Spiritual India
The journey to 'Spiritual India' begins at the Himalya Mountains in North India. Himalaya literally meaning the abode of snow, are the mightiest mountains in the world. Lofty they are, not only in altitude but also in the faith, reverence and beliefs of millions of Hindus and Buddhists, who as per tradition, believe that the Himalayas are the Abode of Gods and celestial beings. Here you can experience the vibrations that emanate from these lofty mountains, where since time immemorial countless sages, saints and yogis have meditated and performed penance. You can visit powerful shrines, temples and caves where ancient yogis meditate till date, oblivious to the world. The gorgeous views of mountains and valleys, the scenic path of the holy river Ganges and its tributaries with white water gorges is not only beautiful but awe inspiring. Here you experience the place on earth closest to the heavens, which will open an entirely new world, to both your inner and outer being.
» Haridwar
» Rishikesh
» Uttarkashi
» Gangotri
» Gaumukh and Tapovan
» Devprayag
» Kedarnath
» Triyuginarain
» Joshimath or Jyotirmath
» Badrinath
» Jageshwar
» Mathura
» Chardham
» Varanasi
» Bodh Gaya
» Amritsar
Haridwar means "the gateway to Hari (Vishnu)" Situated near the foothills and on the banks of the holy river Ganges, Haridwar is a town dotted with temples and ashrams. It is also one of the four places in India, where the great assembly of yogis at "Kumbha Mela" takes place. 
The evening worship of the Ganges is an incredible sight, when thousands of devouts after bathing in the river float lamps & flowers resting on little boats made of leaves on the river, as an offering. One can see thousands of such lamps floating on the river to the accompaniment of blowing of conches and ringing of bells. The Brahmin priests light huge flaming lamps and move the lamps in unison while the mantras are being chanted. It truly is a sublime and enchanting experience. .
Imagine several saffron clad tourists chanting and praying, imagine the pilgrim thronged Ghats and the Ganges, flowing from her source. That's Haridwar, the holy land of the Hindus. Haridwar is famous for its temples, bathing ghats and tanks.
The Ganges, considered as the holiest river in India, is the symbol of Haridwar. Pilgrims carry back the water from the Ganges, which they believe will remain fresh forever. The Har-ki-Paori, is one of the most sacred ghats in India and hundreds gather at this ghat. Haridwar is a place, whose every corner breathes with mysticism.
Rishikesh is about 40 minutes drive from Haridwar. Nestled in the foothills and on the banks of the river Ganges, Rishikesh in ancient times, was the meditating center of sages and ascetics. It is so today also, albeit with a difference. A large number of ashrams (spiritual retreats) and institutions of international repute, serve as centers for learning of yoga and meditation. Temples abound here and so do pilgrims. Upstream from Rishikesh are facilities for white water rafting. Forest hillsides add to the charm. Seeing wild elephants is a possibility in the forests around.
Uttarkashi or Varanasi (Kashi) of the north is en-route to Gangotri (where the temple of Mother Ganges is located). An ancient temple of Vishwanath (Shiva), the presiding deity of this town, is situated here with a temple of Shakti (Parvati or Mother Goddess) in its courtyard. A massive trident is located inside the Shakti Temple. During the evening worship at this temple, the chiming bells and the priests chanting Sanskrit mantras make a great impact, overwhelming the visitors with devotion and pure enchantment. A large number of ascetics (sadhus) and sanyasis (renunciates) live in a separate location and many of them are reputed to be scholars in the Vedas & other scriptures.
Gangotri, where the Ganga (river Ganges) descended on Earth, is a beautiful tiny settlement, set amidst giant pines and conifers at a height of 3140 meters. 
Ganges or Ganga is not merely a perennial source of water and energy but is revered as the benevolent mother, feeding and cleansing millions of people. So intense is the faith in the proven healing properties of the river and the fact that she emerges from the Himalayan peaks, which are the abode of Shiva, that she is revered in all extremities of India. Ganges binds India into one cultural entity. Here from time immemorial, yogis have spent their lives to meditate on the supreme soul. This tradition continues till date. A temple to Mother Ganges stands here, where millions come every year with faith and reverence. A visit here with reverence truly cleanses the body and the soul.
