Famous temples in India

Golden Temple

Amritsar:
Amritsar, literally means the Pool of Nectar. Amritsar derieves its name from Amrit Sarovar, the holy tank that surrounds the fabulous Golden Temple. The Sikh cult largely dominate the city. During centuries, this complex of Sikh culture grew from a sacred village pond into a spiritual-temporal center. The passionate pilgrims of the faith of Guru Nanak (15th century), who united Hindu and Muslim elements and initiated a reformation, flocked here generation after generation.

History unfolded:
Guru Arjan Sahib, the Fifth Nanak, conceived the idea of creating a central place of worship for the Sikhs and he himself designed the architecture of Golden temple also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib. Guru Arjan Sahib got its foundation laid by a muslim saint Hazrat Mian Mir ji of Lahore in December 1588. The construction work was directly supervised by Guru Arjan Sahib himself and he was assisted by the prominent Sikh personalities like Baba Budha ji, Bhai Gurdas ji, Bhai Sahlo ji and many other devoted Sikhs.

Front View of Golden Temple

Side View of Golden Temple

Meenakshi Temple

Tamil Nadu- Madurai:
Thousands of temples with lofty towers dot the skyline of the southernmost state of Tamilnadu in India. These temples are torchbearers of the glorious heritage of the Tamil speaking region. Madurai is called the `Athens of the East' because of the way myth meets life here. Legends of warrior princesses, the gods falling in love and divine promises abound. Originally called Madhurapuram because honey (madhu) is said to have dripped off the locks of Shiva here, Madurai is now the second largest city in Tamil Nadu. is now among the most important pilgrimages for Hindus.

History Revisited:
The original temple was built by Kulasekara Pandya, but the entire credit for making the temple as splendid as it is today goes to the Nayaks. The Nayaks ruled Madurai from the 16th to the 18th century and left a majestic imprint of their rule in the Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Temple.

Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam: The tank has a mandapam at the centre enshrining Lord Vigneshwara. In this tank, float festival is conducted in January/February.

Tirumalai Naik Palace: Tirumalai Naik palace is a gracious edifice built in the Indo-Saracenic style famous for the stucco-work on its domes and arches. Here Sound and Light shows are being conducted by the Department of Tourism.

Ranakpur Jain Temples

Ranakpur: Ranakpur is located in the mountain ranges of Pali district, 23 kms. away from the Phalna railway station. Ranakpur in the state of Rajasthan, is one of the five most important pilgrimage sites of Jainism. Amidst the sandy land stands the Chaturmukh Jain Temple of Rishabhadev or The Ranakpur Jain Temple.
Location: Ranakpur complex is one of the biggest and most important Jain temples in India, the extremely beautiful. Ranakpur is located about 56 miles north of Udaipur. It lies in a remote and quiet valley of the Aravalli Range 60 km from Udaipur.
The past: Ranakpur is one of the five holiest places of the Jain community and spectacular in architecture. It is probably the most complex and extensive of Jain temples in India. The Ranakpur Jain Temple were built under the reign of monarch Rana Kumbha in the 15th century and is the largest Jain temple in India.
Key attractions:

Kumbhalgarh: It is the most important fort in the Mewar region after Chittaurgarh. A historical site around 30 km northeast of Ranakpur. The other important place to visit in Kumbhalgarh is a wildlife sanctuary known for its wolves.

Sadri: 8 km away, Sadri is famous for some beautiful temples and an old dargah of Khudabaksh Baba. The Varahavtar temple and the Chintamani Parsvanath temple are the oldest of the temples situated here.

Somnath Temple Gujarat: Gujarat, the 'Jewel of the West,' is a tourist destination that offers something for every visitor. A journey through Gujarat unfolds a religious, cultural and historical panorama. The state with the longest coast line (1290km) in the country is renowned for its beaches, holy temples, historic capitals replete with immense architectural assets, wildlife sanctuaries and hill resorts. However the famous Somnath temple here is an exemplar of architectural splendor.
Location: Somnath at Somnath Patan, near Veraval in Gujarat is a pilgrimage center held in great reverence throughout India. Somnath is considered to be the first of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva. Somnath Gujarat is situated on the south coast of Saurashtra.
Prime locations:
Palitana Jain Temple

Traditional Pithora Mural

Thanjavur Temple
The Granary of South India, Thanjavur was the royal city of the Cholas, Nayaks and the Mahrattas in the ancient India. Thanjavur or Tanjore reached the acme of art & culture and development during the rule of the Chola king, Rajaraja Cholan. Even today, Thanjavur is remains to be the center of all the classical arts and music. This city has produced many classical musicians and bharathanatyam dancers and is also well known for its unique painting style called Tanjore Painting.

Thanjavur boasts of numerous beautiful temples and the Big Temple of Thanjavur stands tall with its beaming tower. It's one of the architectural marvels of the world. Known for its exquisite handicrafts, bronzes and south Indian Musical Instruments, Thanjavur is also famous for its distinctive art style and world famous weaving silk sarees.

Key Attractions:

The Palace

The Palace The Palace of Thanjavur, located near the temple is a vast structure of masonry built partly by the Nayaks around 1550 AD and party by the Marathas. This the architecture of this palace is worth seeing. Two of the palace towers, the armoury and the observation tower are visible from every part of the city. The palace also houses an art gallery, a library and a hall of music.
Brihadeshwara Temple & Fort

Built by great Chola king in the 10th century AD, Brihadeshwara Temple & Fort is an exquisite example of Chola architecture and is listed in world heritage. A monolithic cupola made of a single granite block weighing 80 tons covers the head of the temple. The cupola was taken to the top by being pulled on a 6 km long inclined ramp, a technique used by pyramid builders of Egypt. For over thousand years, the temple has been the centre of continuous worship. Non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple.