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12 Jyotirlingas in India 2024 List – Lord Shiva Temples

July 9, 2024, Sasidhar Darla 19 Comments Filed Under: Blog

12 Jyotirlinga Names in India with Names, Places, Map, Significance, Tour Packages. Comprehensive Jyotirlinga Guide.

What are the 12 Jyotirlingas?

The 12 Jyotirlingas in India are Kashi Vishwanath, Kedarnath, Somnath, Grishneshwar, Trimbakeshwar, Bhimashankar, Rameshwaram, Srisailam, Baijnath, Nageshwar, Mahakaleshwar, and Omkareshwar.

If you are planning to visit these places, call us on 7977184437 or e-mail us on info@myoksha.com for best tour packages.

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What is a Jyotirlinga?

Jyotirlinga is a holy shrine dedicated to worship Lord Shiva. These shrines worship Lord Shiva in the form of a Light or Jyotirlingam. ‘Jyoti’ meaning ‘radiance or light’ and ‘Lingam’ meaning ‘a sign or a symbol of Lord Shiva’, Jyotirlinga (ज्योतिर्लिंग) means ‘The Radiance of Lord Shiva’.  It is believed that these 12 jyotirlingas are ‘Swayambhu’ or self-manifested. Lord Shiva manifested himself in these places just for his devotees.

There are also 5 Jyotirlingas in Maharashtra which are included in the 12 Jyotirlingas.

Jyotirlinga is also called ‘Dwadash Jyotirlingas’. These Jyotirlingas are considered to be the purest and holiest shrines of Lord Shiva. It is said that if a person visits all the holy shrines, he attains moksha.

How many Jyotirlingas are there in India?

It is believed that there were originally 64 Jyotirlingas. Out of these 12 ज्योतिर्लिंग are considered to be very holy and auspicious. Each of these twelve Jyotirlingas are different manifestations of Lord Shiva. These Jyotirlingas take the name of the presiding deity.

12 Jyotirlinga List with Locations

The list of 12 jyotirlingas in India are:

  1. Somnath Jyotirlinga in Gujarat
  2. Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Madhya Pradesh
  3. Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga in Madhya Pradesh
  4. Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga in Andhra Pradesh
  5. Vaijnath Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra
  6. Kedarnath Jyotirlinga in Uttarakhand
  7. Nageshwar Jyotirlinga in Gujarat
  8. Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra
  9. Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra
  10. Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga in Tamil Nadu
  11. Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra
  12. Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga in Uttar Pradesh

12 Jyotirlinga Map

12 Jyotirlinga Map
Map of 12 Jyotirlinga in India

What are the 12 jyotirlinga in India?

The 12 jyotirlinga in India are:

1. Somnath Jyotirlinga – Saurashtra, Gujarat

Somnath is considered to be the first Jyotirlinga. It is located on the western coast of Gujarat, in Prabhas Patan in Kathiawad District.  This shrine is one of the oldest and most visited pilgrimage sites in India. ‘Soma’ means ‘The Moon God’ and Somnath means ‘Lord of Soma’.

This mandir is known to have ‘Eternal Shrine‘. It was destroyed for almost 16 times by invaders but was always rebuilt and never lost its beauty. The present jyotirlinga has the Chalukya style architecture and the skills of Sompura Salats.

Somnath Travel Guide

Somnath Tour Package

Somnath Jyotirlinga
Somnath Jyotirlinga, Gujarat

What are the Somnath Jyotirlinga Timings?

The Somnath darshan timings are from 6 in the morning to 10 in the night.

What is the best time to visit the Somnath Jyotirlinga?

The best time for visiting the Somnath Jyotirlinga is:

Winter Season: The winters season in Gujarat covers the month of October to February. The climate in this season stays cool and is mostly recommended for sight-seeing. The temperature remains between 10 to 32-degree centigrades. The climate remains pleasant and is never bitter.

How to reach Somnath?

  • Road – Somnath connects well to major cities in Gujarat like Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Dwarka and Chorwad by state roadways.
  • Train – The nearest railway station is Somnath (0.5 km). Regular train service is available from all major cities in Gujarat.
  • Air – There are no direct air routes to Somnath. The nearest airport is Diu, which is 85 km away.

2. Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga – Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

The Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is located on the banks of Kshipra River, beside Rudra Sagar Lake in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. This shrine is one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peetham.

A tale from the Shiv Puranas states that the King of Ujjain, Chandrasena was a devotee of Lord Shiva. Once a five-year-old boy Shrikar overheard him while he was praying to the Lord. When he wanted to pray along with the King, he was forced by the guards to go to the river Kshipra and pray. Shrikar learned that the rivals of Ujjain, King Ripudamana and King Shinghaditya decided to attack Ujjain. Shrikar immediately started praying. The news soon spread and was heard by a priest called Vridhi who then started to pray as well. The Kings with the help of a Demon called Dushan were successful in attacking Ujjain. Dushan was blessed by Lord Brahma to be invisible. Lord Shiva on hearing the pleads of his devotees appeared in his Mahakaal form and defeated all the enemies. On the request of Shrikhar and Vridhi, he decided to reside in Ujjain as a form of light to protect the city and its people.

The Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is also one of the ‘Mukti-Sthal’. It is believed that this place can liberate a human. One who worships the lingam is blessed by the Lord and is freed of diseases.

Mahakaleshwar Travel Guide

Mahakaleshwar Tour Package

Mahakaleshwar Temple
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Ujjain

What are the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Timings?

The Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga timings are from 4 in the morning to 11 in the night.

What is the best season to visit the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga?

The best season to visit the Mahakaleshwar is:

Winter Season: The months of October to March cover this season. The temperature stays at 20 degrees. The weather remains pleasant and is good for the pilgrims. It is recommended to avoid summers as the temperature can rise up to 45 degrees centigrade.

How to reach Mahakaleshwar?

  • Air – There are no direct air routes. The nearest airport is Indore, 53 km away from Ujjain.
  • Train – Direct trains are available to Ujjain from major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Benaras, Kochi as well as Jaipur.
  • Road – Bus services are available from cities like Indore, Surat, Mumbai, Pune, Udaipur, Nasik and Mathura.

3. Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga – Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh

Omkareshwar means ‘Lord of the sound Om’ or ‘Lord of Omkara’. The Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga is situated in the Khandwa District of Madhya Pradesh. It is situated on an island called Shivpuri on the Narmada River. There are various legends related to this place. One of the stories from the Hindu Puranas states that once there happened a great war between the Gods and the Demons. The Devas or Goda started praying to Lord Shiva when they started to lose against the Demons. Pleased with the prayers, Lord Shiva emerged in the form of Omkareshwar and defeated the Demons. Another legend states that Vindya, who controlled the Vindhyachal Mountain range was once worshipping the Lord. He created a sacred diagram and Lingam of sand and clay. Pleased, Lord Shiva appeared in two forms, Omkareshwar and Amaleshwar.

Amareshar means ‘Immortal Lord’ or ‘Lord of the devas or Immortals’. Amareshwar Temple is situated on the south bank of the River Narmada.

Omkareshwar Travel Guide

Omkareshwar Tour Package

Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga
Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga

What are the Omkareshwar Temple timings?

The timings of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga are from 5 in the morning to 9 in the night.

What is the best season to visit the Omkareshwar?

The best time to visit the Omkareshwar is:

Winter Season: The months of October to March covers this season. The climate remains pleasant that helps tourists to see the sights with ease. The temperature keeps between 15 to 30-degree centigrade. It is recommended to avoid summers as it gets really hot and uncomfortable.

How to reach Omkareshwar?

  • Air: The nearest airport is at Indore and Ujjain. You can drive from there to Omkareshwar.
  • Road: There are well-connected roads to Omkareshwar from all major cities.
  • Rail: Omkareshwar has its own railway station called Omkareshwar Railway Station which is connected to all major cities.

4. Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga – Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh

Mallikarjuna Temple is popularly called ‘The Kailash of the South’. This temple is located at Srisailam on the banks of Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh. The name Mallikarjauna comes from ‘Mallika’ meaning ‘Goddess Parvati’ and ‘Arjuna’ meaning ‘Lord Shiva’. A tale from the Shiv Puranas says that when Kartikeya returned to Kailash, after taking around of the earth, Narada Muni informed him about Ganesha’s marriage before him. A furious Kartikeya went away to the Kraunch Mountain. All the Gods, including Shiv Parvati, tried consoling him but he turned them all. Witnessing their son in a state like this, Shiv and Parvati assumed the form of a Jyotirlinga and resided on the mountain.

This temple is also amongst the 275 Paadal Petra Shiva Sthangal. This temple is also one of the 18 Shakti Peethas of Goddess Parvati. It is the only temple in India which is both a Shakti Peetha and a Jyotirlinga. It is believed that the person who visits this temple attains moksha and all their desires are fulfilled.

Srisailam Travel Guide

Srisailam Tour Package

Srisailam Temple
Srisailam Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga

What are the Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga timings?

The Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga timings are from 4:30 to 10.

What is the best time to visit the Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga?

The best time to visit the Malikarjuna is:

Winter Season: The weather in this season stays pleasant. The month of October to February covers the winter season. The temperature remains between 15-20 degree centigrade. The climate remains pleasant which helps the pilgrims to have a nice visit.

How to reach Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga?

  • Air – There are no direct air routes to Srisailam. The nearest airport is Rajiv Gandhi International airport at Hyderabad. It is 202 km away from Srisailam.
  • Road – The Srisailam Temple is present just 1 km away from the Srisailam Bus Stand.
  • Train – There are no direct rail routes to Srisailam. The nearest Railway Station is Markapur which is 80 km away followed by Nandyal and Kurnool.

5. Vaijnath Jyotirlinga – Parli, Maharashtra

Vaijnath also known as Vaijnath/Baijnath is located at Parli in Beed District of Maharashtra. Some also refer to it as ‘Baba Dham’. It is believed that the person who visits this shrine attain moksha and gets rid of all miseries.

According to a legend, Ravana, the demon king wanted Lord Shiva to come with him to Srilanka. Shiva permitted him to carry his Atmalinga but on one condition. Ravan was asked not to take a break in his journey and transfer his Lingam to anyone else. If he does so, his lingam would be rooted at that place forever. The Gods knew that if Ravan carried Shiva’s Lingam with him, he would become invincible and destroy the world. They came up with a plan to outwit Ravan. They asked Varuna to enter the belly of Ravan following which he had an urgent urge to release water.  Meanwhile, Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of a Brahmin in front of Ravan. Ravan handed over the Lingam to the Brahmin, unaware of the mystery. Following this, the Lingam got rooted there forever.

Vaijnath Travel Guide

Vaijnath Tour Package

Vaijnath Temple
Vaijnath Jyotirlinga Parli

What are the Parli Vaijnath Jyotirlinga Timings?

The timings of Vaijnath are from 5 to 9.

What is the best season to visit Parli Vaijnath Jyotirlinga?

Winter Season: The months of October to February covers winters in Maharashtra. The weather during this time remains pleasant. He temperature remain around 25 degrees centigrade. The tourist can visit the temple and the other sights in ease.

How to reach Parli?

  • Road: There are direct road routes that connects the temple to the major cities. Several buses connect from Aurangabad, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and other nearby cities.
  • Train: The nearest train station is Parli. It is 2 km from the Parli Vaijnath Jyotirlinga. Here are direct trains that operate from Secunderabad, Kakinada, Manmad, Vishakapatnam and Bangalore.
  • Air: There are no direct air routes to Parli Vaijnath. The nearest airport is in Nanded, 105 km from the Parli Vaijnath temple. You can also take a flight to Chikkalthana Airport which is 174kms away.

6. Kedarnath Jyotirlinga – Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

Kedarnath is situated at the Rudra Himalayan Range on a mountain named Kedar, at a height of 12,000 feet. It is one of the 4 Dhams along with Yamunotri, Gangotri, and Badrinath. According to the legends, Lord Shiva dwelled here on Nara and Narayana’s request. Due to weather conditions and snowfalls, the shrine remains open to the pilgrims only for a period of 6 months.

One believes that by visiting the shrine and bathing the Jyotirlinga, it can free them of all unhappiness, misfortunes and fulfill their desires.

Kedarnath Travel Guide

Kedarnath Tour Package

Kedarnath Jyotirlinga
Kedarnath Jyotirlinga

What are the Kedarnath Jyotirlinga timings?

The timings of Kedarnath are from 4 in the morning to 9 in the night.

What is the best season to visit Kedarnath Jyotirlinga?

The best season to visit Kedarnath is:

The Kedarnath is open to the pilgrims for only a period of 6months. This is due to the harsh weather conditions that the place withstands. The best time to visit the Kedarnath is during Summer Season. The months of May and June covers this season. The temperature remains around 5-degree to 18-degree centigrade. One can also visit the Kedarnath Jyotirlinga in the months of September and October. During these time, the weather remains comparatively pleasant.

How to visit Kedarnath Jyotirlinga?

  • Air –There are no direct flight routes to Kedarnath. There is no airport at Kedarnath. The nearest airport is the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun. It is 238 km away from the Temple town.
  • Train – There are no direct rail routes to Kedarnath. The nearest railway station is Rishikesh, situated at a distance of 216 km from Kedarnath.
  • Road – One can board buses from Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Pauri, Tehri, Srinagar and Chamoli.

7. Nageshwar Jyotirlinga – Darukavanam, Gujarat

Nageshwar temple is also known as Nagnath Temple. It is located in Saurashtra, Gujarat, between Gomti Dwarka and Bait Dwarka Island. According to a legend in the Shiv Puranas, there was once a Demon called Daaruka who imprisoned Supriya, a Lord Shiva devotee. Daaruka took Supriya along with many other to his city called Darukavana. It was a city under the sea which had many demons and sea snakes. Supriya along with others started praying to Lord Shiva who appeared before them and vanquished the Demon. Since then, he resided there in the form of a Jyotirlinga.

Nageshwar Travel Guide

Nageshwar Tour Package

Nageshwar Temple
Nageshwar Jyotirlinga Gujarat

What are the Nageshwar Jyotirlinga timings?

The temple timings of Nageshwar are from morning 6 to night 9.

What is the best season to visit Nageshwar Jyotirlinga?

The best season to visit Nageshwar is:

Winter Season: The months of October to February faces winters in Gujarat. The weather is pleasant with cool breezes blowing. The temperature remains between 12-degree to 25-degree centigrade.

How to reach Nageshwar Jyotirlinga?

  • Air- There are no direct air routes to Nageshwar. The nearest airport is that of Jamnagar which is 137 km.
  • Rail- There are trains which even connect the way down to south through Vadodara, Surat, Mumbai, Goa, Karnataka, and Kerala.
  • Road- There are direct buses available from Jamnagar and Ahmedabad.

8. Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga – Nasik, Maharashtra

Trimbakeshwar Temple is located near Nasik, in the town of Trimbak near Brahmagiri Mountain. The sacred river, Godavari originates near Trimbak. The unique feature about the temple is that the Jyotirlinga in this temple has three faces. These faces represent the three supreme Gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwar.

A legend from the Shiv Puranas narrates that Gautam Rishi received a boon from Varuna where he got a free supply of grain. He thus used to call many sages to eat at his house. However, one day he killed a cow for grazing his field.  In order to wash away his sin, he started praying to Lord Shiva, who asked River Ganga to flow from here washing away all his sin.

