India is said to be the land of spiritualism and religion. With more than 150 crore people living in this country, each and every people belongs from the six major religion followed in this country. Out of the six major religion i.e. Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism, Hinduism is the most followed religion with more than 70% of the total population. The Hindus worship their gods in the temples that can be found in every nook and corner of the country. Ranging in size from small or large, there is a dedicated temple for each deity worshipped in Hinduism. Here are some of the largest temples in India which gathers thousands of visitors every day.

Jagannath Temple

Jagannath Temple is a Vishnu temple dedicated to his Shri Krishna avatar located in Puri, Odisha. The Jagannath Puri temple is the largest Hindu temple in Odisha where thousands of Hindu devotees and Lord Krishna devotees visit every day. The temple has three main deities, Lord Jagannath who is also known as Lord Krishna, his elder brother Lord Balram and his sister Subhadra. The temple was built by the Anantavarman Chodaganga who was the Emperor of the Ganga Dynasty in the year 1112 CE. The Jagannath Temple of Puri is also famous for the annual Rath yatra where all the three main deities are placed in a decorated chariot and pulled by the devotees. The idols of the main deities are made of wood and are replaced every 12 years by the high priests of the temple.

Kamakhya Temple

Kamakhya Temple is a Sati Temple located in Guwahati city of Assam, India. Kamakhya Temple is the biggest Hindu temple in Assam and in the North East region of India. Kamakhya temple is also known as a Shakti Peeth temple and is one of the 4 major Shakti Peeth temple or the Adi Shakti Peeth temples. The four Adi Shakti Peeth temples are the Dakshineshwar Temple of West Bengal, the Kamakhya Temple of Assam and the Tara Tarini and Vimala Shakti Peeth of Odisha. No one can trace the exact date when the temple was built but the history of the temple indicates that the original temple is around 2000 years old. Kamakhya temple became a Shakti Peeth after the Yoni (womb) of Goddess Sati fell at the spot the temple was built. God of Love, Kamdev who was the King of the Kamrup region first built the temple. The temple was destroyed by the Muslim invaders and was rebuilt by the Hindu Kings many times. The present temple is built by Koch King Naranarayana 600 years ago.

Kedarnath Temple

Kedarnath Temple is a Shiva temple located in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India. It is one of the biggest Shiva temples of India. Kedarnath temple is one of the 5 Panch Kedar Temples and one of the 12 Jyotirlinga Temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple was built by the Pandavas to please Lord Shiva after they finished the Mahabharat War. The Kedarnath temple is located in a very isolated area of the Himalayan Mountain range and the visitors had to do a uphill trek of 16 kms. During the time of winter, the temple remains closed due to heavy snowfall. During this time the main deity of the temple is carried down to Ukhimath for the devotees. The main temple remains open for worship from the month of April to November during the summer season. During 2013, the temple area of Kedarnath was destroyed by a flash flood but the main temple remained safe due to a big rock which saved the temple from getting destroyed. The big rock is now worshipped as Bhim Shila and devotees considers it as a miracle of Lord Shiva. Every year thousands of devotees visit the temple to seek blessings of Lord Shiva.

Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple is a Vishnu temple located in the Thiruvananthapuram City of Kerala, India. The main deity of the temple is Sri Padmanabhaswamy who is another form of Lord Vishnu. This Vishnu temple is one of the main Vishnu temples in India and this makes it one of the oldest and most important temples in India. The name of the temple is mentioned in several Hindu puranas. The Padmanabhaswamy Temple is the richest religious site in the whole world. It is said that the temple has treasure and jewels worth more than trillion dollars. The treasure that are hidden inside the temple vaults are collected by the previous kings and rulers of the state of Kerala. There are 8 vaults below the temple and recently all the vaults were opened except the vault B which is known to be restricted. It can easily be said that the Padmanabhaswamy temple’s history makes it one of the most visited temple in India. Now the temple is governed by the Travancore Royal Family.

