Religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Members of every major religion participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim. One of the greatest pilgrimages of the recent times is for the Kumbh Mela 2025. One of the oldest and famous pilgrimage centres is Hemis, near Leh, for Mahayana Buddhism in the world.
Hinduism
Most Hindus who can afford to go on such journeys travel to numerous iconic sites including those below:
Ainavilli Allahabad Amararama Amarkantak Amarnath Anandashram, Kanhangad Annavaram Antarvedi Arasavalli Attukal Avittathur Ayodhya Baba Dhansar Badrinath Barsana Basistha Ashram Batu Caves Belur Math Bhadrachalam Bhattiprolu Bhavani Bhimashankar Temple Biccavolu Vrindavan Chebrolu, Guntur district Chennai Chitrakuta Chidambaram Dakor Dharmasthala Draksharama Dwaraka Pītha Dwarka Dwaraka Tirumala Gajanan Maharaj Gangotri Gaya, India Ghatikachala Godachi Veerbhadhreshwar Temple Gor Khuttree Gosaikunda Govardhana matha Govindavadi Guruvayur Hajo Haridwar Hemkund Hornad, Annapurnadevi Temple Idagunji Jonnawada Jyotirlinga Jyotirmath Kabir Dharm Nagar Damakheda Kalaram Temple Kaleshwaram Kalighat Temple, Kolkata Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu Karanja Datta Mandir Kataragama Kateel Katra Kedarnath Kodlamane Shree Vishnumurthy Temple, Karnataka Kolhapur Kollur Konark Kotappakonda Ksheerarama kuchanpally Kukke Subramanya Temple Kumararama Kumbakonam Kumbh Mela Kurukshetra Kurupuram Madurai Meenakshi Temple Kullu Maihar Devi Mahur, Renuka Devi Mehandipur Balaji, Rajasthan Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi Manikaran Mayapur Mantralayam, Raghavendr Swamy Temple Mount Abu Mount Kailash Mukhalingam Narasimha Konda Narayanalayam Narmada River Nashik Nellitheertha Omkareshwar Palani Pancharama Kshetras Panchavati Pandharpur Parshuram Kund Pithapuram Puri Pushkar Puttaparthi Sri Sathya Saibaba Ramatheertham Rameswaram Rishikesh Ryali Sabarimala Swamisaranam Salasar Balaji, churu Rajasthan Sangam, Srikakulam district Saptashrangi Shirdi Shivkhori Shri Kali Temple, Sanganeri Gate, Jaipur (Rajasthan) Shri Mahadev Mandir Simhachalam Sivagiri, Kerala Somarama Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram Sri Kurmam Sringeri Sharada Peetham Srirangam Srisailam Talapady Thanjavur Thiruchendur Thirumanthamkunnu Temple Thrissur Tirtha and Kshetra Tirupati Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple Tripuranthakam Tuljapur Bhavani temple Udupi Ujjain Undavalli, Undavalli Caves Vaishno Devi Vani (Nashik) Varanasi Vijayawada, Kanaka Durga Temple Vindhyachal Vithoba Vrindavan Yamunotri Yadagirigutta
These Hindu pilgrimage sites can be divided into , , , devi sites etc. Every category has got its own significance. It is believed that visiting help one to attain salvation. There are four and twelve along with 51 in India.
Islam Rauzaa of Shah-e-Alam, Ahmedabad, Gujarat Furfura Sharif, Hooghly, West Bengal Hazratbal Shrine, Srinagar Ajmer Sharif Dargah - the of Moinuddin Chishti, Ajmer Haji Ali Dargah, Mumbai Bibi Ka Maqbara, Aurangabad Rauza Sharif - the of Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi, in Sirhind-Fategarh, Punjab State Dargah of Khawaja Kanoon Sahib, Madhya Pradesh Mazar-e-Najmi, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh Buddishai Baba Dargah in Telangana Cheraman Perumal Juma Masjid, Kerala Dargah of Nizamuddin Chishti, Delhi Valley of Saints at Khuldabad Thiruparankundram Dargah in Thiruparankundram, Tamil Nadu Dargah-e-Ala Hazrat - Dargah of Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh
In addition to being places of , and have often served as places for Islamic education and the training of new ulema, as centres of Sufi turuq. For example, many Sunni ulema educated in the Chishti Order were educated in Delhi, where the tomb of Nizamuddin Auliya is and where his students are well established. Movements within the ulema, such as the Deobandi or Barelvi movements, are so named because they are associated with particularly influential seminaries and madrassahs (like the Darul Uloom Deoband in Deoband, or the Urs-e-Razavi in Bareilly, the latter of which is so named because it is located at the of Imam Ahmad Raza Khan).
