The Jyotirlinga of Shiva as Lord of the Universe, on the western bank of the Ganga in the world’s oldest living city. To die in Kashi is said to grant liberation, and the new Vishwanath Corridor once again links the shrine to the river ghats.

The highest of the twelve Jyotirlingas, set at 3,583 metres in the Garhwal Himalayas and open only half the year. Linked to the Pandavas, who sought Shiva here after the Mahabharata war, it is one of the Chota Char Dham of Uttarakhand.

The Himalayan seat of Vishnu as Badri Narayan, on the bank of the Alaknanda beneath Neelkanth peak. One of the four Char Dham of Bharat and of the Chota Char Dham, its idol is said to have been established by Adi Shankaracharya.

The cave shrine of the Mother in the Trikuta hills, where the Goddess is worshipped as three natural pindis of Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati. One of the most visited pilgrimages in India, reached by a climb of about twelve kilometres from Katra.

The beloved temple of Krishna as Banke Bihari in the land of Braj, revealed by the saint Swami Haridas. There are no bells or conches here; the curtain before the deity is drawn and closed again and again, so that his enchanting gaze never overwhelms the devotee.

A vast BAPS temple complex on the Yamuna, opened in 2005 and carved from pink sandstone and marble without steel. It gathers ten thousand years of Bharatiya devotion, art and values into one place, and is among the largest Hindu temple complexes in the world.

The grand new temple at the birthplace of Lord Rama on the bank of the Sarayu, where Ram Lalla was consecrated in January 2024. Built in the Nagara style after a long wait, it has become one of the most visited pilgrimages in the land.

A Himalayan cave at 3,888 metres where Shiva appears each summer as a naturally formed lingam of ice, waxing and waning with the moon. Here, it is said, he told Parvati the secret of immortality.

The hill shrine of Vishnu as Venkateswara, or Balaji, on the seven hills of Tirumala. The most visited and most richly endowed temple in the world, where pilgrims offer their hair in surrender and receive the famous Tirupati laddu as prasad.

The great temple of Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort Sundareshwar, a form of Shiva, in the ancient city of Madurai. Its fourteen soaring gopurams are covered in thousands of brightly painted figures, and the annual celestial wedding of the divine couple draws vast crowds.

The Jyotirlinga of Shiva on the island of Rameswaram, where Rama is said to have worshipped Shiva before crossing to Lanka. One of the four Char Dham of Bharat, it holds the longest temple corridor in India, lined with more than a thousand carved pillars.

A rare shrine that is both a Jyotirlinga of Shiva and a Shakti Peetha of the Goddess Bhramaramba, set in the Nallamala hills above the Krishna river. Devotees revere it as the Kailash of the South.

The temple of Vishnu reclining upon the serpent Ananta, the presiding deity of the old Travancore kingdom. Long famed for its guarded treasure vaults, it asks every pilgrim to enter in traditional dress.

The temple of Krishna as Guruvayurappan, the child-god of Kerala, called the Dwarka of the South. It is a favourite for weddings, first-rice ceremonies and the offering of elephants.

The forest shrine of Lord Ayyappa in the Periyar hills, reached after a forty-one day vratam and a climb up the eighteen holy steps. Its Makaravilakku draws one of the largest annual gatherings on earth.

The great temple of Shiva raised by the Chola emperor Rajaraja in 1010, its granite tower rising over sixty metres. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a marvel of Tamil engineering and art.

The seat of Krishna as Lord Jagannath, worshipped with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra as wooden deities, ceremonially renewed in the rare Nabakalebara held roughly once in twelve to nineteen years. One of the four Char Dham, its Rath Yatra sends three towering chariots through the streets of Puri each summer.

One of the most powerful Shakti Peethas, on the Nilachal hill above the Brahmaputra, where the Mother is worshipped as the source of creation and desire. A great centre of Tantra, its Ambubachi Mela each monsoon honours the Goddess in her most primal form.

