Buddhism a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on original teachings attributed to the Buddha. There are approximately around 250 – 500 million Buddhists all around the world. However, not many know that the founder of Buddism Siddharth Gautama was originally from India. Because of that, there are actually many landmarks and historical places that serve as a pilgrimage place for the Buddhists. Underneath is the list of 12 monasteries Buddhist temples and monasteries in India:
Hemis Monastery, Ladakh
It is the largest and richest Buddhist monastery in the Ladakh region. The monastery was founded before the 11th century but re-established in India in 1652. It houses a famous collection of ancient statues, sacred thangkas, and various other artifacts. During the high season, it is possible to stay at the monastery and participate in the Hemis spiritual retreat that is run by the monks. The festival is celebrated annually in June or July each year. Simple accommodations and food are provided by the monastery.
Thiksey Monastery, Ladakh
The second most prominent monastery in Ladakh, it is set covering one side of a hill. There are numerous buildings that are arranged in ascending order of importance. The buildings are all white-washed. The monastery is a favorite amongst the tourists, many consider it to be the best monastery in the region. One of the highlights of the monastery is the Maitreya Temple, which contains a towering 15-meter statue of Maitreya Buddha which was built to commemorate the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama in 1970. It was built in the 1430 AD and is supposed to be dedicated as a mini Potala palace.
Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya
Located in the Bodh Gaya city in the Bihar state, it is one of the most important monasteries in India. This temple is built on the exact place Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment during his meditation under the bodhi tree. The temple is adorned with beautiful architecture which reflects the diversity of the customs, cultures, and traditions in Buddhism.
Phuktal Monastery, Zanskar
The location of this monastery is isolated, and in order to reach it, you will have to do two and a half or three days trekking. It is constructed out of the mouth of a huge cave and down into the side of a cliff. To reach the monastery, the visitors have to cross a suspension bridge.
Mahaparinirvana Temple, Kushinagar
Located in Uttar Pradesh state, this temple is the house of a 6 meters long statue of the reclining buddha. The temple is set in the middle of an extensive lawn and ancient ruins. The statue of the reclining buddha was discovered in 1876, and it is significant because it depicts the dying age of Gautam Buddha.
Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim
Sikkim is a city that is full of monasteries. It is predicted there are about 200 monasteries in total. Rumtek is the largest and one of the most visited one. This is because of the colorful, grand architecture. It dates back to the 9th century in Tibet but was re-established in the 1960s in India. The monastery to date still holds plenty of activities such as chanting and ritual services every morning and evening. They also hold a masked dance during the annual group meditation that happens in May or June and two days before Tibetan new year.
Wat Thai Temple, Kushinagar
This is one of the most distinctive temples in India. This can be seen throughout the temple architecture as it is very heavily influenced by Thailand architecture. The temple is known for this and is scenic and beautiful.
Mindrolling Monastery, Dehradun
It is one of the most popular religious sites for Buddhists in India. It is located close to the Rajaji National park, in the district of Dehradun. The monastery house one of the tallest Buddha statue which height about 107 feet. The monastery function as a center of learning with one of the largest Buddhist institutes in India.
Tawang Monastery, Arunachal Pradesh
This is the largest monastery in India and perhaps one of the main tourist attractions in Arunachal Pradesh. Tawang monastery is precariously located at 10,000 feet above sea level near the border of Bhutan. It appears and is structured like a fort, with ravines on tow sides. They have an annual torgya festival in January, in which they perform the famed masked dance.
Namdroling Monastery and Golden Temple, Karnataka
This monastery is located in the south of India, unlike majority of the monastery that is located up north near the hills. It is located near a Tibetan settlement which is said to be the second-largest in India. The walls are fully intricated and adorned with the statue of Buddha.
Dharma Stupa, Sarnath
Also called as Dhamekha or Dhamek Stupa, it is a massive Buddhist stupa in Sarnath. This is supposedly where Buddha gave his first sermon to his disciple’s post-enlightenment. This is the reason; it is considered the most important religious place to visit for Buddhists. The massive cylindrical stupa is 43,6 meters high and has a width of 28 meters. This has attracted a large number of devotees from around the world.
Vishwa Shanti Stupa, Rajgir
This place is also known as world peace pagoda, it is among the famous Buddhist temples in India. It is located in the Rajgir city of Bihar. The reason for it being so famous is because the only way to reach the temple is through a ropeway. It is located on a top of a hill and is fully decorated in white, with a golden statue buddha in the middle of the stupa.
India is a land that comprises a myriad of different religions. People from all around the world come to visit this wonderful country that is the home of different religions. If you want to completely see and be mesmerized by the beauty of the country, these are some top 25 religious tourism places in India;
Golden Temple
Home the glorious golden temple, the iconic city of Amritsar portrays heroic character of Punjab. Built by the fourth Sikh guru, Gurdwara Harmandir Sahib is the most important Sikh pilgrimage site to visit in India.
Bodh Gaya
Bogh Gaya is one of the most famous pilgrimage sites for Buddhist. It is situated in the Gaya district of Bihar. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and has an 80 feet tall Buddha statue. Apart from these, Bodh Gaya is also home to three monasteries and several organizations which hold classes on Buddhist philosophy.
