Sacred circuits of Bharat
Six pilgrimages that follow an ancient pattern
For centuries, pilgrims have travelled in sets: twelve Jyotirlingas, four dhams, five elements. Each circuit is a way of reading the land as sacred geography.
12 shrines
12 Jyotirlingas
The twelve radiant lingas of Shiva, from Somnath on the Gujarat coast to Rameshwaram at the southern tip of the peninsula.
- Somnath
- Mallikarjuna, Srisailam
- Mahakaleshwar, Ujjain
- Omkareshwar
- Kedarnath
- Bhimashankar
- Kashi Vishwanath
- Trimbakeshwar
- Vaidyanath
- Nageshwar, Dwarka
- Rameshwaram
- Grishneshwar
Jyotirlinga journeys →
4 dhams
Char Dham
Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram mark the four directions of Bharat in the all-India pilgrimage. The Himalayan Chota Char Dham in Uttarakhand is a separate circuit.
- Badrinath
- Dwarka
- Jagannath Puri
- Rameswaram
- Chota Char Dham: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath
Himalayan journeys →
5 elements
Pancha Bhoota Sthalas
Five Shiva temples, each honouring one of the five elements: earth, water, fire, air and space.
- Kanchipuram (Earth)
- Thiruvanaikaval (Water)
- Tiruvannamalai (Fire)
- Srikalahasti (Air)
- Chidambaram (Space)
Pancha Bhootha yatra →
5 temples
Panch Kedar
Five Himalayan Shiva shrines in Garhwal, linked in tradition to the Pandavas and their search for Shiva.
- Kedarnath
- Tungnath
- Rudranath
- Madhyamaheshwar
- Kalpeshwar
Himalayan journeys →
108 temples
108 Divya Desams
The Vishnu temples praised by the twelve Alvar saints, most of them in Tamil Nadu. Tirumala and the Nava Tirupathi shrines are among them.
- Tirumala
- Srirangam
- Kanchipuram
- Nava Tirupathi along the Thamirabarani
Vishnu journeys →
Seats of the Devi
Shakti Peethas
Sacred seats of the Divine Mother across the subcontinent. Traditions count them differently, most often as 51.
- Kamakhya
- Kalighat
- Jwalamukhi
- Ambaji
- Vimala Temple, Puri
Devi journeys →
