Naina Devi Temple

Naina Devi is the first in the list of most popular pilgrimage sites in Himachal Pradesh .This temple located in Bilaspur district at an altitude of 1177 meters. It is said Goddess Sati burnt herself, this made Lord Shiva furious. When Lord Shiva gets enraged he performs his Tandav Dance, and so he did holding Goddess Sati on his shoulders.

This further led Lord Vishnu to strike his Chakra cutting the body parts of Goddess Sati in several pieces; and her eyes fell to this temple. Pilgrims visit Naina Devi Mandir carrying faith in their hearts that Mata Naina Devi will eradicate all the problems from their life and bestow prosperity upon them.

Jwalamukhi Temple

The temple lies in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh and counted in most visited pilgrimage sites of Himachal Pradesh. Jwalamukhi got its name from Jwala (flame) and mukhi (mouth). The idol of this temple is one of its kind; an eternal flame in the rocks.

The temple is dedicated to Goddess 'Jwala' and it is believed that here is Goddess Sati's tongue fell after being struck by Vishnu's Chakra. The flame is covered with a dome made of gold, and the gold was gifted by Akbar. The gold turned into an unknown metal later and people said that the goddess did not accept his offering.

Baijnath Temple

Baijnath temple lies in a small town in Dhauladhar Range and one of the most religious pilgrimage site in Himachal Pradesh. This one thousand year old temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. A great throng of pilgrims visit Baijnath temple especially in Shivratri festival.

There are inscriptions on the wall interpreting the story of Baijnath temple. It is believed that Devil Ravana worshipped the lord here. This temple is made of Nagri style of architecture. After being dilapidated because of an earthquake, it was renovated by Raja Sansar Chand.

Hadimba Devi Temple

Hadimba Devi temple is the most popular temple in Manali and has triangular top divided into three segments. The temple has four storeys and is made up of wood. Hadimba was mother of Ghatotkach and used to come here to meditate and escape from the misdeeds of his brother who was a devil. The main thing for which this 500 year old temple is revered is the footprint of Mata Hadimba.

The temple was built by Raja Bahadur Singh and receives even higher number of pilgrims during the fair or mela “Saroohni” in his remembrance. On the birthday of Mata Hadimba Devi, ladies come from nearby and faraway towns to celebrate this day by worshipping her with even higher zeal.

Bijli Mahadev Temple

Bijli Mahadev temple is also dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Shivling inside the temple was once struck by thunder lightning and broke it into pieces, and then a priest used butter to fix it piece by piece. This is something that happens today as well.

The tall staff receives blessings in the form of lighting, breaking the shivlinga into pieces and later the priest fix it by using butter and sattoo. The temple is visited by even larger number of pilgrims in "Shivratri" and is a part of a beautiful landscape with lush green mountains on the backdrop.

Baba Balaknath Temple

This caved temple in the border of Hamirpur and Bilaspur is believed to be home of Baba Balaknath with his idol in it. His shrine is also known as Deotsingh. Pilgrims come from different corners and offer him gud ki roti and goats (they are not slaughtered but fed).

Though women are not allowed near the deity but the can have darshan from a distance. Looking at the increasing number of crowd, government has put efforts to provide them with lodge, transport and other facilities.

Manikaran Gurudwara

One of the most renowned Sikh pilgrimage site near Manali, Manikaran Gurudwara is a secred shrine of Sikhs is located right along the banks of the Parvati river. It is believed that the location of Manikaran Gurudwara Sahib is the exact meditative spot of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The divinity of the Gurudwara is so much that pilgrims actually believe that there lies no need to visit the other religious centers of India, post visiting this place. Not just an honoured place for the Sikhs, Manikaran holds much significance even for the Hindus. In the vicinity of the famed Gurudwara, erupts three hot water springs, which are primarily used as scared bathing ghats. One of them is located under the Gurudwara and the rest two, just adjacent to it.

Legends has it that these hot water springs erupted due to the effort of Sheshnag, when Lord Shiva was trying to relocate the lost jewel of Goddess Parvati. In an attempt to avoid the wrath of Lord Shiva, Sheshnag threw way precious stones from Earth, which culminated in the eruption of these hot water springs. Owing to such mythological beliefs, Manikaran Gurudwara is amongst the top tourist attractions in Manali.

Mata Vaishno Devi Tirth Temple

Situated in Kullu, 35 Km from Manali, this temple was founded in 1966 and receives thousands of pilgrims each day ever since. Swami Sewak Das Ji Maharaj was a saint, who in search of peaceful environment for meditation came here and realized that Mata Vaishno resides here.

The saint is also famous for his preaching about "Nishkaam Karseva", which means self service. The temple was founded in 1962, lies in the center of lush green valleys and has beautiful wooden works and carvings. Don't get yourself confused between Vaishno Devi Mandir in Jammu and Mata Vaishno Maha Devi Tirth Temple in Kullu.

Chintpurni Devi

Chintpurni is a major idolized shrine of the Hindus, which is located in the Una district of Himachal Pradesh. It is placed on one of the highest peaks of the Sola Singhi Range. Chintpurni Devi is the goddess here who takes away all the worries and stress of devotees. In this temple, the Goddess is showed without her head in a pindi form (round stone). Many Devotees have been flocking Shaktipeeth for centuries to worship at the lotus feet of Mata Shri Chhinnamastika Devi.

