There are more than 2 million temples in North India. Unsurprisingly, each of them holds a great place in the hearts of the devotees. In ancient times, visiting these temples was considered an act of great dedication and bravely because most of them were mounted upon the hills. Even if we keep their religious importance aside, these temples demonstrate the great architectural history of India. Therefore, it only makes sense to visit them, right? Below is a list of the largest most famous temples of north India. Make sure to check them all!
10 Largest Temples in North India
| Sr. No. | Name | Location |
| 1 | Amarnath temple | Baltal Amarnath Trek, Forest Block, Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir 192230 |
| 2 | Vaishnodevi temple | Katra, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, 182320 |
| 3 | Kali Mata temple | Spituk Village, Leh 194101, India |
| 4 | Lakshana Devi Temple | Lakshana Devi Mandir Bharmour, Himachal Pradesh 176315 |
| 5 | Golden temple | Golden Gurudwara Rd, Atta Mandi, Katra Ahluwalia, Amritsar, Punjab 143006 |
| 6 | Tungnath Temple | Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand 246419 |
| 7 | Kartikeya Temple | 136128, Shiva Market, Nand Colony, Pehowa, Haryana 136128 |
| 8 | Swaminarayan Akshardham | Noida Mor, Pandav Nagar, New Delhi, Delhi 110092 |
| 9 | Kashi Vishwanath Temple | Lahori Tola, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001 |
| 10 | Shree Adya Katyayani Shaktipeeth Mandir | Main Chhatarpur Rd, Block A1, Dr Ambedkar Colony, Chhatarpur, New Delhi, Delhi 110074 |
1. Amarnath Temple, Kashmir
Amarnath temple is one of the holiest most important temples of North India. Ancient Hindus used to regard the journey to the temple as a stairway to heaven. It was the most difficult one, after all. The temple is situated amongst snowy mountains and harsh climatic conditions. So much, that it is not possible to visit the temple for the most part of the year. Interestingly, the Shiva linga in the cave is formed by drops falling into the cave and freezing into rock hard ice. This phenomenon makes it the most unique temple in north India. For reasons as such this, this temple holds a special place in Hindu scriptures.
2. Vaishnodevi temple, Jammu
Similar to the Amarnath Temple, the journey of walking all the way up the mountain to visit the Goddess Vaishno, defines the importance of this temple. For the elderly and the ones who are physically challenged, there are horses and carriages available to climb up the mountain. The shrine is also one of the most visited temples of north India. apart from the temple of maa Vaishno, pilgrims also visit the temple of Bhairav Nath, a criminal turned devotee of the goddess, otherwise, your journey is not completed. To reach the temple, people have to go to the town Katra in Jammu. After that, people have to walk up to 16 km uphill.
3. Kali Mata temple, Leh
This shrine of Leh is a unique union of two religions and cultures. The idol of Goddess Kali stands inside the Spituk monastery, uniting Buddhism and Hinduism. However, the face of the Goddess is only unveiled during the annual festival of Spituk due to religious reasons. Additionally, you will also see the magnificent view from the monastery, since it stands 6 km away from Leh.
4. Lakshana Devi Temple, Bharmour
The Lakshana Devi temple of Bharmour, Himachal Pradesh dates back to the 7th century. It is the oldest wooden temple in India. Furthermore, the temple is filled with ancient wooden carvings that show great amounts of Gupta era architecture. The deity of Goddess Durga is worshipped in the temple in the form of Mahishasura-Mardini. However, the carvings in the temple also reflect scriptures of Shaivism as well as Vaishnavism. Therefore, the temple attracts people from the entire Hinduism.
5. Golden temple, Amritsar
The Golden Temple in Amritsar is one of the religious pride of India. To begin with, the Gurudwara is stunningly beautiful, covered in the plates of Gold (hence, the name). It is listed as one of the world heritage sights by UNESCO. Secondly, it is a symbol of unity and kindness. The langar of (free Communal meal) feeds millions of people per year, regardless of religion, caste, or creed. In addition to that, thousands of people volunteer every day to cook the meals and help out the devotees.
6. Tungnath Temple, Rudraprayag
Rudraprayag district in Uttarakhand is popular for the Tungnath Temple of Lord Shiva. This temple is one of the Panch Kedar Temples in India. The story says that Pandavas (From Mahabharata) were looking for Lord Shiva to ask for forgiveness for killing their own relatives in the war of Kurukshetra. Knowing that Pandavas were guilty, Shiva decided to hide his entire body in 5 different locations. His body parts eventually resurfaced from the earth. His arms appeared in Tungnath, His back in Kedarnath, His head in Rudranath, His hair in Kalpeshwar, and his navel in Madmaheshwar. The temple of Tungnath is the highest of them all. The journey is to this temple is often complicated because of extreme winters. During these months, even the priests move to Mukunath, giving some space to the Lord.
7. Kartikeya Temple, Pehowa
As the name suggests, the Kartikeya Temple in Pehowa, Haryana, is the temple of Lord Kartikeya (son of Shiva). The origins of the temple roughly date back to the 5th Century. Surprisingly, there are many stories revolving around the temple. In one of the stories, Lord Krishna and Yuddhishtira lit two lamps in the temple for the 1.8 million warriors who died in the war of Kurukshetra. The lamps are constantly kept burning out of respect. In fact, the district of Pehowa is just 27 km away from Kurukshetra. Therefore, the story checks out!
8. Swaminarayan Akshardham, Delhi
Among all the other temples of north India in this list, Swaminarayan Akshardham is fairly new. Guru Pramukh Swamy Maharaj opened this temple in 2005. In fact, our ex-president Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was part of the opening ceremony! The design of the temple is similar to the first Swaminarayan Akshardham temple (Gujrat). The temple has 234 ornately carved pillars, nine domes, and 20,000 idols of past Gurus.
9. Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi
The temple of Kashi Vishwanath is a symbol of the ultimate truth, ie., the expiration of our earthly body, and the liberation of the soul. Incidentally, this temple is also one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. The temple stands at the banks of the river Ganga in Varanasi. Therefore, Hindus consider it the ultimate spot of cremation. They say that once a body is cremated and the ashes are released into the Ganga, the soul goes directly to heaven. many people choose to spend the last days of their lives in Banaras to visit the temple and be cremated near the river.
10. Shree Adya Katyayani Shaktipeeth Mandir , Delhi
Baba Sant Nagpal Ji established this temple back in 1974 in a town close by Delhi, Chhatarpur. This temple was the second largest temple before the establishment of the Akshardham temple in 2005. It belongs to the Goddess Katyayani (a form of Durga). If you ever go sightseeing in Delhi and visit Qutub Minar, make sure to visit this masterpiece as well, since it is barely 4 km away from it.
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