Hindu Temples in India: Timings & Darshan Guide

Vaishno Devi · Katra

Durga: Cave shrine of the Mother Goddess in the Trikuta hills; a 12 km trek or helicopter

Amarnath Cave · Pahalgam

Shiva: Natural ice lingam; the yatra is open only in July and August

Jwala Ji · Kangra

Durga: Shakti Peetha where eternal natural flames are worshipped as the goddess

Naina Devi · Bilaspur

Durga: Hilltop Shakti Peetha above the Gobind Sagar lake

Kedarnath Full guide · Rudraprayag

Shiva: Highest of the 12 Jyotirlingas and one of the Chota Char Dham

Badrinath · Chamoli

Vishnu: One of the four Char Dham and the Chota Char Dham, on the Alaknanda

Har Ki Pauri · Haridwar

Ganga: Evening Ganga aarti on the ghats; site of the Kumbh Mela

Kashi Vishwanath Full guide · Varanasi

Shiva: Jyotirlinga in the holiest city of Kashi, on the Ganga

Sankat Mochan Hanuman · Varanasi

Hanuman: Founded by Goswami Tulsidas; famous for its besan laddoo prasad

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi · Ayodhya

Rama: Temple at the birthplace of Lord Rama, consecrated in January 2024

Hanuman Garhi · Ayodhya

Hanuman: Hilltop fort-temple visited before Ram Lalla darshan

Krishna Janmabhoomi · Mathura

Krishna: Marks the prison cell where Krishna was born

Banke Bihari · Vrindavan

Krishna: Beloved Krishna temple where curtains are drawn every few minutes during darshan

Prem Mandir · Vrindavan

Krishna: White marble temple of Radha-Krishna and Sita-Rama, lit up at night

Akshardham · New Delhi

Swaminarayan: Vast carved sandstone and marble complex with exhibitions and a water show

Birla Mandir (Laxminarayan) · New Delhi

Vishnu: Lakshmi-Narayan temple inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1939

Salasar Balaji · Churu

Hanuman: Hanuman with a beard and moustache; huge fairs on Chaitra and Ashwin Purnima

Mehandipur Balaji · Dausa

Hanuman: Known for rituals of release from negative influences

Shrinathji · Nathdwara

Krishna: Child Krishna lifting Govardhan; home of Pichwai painting

Brahma Temple · Pushkar

Brahma: One of very few temples to Brahma, beside the holy Pushkar lake

Somnath Full guide · Veraval

Shiva: First of the 12 Jyotirlingas, on the Arabian Sea shore

Dwarkadhish · Dwarka

Krishna: Krishna's kingdom and one of the four Char Dham

Ambaji · Banaskantha

Durga: Shakti Peetha where a sacred yantra, not an idol, is worshipped

Shree Siddhivinayak Full guide · Mumbai

Ganesha: Right-trunked Ganesha in Prabhadevi; lakhs of devotees on Tuesdays

Mahalakshmi · Mumbai

Lakshmi: Mahalakshmi, Mahakali and Mahasaraswati by the sea at Breach Candy

Mahalaxmi (Ambabai) · Kolhapur

Lakshmi: Shakti Peetha; sunlight falls on the deity on set days each year (Kiranotsav)

Shirdi Sai Baba · Shirdi

Sai Baba: Samadhi Mandir of Sai Baba, visited by people of every faith

Trimbakeshwar Full guide · Nashik

Shiva: Jyotirlinga with three faces, near the source of the Godavari

Vitthal Rukmini · Pandharpur

Krishna: Vithoba, destination of the Ashadhi Ekadashi wari pilgrimage

Mahakaleshwar Full guide · Ujjain

Shiva: South-facing Jyotirlinga, famous for the dawn Bhasma Aarti

Omkareshwar Full guide · Khandwa

Shiva: Jyotirlinga on an Om-shaped island in the Narmada

Ram Raja Mandir · Orchha

Rama: Rama worshipped as a reigning king, with a guard of honour

Khajuraho (Kandariya Mahadeva) · Chhatarpur

Shiva: UNESCO World Heritage temple group of the Chandela kings

Jagannath · Puri

Krishna: Char Dham temple of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra; the Rath Yatra

Konark Sun Temple · Konark

Surya: UNESCO site built as the Sun god's giant stone chariot

Lingaraj · Bhubaneswar

Shiva: Great 11th-century temple of Harihara, Shiva and Vishnu in one

Kalighat · Kolkata

Kali: Shakti Peetha of Kali; gave its name to Calcutta, by one account

Dakshineswar Kali · Kolkata

Kali: Bhavatarini Kali on the Hooghly, where Sri Ramakrishna lived

Kamakhya · Guwahati

Shakti: Foremost Shakti Peetha; the Ambubachi Mela each June

Baidyanath Dham Full guide · Deoghar

Shiva: Jyotirlinga; destination of the Shravan kanwar yatra

Tirumala Venkateswara Full guide · Tirupati

Vishnu: Most visited temple in India; hair offering and the Tirupati laddu

Srikalahasti · Srikalahasti

Shiva: Vayu (air) linga of the Pancha Bhoota Sthalas; Rahu-Ketu puja

Mallikarjuna Full guide · Srisailam

Shiva: Both a Jyotirlinga and a Shakti Peetha, in the Nallamala hills

Bhadrachalam · Bhadrachalam

Rama: Sita-Rama on the Godavari; Sri Rama Navami kalyanam

Gnana Saraswati · Basar

Saraswati: Where children are brought for Aksharabhyasam, their first letters

Meenakshi Amman · Madurai

Parvati: Twin temple of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar with towering gopurams

Ramanathaswamy Full guide · Rameswaram

Shiva: Jyotirlinga, Char Dham, and the longest temple corridors in India

Brihadeeswarar · Thanjavur

Shiva: Chola masterpiece completed in 1010 CE; UNESCO World Heritage Site

Sri Ranganathaswamy · Srirangam

Vishnu: First of the 108 Divya Desams; one of the largest working temples anywhere

Nataraja · Chidambaram

Shiva: Shiva as the cosmic dancer; the akasha (space) linga

Arunachaleswarar · Tiruvannamalai

Shiva: Agni (fire) linga; the Karthigai Deepam on the hill

Guruvayur · Thrissur

Krishna: Guruvayurappan, the child Krishna; thousands of weddings a year

Sabarimala · Pathanamthitta

Ayyappa: Forest shrine reached after a 41-day vrat; Makaravilakku in January

Padmanabhaswamy · Thiruvananthapuram

Vishnu: Vishnu reclining on Ananta, seen through three doors

Udupi Sri Krishna Matha · Udupi

Krishna: Krishna seen through the nine-holed Kanakana Kindi window

Chamundeshwari · Mysuru

Durga: Hilltop goddess of Mysuru, at the heart of the Dasara festival

Sharadamba · Sringeri

Saraswati: Seat of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham founded by Adi Shankaracharya