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Religious Sites of India

India is a country of Culture and religion. There are many religions in India of these the 4 major religions are Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and Jainism. Each of these have their own special religious sites. We have given some information about these sites here.

  • The Ramanathaswamy Temple is a very important hindu religious site located in Rameswaram,India.
  • The temple considered a holy pilgrimage site for Shaivites, Vaishnavites and Smarthas.
  • The temple is very significant because it is both one of the 4 Dhams and the 12 Jyotirlingas.
  • It is said that The presiding deity, the Linga of Ramanathaswamy (Shiva), was established and worshiped by Rama before crossing his bridge to Lanka to absolve him of the sin of killing a Brahmin.
  • There are 2 lingas in the temple Ramalinga(Built by Rama) and Vishwalinga(Brought by hanuman from Kailash).
  • According to legend Rama instructed that the vishwaling must be worshipped first as it was brought by hanuman. The tradition continues even today.
  • The Hazratbal Shrine, popularly called Dargah Sharif ("the Holy Shrine"), is a Muslim shrine located in Hazratbal, Srinagar.
  • It is reputed for being the location of the relic, Moi-e-Muqqadas, which is widely believed to be the hair of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
  • The relic was first brought to Kashmir by Syed Abdullah Madani, a professed descendant of Muhammad who left Medina (present-day Saudi Arabia) and settled in the city of Bijapur in 1635, at a time when the Mughal Empire was rapidly expanding across India.
  • The relic is displayed for public view only on special Islamic occasions, such as the birthdays of Muhammad and his four main companions.
  • The Golden Temple also known as the Harmandir Sahib ('abode of God'),or the Darbar Sahib ('exalted court'), is a gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab.
  • It is the preeminent spiritual site of Sikhism.
  • The gurdwara is built around a man-made pool that was completed by the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das, in 1577.
  • Continuing the efforts of Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan established Amritsar as a primary Sikh pilgrimage destination.
  • He wrote a voluminous amount of Sikh scripture including the popular Sukhmani Sahib.
  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh, after founding the Sikh Empire, overlaid the sanctum with Gold foil in 1830. This has led to the name the Golden Temple.
  • The temple is also frequently visited by buddhists as Buddha declared this site as an ideal meditation ground for sadhus and saints.
  • The Palitana temples are the large groups of Jain temples located on Shatrunjaya hills near Palitana, Gujarat.
  • The Palitana temples have 800 small shrines and large temples. This has led many to call it the city of temples.
  • It is one of the most sacred sites of Jainism.
  • The temples were buith in the 11th century.
  • The main temple is dedicated to Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara.
  • More than 400,000 pilgrims visited this pilgrimage in 2010.
  • It is beleived that 23 of the 24 tirthankaras sactified the hills by their visit.
  • These temples are reached by most pilgrims and visitors by climbing 3500 stone steps.
  • Jains believe that a visit to this group of temples is essential as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to achieve nirvana or salvation.