On the earnest request of Gautam Rishi, River Godavari, and the other Gods, Shiva resided here in the name of Trimbakeshwar.

Trimbakeshwar Travel Guide

Trimbakeshwar Tour Package

Trimbakeshwar Temple
Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Nasik

What are the Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga timings?

The temple timings of Trimbakeshwar are from 5:30 am to 9 pm.

What is the best season to visit the Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga?

The best season to visit the Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga is:

Winter Season: The months of October to March covers the winters in Trimbakeshwar. It is recommended to visit during these months as the weather remain comparatively pleasant. However, Trimbakeshwar faces extremity in all climatic seasons. The temperature remains between 7-degrees to 34-degrees centigrade.

How to reach Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga?

  • Air: There is no direct flight route to Trimbakeshwar. The nearest flight route is at Mumbai, which is 200kms away from Trimbakeshwar.
  • Rail: There is no direct rail route to Trimbakeshwar. The nearest rail station is at Nasik. It is also well connected with the Mumbai train station.
  • Road: Trimbakeshwar is well-connected with the major cities via road route.

9. Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga – Pune, Maharashtra

The Bhimashankar Temple is located in the Ghat Region of the Sahyadri Hills in Pune, Maharashtra. It is also the source of the Bhima River. According to the Legends, Bhima, the son of Karkati and Kumbhkaran lived in the dense forest with his mother. When he learned how his father was killed in the great war between Rama and Ravana he became furious. He started praying to Lord Bramha who blessed him with immense powers. With his powers, he started destroying everything and defeated almost every God. Witnessing this all the Gods along with Lord Bramha started praying to Lord Shiva.

Lord Shiva came to the rescue and defeated the demon. Since then, on everyone’s request, he manifested himself in the form of Bhimashankar.

Bhimashankar Travel Guide

Bhimashankar Tour Package

Bhimashankar Temple
Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga

What are the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Timings?

The mandir is open from 4:30 am to 10 pm.

What is the best season to visit the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga?

The best season to visit the Bhimashankar is:

Winter Season: Although the temple could be visited at any time, it is the best to pay a visit to the temple during winters. The month of October to February covers the winter season. The temperature stays between 13-degrees to 30-degree centigrade. Trekkers would find it very attractive to trek during the winters here.

How to reach Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga?

  • Air– There are no direct air routes to Bhimashankar. The nearest airport is Pune Airport.
  • Train – There are no direct rail routes to Bhimashankar Temple. The nearest railway station is Pune, 120 km away from the Temple.
  • Road – Regular buses are available from Pune from 5:30 AM to 4 PM. A bus also from Kalyan starts at 9 AM and one from Ghatkopar or Kurla at 11 AM.

10. Rameshwar Jyotirlinga – Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu

Rameshwaram Temple is located in Rameshwaram island on Tamil Nadu. This is the southernmost Jyotirlinga. A legend in Ramayana narrates that, Rama committed a sin of killing a Brahmin during his war against the Demon King Ravana. He prayed to Lord Shiva to absolve him of his sin. He asked Hanuman to bring a lingam from the Himalayas. Sita made a small lingam out of the sand and started praying when Hanumana was late. This is believed to be the lingam in the sanctum.

This Jyotirlinga is popularly called ‘Varanasi of the South’. Beside the temple is the Dhanushkodi beach. It is here that Rama built the Ram Setu to save his wife, Sita from the Demon, Ravana. This shrine is also amongst the holy Char Dhams.

Rameshwaram Travel Guide

Rameshwaram Tour Package

Rameshwaram Temple
Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga

What are the Rameshwaram Temple timings?

The mandir is open from 6 in the morning to 8:30 in the night.

What is the best season to visit the Rameshwar Jyotirlinga?

The best season to visit the Rameshwaram is:

Winter Season: The month of October to March faces the winters. The temperature stays around 20-degrees to 30-degrees centigrade. It is the peak tourist season. It is best for exploring the various places.

How to reach Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga?

  • Air: The nearest airport is in Madurai, which is 174 km from Rameshwaram.
  • Road: This major pilgrim site is connected to all cities and towns in Tamil Nadu. Several state-run and private buses are available.
  • Train: Rameshwaram Railway station is the nearest railhead, 1 km away from the temple.

11. Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga – Aurangabad, Maharashtra

Grishneshwar means ‘Lord of Compassion’. This temple is located in Verul, which is less than a kilometer from Ellora. This temple is also called Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga and Dhushmeshwar Jyotirlinga.

According to a legend in the Shiv Puranas, there lived a childless couple in the called Sudeha and Sudharm in Devagiri Mountain. Sudeha got his husband married to her sister, Ghushma. Soon, Ghushma and Sudharm were blessed with a boy. This left Sudeha jealous. She threw the boy in a lake where Ghushma used to discharge 101 Lingams. On repeated prayers by Ghushma, Lord Shiva returned her son back to her. On the request of Sudharm, Lord Shiva manifested himself here in the name of Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga.

Grishneshwar Travel Guide

Grishneshwar Tour Package

Grishneshwar Temple
Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga

What are the Grishneshwar Jytirlinga timings?

The temple is open from 5:30 am to 11 pm.

TIMINGSFROMTO
Darshan5:30 AM9:30 PM
Darshan (In Shravan)3:00 PM11:00 PM

What the best season to visit the Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga?

The best season to visit the Grishneshwar is:

Winter Season: The months of October to March cover the winters here. This temperature is recommended as the weather stays pleasant. Tourist can freely visit the sights. The temperature remains between 12-degree centigrade to 30-degree centigrade.

How to reach the Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga?

  • Road: Grishneshwar Temple is well-connected with all major cities via road. From Pune: 256 km/4.5 hours. From Nasik: 187 km/3 hours. From Shirdi: 122 km/2.5 hours
  • Train: There are no rail stations at Grisheshwar Temple. Aurangabad is the nearest railway station. Manmad is also closer and better connected.
  • Flight: The nearest airport is in Aurangabad, and there are regular flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, and Udaipur.

12. Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga – Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Kashi Viswanath Jyotirlinga stands on the western bank of River Ganga, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The name ‘Kashi’ comes from the other name of Varanasi, Kashi. ‘Viswanath’ or ‘Vishveshwar’ means the ‘Ruler of the Universe’. The main deity here is called Vishwanath or Vishveshwar. This jyotirlinga is popularly referred to as ‘The Golden Temple of Varanasi’. It is believed that a dip in the holy Ganges followed by a visit to the jyotirlinga help one attain Moksha. It is also believed that a true devotee of Shiva achieves freedom from death. They are taken directly to Mout Kailash by messengers of Lord Shiva and not Yama after their death. It is also believed that Shiva himself says the mantra of salvation in the ears of the people who die naturally here.

Kashi Travel Guide

Kashi Tour Package

Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga Temple Varanasi

What are the Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga timings?

  • The Kashi Vishwanath Temple opens daily at 2:30 AM and closes at 11 PM.
  • The Mangala Aarti is performed between 3 AM to 4 AM.
  • The mid-day Bhog Aarti is performed between 11:30 AM to 12 PM.
  • The Sapta Rishi Aarti is performed between 7 PM to 8:30 PM.
  • The Shringar Bhog and Aarti are performed at 9 PM.
  • The Shayan Aarti starts at 10:30 PM.
  • The general darshan timings are 4 AM to 11 AM, 12 PM to 7 PM, and from 8:30 PM to 9 PM.
  • After 9 PM, pilgrims are allowed to view the Lord from outside the sanctum.

What the best season to visit the Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga?

The best season to visit the Kashi Vishwanath is:

Winter Season: The months of November to February covers the winters in Varanasi.  The temperature stays between 5-degrees to 15-degrees centigrade. The weather stays pleasant during this time which makes it comfortable for the visitors.