Over and above, the place is having beautiful surroundings. Wandering in and around the temple, tourists may indulge in sightseeing and other indoor & outdoor activities as there are some beautiful places that offer plenty of picturesque views.

Chamunda Devi

In Hinduism, Chamunda or Camunda is an aspect of Devi, the supreme mother goddess. The name is a combination of Chanda and Munda, two monsters which Devi killed.

The famous temple of Ma Chamunda is in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is around 10 km west of Palampur, on the Baner river. Around 400 years ago the king and a Brahmin priest prayed to Devi for permission to move the temple to some easily accessible location. Devi appeared to the priest in a dream giving her consent. She directed him to dig in a certain spot and an ancient idol would be found and that idol should be installed in the temple and worshipped as Her form.

The king sent out men to bring the idol. Although they were able to locate it but were not able to lift it. Again Devi appeared to the priest in a dream. She explained that the men could not lift the holy relic because they considered it an ordinary stone. She instructed him to get up early in the morning, take a bath, wear fresh clothes and go to the place in a respectful manner. He did as he was told and found that he could easily lift what a large group of men could not. He told the people that it was the power of the Goddess that brought the idol to the temple.

Lakshmi Narayan Temple

Built in the 10th century by Raja Sahil Verman, Laxmi Narayana Temple is the main shrine in Chamba that includes Bimana i.e. Shikhara and Garbhgriha with a small antarala and a mantapa. The temple has wooden chattries and a shell roof at the top to protect against snowfall. There is a wheel shaped roof that helps to protect from cold. It houses a metallic image of Garuda, the mount of Lord Vishnu. It's a beautiful place of great historical implication and architectural marvel. It has a mandapa like structure too. The entire area includes six temples in a row from north to south and is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Vishnu.

Laxmi Narayan Temple is one of the most popular temples of Chamba that is known for its great historical significance and architectural marvel. There are also other temples in the complex. There is a Garuda statue in metal watches over the main gate, which is placed by Raja Balabhadra Verma. The latest addition to the shrine in historical periods was in answer to the Mughal terror. Then Aurangzeb the emperor order to demolish the temple and the Raja Chhatra Singh included gilded elevations to the temple in the year 1678.

St. John’s Church

This magnificent church is built amid the picturesque valley of Mcleodganj and is located about 8 kms away from Dharamshala. The church lies in a dense jungle between Mcleodganj and Forsythganj and is a monument dedicated to Lord Elgin, one of the viceroys of India, who died at Chauntra (Mandi district) and was buried here in 1863 A.D. This classic church, which has a Christian cemetery surrounding it, has lovely glass windows and boost amazing architectural design. It is ideally situated in the majestic 'Deodar' forest in the wilderness.

The St. John Church is an Anglican church dedicated to John the Baptist, and is built in neo-Gothic architecture. Its main attraction, the Belgian stained-glass windows were donated by Lady Elgin, wife of Lord Elgin. The structure is so powerful that it survived the 1905 Kangra earthquake, which killed close to 19,800 people and destroyed most buildings in Kangra, Mcleodganj, and Dharamshala.

Bajreshwari Devi Temple

The Bajreshwari Devi Temple is a popular Hindu pilgrimage site in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh behind the crowded market of Kangra Town. It is said to be constructed by Goddess Bajreshwari itself at a place where once the famous Ashwamedh or horse-sacrifice took place. Standing behind the cricket field, numerous food selling stalls and bustling streets, the temple stands high and proves its presence by the echoing sounds of its huge bells.

The annual Makar Sankranti festival is celebrated at this temple with great pomp and show. On this auspicious occasion ghee is applied on the idol of the goddess and water is poured 100times. After that the idol is decorated by flowers. This is practised for a week.

Gyuto Monastery

Gyuto Monastery is located in Karmapa (his holiness 17th Gyalwang Karmapa’s residence) in Himachal Pradesh. It is one of the great monastic institutions of Gelyug order (newest of schools of Tibetan Buddhism).

One of the most famous monasteries in Tibet, it was founded in 1475 by Jetsun Kunga Dhondup who was the main disciple of first Dalai Lama. In 1959 after the communist Chinese invasion the monastery was re-established in India. An off the beaten track leads one to the place where the monastery is situated. The environment here is like any other Tibetan monastery, calming even on being abuzz with the movement of different people comprising monk students and visitors.

This monastery is actually a Tantric University is known for its Tantric meditation, Tantric ritual arts and Buddhist Philosophy. Monk students here are made to practice major Tantric texts that include Guhyasamaja, Chakrasamvara, and Yamantaka. Upon a friendly interaction with these monks, one comes to know that these are the lineages that have been passed on to younger generations of monks for more than 500 years. The main chamber of the monastery houses a big and majestic statue of the Buddha. Parking is available within the well-maintained premises of the monastery. With the amazing backdrop of snow clad mountain ranges and peak, the Gyuto Monastery is an incredibly peaceful place to spend an afternoon.