India Highlight

Famous Temples in India

India's spiritual landscape is filled with magnificent temples, ancient traditions, and powerful pilgrimage destinations. Whether you are a devotee or a traveler seeking cultural experiences, visiting these sacred sites offers a glimpse into the country's rich heritage. Discover the top 56 famous temples in India you must visit for a truly divine and unforgettable journey.

  • Hanogi Mata Temple
    Temple in Kullu
    The first thing that hits you is the sound — a deep, thundering rush of the Beas River echoing off the gorge walls far below your feet. Then you look up, and there it is: the Hanogi Mata Temple, clinging to a sheer cliff face like it was carved from the mountain itself. Perched along the Mandi-Kullu highway, this ancient shrine dedicated to Goddess Hanogi Mata — a fierce manifestation of Goddess Durga — has been stopping travelers in their tracks for centuries. Not just devotees, but truckers...
  • Indru Nag Temple
    Temple in Mcleod Ganj
    The climb to Indru Nag Temple begins where the road gives up. Above McLeod Ganj, past the last chai stall and the final stretch of cracked asphalt, a narrow trail threads through deodar cedars so dense the sunlight arrives in fragments. You hear your own breathing. You hear birds you can't name. And then, at roughly 2,500 meters above sea level, a small stone temple appears on a ridge as if it had grown there naturally, like the moss covering the rocks around it. Dedicated to Indru Nag...
  • Jakhu Temple
    Temple in Shimla
    At 8,048 feet above sea level, where the air thins just enough to make your lungs work a little harder, a 108-foot orange colossus rises above the treetops. You can spot it from practically anywhere in Shimla — glowing against the dark deodar forests and pale mountain sky like a saffron flame. That's Jakhu Temple, perched on the highest point in the city, and it's calling you upward. Dedicated to Lord Hanuman, this ancient hilltop shrine weaves together Hindu mythology, jaw-dropping Him...
  • Jhandewala Devi Mandir
    Temple in West Delhi
    Stand at the intersection of Rani Jhansi Road and Pahar Ganj in West Delhi, and you'll hear it before you see it — the sharp, persistent clang of temple bells slicing through diesel fumes and traffic horns. Jhandewala Devi Mandir doesn't announce itself with grand architecture or towering gopurams. It asserts its presence the way Delhi itself does: loudly, unapologetically, and with a crowd that never seems to thin. This is one of Delhi's most frequented Hindu temples, yet it operates with th...
  • Kadalekalu Ganesha
    Temple in Hampi
    The belly gives it away. Sitting on the southern slope of Hemakuta Hill in Hampi, the Kadalekalu Ganesha is a monolithic sculpture carved directly from an enormous granite boulder, and the deity's rounded stomach — said to resemble a Bengal gram seed, or "kadalekalu" in Kannada — is what earned this particular Ganesha its name. At nearly fifteen feet tall, it's one of the largest Ganesha statues in Hampi, a site already crowded with colossal stone achievements. Yet this one holds your attenti...
  • Kali Bari Temple
    Temple in Shimla
    The clang of a brass bell cuts through the mountain air, and for a moment, the chatter of Shimla's bustling Mall Road fades into silence. You've stepped through a modest doorway into the Kali Bari Temple — a dark-timbered shrine perched on the hillside since 1845, where the fierce Goddess Kali has watched over this Himalayan town for nearly two centuries. While colonial-era buildings with their prim facades line the famous Ridge just minutes away, this intimate wooden temple belongs to an ent...
  • Kalkaji Temple
    Temple in South Delhi
    The clang of brass bells, the heady sweetness of marigold garlands, the low hum of centuries-old chanting — step through the gates of Kalkaji Temple and the frenetic pulse of South Delhi dissolves behind you. Perched on a small hillock, this ancient shrine to Goddess Kalkaji, a fierce incarnation of Durga, has been pulling devotees and wanderers into its orbit for thousands of years. White marble gleams against the Delhi sky, incense smoke curls through carved archways, and everywhere you loo...
  • Kamrunag Temple
    Temple in Mandi
    High above the Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh, at roughly 10,000 feet, sits a temple that most maps forget. Kamrunag Temple demands a five-kilometer trek through dense oak and rhododendron forest before it reveals itself — a small stone shrine beside a dark, still lake that locals believe is bottomless. For centuries, devotees have tossed gold, silver, and coins into this water as offerings to the deity Kamrunag. None of these treasures have ever been recovered. The lake simply swallows t...
