Great temples of India

The journey in one line

12 stops in India so far. The first rung is 4 of them, and the list keeps growing.

This is an editorial list, not a tradition's list. It gathers temples that are worth a journey for what they are as buildings and as institutions. Some are a thousand years old and some opened this century. Some are archaeology and some take more visitors in a day than a stadium holds. There is no order here and no claim that these are the twelve most important temples in India. The list will grow.

Indian temple building is not one style. Chola granite at Thanjavur, Nagara spires at Khajuraho, Dravidian gopurams at Madurai and Odisha's rekha deul at Konark are separate traditions with separate mathematics. Putting new work beside old is deliberate. Akshardham in Delhi and the gold clad temple at Vellore are both twenty first century and both built by hand in an inherited idiom.

The south is best from November to February. Central India and Odisha are pleasant from October to March. Tirumala runs on booked darshan slots and the queue complex can take many hours; plan the day around it rather than fitting it in. Konark and Khajuraho are ticketed monuments with normal hours. The living temples close in the middle of the day.

Where it goes

The stops, in order

What a visit means here. A visit means being in the authorised visitor area. Some of these admit only Hindus to the main precinct; where that applies the record is for the part of the site you were admitted to.

1. 1

   Meenakshi Amman Temple

   மீனாட்சி அம்மன் கோயில்

   Madurai, India

   

   The Meenakshi temple fills six hectares in the centre of Madurai and the town is laid out in squares around it. Fourteen gopurams rise over the walls, covered in painted stucco figures. The goddess Meenakshi takes precedence here over her consort Sundareswarar, which is unusual.

   What counts as a visit

   The outer prakarams, the Pottramarai tank and the thousand pillar hall museum.

   Access

   Inner sanctums are open to Hindus only. Phones are not allowed past the entrance. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

2. 2

   Brihadeeswarar Temple

   பெருவுடையார் கோயில்

   Thanjavur, India

   

   Rajaraja Chola finished this temple in 1010 and it has stood for a thousand years without a major rebuild. The tower over the sanctum is sixty six metres of dressed granite, the tallest of its time. The inscriptions on the base record the temple's staff, land and daily accounts in detail.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple courtyard and the outer mandapas. It is a living temple and an Archaeological Survey of India monument.

   Access

   Open daily with a midday closure. Footwear is left outside and the granite gets very hot. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

3. 3

   Sri Venkateswara Temple

   శ్రీ వేంకటేశ్వర స్వామి వారి ఆలయం

   Tirumala, India

   

   The Venkateswara temple at Tirumala is the most visited temple in the world, taking tens of thousands of people a day on the seventh hill of Tirupati. Its gold covered vimana stands over a sanctum whose image is said to have been there before recorded history. Hair offered here is collected and sold, and pays for much of the trust's work.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple queue complex and the sanctum darshan, and the Tirumala hill precincts.

   Access

   Darshan is by booked slot through Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. A declaration of faith is required at entry and dress rules apply. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

4. 4

   Konark Sun Temple

   କୋଣାର୍କ ସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟ ମନ୍ଦିର

   Konark, India

   

   Narasimhadeva I built this temple to Surya in the thirteenth century as a chariot with twenty four carved stone wheels and seven horses. The main tower fell long ago and what stands is the audience hall. The wheels work as sundials.

   What counts as a visit

   The Archaeological Survey of India monument grounds. The temple is no longer in worship.

   Access

   A ticketed monument, not an active temple. The interior of the hall is filled in and closed. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

5. 5

   Khajuraho Group of Monuments

   खजुराहो

   Khajuraho, India

   

   The Chandela kings built about eighty five temples here between 950 and 1050 and twenty five survive. They are Hindu and Jain together, in a shared style of tall clustered spires over sandstone walls covered in figure sculpture. The erotic panels are a small part of a much wider programme.

   What counts as a visit

   The Western, Eastern and Southern groups. The Western group is ticketed.

   Access

   Most temples are monuments rather than active shrines, though a few are still in worship. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

6. 6

   Virupaksha Temple

   ವಿರೂಪಾಕ್ಷ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ

   Hampi, India

   

   Virupaksha has been in worship since at least the seventh century, which makes it older than the Vijayanagara city that grew around it. Its eastern gopuram is fifty metres tall and dominates Hampi bazaar. It is the one temple in the ruined capital that never stopped functioning.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple courtyards and the bazaar street in front of it.

   Access

   A living temple inside the Hampi World Heritage property. A temple elephant is kept on site. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

7. 7

   Jagannath Temple

   ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ ମନ୍ଦିର

   Puri, India

   

   Puri is the eastern seat of the Char Dham. The twelfth century temple houses Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra as wooden figures that are remade at intervals in a rite carried out in private. At the Rath Yatra the three are pulled through the town on chariots built new each year.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple compound for those the temple admits, and the Grand Road and Gundicha Temple for everyone during Rath Yatra.