How to reach the Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga?

  • Air – The nearest airport to the city is Babatpur which is 22 km from Varanasi. Direct flights are operated by Air India as well as other private airlines from cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Agra, Bhubaneswar and Lucknow.
  • Train – The nearest Railway Station is Varanasi Junction or the Mughal Sarai Junction. Several trains connect the city to almost all major parts of the country like Delhi, Chennai, Howrah, Jammu, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Guwahati.
  • Road – The city is located on NH2 highway linking Kolkata to New Delhi. Several buses are available from places like Delhi, Agra, Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Patna, Nagpur, Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, and Gaya.

12 Jyotirlinga Mantra

12 Jyotirlinga Tour Packages

It is not possible to cover all 12 Jyotirlinga in a single trip because of time constraints and long diatances. It is advisable to cover state by state. For instance you can cover all 5 jyotrilingas in maharashtra and then move on to cover two jyotirlingas in MP and then 2 jyotirlingas in Gujarat and so on.

How many Jyotirling in Maharashtra?

There are five Jyotirlinga present in Maharashtra. These are Bhimshankar, Grishneshwar, and Trimbakeshwar. The other Jyotirlingas are Aundha Nagnath and Parli Vaijnath Jyotirlinga.

How many Jyotirling in Gujarat?

There are two Jyotirlinga present in Gujarat. These are Somnath and Nageshwar Jyotirlinga. Somnath Jyotirlinga is located in Somnath. Nageshwar is located in Daarukavanam.

How many Jyotirling in MP?

There are two Jyotirlinga present in Madhya Pradesh. These are Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga and Omkareshwar. Mahakaleshwar is situated in Ujjain. Omkareshwar is in Khandwa.

Top Travel Bloggers in India 2022 (UPDATED) – Top Travel Blogs

June 30, 2022, Sasidhar Darla 33 Comments Filed Under: Blog

We started Top Travel Bloggers in India as an informational list, but it turned out to be inspirational as we got to know more about each of these amazing India Travel Bloggers. The individuals interviewed here have diverse backgrounds – some of them left their corporate jobs to pursue travel full-time, some of them found meaning to their lives through travel and some of them started blogging to inspire others to travel more.

However, there is one thing common among these bloggers – They love India and they glorify our country with their inspirational travelogues! Get Inspired from these blogger stories, connect with them and above all START TRAVELING! You never know who you will meet on your next journey!

Note: This is by no means a comprehensive list. We might have missed some amazing India travel bloggers. Please contact us If you think that you should be featured on this list.

Top Travel Bloggers in India in 2022

1. Sharell Cook – TripSavvy

Sharell Cook

Blog: TripSavvy India

What is it about: 

It’s an informational website, an online travel guide, about what to see and do in India, where to stay, and other travel tips.

Author Bio:

Sharell was born and raised in Australia and first visited India in 2000. She came back again in 2002, and again in 2005 to do some community work in Kolkata. After that, she never permanently left! She fell in love with an Indian guy and eventually married him. A friend of hers also offered Sharell a job looking after her guest house in Varkala, Kerala for a season — and that’s what made her decide to quit her job in Australia and move to India. She has lived in Mumbai since 2008. So far she has visited most states in India, but there will always be many more amazing destinations remaining.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Sharell was very keen for a career change (She previously worked as an accountant) and after spending substantial time traveling around India, she realized that she wanted to write. In particular, she wanted to write about India’s travel because it’s what really inspired her and made her feel so alive. India is such a diverse and fascinating country, with so many treasures, and she wanted to share them with the world. She started out by writing India travel articles for an article library website and then not long after, she joined About.com in her current role, which is writing and managing all the content for their India travel website. When Sharell started working for About.com six years ago, the website had zero content and zero readers. So, she had to create it all from scratch, and she has gradually built it up to be what it is today. She feels so blessed to have discovered her passion, and that it is now her job.

Sharell certainly finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

2. Ajay Jain – Kunzum

Ajay Jain

Blog: Kunzum

What is it about:

We travel. What do you do? This sums up the spirit at Kunzum, where traveling is a way of life. Enabling them to bring stories in the form of blog posts, paper and electronic books, photos and videos.

Author Bio:

Ajay Jain is a writer and a photographer, focused mainly on travel. He has authored eight paperback books and over 40 e-books.

Inspiration to start blogging:

Having worked for newspapers and magazines, Ajay realized that their formats and agendas were very limiting. And traditional content is not available to readers when they want it, in a form they prefer. Nor did it allow interactivity with the author. Blogging addressed all these issues – and allowed him to define his own templates and editorial plans.

3. Arun Bhat – PaintedStork

Arun Bhat

Blog: India Travel & Photography Blog

What is it about: 

India Travel & Photography Blog is a regularly updated collection of stories and visuals of places and people across India and nearby countries. Updated by professional travel photographer and writer, this blog is now on its tenth year and has reported stories from every corner of the country.

Author Bio:

Arun Bhat is a photographer and travel writer based in Bangalore. He spends much of his time traveling through the country, documenting its riches with his writing and images. He is also a founder at Darter Photography, which nurtures photography enthusiasts through tours and workshops.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

India Travel & Photography Blog first began as a space to document my journeys, which had then just started becoming frequent (in 2005). The response and the involvement of the audience were surprising as well as encouraging, which allowed me to convert the space from a personal journal of journeys to a meticulously maintained travel blog.

4. Mridula Dwivedi – TravelTales

Mridula Dwivedi

Blog: Travel Tales from India

What is it about: 

As the name suggests the blog is about Mridula’s travels both within India and abroad.

Author Bio:

Mridula loves to trek and travel, in that order. In her day job, she is a professor in a private college in Gurgaon. She did her Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Her sister and her brother-in-law started blogging before her, and they did not give her any peace till she too got a blog!

Mridula finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

5. Mariellen Ward – BreatheDreamGo

Mariellen Ward

Blog: BreatheDreamGo

What is it about: 

Breathedreamgo is a travel blog about “meaningful adventure travel”. It is inspired by founder Mariellen Ward’s extensive travels in India over the past nine years. Though Canadian by birth, Mariellen considers India to be the culture of her soul. On Breathedreamgo, Mariellen shares tales of travel and transformation, photos, videos and tips and advice on traveling, blogging, and writing.

Author Bio:

Mariellen Ward is a professional travel writer, blogger, editor and content and social media marketing expert based in Toronto (and sometimes Delhi). BreatheDreamGo, her award-winning travel blog about “meaningful adventure travel” is inspired by her extensive travels in India. She writes for many print and online sites; self-published a book of travel stories, Song of India; co-founded the Toronto Travel Massive and the Delhi Travel Massive; and started the WeGoSolo online community for female solo travelers. Mariellen is a Kensington Tours Explorer-in-Residence and the recipient of an Explorer’s Grant, which she will use to trace the life of Mirabai in north India in October 2014.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

About a dozen years ago, she was trying to recover from grief and depression, and she threw herself into yoga. While studying yoga, she suddenly felt compelled to go to India. She planned, saved, packed up and left Toronto for Delhi on December 5, 2005, for a six-month trip. She kept a travel blog during the entire trip, and that was how it all started: her passion for travel writing, blogging, and India. Since then, her casual blog for friends and family only has morphed into a professional level blog — She launched Breathedreamgo on Ganesh Chaturthi, August 23, 2009 — and she has been back to India about six times. Now, she is “following her bliss” and doing what she loves fulltime – Travelling in India, writing, studying yoga and spirituality and engaging online with like-minded souls.

6. Sankara Subramanian – BeOnTheRoad

Sankara Subramanian

Blog: Be on the Road

What is it about: 

Travel Blog of an Indian Globetrotter who indulges in Adventure Travel, Wildlife Holidays, Unique Cultures, Backpacking, Budget Travel, and Vegetarian Food.

Author Bio:

Sankara is a traveler at heart who left his white collared corporate IT job to explore the world and make a career in blogging.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Sankara never had an inkling of an idea that he would start a blog, but a lot of his friends and family were keen to know more about his travel stories and thus began his travel blog. Hence, his inspiration has been his family and friends.

Shankara certainly finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

7. Shivya Nath – ShootingStar

Shivya Nath

Blog: Shooting Star

What is it about: 

The Shooting Star is the home of all Shivya’s travels, and she hopes to inspire you to step out of your comfort zone and discover the world.

Author Bio:

Shivya quit her corporate job in 2011, at age 23, and decided to travel the world. She has lived with the White Thai tribe in a remote Vietnamese village, hitch-hiked along Turkey’s Black Sea coast, swum with black-tip sharks on Malaysia’s east coast, spent a night in the highest inhabited village of the Himalayas, and fallen in love with so many people and places.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Shivya grew up in a protective Indian family in Dehradun, a small town at the base of the Himalayas, and spent her childhood wondering what lay beyond the mountains she could see from her roof. Upon finishing high school, she went to Singapore to study, with big dreams and a big student loan. As luck would have it, she graduated in the middle of the financial recession of 2009, when most companies she wanted to work with had ceased their hiring. She landed a job with the Singapore Tourism Board, where she learned everything she knew about social media and started following the journey of travel bloggers across the world.

It was impossible to tame her restless cubicle-bound soul, so in 2011, she took a 2-month sabbatical from work. She went flash-packing across Western Europe with a friend and volunteer-traveled in the high Himalayas of India. In those two months, she saw, experienced and lived more than she ever had before, and decided to quit her first and only corporate job with the dream of traveling the world on her own terms.

8. Siddhartha Joshi – SidTheWanderer

Sid joshi

Blog: The Wanderer

What is it about: 

The Wanderer is a Travel and Living blog from India, though it’s not bound by any boundaries. It’s a space to share stories to inspire and provide practical tips on traveling across the globe.

Author Bio:

Siddhartha is a designer, traveler, and travel blogger who loves people more than anything else. He derives his passion for interacting with the people for whom he designs the products as well as from the people he meets with during his travels.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

It was Siddhartha’s inherent desire to share what he had learned through traveling with the world and also to inspire others to travel and explore the world more. He truly believes that only traveling can break barriers and make us more tolerant and accepting of our differences. He hopes that sometime in his lifetime, there would be a world without visas and boundaries and perhaps travel blogging can help in that.

Siddhartha is one of the Top Travel Bloggers in India.

9. Arti S – MyYatraDiary

Arti S

Blog: My Yatra Diary

What is it about: 

Arti’s blog is focused primarily on her yatras and chronicles her travel experiences that cover an array of articles right from where she stayed, what she ate, the places she visited, the people she met, etc, It is almost like embarking on the same journey again! Her main aim is to help people plan their trips better. In addition to all the information, she also makes sure to supplement the posts with a lot of pictures in an endeavor to inspire more and more people to pack their bags, set out and travel.

Author Bio:

Arti is a 20 something girl with an inherited travel gene, thanks to her beautiful wanderlust parents. She is on the pilgrimage of her life, learning different values, discovering new cultures, breathing life into experiences, talking to wonderful people, walking the roads and above all, trying to find the right direction for herself.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

The inspiration came to her from the yatras she took with her family. Whenever they made any travel plans, she would find it difficult to get the relevant first-hand customer experience details on hotels and food on the web. Google would throw up loads of links but what was missing were first-hand user reviews and even if they existed, they were few and far between. She had the names and the tariffs but what she wanted were the photographs and personal evaluation from credible sources that would help her decide if she really wanted to stay in that hotel. Absence of that information inspired her to fill a gap that possibly existed and this is what paved the way for the creation of ‘My Yatra Diary’.

However, since then, it’s gone on to become something more and is now helping her grow in her personal journey as well.

10. Ruchika Vyas – TravellerStories

Ruchika Vyas

Blog: Traveller Stories

What is it about: 

Converting strangers into friends, uncovering lesser-known places, trying something scary, breaking the rules and simply saying “Forget it, let’s go, we’ll see what happens.”—that for Ruchika is what traveling is all about, and that is what the blog reflects. Traveller Stories is a platform to share tips and anecdotes about destinations, information that is useful for readers, and updates on ‘happenings’ of the travel world.

Author Bio:

Ruchika has been a writer and editor for eight years, owner of a chocolatier for two years, a TV show addict for six years, and a happy traveler since the day she hopped into the general compartment of the Kanyakumari Express on a RAC ticket. Her work has been published in Conde Nast Traveller.in, Mumbai Mirror, CNNGo.com, and Femina. She is also one of the contributing writers of Outlook Traveller Getaways’ book – Driving Holidays Across India.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

When Ruchika first began traveling, most of her friends were very surprised because she wasn’t one of those people who had always harbored the desire to explore the world. It literally just happened one fine day. When she returned from her first solo trip, she was bombarded with questions about traveling alone, about the destination she visited and, of course, photographs. She simply wanted to collate all her travel experiences on one platform to be able to share them with anyone who was interested in traveling. And so, Traveller Stories began.

Ruchika certainly finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

11. Shrinidhi Hande – eNidhi

Shrinidhi Hande

Blog: eNidhi India

What is it about: 

A personal blog by Shrinidhi Hande, focusing on travel, automobiles & reviews.

Author Bio:

Shrinidhi Hande is a full time IT professional and has been blogging since 2006. He enjoys travel, long drives, chess, reading and photography.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Earlier Shrinidhi used to send articles to print media. It used to take a long time to get published, if at all. The blog was an instant medium with better reach, quicker feedback, and more freedom.

12. JD Viharini – EnjoyingIndia

Viharini Top Travel Bloggers in India

Blog: Enjoying India

What is it about: 

Insights, tips, photos and news to enrich your experience of India.

Author Bio:

Viharini is a single woman who has lived and traveled alone extensively in India. She was born in California but has spent more than two-thirds of her life in other states and other countries. Having earned an MS in Vedic Studies in Europe, she came to India in 1980 and loved it immediately. Now she has been living in India for several years.

Although Viharini has an apartment in a remote village high in the Himalayas that’s her home base, she tends to move around India with the seasons. Over the years, she has traveled around India first-class, sardine class, and everything in between. She has made many friends and has come to regard India as her home.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

When Viharini launched her book, Enjoying India: The Essential Handbook, she felt that she needed to start a blog to go along with it. Her whole thing is helping people enjoy their time in India, and blogging is just another way to do it.

Viharini finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

13. Srinivas Kulkarni – TravelTales

Srinivas Kulkarni

Blog: Travel Tales

What is it about: 

To traverse beyond the limitations of his mind, Srini travels to look upon the journey within himself. His blog is the place to share that journey with you. He writes mostly stories about people, places and the journey that he encounters. The Himalayas are a place which is close to his heart and he has been going there for 5 years and has made it a ritual to go every year. You’ll find a lot of blogs from the Himalayan region on his website.

Author Bio:

Srini is a Wandering Thinker, Pondering Writer, and an Avid Traveler. He has traveled to various parts of India and writes interesting stories of people and places that he experiences. He aspires to be a travel author one day and hopes to write a magnanimous journey of his sojourns across the world!

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Srini has always enjoyed writing! It has been his first love. Back in 2006, he had this thought of becoming a better writer, but to do that, he believed that it was important to broaden his horizons. To be well-traveled is to be well-read! And that’s when he decided to take up traveling and slowly and steadily started working towards taking as many trips as he could and write about them. His goal is to travel the world and weave stories about his sojourns to leave a legacy behind when he is gone.

