Rajasthan the land of splendor is a visual delight of shrines, palaces, forts, mansions, fairs, festivals, culture and traditions. Some of renowned and spiritual pilgrimage places of India are found in Rajasthan. The fascinating pilgrimage places of Rajasthan attract huge number of pilgrims and devotees towards them all around the year. Apart from being a pilgrim destination these places are appealing to tourists as well, as they have various other attractions in them. Travel Plan India will help you with some of the most important pilgrimage destinations in Rajasthan.
Brahma Temple, Pushkar
One of the oldest cities of India– Pushkar is famous for housing the only Brahma temple in the world. Located on the banks of Pushkar Lake this temple is dedicated to Lord Brahma “the creator God”, who is believed to have performed penance here for 60,000 years to have a glimpse of Lord Radha Krishna. Steps of marble lead you to the interior of the temple where a silver turtle lies embossed in the floor and around it are hundreds of silver coins embedded in the floor only. This temple holds an important place in the Hindu religion and is visited by hundreds of devotees every year. Pushkar also has various other temples that can be visited such as Varah Temple, MahadevaTemple, Gayatri Temple and Raghunath Temple etc.
Dargah Sharif, Ajmer
The city of Ajmer on Ana Sagar Lake is one of India’s most important pilgrimage sites for Muslims. It attracts its fair share of pilgrims and tourists from all over. Dargah Sharif is one of the most sacred Muslim shrines in India and is venerated by both Hindus and Muslims. Situated at the foot of a hill, this is the tomb of a Sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti who had come to Ajmer from Persia in 1192 and devoted his life to the upliftment of the poor.
Dilwara Temples, Mt Abu
Mt. Abu the only hill station in Rajasthan is known for various facts and the extraordinary Jain Dilwara Temples is one of them. The temples here are counted among India’s finest temple architecture with intricate carving that showcases the brilliant work of the artisans. The oldest temple in this complex is “Vimal Vasahi” which is dedicated to the first tirthankar, Adinath and took 14 years to build which was started in 1031.The other temples in the complex are “Bhimashah Pittalhar”, “Mahaveerswami” “Neminath”and “Khartar Vasahi”.
Eklingji Temple, Udaipur
Located 22kms fromUdaipuron the banks of Indersagar Lake, Eklingji Temple is a huge temple complex consisting of 108 temples. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva with a 50ft high black stone statue with four faces depicting his four forms. The east-facing part is recognized as Surya, the west-facing part is Lord Brahma, the north-facing part is Lord Vishnu and the south-facing part is Rudra i.e. Lord Shiva himself. The other deities that are worshipped here include Parvati, Ganesha, Kartikeya and Saraswati.
Govind Devji Temple, Jaipur
The temple is a vital part of the City Palace complex – Govind Dev Ji Temple. It is one of the prominent temples of Rajasthan and situated in Jaipur, it is visited by many people annually. Dedicated to Lord Krishna and has been well preserved by the earlier royal family. The idol was brought from Vrindavan, installed here by Sawai Jai Singh. Govind Devji is an incarnation of Lord Krishna. It is visited by many pilgrim and devotees along with tourists who visit the City Palace.
Jain Temple, Ranakpur
Ranakpur the city holding a huge respect in the Jain community as it is one of the five main religious places of Jains. The city has incredibly carved Jain Temples in India. Well known for its magnificent white marble temples created in 15th century during the reign of Rana Kumbha and enclosed within a wall. The main temple is “Chaumukha Temple” which is dedicated to Lord Adinath and is a four faced temple. The breathtaking architectural style of the Temple is distinct and unique. There are 29 halls and 80 domes standing on the 1444 pillars of which amazingly no two are alike with their own interesting carving. Ranakpur is undoubtedly one of the most visited religious destinations in Rajasthan.
Karni Mata Temple, Deshnok
Deshnok is a small village in Rajasthan located just 30kms from Bikaner, is known for Karni Mata Temple which is dedicated to Karni Mata, an incarnation of goddess Durga. It is a magnificent temple with huge silver gates and carved marbles. One strange feature of the temple that amuses everyone is that the temple is house to huge number of brown rats that wander all over the place without any hindrance and seeing the rare white rat is believed to be auspicious.
Shrinathji Temple, Nathdwara
Nathdwara located just 48kms from Udaipur, is a holy town and known for housing Shrinathji Temple dedicated to Lord Krishna. The idol of this temple is carved out from a single piece of black marble. According to history the statue was being moved to Mewar kingdom from Mathura during the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. But the chariot in which the statue was being shifted got stuck here and did not moved further; hence a shrine was established at Nathdwara.
