Popular Hindu faith considers the mighty Himalayas to be the home of the Gods. Abounding in natural beauty, the Himalayan region in India is full of places of worship, dating back to ancient times. Numerous legends associated with the great epics of India are associated with these shrines. The following is a brief pointer to some of the temples in the region.

1. Amarnath Cave Temple at Pahalgam near Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir : A long and arduous trek takes thousands of pilgrims to this ancient shrine each year where Shiva is worshipped as a natural lingam of ice

2. Anjana Devi Temple at Haridwar in Uttar Pradesh : Located on top of a hill near Haridwar

3. Annapurna Temple at Uttar Kashi in Uttar Pradesh

4. Annapurna Temple at Haridwar in Uttar Pradesh

5. Ardhanari Temple at Mandi in Himachal Pradesh : A modern temple with a rare Ardhanari image with carvings of high order

6. Badrinarayan Temple at Badrinath in Uttar Pradesh : One of the most revered shrines in the country, Badrinath is a well visited Himalayan shrine on the banks of the river Alkananda at a height of 11,400 ft above sea level.

7. Baijnath Temple at Baijnath near Dharmshala in Himachal Pradesh : A very ancient stone temple with intricate sculptural work - dedicated to Shiva.

8. Bajreswari Temple at Kangra near Dharmsala in Himachal Pradesh : Large temple with lofty towers dedicated to Devi worshipped as a lingam. The Guptganga ghats are a km away from the temple.

9. Balaji Temple at Rishikesh in Uttar Pradesh : Modern temple built in the South Indian style.

10. Bharat Mata Temple at Shanti Kunj near Haridwar in Uttar Pradesh : A modern temple housing images of several deities, religious leaders and national heros portraying unity in diversity inaugurated by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

11. Bharatji Mandir at Rishikesh in Uttar Pradesh : Oldest temple in Rishikesh dedicated to MahaVishnu.

12. Bijli Mahadev Temple at Bijli Mahadev near Kullu in Himachal Pradesh : Ancient Shiva temple accessible only by foot 11 km away from Kullu. Known for its lightning conducting flag staff.

13. Bisheshar Mahadev Temple at Kullu in Himachal Pradesh : A large stone monument with beautiful icons and carvings.

14. Chandi Devi Temple at Chandi Parvat near Haridwar in Uttar Pradesh : Located on a hill near Haridwar.

15. Chandra Mowliswara Temple at Rishikesh in Uttar Pradesh : Modern temple built in the South Indian style.

16. Chintpurni Temple at Chintpurni near Jwalamukhi in Himachal Pradesh : A revered Shakti shrine where the Goddess is worshipped in the form of a stone lingam.

17. Daksh Mahadev Temple at Kangal near Haridwar in Uttar Pradesh : A temple said to be the site of a yagna conducted by Daksha according to Hindu mythology.

18. Ganga Mata Temple at Gangotri in Uttar Pradesh

19. Gaurishankar Temple at Jagatsukh near Manali in Himachal Pradesh : A small shikhara temple excavated and discovered in this century.

20. Gayatri Temple at Jagatsukh near Manali in Himachal Pradesh : Ancient temple with intricate woodwork with modern marble image of Gayatri.

21. Gayatri Temple at Shanti Kunj near Haridwar in Uttar Pradesh : 24 images of Gayatri near the Saptarishi Ashram, with yantras - on the banks of the Ganges.

22. Gurdwara Guru Gobind Singh at Mandi in Himachal Pradesh : A gurdwara constructed by the side of a rock where Guru Gobind Singh meditated.

23. Hidimba Devi Temple at Manali in Himachal Pradesh : Ancient cave temple celebrating Hidimba of Mahabharata with intricately carved wooden doors and a wooden shikhara.

24. Jwalamukhi Temple at Jwalamukhi in Himachal Pradesh : One of the revered Shakthi Peeths in India, where the mother Goddess is worshipped in the form of an undying flame.

25. Kalbhairav Temple at Haridwar in Uttar Pradesh

26. Kamleshwar Mahadeo Temple at Srinagar inUttar Pradesh

27. Karna Temple at Karna Prayag near Joshi Math in Uttar Pradesh : A temple dedicated to Karna one of the heroes of the epic Mahabharata.


28. Kedarnath Temple at Kedarnath in Uttar Pradesh : One of the 12 Jyotirlingams in India and an important center for pilgrms all over India in the lofty Himalayas, it is accessed only after a long trek. Kedarnath, Madhya Maheshwar, Rudranath, Tunganath and Kalpeswar constitute the Panch(5) Kedar shrines.

29. Khir Bhavani Temple at Tulamulla near Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir : Bhavani is worshipped here in the form of a stone lingam, in a small shrine in the middle of a tank.

30. Krishna Mandir at Mandi in Himachal Pradesh : A 17th century temple with a silver idol of Krishna.

31. Maansa Devi Temple at Haridwar in Uttar Pradesh : A white temple with a spire on the Vilvparvat hill accessible by a motor winch.

32. Maha Saraswathi Temple at Krall near Ramban in Jammu & Kashmir : Modern temple in the Dravidian style commemorating the time immemorial shrine to Saraswathi in the Kashmir area, now in ruins.

33. Manikaran temple at Manikaran near Kulu in Himachal Pradesh : This town known for its hot springs houses a very ancient temple dedicated to Shiva

34. Mata Maheshwar Temple at Gupt Kashi in Uttar Pradesh : A temple dedicated to Ardhnarishwar.

35. Nandikeshwar Temple at Chamunda near Dharmsala in Himachal Pradesh : A center for Shakti worship housing Chamunda and Nandikeshwar, on the banks of the river Banganga.

36. Narasimhaswami Temple at Joshi Math in Uttar Pradesh : Narasimha worshipped as a Saligrama stone, said to be installed by the religious leader Adi Sankara in the past millennium.

37. Neelkanth Mahadeo Temple at Nilkanth Mahadeo near Rishikesh in Uttar Pradesh : Shiva temple at a height of 5000 ft above sea leve.

38. Raghunath Temple at Jammu in Jammu & Kashmir : This is one of the most important of the several temples in Jammu. The walls around the central shrine are adorned with the incarnations of Vishnu.

39. Raghunathji Temple at Vasishta near Manali in Himachal Pradesh : Located on the banks of the Beas river with adjoining hot springs.

40. Triyugi Narayan Temple at Triyugi Narayan near Gupt Kashi in Uttar Pradesh : Temple dedicated to Shiva, Parvati and Narayan where an undying flame is the object of interest and worship.

41. Vaishnao Devi Temple at Vaishnao Devi in Jammu & Kashmir : Scores of pilgrims undertake a trek to this temple located 55 km away from Jammu.

42. Vasisht Temple at Vasishta near Manali in Himachal Pradesh : Located on the banks of the Beas river with adjoining hot springs.

43. Vishwanath Temple at Uttar Kashi in Uttar Pradesh

44. Vishwanath Temple at Gupt Kashi near Gupt Kashii inUttar Pradesh