14. Sudha Ganapathi – Sudhagee

Sudha Top Travel Bloggers in India

Blog: Sudhagee

What is it about: 

My Favourite Thingsreflects Sudha’s multiple interests in travel & photography, books, music, Mumbai, and much more. It is a blog on topics that matter to her, on topics that interest her, and on topics that she wants to contribute her two cents to.

Author Bio:

Sudha is one of the founders of #TSBC (The Sunday Book Club), an armchair and actual traveler, an editor, a communications consultant, a click-happy photographer, classical music (Indian, Western and Arabic) lover, a mythology enthusiast, a closet graphic designer, a foodie… She is all that, this and more!

Inspiration to start blogging: 

It was sheer boredom that made her start blogging. Sudha certainly finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

15. Prasad Np – desiTraveler

Prasad Top Travel Bloggers in India

Blog: desi Traveler

What is it about: 

A family travel blog from India with stories and pictures about destinations that desi families love visiting together like beaches, wildlife sanctuaries, pilgrimages, etc.

Author Bio:

Prasad is a corporate executive who has worked at C level for more than a decade in Fortune 100 companies, managing the India Operations. He now invests in Start-ups and advises them on strategy. He would love to travel more than he does currently.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

India.

16. Puru Ekta – ShadowsGalore

Puru Ekta Top Travel Bloggers in India

Blog: Shadows Galore

What is it about: 

Shadows Galore is a weblog, where Puru and Ekta share their travel experiences, photographs, lifestyle ideas, memoirs and more.

Author Bio:

Puru and Ekta are IT professionals based in Pune. They love traveling to new destinations in their free time. Apart from travel, Puru loves photography and blogging while Ekta enjoys planning their trips and adventure sports.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Shadows Galore started as a photo-blog on Blogspot to fulfill the requirements of a photography competition sometime back in 2010. As they were traveling to a lot of interesting places during their college days, they decided to record their experiences in the form of a blog.

Puru and Ekta find a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

17. Dheeraj Sharma – DevilOnWheels

Dheeraj Sharma Top Travel Bloggers in India

Blog: Devil on Wheels

What is it about: 

It’s all simply about Traveling to the Himalayas and you can expect travel updates, news, experiences, pictures, learning, thoughts, tips, guides, routes, maps, suggestions, reviews, etc.. all under one place. That is what is DoW (Travel, Off The Road…..).

It is an effort to create a travel community of likeminded people dedicated to the Himalayas. They share practical and insightful travel information related to the Himalayas that may help others to enjoy what nature offers us but with ease and with a difference and in turn giving the actual benefit back to the Himalayan Lives by their Responsible Travel Initiatives such as DoW Causes, Drivers Portfolios, etc.

Author Bio:

Dheeraj Sharma is an avid Traveler, a rookie shutterbug, a die-hard Leh – Ladakh lover, with a strong passion for driving whilst exploring new places & sharing those experiences with fellow Travelers. Lately, he found that using your passion to dive into the unknown and testing your limits of soul and body really boosts your individuality. Since then he never looked back. He loves to capture the beauty of nature in his camera or simply say “Nature/Landscape Photography”. Frequently, he gets on his wheels to hunt this unsatisfied hunger of capturing & learning from the endless things which nature offers us.

Before he dies, he would love to summit at least 5 peaks starting from 5000-7500 Meters or maybe more if god, luck and physical fitness allow him to do so. Just as everything starts with a cause, so do this whole chapter of Traveling in his life.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

For Dheeraj, Travel is a Reason to Believe, Smile, Love, Learn, Connect and Feel ALIVE!!

Down, out, alone and almost surrendered to the most difficult phase of his life, he suddenly thought of pursuing his passion of driving and traveling to re-start his life again, take it a step further and explore if nature has the magic to can save him and turn him into the person he once was as a child. The Himalayas always had a history of being associated with peace and calmness, so he decided to have a treatment called “Nirvana @ Himalayas”. He went out into the wild to find out answers to many disturbing questions which haunted him every moment, top of the list being “Me or Devil??” The answer lies in his transformation as a person after traveling over the last four years which allowed him to look @ LIFE so beautifully, making fun of every moment without considering the days passed or the days ahead. There is only one Life and now he feels that it should be ALIVE and AWESOME, always.

Dheeraj is one of the Top Travel Bloggers in India.

18. Lakshmi Sharath – TravelWithLakshmi

Lakshmi Sharath Top Travel Bloggers in India

Blog: Travel Blog of an Indian Backpacker

What is it about: 

A travel blog of an Indian Backpacker.

Author Bio:

Lakshmi is a media professional, a traveler, travel writer, blogger, and photographer. After 15 years of sitting beside a desk in several media organizations, she decided to travel and see the world. She has covered five continents and been to over 25 countries and her passion lies in exploring the nooks of India as well.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Lakshmi’s mother always used to say that as a child she used to run around like as if she had wheels on her feet. Eventually, the desire to step outside her comfort zone, to meet people and lose herself in different landscapes – both culturally and naturally, is what got her to travel. She started blogging to share her experiences and to meet like-minded people. She was in a corporate job when she first started blogging but eventually, she got so addicted to the same, that she quit her media career of 12 years to blog and travel.

19. Anuradha Shankar – AWanderingMind

Anuradha Top Travel Bloggers in India

Blog: A Wandering Mind

What is it about: 

A Wandering Mind is mainly about Anuradha’s travels, but as the name suggests, she wanders every now and then to other topics too, such as her son and the happenings around her.

Author Bio:

Anuradha was one of those who was very sure what she wanted to be – a scientist. The road seemed clear ahead as she completed her Master’s degree in Physics and enrolled for a Ph.D. That is when life took one of its sudden turns, and she found herself abandoning her choice of career and looking for something to keep her occupied.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

While Anuradha was still exploring her options, she got married, and re-discovered the joys of traveling, especially since her husband loved getting out of the city as much as she did! Soon, however, came the joys (and travails) of motherhood, and life took another turn as she found that everything for her now revolved around her son. Being the kind of person who cannot stay put in one place for too long, she was keen on doing something which would help her express herself, and that is when her sister-in-law suggested that she write a blog. She was skeptical about it at first, but once she got on to the bandwagon, she was hooked!

Anuradha certainly finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

20. Anuradha Goyal – IndiTales

Anuradha Goyal

Blog: Indi Tales

What is it about: 

This blog is about sharing Anu’s travel stories with a hope to hear back many more.

Author Bio:

Anuradha Goyal is the author of  ‘The Mouse Charmers – Digital Pioneers of India’ and India’s leading travel and book blogger.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

An instinct to experiment with the just-launched medium that blogs were when she started way back in 2004.

21. Niranjan Das – TalesOfANomad

Niranjan Top Travel Bloggers in India

Blog: Tales of a Nomad

What is it about: 

‘Tales of a Nomad’ is a travel blog where Niranjan pens down his travel experiences. It has articles about places traversed, blissful roads are taken, interactions with strangers, exhilarating adventures and frames captured.

Author Bio:

Niranjan is passionate about travel, be it long bike rides or treacherous trekking or leisure holidaying or backpacking through the countryside or an engrossing train journey. He dreams of setting foot on every single country on planet earth, meeting adorable strangers and learning about new cultures.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Tales of a Nomad started off as a personal blog where Niranjan could pen down his travel memories. Now, this blog has become his travel diary where he writes almost every day, to inspire people to travel to all the lovely destinations out there. The inspiration to start a travel blog is undoubtedly traveling itself.

Niranjan finds a place in the list of Top Travel Bloggers in India.

