India

15 Best Religious Sites in India

If temples, churches and sacred sites are your reason to travel, this is India sorted for you.

Order reflects review volume from real travelers in India. Refreshed monthly.

  1. Gurudwara Bangla Sahib

    Religious site · New DelhiFree entry

    Gurudwara Bangla Sahib is the most prominent Sikh house of worship in Delhi, a serene white-marble complex crowned by golden domes, centred on a large sacred pool (sarovar) whose still water mirrors the building.

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  2. Shree Siddhivinayak

    Religious site · MumbaiFree entry

    Shree Siddhivinayak is Mumbai's most revered temple, dedicated to the elephant-headed god Ganesha (the remover of obstacles), and one of the most-visited and wealthiest temples in India.

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  3. Charminar

    Religious site · HyderabadFree entry

    The Charminar is the soul of old Hyderabad, a magnificent 16th-century monument of four soaring 56-metre minarets framing grand arches, standing at the centre of the bustling old city.

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  4. Birla Mandir, Hyderabad

    Religious site · Hyderabad

    Birla Mandir in Hyderabad is a stunning Hindu temple built entirely of white marble, situated on a hilltop overlooking the city.

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  5. Birla Mandir

    Religious site · HyderabadFree entry

    Birla Mandir is a serene Hindu temple in Hyderabad, built entirely of dazzling white Rajasthani marble atop a rocky hill called Naubath Pahad, overlooking the city and the Hussain Sagar lake.

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  6. Chaturshringi Temple

    Religious site · Pune

    Chaturshringi Temple is a Hindu temple on a hillside in Pune, Maharashtra. It stands 90 feet high and 125 feet wide, with more than 200 steps leading to the main shrine of Goddess Chattushringi.

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  7. Dagadusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple

    Religious site · Pune

    The Dagadusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple is a Hindu temple in Pune, India, dedicated to the god Ganesha.

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  8. Tirumala Temple

    Religious site · TirupatiFree entry

    The Sri Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala, near Tirupati, is one of the most visited and richest religious sites on Earth, a sacred Hindu temple atop the seven hills of Tirumala that draws tens of…

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  9. Birla Mandir, Jaipur

    Religious site · Jaipur

    Birla Mandir in Jaipur is a modern temple built entirely of white marble, dedicated to Lord Vishnu (Narayan) and his consort Goddess Lakshmi.

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  10. Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple

    Religious site · MumbaiFree entry

    The Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple, near Girgaon Chowpatty in Mumbai, is one of the most respected ISKCON (Hare Krishna) temples in India, known not for grand scale but for the warmth, devotion, and…

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  11. Jama Masjid

    Religious site · New DelhiFree entry

    Jama Masjid is the great congregational mosque of Old Delhi, one of the largest mosques in India and a masterpiece of Mughal architecture, commissioned by Shah Jahan (builder of the Taj Mahal).

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  12. Imambara Shah Najaf

    Religious site · Lucknow

    Imambara Shah Najaf is a serene and architecturally striking mausoleum built entirely of white marble, replicating the design of the revered Imam Ali shrine in Najaf.

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  13. Brihadeeswara Temple

    Religious site · ThanjavurFree entry

    The Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur (Tanjore) is a masterpiece of South Indian architecture and one of the greatest temples in India, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the crowning achievement of…

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  14. Mount Mary Basilica

    Religious site · MumbaiFree entry

    The Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, affectionately known as Mount Mary Church, is one of Mumbai's most beloved religious landmarks, a Roman Catholic basilica perched on a hilltop in the leafy…

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  15. Calcutta Jain Temple

    Religious site · Kolkata

    The Calcutta Jain Temple is a magnificent complex dedicated to the Jain faith, known for its exquisite marble craftsmanship and vibrant décor.

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Good to know

What is the best-known of the temples, churches and sacred sites in India?

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi is the most reviewed, with 6,885 traveler reviews and a 4.5 rating. That makes it the safe choice if you are only fitting in one.

Which of India's temples, churches and sacred sites is worth going out of your way for?

Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur rates highest at 5.0 out of 5 across 1,541 reviews. Smaller crowds than the headline entry usually explain the gap.

Which city in India has the most temples, churches and sacred sites?

Mumbai, with 3 on this list, ahead of Hyderabad on 3. The list spans 9 cities in total, capped at three per city so one big city cannot crowd out the rest of the country.

Are any of these temples, churches and sacred sites free to visit?

Yes, 9: Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Shree Siddhivinayak, Charminar and others. That is based on each place's own visiting information, not an assumption about the category.

How is this list of temples, churches and sacred sites ranked?

By how many travelers reviewed each place, filtered to those rated well enough to be worth your time, drawn from 2,344 tracked places in India. No one pays to appear on it, and the order is refreshed monthly as new reviews land.

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