Famous Temples in India: A Crucial Topic for Competitive Exams

There are uncountable no’s of temples in India but for the exam purpose, we will look into only famous temples in India. India, often referred to as the Land of Temples, is home to an extraordinary array of architectural marvels that embody its rich spiritual and cultural heritage. From the iconic Tirupati Balaji Temple in Andhra Pradesh to the  one of the oldest 51 Shakti Peethas Kamakhya Temple in Assam, these sacred sites have both historical and cultural significance.

Following is the compilation of famous temples in India.

Famous Temples in India

Lord Venkateswara Temple –

• This temple is in Andhra Pradesh.
• It is on Tirumala hills, and this temple is known as Tirupati Balaji temple.
• It is also called a temple of seven hills.

Mahabodhi Temple –

• It is a Buddhist temple located in Bihar.
• It is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Somnath Temple –

• It is situated in Gujarat. Constructed in Chalukyan style.
• It is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva.

Dwarkadhish Temple –

• It is one of the four Hindu pilgrimages (Char Dham), situated in Gujarat.
• Presently in the Chalukya architecture style.

Vaishno Devi Temple and Amarnath Temple –

• Situated in Jammu and Kashmir (Cave temple).

Virupaksha Temple –

• Built by Lakkana Dandesha under the ruler Deva Raya II of the Vijayanagar, situated at Karnataka.
• It is a UNESCO heritage site. Group of Mounments at Hampi.

Gonateshwara Temple –

• It is also known as Bahubali temple. It is a Jain temple situated at Karnataka.
• The tallest monolithic statue in the world carved out of a single block of granite. (Bahubali Statue).

Padmanbhaswamy Temple –

• Located In Kerala.

Khajuraho Temple –

• Situated at Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
• Built by the rulers of Chandela Dynasty
• Famous for Nagara style architecture and known for extensive erotic sculptures.

Siddhivinayak Temple –

• It is one of the richest temples in India.
• Situated in Maharashtra.

Konark Sun Temple –

• Build in the 13^th century by king Narasimhadeva I (As 1238-1264) during the Ganga Empire.
• Situated in Odisha.

Jagannath Temple –

• This temple is in Puri is famous for its annual Chariot festival (Rath Yatra).
• Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are a trio deities worshipped at the temple.
• It was constructed by a famous king of Ganga dynasty Ananta Varman Chodaganga Deva dating back to 12^th century.

Golden Temple –

• It is a Gurudwara, built in the 15^th century. It is situated in Punjab. It is also known as Harmindar Sahib.
• Temple was plated in Gold in 1980 from the wealth and material donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Ramanathaswamy Temple –

• It is also one of the Char Dhams.
• It is situated in Tamil Nadu.

Nataraj Temple –

• It is situated in Tamil Nadu.

Ranganathswamy Temple –

• It is located on the island formed by twin river – Cauvery and Coleroon.
• Its Gopuram is the biggest Gopuram in Asia.

Brihadeeswara Temple –

• One of the tallest temples in India that is completely made of Granite.
• Situated on the bank of Cauvery River.
• It is a part of UNESCO world heritage sites, situated in Tamil Nadu.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple –

• The original Vishwanath temple was destroyed by the army of Qutb-Uddin Aibak in 1194 CE when he defeated the Raja of Kannauj.
• In 1669 CE, Emperor Aurangzeb destroyed the temple and built the Gyanvapi Mosque in its place.
• It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas situated in Uttar Pradesh.

Badrinath Temple – 

• Situated in Uttarakhand on the bank of Alakananda River.

Gangotri Temple –

• Situated in Uttarakhand, on the Bhagirathi River bank.

Erawan Dev Temple –

• Situated in Bangkok

Kedarnath Temple –

• Situated in Uttarakhand.

Sanchi Stupa –

• Situated in Madhya Pradesh.

Dilwara Temple –

• Situated in Rajasthan (Mount Abu)

Tirupati Balaji Temple –

• Situated in Andhra Pradesh (Chitoor).

Brahma Temple –

• Situated in Rajasthan (Pushkar)

Lotus Temple – Situated in Delhi (Bahai religion).