   Access

   The temple admits Hindus only and that rule is enforced at the gates. The Rath Yatra procession outside is open to all. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Faith restricted

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

8. 8

   Kashi Vishwanath Temple

   काशी विश्वनाथ मंदिर

   Varanasi, India

   

   Kashi Vishwanath is the Jyotirlinga of Varanasi and the temple the city is named for. The present building was put up in 1780 by Ahilyabai Holkar after earlier temples on the site were demolished. The Vishwanath Dham corridor opened in 2021 and connects it to the Ganga ghats.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple precinct and the Vishwanath Dham corridor to the river.

   Access

   Phones and bags go into lockers before entry and there is security screening. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

9. 9

   Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

   ശ്രീ പത്മനാഭസ്വാമി ക്ഷേത്രം

   Thiruvananthapuram, India

   

   The Travancore royal family dedicated their kingdom to Padmanabha here in 1750 and ruled as his servants. The image of Vishnu reclining is eighteen feet long and is seen through three doors. Vaults opened in 2011 were found to hold one of the largest treasure hoards ever recorded.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple precinct for those the temple admits, and the outer corridors and tank.

   Access

   Entry is limited to Hindus and a strict dress code applies, with dhotis required for men. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Faith restricted

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

10. 10

    Vaishno Devi

    वैष्णो देवी

    Katra, India

    

    The Vaishno Devi cave shrine sits at 1,584 metres in the Trikuta hills and is reached by a thirteen kilometre walk from Katra. The goddess is present as three natural rock forms rather than an image. Millions make the climb each year, many of them overnight.

    What counts as a visit

    The Bhawan cave shrine and the marked track from Katra.

    Access

    A yatra slip is required from Katra and the numbers on the track are capped in peak season. Ponies, palanquins and a helicopter serve the route. Checked 2026-09-17.

    High altitude

    Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

11. 11

    Swaminarayan Akshardham

    स्वामीनारायण अक्षरधाम

    New Delhi, India

    

    Akshardham opened on the Yamuna bank in 2005 and was built by BAPS in pink sandstone and marble without structural steel. Carved elephants run around the plinth and more than two hundred figures stand on the mandir. It is a modern building in an old idiom rather than a historic one.

    What counts as a visit

    The mandir and the public grounds and exhibitions.

    Access

    Phones, cameras and bags are not permitted inside and go to a cloakroom. Closed on Mondays. Checked 2026-09-17.

    Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

12. 12

    Sripuram Golden Temple

    ஸ்ரீபுரம் தங்கக் கோயில்

    Vellore, India

    

    The Sri Lakshmi Narayani temple at Thirumalaikodi was finished in 2007 and is covered in about 1,500 kilograms of gold foil worked by hand. A star shaped path a kilometre and a half long leads to it through gardens. It is a new foundation, not a historic one.

    What counts as a visit

    The star path and the temple platform.

    Access

    A dress code is enforced and phones and cameras are not allowed inside. Checked 2026-09-17.

    Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

Respect and access

Phones are banned inside most of the working temples here and there is usually a cloakroom. Padmanabhaswamy admits Hindus only and requires a dhoti for men. Puri admits Hindus only. Meenakshi restricts the inner sanctum. Khajuraho's erotic panels are a small part of a much larger sculptural programme, and the temples are not a novelty. Some are still in worship.

Faith restricted

The custodian limits entry by religion. Check the official terms before you travel. TravelDay does not ask what you believe and does not decide whether you qualify.

High altitude

The place sits high enough that altitude affects who can reach it and how long it takes.

Opening times, prices, permits and eligibility change. Nothing on this page is a statement about today. Follow the Check access link on a place before you plan around it.

Sources

• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/tamil-nadu/madurai/meenakshi-amman-temple · checked September 17, 2026
• whc.unesco.orghttps://whc.unesco.org/en/list/250 · checked September 17, 2026
• tirumala.orghttps://tirumala.org/ · checked September 17, 2026
• whc.unesco.orghttps://whc.unesco.org/en/list/246 · checked September 17, 2026
• whc.unesco.orghttps://whc.unesco.org/en/list/240 · checked September 17, 2026
• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/karnataka/hampi/virupaksha-temple · checked September 17, 2026
• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/odisha/puri/sri-jagannath-temple · checked September 17, 2026
• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/uttar-pradesh/varanasi/kashi-vishwanath-temple · checked September 17, 2026
• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/kerala/thiruvananthapuram/sree-padmanabhaswamy-temple · checked September 17, 2026
• maavaishnodevi.orghttps://www.maavaishnodevi.org/ · checked September 17, 2026
• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/delhi/delhi/akshardham-temple · checked September 17, 2026
• sripuram.orghttps://www.sripuram.org/ · checked September 17, 2026

TravelDay selected and grouped these places. Naming a custodian, a government agency or UNESCO as a source is not a claim that any of them endorsed this journey.