8 Best Pilgrimage sites in Delhi

At a distance of 10 km from New Delhi Railway Station, Akshardham Temple or Swaminarayan Temple is located on the banks of River Yamuna near Nizamuddin Bridge in Delhi. The temple is included in the list of Seven Wonders of the 21st Century by the prestigious Reader's Digest magazine. It is one of best built temples in India and among must visit tourist places in Delhi. It also has been listed in the 2009 edition of the Guinness World Records book as the largest Hindu temple in the world.

Akshardham Temple is dedicated to Lord Swaminarayan. Akshardham means the adobe of the supreme lord and the temple is a fine example of the Hindu architecture. The complex is the second Akshardham complex in the country after the one at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
The building was inspired and moderated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj who was the spiritual leader BAPS community. It was inaugurated in November 2005 by the President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

Spread over 100 acres, the temple complex is one of the most beautiful structures in India. The temple is a complex of many small structures with the main monument built according to Vaastu Shastra. The main monument is made of Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian Carrara Marble. Built with earthquake-resistant provisions, its interior is bright and air conditioned. It is 141 feet high, 316 feet wide and about 370 feet long supported by 234 pillars with floral carvings and also has 11 huge mandapas (domes) and decorated arches.

There ...

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At a distance of 15 km from New Delhi Railway Station 2.5 km from Okhla Railway Station, The Lotus Temple is located at Bahapur Hill. Also called Bahai Temple or the Bahai House of worship, the Lotus Temple is one of the major landmarks and among the most visited places of sightseeing in Delhi.

Lotus Temple was found by the believers of the Bahai Faith, an independent world religion, which was founded by Baha'ullah. This temple is an ideal place of meditation which is open to all other faiths. Lotus Temple is so named because of the lotus like structure of the temple. It is one of seven Bahai Houses of Worship in the world and is one of the most visited sites in the world with an average of three and a half million visitors each year.

The temple was designed by Fariborz Shaba, a Canadian architect of Iranian origin. He took 10 years in designing the structure. The construction of the building began in 1980 and was completed in 1986 at a cost of Rs. 10 million and was opened to public on January 1, 1987. This place of worship of the Bahai sect is literally constructed in the shape of a large, white lotus flower. The Lotus Temple has also won numerous architectural awards.

The temple is set amidst 26 acres of lush landscaped garden. The temple has 27 free-standing white petals made of marble arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. It measures around 35 m in height and is surrounded by 9 pools. The nine doors of the Lotus Temple open onto a central ...

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At a distance of 3.5 km from New Delhi Railway Station, Jama Masjid or Masjid-i-jahan-Numa is located in the center of old Delhi near the famous Red Fort. This is one of the largest mosques in India and one of the last monuments built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. It is one of the top places to visit in Delhi city and also among the top historical sites in Delhi.

Jama Masjid was commissioned by Shah Jahan between 1644 and 1656 at a cost of 1 million rupees. This mosque was constructed with the efforts of more than 5,000 workers. The Masjid was completed under the supervision of Saadullah Khan, the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan and was inaugurated by an imam from Bukhara, present-day Uzbekistan. After the British victory in Revolt of 1857, they occupied the mosque and stationed their soldiers here.

The mosque has three large gates, four towers and two 40 m high minarets constructed using red sandstone and white marble. The mosque is built on a red sandstone porch, which is about 30 feet from ground level and spreads over 1200 square meter. There are three domes on the terrace which are surrounded by the two minarets. The minarets are 130 feet (40 m) high and consist of 130 steps. The minarets consist of five storeys, each with a balcony. The adjoining edifices are filled with calligraphy. The first three storeys of the minarets are made of red sandstone, the fourth of marble and the fifth of sandstone.

The floor of the mosque has been totally covered with white ...

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At a distance of 3 km from Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, 1 km from Humayun's Tomb and 7.5 km from New Delhi Railway Junction, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah is located in the Nizamuddin West Area of Delhi. It is one of the most popular attractions in Delhi.

Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah is a famous dargah dedicated to Nizamuddin Auliya (1238 - 1325 CE) who was one of the world's most famous saints of the Sufi Chishti Order. He was a spiritual successor of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer. The dargah was built in 1325, the year the saint died. It was renovated and decorated by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, as well as by later rulers.
The present structure was constructed by a nobleman named Faridun Khan in 1562 AD.

The structure consists of a square chamber surrounded by verandahs, which are pierced by arched openings. The dome on top of the tomb is decorated with vertical stripes of black marble and is crowned by a lotus-cresting. This grand tomb has lattice screens, marble arches and courtyards. Devotees tie red threads to these screens with a belief that their wishes would be granted. Inside the tomb, the shrine is covered with scented dark green cloth. Devotees offer prayers, shower rose petals and light incense sticks before the shrines.

The tombs of poet Amir Khusro and Mughal Princess, daughter of Shah Jahan, Jahan Ara Begum are also located within the Nizamuddin Dargah complex and Inayat Khan's tomb is just around the corner. Jama'at- Khana Masjid was built in ...

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At a distance of 4 km from New Delhi Railway Station and 2.5 Km from Jantar Mantar, Lakshmi Narayan Temple also known as the Birla Mandir is situated at Mandir Marg near Connaught Place in New Delhi. It is one of the first temples built by the Birlas in India and one of the major Delhi tourist attractions.