22. Rachel Jones – HippeInHeels

Rachel Jones

Blog: Hippie in Heels

What is it about: 

Hippie in Heels is the go-to website for showcasing India’s fun side. With a focus on glamorous travel without spending a fortune, this is the site to find luxury guides, boutique hotels, fabulous meals, packing tips, and local designers- all while balancing the beautiful chaos of India. Rachel gives tips to females who are nervous to come and eases fears. Rachel tells about the secret trendy places in the other 24 countries she’s been to. In under a year, Hippie in Heels has taken off as a travel blog inspiring people to come to India and make people laugh with her Friday story series, “This is India!”

Author Bio:

Living in Goa year-round for two years, Rachel is an expert on travel within the state and has really dove into the culture of India as a whole.  After years of international travel from Africa to Europe, she left nursing to follow her dreams of living abroad after finally falling in love with Goa, and has since become a Thai masseuse in India. Knowing she’ll be in India a while, other than her blog, Hippie in Heels, she’s learning Hindi, loving the monsoons, studying yoga, traveling the world (especially India), and starting a small candle company.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

Rachel was inspired to start blogging when she realized that she couldn’t keep up with all the random people’s facebook messaging and e-mailing her for advice. Friends urged her to share her knowledge of India to a wider audience. Knowing she was a contradiction: hippie at heart, but the girly girl on the outside- Hippie in Heels was born.

23. Ankita Sinha – AnkiOnTheMove

Ankita Top Travel Bloggers in India

Blog: AnkiOnTheMove

What is it about: 

Standing on the core foundation of Places, People, Adventure, Travel, and Style; Ankionthemove is a two and a half-year-old Blog where ‘India and Abroad’ are brought to the virtual world of travel enthusiasts with much love in the form of Self-descriptive 3-5 minute Travel Videos and Conversational Write-ups. The blog also contains information on the upcoming Adventure Sports scenario in the country and takes you to ‘behind the scenes’ about people who conduct them. Added to that are the various Travel Meetups, Colorful Events, Style While Travel and glimpses from her own personal life. Featured in Fox Traveller, Deccan Chronicle, Elle, 104.8 FM, and many others, this blog surely takes you to a fulfilled ride across 13 Countries, 24 states, 15 Adventure Sports and 115 Travel videos.

Author Bio:

Quitting her previous Software Experience of 5 years wasn’t a decision. It was a choice of passion for routine. Since then, the jobs changed to being a Marketing Professional in an Adventure Firm to now a Marketing Professional in Skyriders which conducts Skydiving in India. It is through her job, that she collects the insights on how Adventure has evolved over the years. The need to bridge the gap of not knowing where to find Adventure Sports is what makes both the job and the purpose worthwhile.

Inspiration to start blogging: 

The great satisfaction of being helpful to people who might dream of traveling but for some reason couldn’t is what made Ankita start a blog. It started off really small with capturing the essence of Bangalore, and capturing it in a way which is not just a random read, but a purpose which both her and her readers mutually share – a blog with a soul and a heart and plenty of information and experience as well as travel videos to simply “believe, plan, make and happen travel & sports”

Ankita is one of the Top Travel Bloggers in India.

For the viewers – Do you love traveling? Do you have an inspirational travel story to share with us? Please share it in the comments section

Kudroli Temple Darshan Timings

June 25, 2019, Sasidhar Darla 1 Comment Filed Under: Blog

Here are the Kudroli Temple Darshan Timings

6 AM to 9 PM. Open on all days of the week. It usually takes 30 minutes for darshan. The temple is located in Mangalore.

Navagraha Temples in Tamil Nadu

August 2, 2019, Sasidhar Darla 1 Comment Filed Under: Blog

Navagraha Temples in Tamilnadu. Most temples across the country and certainly almost every temple in South India have a black square stone pedestal with nine idols arranged on it. One of the enduring memories of childhood, apart from the pilgrimage vacations, is that absolutely pleasurable dizziness that comes with the nine circumambulations of this set of Navagraha idols! Another enduring memory is the navagraha homa conducted before every auspicious occasion at home and the mandatory trip to the Navagraha Temples.

The belief that there is some power beyond man that affects his life is an old one. Our ancient sages identified constellations and aligned their movements to man’s fortunes and marked nine celestial bodies, the sun, the moon, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, Neptune, Rahu and Ketu, as the nine grahas that impact man’s life, based on their position and arrangement at the time of his birth. Ever since these nine planets have been worshipped by the man in his pursuit of happiness or in times of misery.

Navagraha Temples 2

The popular understanding of “Navagraha Temples” is the cluster of nine Shaivaite shrines, around Kumbakonam, in Tamil Nadu where each of the nine grahas, Surya (sun), Chandra (Moon), Mangal (Mars), Buddh (Mercury), Brihaspati (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), Rahu and Ketu have a temple assigned to them. The Navagraha Temples in Tamilnadu owe their origin to Sage Kalava, who was not only a seer but also an excellent astrologer.

On examining his horoscope, Sage Kalava found that the planetary arrangements predicted that he will be afflicted with leprosy. He prayed to each of the nine grahas and his fervent devotion caused them to reverse this eventuality. When Lord Brahma came to know of this he was enraged, since grahas are not meant to offer boons. He cursed them to have the dreaded disease instead and banished them to earth to a place called “vellurrukku vanam” or the ‘forest of the white flower’.

The navagrahas prayed to Shiva and begged him to free them from the curse. Convinced of their repentance, Shiva freed them from the curse and assigned the territory to them with the caveat that they should bless the devotees who pray to them there. Each graha was assigned a village which then became its sthala or abode. Subsequently, temples were built in their honour, with most of them dating to the 7th and 9th century except the Surya Temple which was built in the 11th century.

List of Navagraha Temples in Tamil Nadu

The Navagraha Temples in Tamil Nadu pilgrimage consists of a visit to all these nine temples and can be done in one, two or seven days with the visit being aligned to the day special to the graha. Each temple has its own legend and lore and its own method of worship.

1. Suryanar Kovil dedeicated to Sun

The temple dedicated to the sun is at Suryanar Kovil, which is supposed to be Vellurukku Vanam of yore. The interesting feature at the Suryanar Kovil is that this is the only Navagraha Temples in Tamilnadu where the main deity is the graha itself. In the other eight temples, the main deity is Shiva  while the graha is placed in an auxiliary shrine.

However, the first prayer, even here,  is offered to Vinayaka to whom the navagrahas prayed as part of their penance, then to Shiva and Parvathi and lastly to Surya who stands on a one-wheeled chariot driven by seven horses symbolizing the seven days of the week. Facing him is Guru (Jupiter) who is positioned so that he may absorb some of the intensity of the sun’s rays before they reach the devotee – a fact that ancient India knew from ages before. Today, research in astronomy has discovered that Jupiter protects the earth from many comets and other bodies that may strike the earth and possibly eradicate a significant portion of it. The shrine of Surya is surrounded by shrines of the other eight grahas.

2. Navagraha Temple – Moon

Chandran or the moon is worshipped at Thingaloor. Legend has it that during Amrithmanthan, an Asura assumed the form of a deva and consumed some nectar. This was spotted by Surya and Chandra who informed Vishnu about it. An angry Vishnu cut the asura into two with his Sudarshana Chakram. Since the asura had consumed a significant bit of nectar by then, he did not die. His head merged with the body of a snake while his body joined the head of another snake and thus were born Rahu and Ketu. Obviously, they went behind Surya and Chandra. Rahu caught up with Chandra and started swallowing him. It is believed that Chandra prayed to Shiva at Thingalur and secured his complete form, fifteen days after Rahu had swallowed him. This  explains the waning and waxing face of the moon. The main shrine at Thingalur is that of Shiva as Kailasanathar, while the shrine for Chandra, standing on a chariot drawn by ten horses, is an adjunct shrine. A very peaceful, almost somnolent temple, Thingalur attracts very few visitors except those on the Navgraha beat.

