10 temples in India you simply must see

How many temples are there in India?

That depends on how you’re counting them, and who’s counting. Figures vary wildly from around 650,000 to over two million! But it’s safe to say India has more temples than anyone could visit in one lifetime, let alone see in one trip. Broadly, the temples can be divided into those that are ‘active’ (in use) and historic temples where people no longer worship but have cultural interest - some of these are over a thousand years old.

If the number of temples in India is big, the number of visitors is even greater - India’s most popular temples like the Golden Temple of Amritsar can welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors on a single day.

What is the best way to visit temples in India?

The easiest way is to visit temples in India is to book a tour; that way all the logistics will have been thought about and taken care of in advance. This can be anything from arranging transport to and from the temples to paying entrance fees and booking English-speaking guides. Tours like Grand Tour of Southern India and South India - Temples and Waterways visit several major Indian temples in one trip, which would be complicated and costly to arrange yourself. The benefit of local knowledge and customs is also a huge advantage when travelling in India. Having a tour guide leading you means you can relax and immerse yourself in the whole experience.

How do I begin to choose which Indian temples to visit?

That’s a matter of taste, time and - to a certain extent - budget. Naturally, it will make your life easier if all the temples you want to visit are in the same district or region. So for example if you’re in the north of India you could see popular temples like the Golden Temple of Amritsar and Karni Mata in Jodhpur, while must-sees in South India include Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Trichy, Brihadeeswara in Thanjavur and the UNESCO-listed treasures of Mamallapuram. Again, a tour can take the hard work out of planning the journey.

 This list of ten of the most popular temples in India should help narrow down your options.

The Golden Temple of Amritsar, Punjab, India

The Golden Temple of Amritsar, Punjab

One of India’s best-known temples, the Golden Temple of Amritsar, welcomes anything from 50,000 to 100,000 visitors every day. It even appeared in the Guinness Book of Records as the most visited Sikh temple in the world. Known for its glittering gold domes and façade, the illustrious temple is located in the town of Amritsar in the northern state of India’s Punjab. Made of marble and gold plated, the massive central dome is crowned with over 150kg of pure, 24-karat gold. One of the other famous things about the Golden Temple of Amritsar is that it operates the world’s largest free or ‘community’ kitchen. Over 100,000 people eat for free in the temple every day of the year. If you’re considering travelling around the north of India and the Himalaya, this temple is not to be missed.

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Trichy, India

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Trichy

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, located in Trichy, is one of the largest temples in India. It’s simply breathtaking in size and scale, with no less than seven gopurams leading visitors towards its inner temples and shrines. Each one is like a mini city precinct complete with shops, restaurants and even the occasional museum. Although non-Hindus can’t pass the sixth gopuram, Sri Ranganathaswamy still mesmerizes with its huge, intricate carvings, sculpted pillars and detailed frescoes telling stories from Hindu mythology. Despite its size, Sri Ranganathaswamy has a serene spirituality that touches all who visit.

Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Chennai, India

Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Mamallapuram, Chennai

Chennai is a gateway to Southern India, and a great jumping off point for travels around this part of India. In nearby Mamallappuram, a riotously coloured and elaborately carved pyramidal tower (called a gopuram) heralds your arrival at Kapaleeshwarar Temple, one of the oldest and most impressive temples in the region. Kapaleeshwarar is a fine example of traditional Tamil Nadu temple architecture: a rainbow-coloured gopuram, huge pillared pavilions and a large reservoir of water called a temple tank. Although non-Hindus are not allowed in the temple itself, you can spend hours gazing at the myriad intertwining sculptures on each facade, all telling their own mythical tales.