This temple was built by the famous industrialist and philanthropist, Baldeo Das Birla and his son Jugal Kishore Birla of Birla family. The construction of temple was started in 1933 and completed in 1939. The foundation stone of temple was laid by Maharaja Udaybhanu Singh. The temple was built under guidance of Pandit Vishwanath Shastri and the architect was Sri Chandra Chatterjee. Birla Mandir was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1939. At that time, Mahatma Gandhi kept a condition that the temple should allow people from all the castes.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. The three storeyed temple was built in the Nagara style of Hindu temple architecture. The temple spread over 7.5 acres and is adorned with many other shrines, fountains and a large garden. The entire temple is adorned with carvings depicting the scenes from Hindu mythology. The vimana above the sanctum sanctorum reaches a height of 165 feet while the ancillary towers reaches 116 feet. The temple faces towards east and is situated on a high plinth. The marble used for the temple construction was brought from Jaipur. Stone from Makarana, Agra and Jaisalmer were used in the ...

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At a distance of 4 km from Qutub Minar and 19 Km from New Delhi Railway Station, Sri Aadya Katyayani Shakti Peeth Mandir, popularly known as Chhatarpur Temple is located Chhatarpur near Mehrauli - Gurgaon road. This is one of the largest temple complexes in India and also among the most popular Delhi places to visit.

The main deity of the temple is Goddess Katyayani, an incarnation of Goddess Durga. Riding a lion and holding the glorious Chandrahasa (sword) in her hand, Goddess Katyayani is associated with the fierce form of Shakti and is one of the more widely revered and worshipped forms of Goddess Durga. The temple was established in 1974, by Baba Sant Nagpal ji. His samadhi shrine lies in the premises of the Shiv-Gauri Nageshwar Mandir within the temple complex.

The architecture of the temple is a blend of Nagara and Dravidian styles. The complex built entirely with marble is spread over an area of approximately 70 acres with beautiful lawns and gardens. The main shrine of Chhatarpur Mandir is built in Dravidian style.

The temple complex has over 20 small and large temples divided in three different sections. The main sanctorum sanctum of Goddess Katyayani is open to public bi-annually only during Navarathri festival. Shiv Mandir, Ram Mandir, Katyayani Mandir, Mahishasurmaridini Mandir, Ashtabhuji Mandir, Hanuman Mandir, Laxmi Vinayak Mandir, Jharpeer Mandir, Markandeya Mandapam, Baba Ki Samadhi, Nageshwar Mandir, 101 feet high Hanuman statue are special ...

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At a distance of 15 km from New Delhi Railway Station and 3.5 Km from Lotus Temple, Sri Radha Parthasarathi Mandir, popularly known as the ISKCON Temple, is a well-known Vaishnava temple located at Hare Krishna Hills in the East of Kailash area of New Delhi. This temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radha in the form of Radha Parthasarathi.

The ISKCON Temple was built by Hare Rama Hare Krishna devotees in 1998. The temple is one of the 40 temples built by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) Movement established by Acharya Swami Prabhupada, to propagate the message of Bhagavad-Gita.

This temple was designed and constructed by Achyut Kanvinde for the followers of Srila Prabhupada. The architecture of the temple is a fine example of artistic splendor with Shikharas standing at height of 90 m. The central prayer hall has three shrines dedicated to Radha-Krishna, Sita-Ram and Guara-Nitai respectively. The interiors of the temple have been beautifully decorated with works of Russian artists depicting the various phases of life of deities like Radha-Krishna and Sita-Ram.

Another attraction of the temple complex is the museum that exhibits multimedia shows of the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. Every Sunday special programs like kirtan, aarti, pravachan and prasadam are held at the temple.

Temple priests offer 6 different aartis to the main deities daily, which include Mangala Aarti, Tulsi Aarti, Dhoop Aarti, Raj Bhoga Aarti, Pushpa Aarti ...

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At a distance of 5 km from New Delhi Railway Station and 2 km from Delhi Junction, Sri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir is located just opposite the famous Red Fort. This is one of the Delhi's oldest temples of Digambar Jain religion dating back to 17th century.

The Digambar Jain Temple, popularly known as Lal Mandir or Red Temple, was built in 1656 AD using red sandstone. This temple has undergone many alterations and additions throughout the history. The temple is dedicated to Parshvanath, the 23rd Tirthankara. The temple is managed by the Sri Agarwala Digambar Jain Panchyat Trust.

The temple has detailed carvings and beautiful paintwork in the corridors surrounding the main sanctum. This sanctum sanctorum also houses the idols of Lord Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankara and Lord Adinath, who was the first Tirthankara of Jainism. The main prayer hall of the temple is located on the first floor.

According to the history, Emperor Jahangir invited many Jain merchants to settle in Delhi and gifted them land in south of Chandni Chowk. The Emperor also allowed them to construct a small Jain Temple. The Mughal did not permit the Jain community to construct a Shikhara for the temple hence the temple Shikhara was built only after the Independence of India in 1947 after which the Lal Mandir was extensively renovated.

The complex also houses a Charity Hospital for Birds and offers free treatment. It also offers services to birds rescued from the accidents and bird hawkers. ...

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