3. Navagraha Temple – Mars

Vaitheeswaran Temple is where Lord Shiva is worshipped as Vaitheeswaran or the “God of healing” and it is believed that prayers to Vaitheeswaran can cure diseases. It is one of the nine Navagraha temples in Tamilnadu associated with the planet Mars (Angaraka).

4. Navagraha Temple – Mercury

Budhan (Mercury), riding on a lion, is worshipped at the Shwetharanyeshwara Temple in Thiruvenkadu. Again, this is a very significant Shiva temple  and one forgets that one is at a navagraha temple. As Lord of the White (Shwetha) Forest (Aranya), Shiva is said to have danced the tandava, seven times here. He stands here with five faces and as Aghora (Furious) Murthy who destroyed the demon Marutwasura by opening his third eye. Legend has it that Shiva sent Nandi first to slay this demon not once but twice. However, Nandi was vanquished and injured badly, the marks of which are seen on the Nandi idol which, incidentally, stands outside Parvathi’s and not Shiva’s shrine as he does always. Thiruvenkadu is a small village. One ticks the box as having prayed to Budhan here and moves on to worship Guru at Alangudi.

5. Navagraha Temple – Jupiter

Guru (Jupiter) is worshipped at the Apathasahayeshwara Temple at Alangudi. As Apatha (crisis) Sahayeshwara (one who helps), Shiva is said to have drunk (kudi) the poison (Ala) that rose from the celestial churn, here. It is also believed to be the place where he taught divine wisdom to the errant Devas as Lord Dakshinamurthy. Guru is held by devotees in great esteem as he is believed to influence marriage prospects as well as wisdom and intellect. He rides on a chariot driven by eight horses representing eight branches of knowledge. Consequently, this temple at Alangudi attracts many devotees, especially on Thursday.

6. Navagraha Temple – Venus

Sukran (Venus) is worshipped at the Agneeswarar Temple at Kanjanur. This temple is easy to miss as it is in a small nondescript village and has no visibility other than being a Sukran temple. In fact, we had to call for the priest from his house, when we reached there. Believed to be the place assigned to Sukran, Shiva stands here as Agneeshwara who granted Agni an audience. It is also believed to be the place where Brahma had a vision of the marriage of Shiva and Parvathi. Although we were not privy to this, there is a firm assertion that the oil poured on the idol for Abhishekha is fully absorbed by the idol and nothing falls off. And yet, this is a very peaceful temple where prayer comes easily.

7. Navagraha Temple – Saturn

This is not something one can say about the Shaneeswara Temple at Thirunallar. If devotees throng to Vaitheeswaran Kovil for Shiva, hordes of them congregate at the Dharbaranyeshwara Temple at Thirunallar, not for Shiva but for Shani (Saturn), especially on Saturdays. Here one forgets that one is at a Shiva temple! From Amitabh Bachchan to the man-next-door, there are not many who can resist a prayer at this temple to propitiate Shani who is feared for his malevolence! Shani (Saturn) is the only planet to have the term of Easwara or Lord suffixed to his name. The most popular of the Navagraha temples in Tamilnadu, it is the richest of them all. It is believed that King Nala was rid of the malevolence of Shani when Lord Shiva as Darbharanyeshwara stopped Shani from following Nala into the temple. The Shaneeswara shrine is thus located in the inner courtyard of the temple. All those wishing to rid themselves of the evil influence of Saade Saati and the two and a half year influence of Shani, ensure that they visit this temple.

8. Navagraha Temple – Rahu

Rahu, familiar with many because of Rahu Kala, is worshipped at the Naganathaswamy temple at Thirunageshwaran. The distinctive feature of this navagraha temple is that Rahu is depicted with a human face with his consorts while in most other temples he is depicted in his supine form. It is also believed that the milk poured on Rahu during the Rahu Kalam Abhisheka turns blue as it falls on the idol before turning white when it touches the ground. We missed seeing this as the navagraha tour is quite time bound and one is not always lucky to be here at Rahu kalam. One possible explanation could be that the idol is made of blackish blue sapphire so that milk poured over that appears bluish. But then, when has faith needed an explanation?

9. Navagraha Temple – Ketu

And finally, Ketu is worshipped at a small village called Keezhperumpallum in the Naganathar Swami Temple. As the second half of the Asura who ate the nectar by deceit, Kethu is believed to have prayed to Lord Shiva for forgiveness here and received a pardon.

Conclusion

The Navagraha Temples in Tamilnadu tour, unless specified, does not follow the chronology from Suryanar Kovil to Keezhperumpallam. The route is based on the location of the temples and the time at one’s disposal. Most devotees, like us, use Kumbakonam as a base, as all but one of the temples are within twenty to thirty kilometres of Kumbakonam. Most hotels in Kumbakonam arrange Navagraha tours but it is advisable to equip yourself with some basic information that can be had from reliable websites of the temples.

A visit to the Navagraha Temples in Tamilnadu threw up many revelations and realizations. It was a revelation that the Shaivaite cluster of Navagraha temples is different from the Vaishnavaite cluster that is followed by Iyengars of the South. It was a revelation that despite the ubiquitous presence of technology, there is still one facet of man that has been untouched by it all and is governed by faith, myth, lore and legend. It was a revelation that despite the myth, lore and legend, the mobile phone has penetrated into the tiniest of villages and thank God for that. Finally, it was a profound realisation that the Navagrahas are the bureaucrats who administer the retribution for our karma, good or bad, for, in every temple, the prime deity is still the Lord who is the force within us.

Sringeri Temple Timings – Jagadguru Darshan, Annadanam Timings

March 9, 2020, Sasidhar Darla 8 Comments Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Sringeri

What are the timings of Sringeri Temple?

Here are the darshan timings of Sringeri Temple:

Darshan Open Time Close Time
Morning 6:00 AM 2:00 PM
Evening 4:00 PM 9:15 PM
Jagadguru 10:30 PM 12:30 PM
Pooja 8:30 PM 12:30 PM
  • All the other Temples inside the Sharada Matha Complex – 8:30 AM to 7 PM.
  • Sri Vidyashankara Temple and Sri Torana Ganapati Temple – 7 AM to 8:30 PM.
  • Sri Malahaneekareswara Temple – 8:30 AM to 7 PM.

What are Jagadguru Darshan Timings?

On the days when Jagadguru is available, you will get a chance to meet him twice a day.

  • Morning Hours: 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
  • Evening Hours: 5:45 PM to 6:30 PM
  • Shree Chandramouleshwara Pooja: 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM
  • Chandramouleshwara Pooja performed by Sri Jagadguru: 8:45 PM to 10 PM

Sringeri Temple Dress Code

We advise everyone to wear decent cotton clothes during summers (March to Mid-June). The rains start from June onwards when one should wear full sleeves as well as jackets. One must also carry blankets and bedsheets in winters as it gets quite cold here in winters.

Notes/Tips:

  • The timings mentioned above might change on festivals/special days.
  • Under the leadership of Sri Sharada Peetham, a dining hall popular as “Sri Bharathi Theertha Prasada” is near the Temple. As per Sringeri temple timings, serving of food takes place in the afternoon between 12:15 PM to 2:30 PM and at night between 7:15 PM to 8:30 PM.
  • A few private restaurants are also available near the Temple Complex. The cuisine offered is mainly South Indian.
  • The best time to visit Sringeri temple is October to March because the weather is pleasant.

Here is everything you want to know about Sringeri Temple

  1. Sringeri Temple Timings and Dress Code
  2. Aksharabhyasam in Sringeri Temple
  3. List of all temples inside Sringeri
  4. Sringeri Temple History
  5. Sringeri Temple Sevas
  6. Festivals celebrated in Sringeri
  7. Sringeri Temple Accommodation
  8. How to Reach Sringeri Temple?
  9. Places to visit near Sringeri
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