Gaumukh and Tapovan. A two day trek ahead of Gangotri is the mouth of a huge glacier called Gaumukh or Cow’s Snout, from where the river Ganges emerges in a huge gush. The trek route is most scenic with the almost hypnotic Shivalinga peak above, on the right. 
En-route one can see ascetics sitting in meditation or going about their daily routine. The glacier is simply awesome with hues of white, blue and green. Trekking over the glacier and the terrain, beyond Gaumukh, will take you to Tapovan. Tapovan situated at a height of 4850 Meters, is an open flat land at the base of Mount Shivalinga. Since ancient times, Tapovan has attracted serious seekers of the Eternal One, who have meditated here; surrounded by the great Himalayan abode of Gods and celestial beings. Here the feeling of awe and surrender to the almighty is so great, that one feels full of bliss and in the presence of some divine ethereal all-pervading entity in it’s purest form. One can find a few ascetics here too.
Devprayag, the first 'prayag' (confluence of two or more rivers) is about 70 km from Rishikesh, 
where the river Alakhanada merges with Bhagirathi to form Ganga. Bhagirathi begins from Gomukh glacier about 18 km from Gangotri, the first among the four Himalayan Dhams. Devprayag is also known as Purshotamma named after the Purshotma temple (also known as the Raghunath temple) where the deity is Lord Rama, who is known as Maryada Purshotamma. It is one of the five sacred confluences in the hills and is an important place of pilgrimage for devout Hindus. Devaprayag stands at an elevation of 2265 ft. on the side of a hill which rises 800 feet above it.
Kedarnath is an ancient and a magnificent temple of Lord Shiva situated at an altitude of 3583 meters above sea level. One of the most powerful and revered of the 12 jyotirlingams (Lingam which is not man made or installed by man, which derive currents of power from within themselves), 
this temple is a magnificent structure built with huge blocks of perfectly cut granite. Building a temple on such scale, at such a height thousands of years ago, must have been quite a feat. A 14 km trek to this temple unfolds amazing scenery. The magnetic pull of this great shrine, set amidst grassy lands with towering white mountains, mantled with snow in the background, is intense. The great 8th century saint, Adi Guru Shankaracharya after completing the incredible task of reviving Hinduism chose this place to take samadhi at the age of 32 years. Visiting Kedarnath is an incredibly emotional experience, which uplifts one to feel, as if one is really in heaven. Short treks (above) from the temple are various lakes with floating icebergs and amazing legends connected to them.
Triyuginarain is a beautiful temple of Lord Vishnu. Set in the portico to the front of the temple, a fire known as "Akhand Dhuni" has been burning for thousands of years. Tradition attributes this fire to the occasion of the wedding of Lord Shiva & his consort Parvati. The view of the perennial snows from here is fascinating.
Joshimath or Jyotirmath is the place, where the great Adi Guru Shankaracharya attained enlightenment, while meditating in a cave, which is situated under a 2400-year-old mulberry tree. The original 'math' or monastery set by Adi Guru Shankaracharya is set amongst vast gardens and an orchard. It exudes an atmosphere of serenity, devotion and simplicity. A visit to the math during the morning and evening worship is worth one’s while, as one can see the ceremony being performed by the monks with great devotion. An audience with the head of the monastery can be arranged, if prior notice is given.
Badrinath at 3110 Meters is one of the 4 most holy shrines of Lord Vishnu in India. This ancient shrine is said to be the Himalayan abode of Lord Vishnu, who sits here, in deep meditation.
