Best spiritual destinations in India
117 curated spiritual destinations across 25 states, each with the months it is worth going and the months it is not.
Best of spiritual India
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Prayagraj (Triveni Sangam)
Uttar Pradesh
Ganga-Yamuna Sangam, Magh Mela sands and Anand Bhavan
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Gokarna
Karnataka
Temple town turned backpacker beach-hopping strip
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
McLeod Ganj
Himachal Pradesh
Dalai Lama's home-in-exile - Tibetan culture hub
Peak: Mar to May and Oct to Nov
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Nanded (Hazur Sahib)
Maharashtra
Takht Sachkhand Hazur Sahib, a Sikh takht on the Godavari
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Kanchipuram
Tamil Nadu
Pallava sandstone temples and silk looms on the same street
Peak: Dec to Feb
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Pushkar
Rajasthan
Holy lake town, Rajasthan's backpacker capital
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Rishikesh
Uttarakhand
Yoga capital and rafting hub on the Ganges
Peak: Feb to Mar and Oct to Nov
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Champaner-Pavagadh
Gujarat
UNESCO ghost capital below the 800 m Pavagadh hill
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Omkareshwar
Madhya Pradesh
Om-shaped Narmada island with a Jyotirlinga and hostel vibe
Peak: Oct to Feb
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Bhubaneswar
Odisha
Temple city of 700 shrines plus the Khandagiri Jain caves
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Amritsar
Punjab
The Golden Temple and its free kitchen for all
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Srisailam
Andhra Pradesh
Jyotirlinga above the Krishna gorge inside Nallamala forest
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Bodh Gaya
Bihar
Where the Buddha attained enlightenment - Mahabodhi Temple
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Katra (Vaishno Devi)
Jammu and Kashmir
Base town for the year-round Vaishno Devi pilgrimage climb
Peak: Mar to Apr and Sep to Oct
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Deoghar (Baidyanath Dham)
Jharkhand
Jyotirlinga at the end of the 105 km Sultanganj kanwar walk
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Varkala
Kerala
Cliffside beach town with yoga shalas and sunset cafes
Peak: Dec to Feb
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Dirang
Arunachal Pradesh
Monpa valley with hot springs, en route to Tawang
Peak: Mar to May and Oct to Nov
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Guwahati
Assam
Northeast's gateway city: Kamakhya Temple, river cruises
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Rajim
Chhattisgarh
Three-river sangam with an 8th-century temple in the riverbed
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Alchi (Sham Valley)
Ladakh
11th-century Kashmiri murals in a low Indus orchard village
Peak: May to Sep
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Namchi
Sikkim
South Sikkim pilgrim town with a 108-ft Shiva and Char Dham
Peak: Mar to Apr and Oct to Dec
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Kurukshetra
Haryana
The battlefield of the Bhagavad Gita
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Mawphlang Sacred Forest
Meghalaya
Khasi sacred grove where you may not carry a single leaf out
Peak: Mar to Apr and Oct to Nov
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Pondicherry (incl. Auroville)
Puducherry
French Quarter beach town next to the Auroville commune
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Bhadrachalam
Telangana
Rama's Godavari town of Kalyanam crowds and river ghats
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Varanasi
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient Ganges ghats, India's chaotic spiritual heart
Peak: Oct to Feb
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Kodachadri (Kollur base)
Karnataka
Sharp Western Ghats summit above the Mookambika forest
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Bir
Himachal Pradesh
India's paragliding capital amid Tibetan monasteries
Peak: Mar to May and Oct to Nov
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Shirdi
Maharashtra
Sai Baba's samadhi town with darshan running around the clock