Jagannath Temple
This temple is located in Odisha and is an important pilgrimage for the Hindus. The annual rath yatra is celebrated in this holy town of Puri where idols of the deities Jagannath, Balarama, and Subhadra are taken out in a procession from the temple.
Basilica of BOM Jesus
It is the first minor basilica and is one of the oldest and most important religious places for catholic in India. The church is located in old Goa, and the basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier who had passed. His body is kept inside a casket and is taken out for public viewing once every ten years. Not only that, but it is also well known for its baroque architecture.
Kedarnath
It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. One of the most ancient pilgrimage sites, it lies near the Chorabari glacier which is the starting point of the river Mandakini and is located about 3484 meters above sea level.
Badrinath
The town of Badrinath lies in the state of Uttarakhand. It is an important pilgrimage site since ancient times. It is known to be the home of Lord Vishnu who visited to meditate. Aside from that, it is also considered by many of the Jain sages who attained moksha in this place.
Sun Temple
Located in Konark, it is the amalgamation of the architecture and pilgrimage site The temple is dedicated to the sun god. The portrayal of the sun god sitting on a majestic chariot depicts the story of Kind Narshimhadeva I in defeating Muslim invaders.
Somnath Jyotirlinga
This temple is located in Gujarat and has been a source of divinity and spirituality for many Hindu pilgrims. This placed is believed to be the first Dwadash Jyotirlinga (pillar of light) for Lord Shiva.
Amarnath
This is one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Lord Shiva. Located in Jammu and Kashmir, the cave is a haven to an enshrined image of ice called the shivaling formed naturally which resembles Lord Shiva.
Varanasi
Varanasi is a city that is located in Uttar Pradesh. It is known for its Ganges river that flows into the town. The Ganga Arti performed ritualistically every morning and evening enhances the divinity. The devotees believe in taking a bath in the river,they would be cleansed of all the sins.
Velankanni Chruch
Situated in the nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu. It is also known as the basilica of our lady of good health, is adored by gorgeous architecture. It is believed that the church was built by Portuguese sailor who survived a violent sea storm as a gratitude to the supreme power. Each year the feast of the nativity of Mary is celebrated and is attended by millions of devotees.
Hampi
It is also a UNESCO world heritage site. These temples will stun you with its beauty. Not all temples in Hampi, in fact it still houses the Virupaksha temple that is one of the most famous temples in Hampi.
Vaishno Devi Temple
This is another temple that is located in Jammu and Kashmir. People have to trek for 25 kilometers in order to reach the place. However, there are palkis, mules, and helicopters available for people who can not walk up to the temple. It is a Shakthi peetha and is regarded as one of the most religious places.
Kashi Vishwanath
Located in the Varanasi, it is a temple that is located to Lord Shiva. It has been destroyed several times by invaders, however it was being rebuilt. It is well known for its gold plated domes, spires and bull statue.
Haji Ali Dargah
There are many Islamic holy places in India, but this is one of the most visited ones. It has white domes and minarets and the dargah has the influence of Mughal architecture. Located in Mumbai, it houses the tomb of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.
Shirdi
Located in Maharashtra is a gateway to sheer spirituality. The revered sai baba dedicated his life to preaching about One God and earned himself followed. Shirdi is his native placed that has been adorned with multitude devotees irrespective of religion, color or creed seeking peach to pay homage to him.
Leh
Leh is the home of a lot of Tibetan monasteries. Most of the monasteries in Leh contain numerous stupas, statues, wall painting, and large pillars that are engraved with Buddha’s teaching.
Madurai
Located in Tamil Nadu, it is known as the temple town. Legends said the city got its name from the drops of honey that fell from the matted hair of Lord Shiva who had appeared in the dream of the King of Madurai. Madura is also known for Meenakshi Amman Temple, which is one of the most famous temples in India.
Rameshwaram
It is in the state of Tamil Nadu which is one of the sites of the pious char Dham yatra in India. Located on the island called Mannar, this is a sacred destination where Lord Rama is believed to worshipped and repented after killing Ravana.
Vrindavan
This is believed to be the city where Lord Krishna spent his childhood. Located in Uttar Pradesh, it offers a story when bal Gopal becoming Kanha then finally lord Krishna.
Ranakpur Temple
Situated in Rajasthan, it is one of the best Indian pilgrimage sites. It holds the oldest Jain temples in India and holds a lot of importance to the devotees.
Hemkund Sahib
It is one of the unique pilgrimage sites because of its pentagonal structure. It is located in Chamoli district in Uttrakhand.
Dwarka
Believed to be the capital of Lord Krishna when he escaped from Mathura, Dwarka is one of the sites of the Char Dham yatra. It is situated in the west of India mainly in the state of Gujarat.
Rishikesh
The state is adorned with numerous Hindu temples and heavy settlement of yoga centers. Becoming a yoga center, it has become one of place that the most offers a different spiritualism experience.
Dargah Gharib Nawaz
Located in Ajmer, it is a tomb of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti that is believed to still be listening to people’s wishes and fulfill them. The best time to visit is during the Urs festival when you can witness the place coming to life.