Thousands of pilgrims visit this Himalayan region with great faith and devotion. Morning and evening worships are a real treat to watch. Behind the shrine, a delightful trek through green Himalayan meadows is Charanpaduka, a boulder bearing the footprints of Lord Vishnu. This area is full of caves, some of which are reputed to be very powerful and fruitful for the seekers of the Divine, through meditation. Many yogis stay & meditate in these Jageshwar caves, from time to time. In the backdrop is majestic Nilkanth Peak (6597 Meters), which shines like a pyramid of white crystals. This area and its sights are formidable enough to make one feel, as if there is some great divine presence here.
Jageshwar is an ancient grand temple complex, consisting of 124 temples and hundreds of statues, set amidst alpine scenery. The main temple belongs to Lord Shiva and is a Jyotirlinga or a naturally occurring black stone, representing Lord Shiva and deriving currents of power from within. This temple is held in great respect not only for its amazingly beautiful architecture but also because this temple was visited by the great Adi Guru Shankaracharya himself.
Mathura-Vrindaban. Widely known as birthplace of Lord Krishn, Mathura is about 145 Km southeast of Delhi and 58 Km north west of Agra in the State of Uttar Pradesh. For about 3000 years it was the hub of culture and civilization. A city of great antiquity, it was also an important political center in ancient historical period. Its strategic position contributed a lot to its emergence of a great center of trade and commerce.
A major city during the Buddha period (5th century BC) it served as the eastern capital of the great Kushan Emperor Kanishka. Today, Mathura is replete with many temples and fine ghats along the river Yamuna and is a lively pilgrimage town. Located between Delhi and Agra, Mathura is easily accessible by road or train.
Vrindaban or Brindavan, or Vraj in Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh, India is a town on the site of an ancient forest which is believed to have been the region where the famous cowherd boy, Krishna, from Hindu scriptures spent his childhood days. It is about 15km away from Mathura. The town includes many hundreds of temples dedicated to the worship of Radha and Krishna and is considered sacred by a number of religious traditions such as Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Vaishnavism, and Hinduism in general.
Chardham Yatra. This is a unique opportunity for the pilgrims to visit the top pilgrim attractions of the country in one tour. Take a 12 night/13 day’s tour and worship at the 'Char Dhams' - Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri & Yamunotri - situated along the Ganges river.
Destination:
Hardiwar - Rishikesh - Barkot - Yamnotri - Barkot - Harsil - Gangotri - Harsil - Guptakashi - Kedarnath - Guptakashi - Badrinath - Srinagar - Rishikesh - Delhi
Varanasi. For a city where people come to spend the last moments of their lives, Varanasi feels eternally—and exquisitely—alive. The holiest city in Hinduism is a place without vanity, where millions of pilgrims come each year to exhibit the most private moments of their religious life: to pray, to wash away their sins, to die. Here the road to salvation is a river, the Ganga Ma, or Mother Ganges, and few places on Earth offer such dramatic and public displays of elemental worship.
Though the Ganges is an actual deity, its heightened status in the Hindu pantheon is grounded in the material; the river irrigates one of the largest and most densely populated watersheds in the world. This is the Indian heartland, where rich alluvial soil gave rise to the region's first civilization and now helps feed the entire country. Hindus thus venerate Ganga Ma as a giver of life—and, confoundingly, as a means of liberation from it.
To die in Varanasi, on the river's sacred banks, is to free oneself from samsara, the seemingly endless cycle of death and rebirth; it enables one to forgo further reincarnations and 
achieve moksha, or spiritual liberation. Moksha is not a place but a goal, one similar to Buddhist enlightenment, an emancipation from temporal desires and all the suffering that goes with them. Moksha is what every Hindu desires most, a supreme realization of the self, and there is no faster route than these waters. Today, Varanasi's cremation ghats are still at the city's heart—literally and metaphorically—and still face the rising sun. Several thousand bodies a month are consumed by fires that, day and night, never go out. Barefoot men use bamboo poles to rotate the blackened bodies, and the resulting smoke hangs above the river complex like a thin blue veil.