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Tiruchirappalli (Trichy)
Tamil Nadu
Rockfort stairway and the 156-acre Srirangam temple city
Peak: Dec to Feb
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Ajmer
Rajasthan
Dargah of Moinuddin Chishti, qawwali nights and Ana Sagar
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Haridwar
Uttarakhand
Har Ki Pauri, the ghat where the Ganga leaves the hills
Peak: Feb to Mar and Oct to Nov
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Junagadh (Girnar)
Gujarat
Uparkot fort below a 9,999-step climb up Girnar
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Amarkantak
Madhya Pradesh
Source of the Narmada on a 1,000 m Maikal plateau
Peak: Oct to Mar
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Puri
Odisha
Jagannath Temple pilgrim town with a long, easy beach
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Anandpur Sahib
Punjab
Birthplace of the Khalsa and the Nihang horsemen of Hola Mohalla
Peak: Nov to Mar
Every spiritual destination in the catalogue
- Ahobilam Andhra Pradesh
- Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh
- Badrinath & Mana Uttarakhand
- Bageshwar Uttarakhand
- Barsana & Nandgaon Uttar Pradesh
- Bharmour (Manimahesh) Himachal Pradesh
- Bhimashankar Maharashtra
- Bithoor Uttar Pradesh
- BR Hills (Biligiri Ranganatha) Karnataka
- Chidambaram & Pichavaram Tamil Nadu
- Chitrakoot (Ramghat) Uttar Pradesh
- Churdhar (via Nohradhar) Himachal Pradesh
- Deshnoke (Karni Mata Temple) Rajasthan
- Dwarka Gujarat
- Fatehgarh Sahib (Sirhind) Punjab
- Ganpatipule Maharashtra
- Garadia Mahadev (Chambal Gorge) Rajasthan
- Gupteswar Caves (Koraput) Odisha
- Guruvayur Kerala
- Hajo & Sualkuchi Assam
- Hastinapur Uttar Pradesh
- Igatpuri Maharashtra
- Jageshwar Uttarakhand
- Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) Karnataka
- Kanyakumari Tamil Nadu
- Karauli Rajasthan
- Kedarnath Uttarakhand
- Kolayat Rajasthan
- Kumbakonam (with Darasuram) Tamil Nadu
- Kushinagar Uttar Pradesh
- Lamayuru Ladakh
- Madurai Tamil Nadu
- Maheshwar Madhya Pradesh
- Maluti Jharkhand
- Mandi Himachal Pradesh
- Mandla Madhya Pradesh
- Mansar Lake Jammu and Kashmir
- Martand Sun Temple (Mattan) Jammu and Kashmir
- Melukote Karnataka
- Merta City Rajasthan
- Mitaoli, Padavali & Bateshwar Madhya Pradesh
- Munger Bihar
- Murudeshwar Karnataka
- Naimisharanya (Nimsar) Uttar Pradesh
- Nashik Maharashtra
- Pahalgam Jammu and Kashmir
- Palitana (Shatrunjaya) Gujarat
- Pandharpur Maharashtra
- Parasnath Hill (Shikharji) Jharkhand
- Patal Bhuvaneshwar Uttarakhand
- Rajgir (with Nalanda) Bihar
- Rameswaram Tamil Nadu
- Ranakpur Rajasthan
- Ratnagiri-Udayagiri-Lalitgiri (Diamond Triangle) Odisha
- Ravangla Sikkim
- Renuka Lake (Renuka Ji) Himachal Pradesh
- Rewalsar (Tso Pema) Himachal Pradesh
- Sannati & Kanaganahalli Karnataka
- Sarahan (Bhimakali) Himachal Pradesh
- Shravasti (Sahet-Mahet) Uttar Pradesh
- Sirpur Chhattisgarh
- Somnath Gujarat
- Sringeri Karnataka
- Sultanpur Lodhi Punjab
- Tabo Himachal Pradesh
- Talwandi Sabo (Takht Damdama Sahib) Punjab
- Taptapani Odisha
- Tarnetar Gujarat
- Tawang Arunachal Pradesh
- Thrissur Kerala
- Tirupati Andhra Pradesh
- Tiruvannamalai Tamil Nadu
- Trimbakeshwar Maharashtra
- Tuljapur Maharashtra
- Udupi-Malpe & St Marys Island Karnataka
- Ujjain Madhya Pradesh
- Vaishali Bihar
- Vellore Tamil Nadu
- Vrindavan-Mathura Uttar Pradesh
- Yaganti Andhra Pradesh
- Yana Rocks Karnataka
When to go
February, November and December are the months with the most spiritual places in peak season.
By state
Uttar Pradesh (11)Karnataka (10)Himachal Pradesh (9)Maharashtra (9)Tamil Nadu (9)Rajasthan (8)Uttarakhand (7)Madhya Pradesh (6)Gujarat (6)Punjab (5)
Common questions
How many spiritual destinations are there in India?
This catalogue lists 117 tagged spiritual, across 25 states and union territories. It is a curated list, not an exhaustive one: places earn a spot on the strength of the landscape or the heritage.
When is the best time for a spiritual trip in India?
February, November and December put the most of them in peak season. Each place carries its own window, though, so check the one you are aiming at.
Which states have the most spiritual destinations?
Uttar Pradesh (11), Karnataka (10), Himachal Pradesh (9), Maharashtra (9) and Tamil Nadu (9).
Other themes
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