India is considered one of the most spiritual places on earth. The birthplace of Yoga, and several major religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, India has been a magnet for spiritual seekers for centuries. Steve Jobs went to India. The Beatles went to India. Mark Twain went to India. India is alive with spiritual traditions representing just about every major religion on earth. There are Indian festivals just about every day, many holy cities, and pilgrimage sites and routes all across the country, far too many to count. From a certain perspective, every place in India is sacred. I’s not easy to choose just a few spiritual places in India, so here are some places that are more well-known to foreigners.
Varanasi
One of the oldest cities on earth, Varanasi is the most sacred city in India to Hindus, number one among the seven holy cities of India. Varanasi was formerly called Kashi and associated with a kingdom of the same name of 2,500 years ago, but the city may be more than 5,000 years old. Located along a unique stretch of the Ganga River – one of the only places where the 2,510 kilometre river runs in a northerly direction, rather than its usual south-easterly direction – Varanasi hums with fervour day and night. There are 84 Ghats lining the river on the west side in Varanasi, and here is where the faithful congregate to perform pujas and take dips in the river. It is also where the cremations take place that burn day and night (at Manikarnika Ghat).
Haridwar
Just about a four or five hour drive north of Delhi, Haridwar is one of the seven holy cities of India, collectively known as Sapta Puri. It is the most northern of the holy cities, situated at the place when the foothills of the Himalayas (the Shivaliks) ripple to an end. Here, the sacred Ganga River leaves the mountains and enters the plains, beginning a very long journey across the length of India. In Haridwar, the Ganga runs through a well-managed canal, overseen by a 30-metre tall statue of Lord Shiva. This is the official start of Dev Bhoomi, land of the gods, and the abode of Shiva. Har ki Pauri (which means the footsteps of Shiva in Hindi) is the sacred centre of Haridwar. According to mythology, Har ki Pauri is one of four places in India where drops of immortal nectar – known as amrit – were spilled by the celestial bird Garuda. The massive Kumbh Mela festival – the largest spiritual gathering on earth – takes place in Haridwar, centred around Har ki Pauri, every 12 years. Hindus believe that taking a dip in the Ganga at Har ki Pauri is believed to wash away one’s sins. I wrote about my experience attending the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar in 2010.
Amritsar
Amritsar is a big, busy city in the north Indian state of Punjab. It is known for its rich cuisine, its strategic role in Indian history, and for being the home of the Golden Temple. The real name of the Golden Temple is Harmandir Sahib, and this massive gurudwara is the centre of the Sikh religion. The Golden Temple is in the heart of Amritsar, surrounded by a vast complex that includes huge kitchens, and beyond that, the main market area of the city. The kitchens are in full operation every day as the gurudwara makes food to feed up to 100,000 people a day, for free, in a practice called langar. Visitors stream into the Golden Temple night and day to pray, dip in the huge tank, volunteer, eat the langar on offer, and absorb the profoundly peaceful vibes. Though the Golden Temple is a busy place, it manages to retain a deeply serene, spiritual atmosphere that affects people. Many visitors to India report the Golden Temple as the most spiritual destination they experienced.
Pushkar
Pushkar is a very special place. A small, serene town in the Rajasthani desert between Jaipur and Jodhpur, it is famous as the site of the only Brahma Temple in India. The entire town is imbued with sanctity as the town is home to hundreds of temples and 52 ghats that encircle a small, sacred lake. Though small in size, Pushkar is associated with many large myths and legends. It is said that Pushkar Lake was created when Brahma killed a demon with a lotus stalk. As the petals fell, they formed a lake. There are many legends about why there is only one Brahma Temple – but essentially they all come down to a curse.
Tiruvannamalai
Tiruvannamalai, a town in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is well-known as a spiritual pilgrimage destination. It’s renowned primarily for three things: a significant (and grand) Shiva temple, Mount Arunachala, and Sri Ramana Maharshi. Mount Arunachala, on the outskirts of Tiruvannamalai, overlooks the town and the Annamalaiyar Temple – which is one of the largest in India. It covers an area of 25 acres and houses one of the tallest temple towers in India.
Vrindavan / Mathura
According to myth, the playful Hindu god Krishna, beloved in India, was born in Mathura and grew up in nearby Vrindavan (now in the state of Uttar Pradesh). Many images depict the cherubic god cavorting with gopis (female cow herders) in verdant meadows and thick forests, or by the banks of the fast flowing Yamuna River. If you have these bucolic images in your mind when you travel to Vrindavan / Mathura, you will be sorely disappointed.
Bodh Gaya
The Buddha was born Siddhartha Gautama in approximately 563 B.C. He was a prince, born into wealth and privilege, who renounced his position to wander and meditate. After some time, he decided to sit under a bodhi tree to meditate until he attained enlightenment and understood both the causes of suffering and how to be released from it. It was under the bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya – in the present state of Bihar – that Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha, the “Awakened One.” The current bodhi tree, found inside the UNESCO World Heritage Mahabodhi Temple complex, is not the original tree, which sadly died. However, it was grown from a cutting related to the original tree.