The temple of Ma Bhavatarini, a form of Kali, on the bank of the Hooghly, built by Rani Rashmoni in 1855. It is forever linked to Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, who served here as priest and had his great visions of the Divine Mother.

A Jyotirlinga where Shiva is worshipped as the divine healer, and also counted among the Shakti Peethas. In Shravan, lakhs of kanwariyas walk barefoot from the Ganga at Sultanganj to pour its water here.

A thirteenth-century temple to Surya built as a colossal stone chariot with twelve pairs of carved wheels and seven horses. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is the jewel of Kalinga craftsmanship.

The first among the twelve Jyotirlingas, on the shore of the Arabian Sea in Gujarat. Destroyed and rebuilt many times across the centuries, it stands today as a symbol of faith that endures, reconstructed after independence at the urging of Sardar Patel.

The temple of Krishna as king of Dwarka, the city he is said to have founded on the western coast. One of the four Char Dham of Bharat, its five-storey shrine flies a great flag that is changed several times a day above the Gomti and the sea.

The most beloved Ganesha temple in Mumbai, whose small idol with a right-turned trunk is held to be especially powerful. Devotees of every walk of life, from film stars to daily commuters, come for darshan on Tuesdays, the day sacred to the remover of obstacles.

The Jyotirlinga of Shiva as Mahakal, lord of time, in the ancient city of Ujjain. It is the only Jyotirlinga that faces south, and its Bhasma Aarti before dawn, offered with sacred ash, is one of the most striking rituals in all of Hinduism.

A Jyotirlinga on the sacred island of Mandhata in the Narmada, whose very shape is said to form the syllable Om. Pilgrims circle the whole island in a parikrama along the river.

A Jyotirlinga deep in the Sahyadri hills, the source of the Bhima river and a green wildlife sanctuary. It marks the spot where Shiva slew the demon Tripurasura.

A Jyotirlinga near Nashik whose lingam bears three faces for Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, at the source of the Godavari. It is one of the four sites of the Kumbh Mela.

The twelfth and last of the Jyotirlingas, close to the rock temples of Ellora. Its tale is one of a devoted wife whose faith brought her son back to life.

A Jyotirlinga near Dwarka, guarded by a towering seated statue of Shiva, where the Lord is revered as the protector from all poisons and serpents.

The temple of Ambabai, the Mother as Mahalakshmi, one of the Shakti Peethas, where the setting sun lights the deity through the doorway on special days.

The temple of Vitthal, a form of Krishna, standing with hands on hips on a brick, and his consort Rukmini. It is the heart of the Warkari tradition, whose pilgrims walk here in the great Ashadhi wari.

Opened in 2023, this BAPS mandir is the largest Hindu temple outside India in the modern era, hand-carved from limestone and marble by thousands of volunteers. It stands as a home of Hindu worship and culture for the diaspora across North America.

The temples of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, founded by Srila Prabhupada, carry the worship of Radha and Krishna to cities across the globe. Mayapur in Bengal is the spiritual headquarters, while Bengaluru holds one of the largest ISKCON temples in the world.

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden was the first traditional Hindu stone temple in Europe, opened in 1995 and carved from Italian marble and Indian limestone. It has become a landmark of London and a spiritual home for Hindus across Britain.

The great temple of Shiva as Pashupati, lord of all beings, on the bank of the Bagmati in Kathmandu. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the holiest Shiva shrines in the subcontinent, it draws sadhus and pilgrims especially on Maha Shivratri.

A shrine to Murugan, the son of Shiva and Parvati, set inside limestone caves reached by 272 coloured steps and guarded by a towering golden statue. It is the focus of the great Thaipusam festival, when huge crowds of devotees gather in devotion.

The largest religious monument in the world, built in the twelfth century as a temple to Vishnu. Its five towers rise like Mount Meru and appear on the flag of Cambodia.

A ninth-century temple compound in Java dedicated to the Trimurti, with the tallest shrine given to Shiva. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it carries the Ramayana carved along its walls.