6 Religious Places to Visit in Uttar Pradesh
In this post, we explored the holiest destinations, which are always full of many Hindu devotees from all parts of the world.
International tourists visit Uttar Pradesh and other religious states of India to understand its religion and culture.
6 Best Holy Destinations to Visit in Uttar Pradesh
- Varanasi
- Mathura
- Vrindavan
- Ayodhya
- Kushi Nagar
- Prayagraj
These are not the exclusive religious places in Uttar Pradesh but there are also some other famous holy places in this state.
1. Varanasi
It is an ancient city and is beloved and established in the 11th century BC and is the oldest living city in the World.
This is also a famous holy place for Buddha and Jain devotees for worship. This city is located on the bank of the holy River Ganga in the state of Uttar Pradesh India.
The most famous city of Shiva and Ganga is known for its Ghats, Moksha, Music, Hinduism, and Temples and therefore this city is listed at the top of the famous places in India.
It is believed that those who get a funeral at this place attain Moksh (relief from the circle of birth and death). The last desire for every Hindu is to pass most of their last days of life at this place and get a funeral here.
This is the centre of Hindu religious education and culture and also the Takshila where the Buddhist god enlightened and established the Budh religion.
A large number of valuable activities like Indian culture, Religious knowledge, Devotion, Indian arts and Crafts, and philosophy are developed here continuously with time.
Highlights of Varanasi
- The oldest living city in the world
- A holy place for Hindus, Budhs, and Jains
- Located at the bank of the religious river Ganga
- Place of Moksha for Hindus
- Home of Ghats, Moksha, Music, Hinduism, and Temples
Places to Visit in Varanasi
- Ganga River
- Dasaswamedh Ghat
- Sarnath
- Banaras Ghat
- Assi Ghat
- Ruchika Art Gallery
- Manikaranika Ghat
- Sri Kashi Vishwanath Temple
- Sunrise Yoga
- Ganga Aarti
- Monkey Temple
These are the few famous tourist places in Varanasi. This place is well-equipped with other places also like the Archeological Museum, Banaras Hindu University, Anshul Sharma, Dhamek Stupa, Kirti Gallery, Kadar Gnat and more…
How to reach this place
By Train – Kashi railway station and Varanasi railway junction are the main railway stations in this city.
By Road – This place has beautiful and wide roads well-connected with major cities of the state and tourists can visit this place by car, bus or other mode of transport.
2. Mathura
The most famous tower of the 16th century is Saying Burj which is one of the most famous tourist attractions of the city.
The other religious and worship place is Dwarkadhish temple where a large number of Hindu devotees visit from all over the world.
The most famous religious and worship places in Mathura are…
- Dwarkadhish Temple
- Shri Krishna Janam Bhoomi Temple
- Chamunda Devi Temple
- Bhuteshwar Temple
- Gita Mandir
- Jugal Kishore Temple
- Banki Bihari Temple
- Kesava Deo Temple
- Bhuteshwar Temple
- Dwa
How to reach Mathura?
By Air – Agra airport is closest to this place whereas the International airport is Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) is the nearest airport.
By Road – The government-run buses to this place from Faizabad, Agra and Allahabad. The private bus owners also run their buses from and to Mathura and Delhi.
3. Vrindavan
The city of Hindu God Lord Krishna spends most of their childhood time in the place famously known as Virandavan or Brindaban. This holy destination of Uttar Pradesh is situated in the northern part of India and is famous for its spirituality, worship and devotion. The famous religious site Brij Bhoomi region is the place where this city is exactly situated.
The vaisnavism culture makes this place the known spot of holiness for the Hindus. The speciality of this area is that it is surrounded by a large number of religious places like Mathura, Barsana, Govardhana, Nandgoan, and Gokul. Some researchers also visit these places to know the religious values and culture of this region.
Highlights of Virandavan
- Brahmotsavm festival which is the largest in this place Vrindavan Parikrama which is a circle around the city
- The most famous Holi festival is celebrated in a unique way full of courage in this town
- Banki Bhari temple is considered the most visited place due to its attraction to visitors
- Delicacies are the known Pedas of this place and all the visitors want to taste and carry them
Places to visit in Vrindavan
- Prem Mandir
- Banke Bihari Mandir
- Iskcon Temple
- Radha Raman Temple
- Govinddavji Temple
- Nidhivan
- Katyayani Peeth
- Gokulnanda
- Shri Rangji Mandir
- Nandgoan
- Shahji Temple
- Gopeshwar Mahadev Temple
- Barsana
How to reach Vrindavan?
By Air – The closest airports to this destination in Agra Airport and Indira Gandhi International Airport.
By Train – The Mathura Railway Station is closest to this place which is well-connected with railway stations of all the major cities of India.
By Road – Vrindavan is now easily reachable by road to all the major cities located in Uttar Pradesh because of the commendable efforts of the union transport minister and the state government.