During the Mughal era, Surat was a common port for Muslims across North and West India to depart for the Hajj.
Buddhism
Amaravati Stupa and Dharanikota Bavikonda: Bhattiprolu: Bodh Gaya: the place of his Enlightenment (in the current Mahabodhi Temple). Chandavaram, Chandavaram Buddhist site: Gudivada Guntupalle, Guntupalli Group of Buddhist Monuments: Hemis Jaggayyapeta: Kusinara: (now Kusinagar, India) where he died. Nagarjuna Konda: Nelakondapalli Rajgir: Place of the subduing of Nalagiri, the angry elephant, through friendliness. Rajgir was another major city of ancient India. It has strong connection with buddhism. Salihundam Sankasia: Place of the descending to earth from Tusita heaven (after a stay of 3 months teaching his mother the Abhidhamma). Sarnath: (formally Isipathana) where he delivered his first teaching. Sravasti: Place of the Twin Miracle, showing his supernatural abilities in performance of miracles. Sravasti is also the place where Buddha spent the largest amount of time, being a major city in ancient India. Vaishali: Place of receiving an offering of honey from a monkey. Vaishali was the capital of the Vajjian Republic of ancient India. Some other pilgrimage places in India and Nepal connected to the life of Gautama Buddha are: Pataliputta, Nalanda, Vikramshila, Gaya, Kapilavastu, Kosambi, Sanchi, Varanasi, Kesariya, Devadaha, Pava and Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, Dhauli Stupa, near Puri, Odisha, etc.
There are many places scattered across mainland India, where one can find the relics of ancient Mauryan and the Gupta Empire, who championed and help propagate the Buddhist faith across most of India, South East and far East Asian countries.
Jainism
North India: Hastinapur, Taxila, and Ashtapada South India: Shravanabelagola, Moodabidri, Humbaj, Anantnath Swami Temple near Kalpetta Eastern India: Shikharji, Pawapuri, Champa, Pundravardhan Western India: Palitana, Girnar, Mount Abu, Mahavirji, Shankheshwar, Mahudi Central India: Vidisha, Kundalpur, Sonagir
Zoroastrianism The Zoroastrians take pilgrimage trips in India to the eight Atash Behrams in India and one in Yazd.
Christianity Goa. St. Francis Xavier St. Thomas Mount. Place where St. Thomas was martyred, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Church, Malayattoor is one of the eight international shrines in the world, situated in Malayattoor Angamaly, Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, Velankanni. 16th-century Marian apparition site, Velankanni, Tamil Nadu, India. St. Andrew's Basilica Arthunkal, Alleppey/Alappuzha, Kerala. St. Thomas Church, Thumpoly (Thumpoly Church) Alleppey/Alappuzha, kerala. Our Lady of Assumption Church, Poomkavu Alleppey/Alappuzha, kerala. Thodupuzha. Divine Mercy Shrine of Holy Mary - Marian apparition site. Shrine of the Infant Jesus, Nashik, Maharashtra. St. Jude Shrine, Jhansi Mount Mary Church, Bandra, Mumbai, Maharashtra St Peter's and St Paul's Orthodox church (Parumala church), Parumala, Kerala. St George Orthodox church, Puthupally. Kattachira St Mary's Orthodox Church. Niranam St Mary's Orthodox church. St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Bharananganam, tomb of Saint Alphonsa, the first woman of Indian origin to be canonised as a saint by the Catholic Church, and the first canonised saint of the Syro-Malabar Church St. Joseph's Pilgrim Church, Peringuzha, Muvattupuzha, Kerala Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica Fort Kochi Holy Cross Church, Mattanchery, Kochi St Antony's Forane Church & St Joseph's Miraculous Shrine, Kannamaly Kochi. Our Lady Of Velankanni Church, Maruvakad, Chellanam.Kochi St Antony's Church, Arookuty, Paduvapuram. St Lawrence Church, Edacochin St Mary's Forane Church, Thankey
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