Vaishno Devi Temple

Vaishno Devi Temple is a major Hindu temple dedicated to the Goddess Durga who is known to be the superior Goddess according to Hinduism. Vaishno Devi Mata was formed by the combination of the three principle deities known as Goddess Kali, Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati. The place where the temple is located is known to have a very important historical significance. There are many legends about the temple which the local people of Katra believes to be true that shows the miracles of Goddess Vaishno Devi. The Vaishno Devi temple in Katra is one of the Shakti Peeth of Goddess Sati which is why it among the most visited temples of India. Just like the Padmanabhaswamy Temple of Lord Vishnu, the Vaishno Devi temple is also one the richest temples of India. The wealth of temple comes in the form of donations donated by the devotees.

10 Major Shakti Peeth Temples located outside India

Somnath Temple

One of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples of India, Somnath temple is a major Hindu temple dedicated to Someshvar Mahadev avatar of Lord Shiva. Somnath Shiva temple is located in the Western Coast of Gujarat. Believed to be the top of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrine of Lord Shiva, Somnath temple is a regular worship place for the people following Shaivism. The original Somnath temple was built around 2000 years ago but it was destroyed from time to time by the Muslim invaders. The construction of the present temple was completed in the year 1951 under the guidance of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the present prime minister of India Narendra Modi is the Chairman of the temple. Somnath Mandir is the most visited temple in Gujarat and is known to be one of the top tourist destinations in India.

Siddhivinayak Temple

Shree Siddhivinayak Temple is located in the Prabhadevi area of Mumbai, Maharashtra. The Siddhivinayak temple is dedicated to Lord Ganesh/Ganpati. The Siddhivinayak Temple is the third richest temple in India after the Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala. The Siddhivinayak Temple was built by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil on 19 November 1801. The temple is most famous temple in Mumbai and is visited by many famous personalities on a daily basis. Various Bollywood celebs, politicians, sports personalities can be spotted visiting the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai. The original structure of the temple was a small one but over the time, the temple got developed by the temple authorities. Now the temple is visited by hundred of devotees every day and is one of the most visited temples in Mumbai.

Amarnath Temple

Amarnath Temple is not a actual temple but more of a Hindu shrine that is located in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. In the shrine there is a natural ice formation which is in the exact shape of Shiva Lingam. This shrine is a important Hindu shrine and it is believed that a person following Hinduism should go for Amarnath yatra once in his lifetime. An important place for the people following Shaivism, this cave shrine attracts thousands of visitors every year. The Amarnath Cave temple is one of the known Shakti Peeth in India which adds up to the importance of the temple. The temple was first discovered by a saint called Bhrigu in the ancient times. Due to its location, the Amarnath temple yatra often gets hindered by the attacks done by the terrorist organizations. But with the help and protection of Indian Army, people now are completing the yatra and that is the reason why the Amarnath Yatra gets thousands and lakhs of visitors in its peak time.

Tirupati Balaji Temple

Tirupati Balaji Temple also known as the Venkateshwara Temple is a Lord Vishnu temple located in the Tirumala town in Tirupati of Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to the Venkateshwara form of Lord Vishnu. The temple was first constructed in the 300 AD. The Tirupati Balaji temple is the second richest temple in the whole world. The wealth of the temple comes from the donation it receives every day. Every day thousands of devotees visit the temple. According to some legends, it is said that Lord Vishnu still resides in this temple with Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Padmavathi. It is the most visited temple in Andhra Pradesh and now it is considered as a major tourism spot in the state.

Iskcon Temple

Iskcon Temple in the Vrindavan of the Mathura District of Uttar Pradesh is also known as the Krishna-Balarama temple. Dedicated to the Hindu god Krishna and his brother Balaram, the Iskcon temple of Vrindavan is a main place for worship for the people following Vaishnavism. Krishna was the avatar of Lord Vishnu and it can rightly be said that the temple is a Lord Vishnu temple. The Iskcon Temple of Vrindavan is the biggest Iskcon temple in the world. This temple is the most cleanest temple of India. Every year thousands of devotees visit the temple making it one of the highest visited temple in Uttar Pradesh.