World Heritage-listed temples and carvings, Mamallapuram, India

UNESCO World Heritage temples and carvings, Mamallapuram

Kapaleeshwarar may be the best-known temple at Mamallapuram but the town itself is also a renowned centre for ancient religious art and architecture in India. Mamallapuram’s collection of World Heritage-listed temples and carvings is simply breathtaking, including some of India’s greatest giant relief carvings and entire temples carved out of single, gargantuan rocks. If you find yourself in or around Chennai, a trip to the see the temples and treasures of Mamallapuram is certainly worth the effort.

Feeding time at Karni Mata Temple (Temple of Rats), Jodhpur, India

Karni Mata Temple (Temple of Rats), Jodhpur

Unlikely as it may sound, rats are worshipped in several Indian cultures as the reincarnation of Goddess Karni Mata. Karni Mata Temple in Jodhpur, in the northwest Indian state of Rajasthan, takes this devotion to the next level. Here, over 25,000 rats run freely all over the temple complex and are fed, protected and even worshipped by devotees. The temple has solid silver gates - embossed with images of rats - and you can see large groups of them eating from huge metal bowls of milk and grain. In case you’re wondering, visitors do remove their shoes before entering Karni Mata Temple, but it’s considered great good luck to have a rat run over your foot!

Not a temple but a sacred space: Matrimandir in Auroville, India

Matrimandir, Auroville 

Auroville in Tamil Nadu is an experimental, internationally recognised township devoted to peace, sustainability and human unity. At its heart is Matrimandir, a giant golden globe (some say it looks like a golden golf ball) which seems to be rising straight out of the ground. Built in 1971, it’s easily the most modern and recently constructed building in this list and although not strictly a temple, Matrimandir is a sacred space dedicated to the Universal Mother, a common theme in Hindu culture. As you would when visiting any temple or religious site in India, you should dress modestly for Matrimandir with knees and shoulders covered.

Chennakesava Temple, Mysuru, India

Chennakesava Temple, Mysuru

It may not be the biggest temple in India, but Chennakesava Temple (also known as Keshava Temple) is one of the most exquisitely crafted. It was constructed during the Hoysala era, a time when Southern Indian art, architecture and religion was beginning to boom and is intricately and elaborately sculpted both inside and out. The detail is masterly and will leave you in awe of the skill and craftsmanship of those who built it.

Brihadeeswara Temple, Thanjavur, India

Brihadeeswara Temple, Thanjavur 

Thanjavur, cultural capital of Tamil Nadu, is a mecca for art and temple architecture in Southern India. Capital of the great Chola empire in its heyday it’s a dizzying place, and it’s famous for its temples. Brihadeeswara is its crowning glory, an enormous 11th century temple whose stepped and sculpted profile means its shadow never touches the ground. Brihadeeswara is beautiful in the morning, when the honey-hued stone is bathed in gentle, early sunlight. At sun set, the same stone turns shades of red, terracotta and pink.

Bullet Baba Temple, Deogarh

If worshipping rats seems unlikely, how about a temple devoted to a motorbike? Bullet Baba Temple worships a ‘miracle’ motorbike whose young rider was killed on a nearby road. The motorbike was locked away in a local police station but kept re-appearing on the spot where the boy died. The legend grew, and travellers (especially bikers) now come to pray for safe journeys at Bullet Baba Temple and worship the original motorbike which is displayed in a glass case. Bullet Baba is one of the most unusual temples in Rajasthan - if not in India - and is living proof that temples in India come in all shapes and sizes!

Sri Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai, India

Sri Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai

One of the oldest cities in India, Madurai also has one of its oldest temples: Sri Meenakshi Amman. An enormous complex of towering gateways, soaring spires and two golden gopurams, Meenakshi temple is said to contain over 30,000 sculptures. Many visitors to Meenakshi are there to witness the ‘Going to Bed Ceremony’. A noisy procession of bells, drums, swirling smoke and chanting, it marks the journey taken each evening as an image of Lord Shiva is carried from his shrine to the resting place of his wife, Parvati. The ceremony is both colourful and eye-opening and gives a real insight into India’s deep-rooted spiritualty.

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