bhoota Sthalam for space (akasha), home of Shiva as the cosmic dancer Nataraja.

Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu Shiva (Water)

The Pancha Bhoota Sthalam for the water element, with a perennial spring at the lingam.

Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu Shiva (Earth)

The Pancha Bhoota Sthalam for the earth element, with a towering gopuram and an ancient mango tree.

Gokarna, Karnataka Shiva

A coastal Shiva temple holding the Atma Linga, one of the holiest shrines of the west coast.

Murudeshwar, Karnataka Shiva

A seaside Shiva temple famed for the world's second-tallest Shiva statue and a giant gopura.

Tarakeswar, West Bengal Shiva

Bengal's most popular Shiva temple, thronged by kanwariyas through the month of Shravan.

Nathdwara, Rajasthan Krishna (Shrinathji)

The chief seat of the Pushtimarg, where Krishna is worshipped as seven-year-old Shrinathji.

Udupi, Karnataka Krishna

The Madhwa Vaishnava matha founded by Sri Madhvacharya, where Krishna is seen through a silver window.

Pandharpur, Maharashtra Vitthal (Krishna)

The heart of the Warkari tradition, where Lord Vitthal stands on a brick beside the Chandrabhaga.

Bhadrachalam, Telangana Rama

A celebrated Rama temple on the Godavari, the great venue for Sri Rama Navami Kalyanam.

Dakor, Gujarat Krishna

A major Krishna (Ranchhodrai) temple, especially crowded on full-moon days.

Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu Vishnu

A grand Divya Desam to Vishnu as Varadaraja, with a famed thousand-pillar hall.

Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh Narasimha (Vishnu)

A hill temple to Varaha Narasimha, whose idol stays covered in sandal paste most of the year.

Jaipur, Rajasthan Krishna

Jaipur's beloved Krishna temple in the City Palace gardens, with seven daily jhankis.

Tarapith, West Bengal Goddess Tara

A famed Shakti Peetha and Tantric shrine of Goddess Tara, linked with the saint Bamakhepa.

Ambaji, Banaskantha, Gujarat Goddess Amba

A major Shakti Peetha where the Goddess is worshipped as a sacred Shri Yantra, not an idol.

Mysuru, Karnataka Goddess Chamundeshwari

The hilltop guardian goddess of Mysore atop Chamundi Hills, central to the royal Dasara.

Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh Goddess Durga

A revered Durga temple on Indrakeeladri hill, overlooking the Krishna river.

Maihar, Madhya Pradesh Goddess Sharda

A hilltop Devi shrine reached by over a thousand steps (or a ropeway), linked to the legend of Alha-Udal.

Deshnok, Bikaner, Rajasthan Goddess Karni Mata

The famous temple where thousands of sacred rats (kabas) are revered as the Goddess's devotees.

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Goddess Bhagavathy

Known as the 'Sabarimala of women', famed for the record-setting Attukal Pongala.

Sringeri, Karnataka Goddess Sharada

The Sharada shrine at the first matha founded by Adi Shankaracharya, on the Tunga river.

Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu Goddess Kamakshi

One of the principal Shakti temples of the south, associated with the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.

Mumbai, Maharashtra Goddess Mumba Devi

The patron goddess of Mumbai, from whom the city takes its name.

Khatu, Sikar, Rajasthan Khatushyam (Krishna)

An immensely popular shrine to Barbarika, blessed by Krishna to be worshipped in his own name (Shyam).

Dausa, Rajasthan Hanuman (Balaji)

A Hanuman temple widely visited for relief from negative energies and afflictions.

Dharmasthala, Karnataka Shiva (Manjunatha)

A unique temple where a Shiva lingam is administered by a Jain Heggade family and Vaishnava priests.

Subramanya, Karnataka Subramanya (Murugan)

A serpent-god temple where Subramanya is worshipped; the foremost shrine for Sarpa Dosha remedies.

Yadagirigutta, Telangana Narasimha (Vishnu)

A grandly rebuilt hill temple to Lakshmi Narasimha, a major Telangana pilgrimage centre.

Bengaluru, Karnataka Krishna

One of the largest ISKCON temples in the world, a modern Radha-Krishna cultural complex.

Hyderabad, Telangana Vishnu (Venkateswara)

A white-marble hilltop temple to Lord Venkateswara, overlooking the city and Hussain Sagar.

Modhera, Mehsana, Gujarat Surya (Sun)

An 11th-century Solanki-era Sun temple with a stepped tank (Surya Kund) and carved sabha mandap.

Pushkar, Ajmer, Rajasthan Brahma

One of the very few temples to Lord Brahma in the world, beside the sacred Pushkar Lake.

Khajuraho, Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh Shiva

The grandest of the Chandela temples and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famed for its sculpture.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu Shiva

Chennai's iconic Dravidian Shiva temple in Mylapore, with a vividly painted gopuram.

Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh Shiva (Veerabhadra)

A 16th-century Vijayanagara temple famous for its hanging pillar, murals and giant monolithic Nandi.

Jaipur, Rajasthan Surya & Hanuman

An old pilgrimage site of temples and sacred water tanks (kunds) set in a hill gorge near Jaipur.

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Goddess Annapurna

The temple of the goddess of food and nourishment, beside Kashi Vishwanath.