4. Ayodhya
The birthplace of the deity Rama is located on the bank of the Saryu River in Uttar Pradesh. The ancient name of Ayodhya is Saketa.
According to the great epics of Ramayana and the holy book Ramayan Witnesses the Hindu God Rama spent his childhood in Ayodhya and therefore got first place in the list.
The cruellest rulers of this place Babar and Aurangzeb demolished the temple dedicated to the god Rama built at his birthplace. The very unfortunate demolition of this Mandir became a big issue of controversy between the two Hindus and the Muslims who claim that this place belongs to them by way of Babar Masjid and Ram Janam Bhoomi.
At last, with the decision of the India Hon’ble Supre Court, this issue was resolved and this place was decided to be the place of birth of Lord Rama.
Highlights of Ayodhya
- The Ayodhya was the capital of Kosala
- In the earlier period, it was famous as Saket
Tourist Places in Auodhya
- Ram Janam Bhoomi
- Hanum Garhi
- Kanak Bhawan
- Moti Mahal
- Treta ke Thakur
- Guptar Ghat
- Mausoleum of Bahu Begum
- Gulab Bari
- Sri Maniram Das Chavani
- Sita ki Rasoi
- Nageshwarnath Temple
- Swarg Dwar
- Raja Mandir
- Tulsi Samarak Bhawan Museum
- Ammaji Mandir
- Ramkatha Park
How to Reach Ayodhy
By Air – The closest airport to Ayodhya is Lucknow International Airport.
By Road – This place is equipped with four lanes and expressways and therefore it is very comfortable to reach here by car or by the state transport buses which run 24×7.
5. Kushi Nagar
Located in the Kushi Nagar District at about 55 km. from East Gorakhpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh of India. The Mahaparin was created by the Buddhist leader Gautam Buddha in Kaushi Nagar.
It is the most important and famous Buddhist tourist and holy place where the religious and devotees of this religion visit from all parts of the world to understand the Buddhist culture, religious values and worship.
There is about 6.11 mt. long reclining nirvana statue of Buddha is placed here which is made from monolith stone of red sand of about 5th AD century.
This statue gives the view of a dieing-Buddha reclining with the face on the right towards the west. Because of his death, this place has become a religious destination for the Buddha community.
Highlights of Kushi Nagar
- The Mahaparin was created by the Buddhist leader Gautam Buddha
- There is about 6.11 mt. long reclining nirvana statue of Buddha
- A dieing-Buddha reclining statue with the face on the right side towards the west
Places to Visit in Khushi Nagar
- Parinivana Stupa
- Matha Kuar Shrine
- Parinivana Temple
- Ramabhar Stupa
- Wat Thai Temple
- Buddish Museum
- Japanese Temple
- Sidhua Asthan
- Meditation Park
- Kuber Asthan
How to reach Kushi Nagar?
By Air – The airport close to this place is Gorakhpur and Varanasi Airports and in Kushi Nagra an International Airport is on the way.
By Road – The roads to Khushi Nager from different routes are clean and wide and therefore tourists can visit here by car, taxi, or private bus.
6. Prayagraj
Known for its renowned past and present, this is the mythical and historical city famous for its religious culture where all the people of major regions like Hindus, Christians, Jains.
It is evident from the ancient Hindu holy books Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Purans that the creator of the Trinity known as God Bharama decided on this land of the earth to do the holiest act known as the Parkrista Yag at the time of the creation of mankind and gave this place as Tirath raj or the leader of holy centres.
This city was established by the Muslim Ruler Akber in the year 1575 AD and named it as Illahabas and later converted to Allahabad which means the place of Allah. Today’s place has the pride of some known institutions like Allahabad High Court, and the University of Allahabad.
This is one of the prime places for the Kumbh Mela (fair) which invites a large number of devotees from all parts of India.
Out of the other devotees, a large number of sadhus (holy men/women) who remain necked throughout their lives come to this place to have a dip in the holy river and worship. At last, it’s not out of the place to say that this is truly worth visiting place for those who love religion, devotion and holy culture.
Highlights of Paryagraj
- The junction of three holy rivers of Hindu named the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati Pryagraj
- the biggest city in the state of Uttar Pradesh of India
- This sacred junction is famous as Travini
- This is the mythical and historical city
- This place is known as Tirath raj or the leader of holy centres
- Muslim Ruler Akber named it Illahabas and later converted it to Allahabad but now it is Paryagraj
By Railway – Subedarganh Railway Station, Prayagrah Junction (Allahabad), and Prayagraj Sangam are the nearest Airports to this place.
By Road – The roads at this place is well connected with the roads of almost all the major cities of the state and can easily be reached by car, state, central or private bus.
In Short, These are some major holy cities in Uttar Pradesh though this state has a large number of other religious places like Chitrakoot, Deogarh, Banaras, Sarnath, Hastinapur, Vindhyachal, and many more where a large number of tourists visit from all corners of the world.