Bodh Gaya. The Bodhi Tree's branches stretch out from its solid trunk, their distinctive heart-shaped leaves casting protective shade over those who sit beneath. It was under just such a tree, here along the banks of the Phalgu River in northern India, that a young prince named Siddhartha Gautama, troubled by the world's miseries, sat in meditation some 2,500 years ago. And this is where he is believed to have attained nirvana, or supreme enlightenment, and become the Buddha, whose teaching would influence countless billions.
Today, the place known as Bodh Gaya embodies the rich culture of ancient Buddhist traditions. Located in a splendid temple complex is what is said to be a descendant of the fig tree under which Buddha sat—now revered as the Bodhi (enlightenment) Tree. It is perhaps the world's most venerated tree.
To the east of the Bodhi Tree is the ancient Mahabodhi Temple, its walls bearing scenes from Buddha's life. Inside, there is a gilded statue of the Buddha in a poised posture touching the earth with his right hand: Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment in this posture. Also a part of the complex is an archaeological museum that contains a large collection of Buddha statues, in gold, bronze, and stone. The complex became a unesco World Heritage Site in 2002.
Spiritual awakening. Centuries after Buddha attained enlightenment here, Bodh Gaya evokes the potential of spiritual awakening for 
those who aspire to achieve it, says Prof. G. A. Somaratne, the head of the department of Pali and Buddhist studies at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka. Pilgrims, many of them in maroon robes, circumambulate the temple and the Bodhi Tree, performing prostrations and offering prayers in a multitude of languages. "This is the place where Buddha was 'born,' hence Buddhism was born," says Somaratne. "Even in the modern world, Bodh Gaya inspires pilgrims to seek spiritual awakening and thereafter be free from the endless cycle of birth and death."
Many nationalities. Apart from the Bodhi Tree and the Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya is home to numerous Buddhist monasteries. Each is built in a distinctive architectural style reflecting different national identities—Sri Lankan, Thai, Tibetan, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Nepalese—but all retain the identity of their common Buddhist faith. The Tibetan monastery houses a massive dharma chakra, or wheel of law, that represents the eight tenets of Buddhist life; the Thai monastery has gleaming gilded roofs and elegantly curved lines.
Inside, Buddhist values like renunciation and empathy for all living things are preached. Enlightenment—or at least transcendental peace—can be achieved even in the modern world, pilgrims are assured. That requires neither extreme self-indulgence nor self-mortification, they are told, but rather following a "middle path" of moderation in all things.
Amritsar. Like many Indian cities, Amritsar is loud, crowded, and dusty. But tucked inside a serene, white marble courtyard is one place where people can escape the bustle: the Golden Temple. 
Considered the holiest site in the Sikh religion, the temple sits on top of a wide rectangular pool, connected by a pedestrian bridge. Its gold-plated dome, shaped like a lotus, shimmers in the water. From a distance, the temple looks as if it is floating. It's an image that connects to the Sikh belief about how people should live their lives: rooted in the earthly world but with an eye toward the divine.
Founded by Guru Nanak Dev in the early 16th century, Sikhism sought to break away from the subcontinent's divisions between Hindus and Muslims with a monotheistic faith that promoted equality and rejected the caste system. (Sikh means learner.) The religion spread, but it wasn't until the end of the century, under the tolerant Mughal ruler Akbar, that Sikhism began to flourish.
The cornerstone of the temple is the Adi Granth, the Sikh holy book, composed of devotional poems taken from the early Sikh gurus as well as Muslim and Hindu writers. Today, the book is regarded as the incarnation of the guru. (The last living one died in 1708.) Early each morning the original scripture—a bulky, 1,430-page manuscript—is carried from an adjacent building to the temple on a palanquin. Once inside, the book is showered in perfume and incense, and its white covers are removed and opened at random. The hymn on the top left-hand page is sung first and is considered the auspicious prayer of the day. Throughout the day, people sing hymn after hymn from the book. Then, late each night, the book is returned to its resting spot.
It's a ritual that has gone on for centuries. And in recent years, it has been broadcast daily on satellite television, extending the reach of this sacred place across the globe.
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