  • Kandariya Mahadev Temple
    Temple in Khajuraho
    The first thing that strikes you about Kandariya Mahadev Temple isn't the erotic sculpture — though everyone warns you about that. It's the building's sheer upward hunger. Rising roughly 31 metres from its platform, the shikhara drags your gaze skyward through a cascade of subsidiary spires, each leaning into the next like a compressed mountain range rendered in sandstone. Built around 1030 CE under the Chandela king Vidyadhara, this is the largest and tallest temple in Khajuraho's Western Gr...
  • Khajuraho Group of Monuments
    Temple in Khajuraho
    Most temples in India ask you to lower your gaze. Khajuraho asks you to look closer. Across the sandstone facades of these thousand-year-old temples, carved figures twist and embrace in positions that would make a yoga instructor reconsider their flexibility. Erotic sculptures account for roughly ten percent of the total carvings here, yet they've dominated the conversation about Khajuraho for centuries. That imbalance says more about us than it does about the temples. The remaining ninety pe...
  • Lakshman Temple
    Temple in Khajuraho
    The first thing that strikes you about the Lakshman Temple isn't the erotic sculpture — though that's what brought you here, probably. It's the sandstone itself, warmed by centuries of Madhya Pradesh sun until it glows the color of raw honey. Built around 930–950 CE by the Chandela king Yashovarman, this is the oldest of Khajuraho's surviving temples and, by most accounts, the most architecturally complete. While the nearby Kandariya Mahadeva Temple gets the lion's share of attention for its...
  • Mansa Devi Temple
    Temple in Haridwar
    The cable car lurches gently forward, and suddenly the rooftops of Haridwar fall away beneath you — a sprawl of temple spires, sun-bleached ghats, and the silver ribbon of the Ganges unspooling toward the horizon. Ahead, rising from the dense green folds of the Shivalik Hills, sits the Mansa Devi Temple, one of Northern India's most powerful Siddh Pithas, where devotees believe heartfelt wishes spoken before the goddess are truly granted. Every year, millions make this ascent — some in silent...
  • Manu Temple
    Temple in Manali
    When you're looking for a spiritual awakening that's nearly free from environmental distractions, visiting the Manu Temple is a clever way to fulfill your spirits. This destination is found in Manali, Himachal Pradesh, where temples are certainly commonplace. However, this structure is unique in its dedication and location. Learn all about Manu Temple and how it can shape your next itinerary to beautiful India. The Narrow Pathway One of the first details that you might notice in...
  • Naina Devi Temple
    Temple in Nainital
    At the northern edge of Naini Lake, where the water turns dark beneath the press of surrounding hills, a temple sits on flat ground that feels almost too plain for the weight of what it holds. The Naina Devi Temple doesn't compete for your attention with soaring towers or gilded facades. It pulls you in differently — through the relentless clang of brass bells, the dense perfume of marigold garlands crushed between devotees' palms, and a quiet gravity that's been accumulating here for centuri...
  • Neelkanth Mahadev Temple
    Temple in Rishikesh
    The mountain air hits you first — cool, pine-scented, carrying the faint sound of temple bells somewhere above the treeline. At 1,330 meters above sea level, the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple doesn't just sit in the Himalayas; it feels like it grew out of them. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this ancient shrine takes its name from one of Hinduism's most dramatic legends — the moment Shiva swallowed a world-ending poison and his throat blazed blue. "Neelkanth" means "blue throat," and the story reverbera...
  • Raghunath Temple
    Temple in Jammu
    Built in the Jammu and Kasmir region of Northern India, the Raghunath Temple is a collection of seven shrines dedicated to the main deity Lord Vishnu. Hindus and travelers visit this expansive property for history, prayer and a relaxing atmosphere. As you explore India's Hindu background, the Raghunath Temple offers artistic beauty, intricate masonry and documented history for your next vacation. Diving Into the Temple's History The first Dogra rulers built the temple complex be...
