Why Visit a Spiritual Place?
Spiritual Places that have stayed on earth for longer periods of time hold vibrations of divine love and peace.
Today we are going to discuss the Best Spiritual Places in India.
These Spiritual places may offer us new perspectives of life, a peek into our past and may also help us understand our history and the changes that we all have been through while living on this land.
If we are sensitive enough, we may even be reminded of our existence on earth since the time of our inception.
Today I am going to share with you the 5 Best Spiritual Places In India though I should be adding more places to this list in the future.
Spiritual Places In India for Your Spiritual Growth
India, the land of Spirituality is the perfect place to gain your spiritual lessons and progress on your spiritual awakening path.
Spirituality is above and beyond all religions and as you travel the length and breadth of India, you will realize that this land is extremely blessed.
It is blessed with the spiritual wisdom of the rishi munis and the spiritual masters that have walked on this land.
India is not just any land you may visit to travel around but if you allow yourself, you may also be touched deeply by something beyond the mundane and you may find yourself in a dimension much beyond the physical.
You will understand the deeper aspects of life and how everything in this world is inter-woven and inter-connected. This land offers the most amazing lessons for one’s spiritual development.
People from different faiths, beliefs, and religions live together in the neighborhood and love each other (delete all the negative paid news that has been fed into your minds please).
You will find the temples, gurudwaras, monasteries and churches, all in one place and visited by people from all faiths.
While the country has a lot to offer, it depends on every individual’s desire and capacity and what he learns out of all that he has been offered. What do you really seek?
If you seek God, you will realize God’s presence and be led in the direction of infinite knowledge and wisdom. If you seek materialistic life, that is what you will experience and witness.
So let’s explore the 5 Best Spiritual Places In India now-
1. The River Ganga in Haridwar, Uttarakhand
Haridwar is made of two words. ‘Hari’ means God and ‘Dwar’ means door. ‘Haridwar’ therefore implies the door that leads to God. (well, I learned Sanskrit and Hindi during my schooldays and gained a deeper knowledge of finding the meanings of the words by myself).
Haridwar is considered one of the oldest and holiest cities in India and is probably on every Indian’s list of the best Spiritual Places to visit.
Haridwar sits at the foothills of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand. In the evening, people perform ‘Aarti’ or evening prayers and lit lamps, lights and candles near the river Ganges to welcome the light into their lives. (Read my blog on ‘The Real Meaning of Light & Candles’)
Best time to visit: Between October and March as the weather is cool and pleasant and one can take a dip in the cold and holy waters of the River Ganges
Things to consider before the visit: If you are visiting India for the first time, you must hire a local guide at every place that you visit and ask them if there are any rules or important points that you should consider before visiting that holy place in the city.
Rules could be eg. not wearing a skirt at a holy place or covering one’s head with a cloth in the Gurudwara. The local guides can also help you find the best restaurants with delicious local cuisines. P.S. Use your sense of wisdom when you hire one.
2. The Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab
Also known as Shri Harmandir Sahib; Harmandir means the temple where God resides.
The most beautiful and the biggest temple that is pleasing to one’s eyes and looks like a piece of art in the daytime and a festival at night is this Golden Temple at Amritsar.
The Golden Temple was completed by Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the fifth guru of the Sikhs
in about 1604.
The temple looks exquisite and beautiful even today and you would not feel that it has been such a long time since it was first constructed.
The temple is surrounded by water and pilgrims take a bath in the water as they consider it holy. The Golden Temple is open to people from all religions and faith. Why do most Holy places have water around them?
It also offers ‘Langar’ i.e. free high-quality food prepared by the volunteers for the visitors.
The concept of ‘Langar’ i.e. free food for all irrespective of their religion, faith, caste, or class was started by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first Guru of Sikhs.
It is because of this concept of Langar that today, most of the poor in the country do not die of hunger.
The gates of all Gurudwaras are open to all the people irrespective of their backgrounds.
Below I am embedding one of my videos from 2019 that gives a glimpse of the teachings of Guru Nanak Ji.
This has been shot at the Bangla Sahib Ji Gurudwara in New Delhi; the most famous Sikh Gurudwara in the state of Delhi.
Note: This video is in the English Language. You may also find the same video in the Hindi language on the youtube channel.
The Golden temple has so much to offer, it has always been on the top of my list of the best spiritual sites in India.
It is not just a temple but if you stay there for a while you could read spiritual books written by the greatest Sikh Gurus.
You could also listen to the spiritual wisdom that is mostly translated and captioned in the English language on the television broadcast as well.
The Golden Temple broadcasts live Gurbani (Spiritual wisdom and songs) daily on Youtube and various television channels.
Best time to visit: Between October and March as the weather is cool and pleasant
Other sites to visit around the Golden Temple: Jallianwala Bagh – War Memorial (Historical Place), Tarn Taran – Holy Pilgrimage, Wagah Border – Beating Retreat
3. Vaishno Devi Temple, Jammu & Kashmir
The Vaishno Devi temple is considered the holiest temple in the world. It is situated in the pious hills of Vaishno Devi, Jammu & Kashmir. It is the fourth on my list of best Spiritual Places in India to visit.
This temple is dedicated to the ‘Goddess Shakti’ (Watch my video on ‘Many religions One God’ here). Millions of people from across India and the world visit the Vaishno Devi temple to get a glimpse of the divine presence.
Some things you should know before visiting: It is a long journey on foot. You can also get down from a helicopter and then go further up on foot. But if you are above 55 or you have problems with walking, I would not recommend it.
Best time to visit: Between the months of March and October as it’s already at a greater height and it’s much cold there during the winters. Max. 2-day trip if you’re going by flight, 3-day by train.
4. Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand
Kedarnath temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva in the form of Jyotir Lingam or the Cosmic Light.
It is a 1000-year-old temple. It is situated in the Garhwal Himalayan range in the state of Uttarakhand.
This temple is very ancient and has been renovated over the centuries.
Many people who visit the temple consider it a divine experience of a lifetime. The beautiful scenery that surrounds the temple makes one feel like a visit to heaven especially when the snow is still on the ground.
It is propounded that the Kedarnath Temple was built by the Pandavas (reference: The Mahabharata) as they pleased Lord Shiva by sitting in the Kedarnath and doing penance. It is also called the pilgrimage of the Northern Himalayas.
Well, at least for all those who say that the Mahabharata is a fiction, (of course it’s been centuries since those events happened) these temples and many other spiritual sites in India continuously remind us of our history.
Best time to visit: Between the months of April and November.
Important things to consider: The temple requires uphill trekking and is not reachable by road.
5. Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Varanasi is known as the city of Lord Shiva. It is considered the holiest of the Shiva temples. It is one of the best Spiritual Places in India on the list of all Indians.
The old name of Varanasi was ‘Kashi’ and therefore we call it the Kashi Vishwanath temple today. The site is considered one of the Jyotirlingas. The jyotirlinga sites have the name of the presiding deity – each considered a different manifestation of Shiva.
One can experience the culture of the city while taking a walk on the banks of the river Ganga. Many great saints such as Swami Vivekananda Ji, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, and Ramakrishna Paramhansa Ji have visited this site themselves.
Best time to visit: Between the months of October and March as it’s in Uttar Pradesh, which is a comparatively hotter area. So it’s better to visit in the winter.
Important Events:
Maha Shivratri Feb-March, Diwali 15th day from Diwali (October), Makar Sankranti 14th Jan