| The land of mystics, deep spirituality and broad based | | | | goddesses are intricately carved giving art and |
| cultures, India upholds the institution of secularism to the | | | | architecture a new dimension. As a part of the temple |
| hilt. Churches, mosques and temples are found galore | | | | tour in India, you must visit the Varanasi - the |
| in this country of pied cultures and communities. | | | | immaculate land of utter holiness and piety. Be there |
| However, Hinduism, having the major influence among | | | | and you will know the meaning of self and its |
| people as far as statistics are concerned, has its | | | | surroundings.Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to Lord |
| evidences in the form of temples across the country. | | | | Shiva is the main temple to be visited here. Excursions |
| A temple tour in India will help one trace the variety of | | | | from here will take you to the magical land of Sarnath |
| interpretations within the Hindu religion. | | | | - the land of stupas. |
| East to west, north to south, temples happen to be | | | | A temple our in India through the southern belt will |
| some of the tourist attractions in India - thronged by | | | | acquaint you with Vimana and the Gopurams - a tall |
| hundreds and thousands, some as pilgrims and some | | | | pyramidal tower and the two storeys separated by a |
| as sheer tourists and knowledge seekers. A temple | | | | horizontal molding. |
| tour in India can be started from the north. Garbhagriha, | | | | Badami Cave Temples, Guruvayoor Temple, ISKCON |
| where the main deity is kept, happens to form the | | | | Temples, Jagannath Temple, Kailash Temple, Lingaraja |
| most important aspect of the north India temples. The | | | | Temple, Meenakshi Temple, Mukteswara Temple, |
| prominent roof called the shikhara which surmounts the | | | | Sabarimala Temple, Thousand Pillar Temple and |
| top of the Garbagriha, resembles an upside down | | | | Tirupati Tirumala Balaji are the main temples in the |
| conical shaped structure that is adorned with smaller | | | | south each of which deserves a dekko. Lingaraja |
| conical shikharas. | | | | Temple in Bhubaneshwar and Jagannath Temple in |
| Start with the Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu and | | | | Puri are other of the excellent manifestations of |
| Kashmir, dedicated to Shakti. The journey, the major | | | | architectural genius. |
| portion of which has to be covered by foot, is a tough | | | | Meenakshi Temple in Madurai is dedicated to Lord |
| trek and demands a lot of willpower and luck to get | | | | Shiva and Meenakshi. In Tirupati Tirupati Tirumala Balaji |
| through. The Lotus Temple in Delhi is a manifestation | | | | dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara is another |
| of the Bahai faith and the structure of the temple in the | | | | wonderful specimen of architecture. |
| form of a lotus is a major tourist draw as well. | | | | On your temple tour in India you will agree to the |
| A tour of the Khajuraho temples in Madhya Pradesh | | | | statement that these temples are essentially visited by |
| can be utterly satisfying for the tourist with an eye for | | | | most enthusiastic travelers as they bear the essence |
| artistic values. Built by the Chandela rulers from 950 to | | | | of the respective religions, be it Hinduism or Jainism or |
| 1050, the sublime love scenes of Indian gods and | | | | Buddhism. |