  • Saptrishi Ashram
    Temple in Haridwar
    The roar of the Ganges fades to a whisper here. At Saptrishi Ashram, perched on the quiet northern banks of India's holiest river in Haridwar, the water seems to know something the rest of the world has forgotten — how to be still. According to ancient Hindu texts, this is where seven great sages, the Saptrishis, once sat in meditation so profound that the mighty Ganges herself split into seven gentle streams rather than disturb their penance. Thousands of years later, that hush still lingers...
  • Sas Bahu Temple
    Temple in Gwalior
    The name is a red herring. "Sas Bahu" translates loosely to "mother-in-law and daughter-in-law," and the popular legend has it that these twin temples were built by a queen and her son's wife, each one determined to outshine the other in devotion. A good story. Almost certainly fiction. The name most likely descends from "Sahasrabahu" — the thousand-armed Lord Vishnu, to whom the larger temple is dedicated. Centuries of local pronunciation wore the word down, and the rivalry tale rushed in to...
  • Shantinath Temple
    Temple in Jaisalmer
    Sunlight catches the yellow sandstone and the entire temple seems to breathe gold. Deep inside Jaisalmer Fort, where the narrow lanes twist and the noise of the bazaar fades into reverent silence, the Shantinath Temple rises—an astonishing jewel of Jain devotion carved with a precision that borders on obsession. Step through its threshold, and centuries of faith, artistry, and desert history converge around you in a single, luminous space. Centuries of Faith Etched in Stone Betw...
  • Shikari Devi Temple
    Temple in Mandi
    Located nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, the Shikari Devi Temple is a Hindu pilgrimage site dedicated to the Goddess of Hunters. With a spectacular view of the surrounding Himalayas, this temple offers devotees and adventurous travelers a place to meditate and enjoy nature. Discover the history behind this religious site so that you can add it to your Northern Indian vacation itinerary. Learning About the Geography The Shikari Devi Temple is located in the Mandi District of N...
  • Shree Mahalaxmi Temple
    Temple in Inland Goa
    Most people arrive in Goa chasing surf and sundowners. They rarely venture inland, which is precisely why the Shree Mahalaxmi Temple deserves your attention. Situated in the village of Bandora, roughly four kilometers from Ponda, this temple belongs to a Goa that predates the Portuguese by centuries — a landscape of laterite hills, areca nut groves, and Hindu worship that survived colonial persecution through sheer stubbornness. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Mahalaxmi, the deity of wealt...
  • Shree Mangesh Temple
    Temple in Inland Goa
    Most people arrive in Goa chasing coastline. They come for the sand, the shacks, the sunburn. So it's strange, almost disorienting, to find yourself twenty-two kilometers inland from Panaji, standing before a temple that has nothing to do with any of that. Shree Mangesh Temple sits in the village of Priol in Ponda taluka, and the first thing that strikes you isn't the architecture or the history — it's the quiet. After the relentless honking of coastal Goa's tourist corridor, the silence here...
  • Shri Nageshi Temple
    Temple in Inland Goa
    The story goes like this: a lingam of Lord Shiva appeared in the forest, and a cobra coiled around it in devotion, refusing to leave. That cobra — the naga — gave this temple its name. Shri Nageshi Temple sits in the village of Bandora, about 30 kilometers from Panaji, in a Goa that most visitors to the state never bother to see. There are no beach shacks here, no trance parties, no sunburned Europeans on scooters. Instead, you get laterite hills, areca nut groves, and the sound of temple bel...
  • Shri Shantadurga Temple
    Temple in Inland Goa
    Drive thirty minutes inland from Panjim, past the cashew plantations and laterite hillsides, and the Goa you thought you knew dissolves entirely. At the foot of the Kavalem hills in Ponda taluka, Shri Shantadurga Temple rises in a wash of terracotta and white — a structure so composed, so symmetrically certain of itself, that it feels like a rebuke to the coastal chaos most travelers associate with this state. This is the other Goa, the one that existed long before charter flights and beach s...
  • Sitabani Temple
    Temple in Jim Corbett National Park
    The road to Sitabani Temple doesn't really qualify as a road. It's a stretch of broken track that winds through the reserve forest on the western edge of Jim Corbett National Park, past sal trees that lean into the path and streambeds that may or may not be dry depending on the season. You'll likely pass a peacock or two. You might pass nothing at all for twenty minutes. And then, without warning, you arrive at a clearing where the forest opens up and a small stone temple sits beside a stream...
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