This is the Ganga flowing along Varanasi. It is one of the most recognised riverfronts of India. Since 2014, these ghats have undergone a major clean-up and rehabilitation along with control of pollution along the river Ganga.

The original Char Dham Yatra covers Badrinath, Puri, Rameswaram and Dwarka. The Char Dhams of Himalayas are called Chota Char Dhams. Dham means the abode of God. Badrinath is part of the original Char Dham as well as the Chota Char Dham of Himalayas.

The Sun Temple of Konark was built in the 13th century. It was conceived as a gigantic solar chariot with 12 pairs of exquisitely ornamented wheels dragged by seven horses. It originally consisted of a Shikhara and Jagmohana. The Shikara is now collapsed and only the Jagmohana is intact though with severe damage.

The Big Temple or the Brahadeeswara Temple is the grandest architectural achievement of the Chola dynasty of Tamil Nadu. The temple was consecrated in the year 1010 by Rajaraja I, the most prominent of the Chola kings. It is built entirely of granite and the Vimana of the temple consists of 13 storeys and is 66 mts tall. The Linga continues to be under worship and is 4 mts tall.

Ajanta caves are near Aurangabad in Maharashtra. The caves, famous for their murals, are also great examples of sculptures. The caves were excavated in different periods (circa. 2nd century B.C. to 6th century A.D.) In all, total 30 excavations were hewn out of rock. The caves were both living quarters and worship areas.

The Padmanabhaswamy temple of Trivandrum is built with a Dravidian style gopuram, unlike other Kerala temples. The Gopuram is seven storeys high. The deity is magnificent and in a reclining pose and has to be worshipped through three separate doorways due to the size. The deity is made of Shaligram, a fossil believed to Mahavishnu. The temple hosts murajapam, a once in six year reciting of Vedas followed by feasts for Brahmins. The festival culminates in the lighting of one hundred thousand lamps – Laksha Deepam. An interesting annual ritual called Palli Vetta is held during which the deity leaves the temple for a royal hunt.

The original Char Dham Yatra covers Badrinath, Puri, Rameswaram and Dwarka. The Char Dhams of Himalayas are called Chota Char Dhams. Dham means the abode of God. Kedarnath is on the banks of the river Mandakini, a short distance downstream from its source. It requires a trek of about 16 kms from the nearest road head, Gaurikund.

This is the Ganga Aarti at Har Ki Pauri. Haridwar is one of the holiest pilgrimage destinations in India. It is considered as the gateway to the land of Vishnu as well as Shiva. The Ganga levels out into plains at Haridwar and thus it is also called Gangadwara. Haridwar is one of the locations of Kumbh and is also considered one among the seven locations that give Moksha.

The Kandriya Mahadev temple is the largest of the temples in Khajuraho and is considered as the best example of Indian temple architecture. The temple was built by Chandela rulers in early 11th century. The Shikara rises to 102 feet and has 84 mini spires. It is richly sculpted. The roof consists of a series of graded peaks that resemble a mountain range with which an Indian temple is frequently likened.

The offshore memorial to Swami Vivekananda is 400 metres from the shore. It is believed that Swami Vivekananda meditated here before setting out for one of the most crucial religious campaigns in 1892. The idea of Vivekananda Memorial was conceptualised on his birth centenary in 1962.

The Bateshwar temples are a cluster of almost 200 mini grandeurs made of sandstone, devoted to lords Shiva and Vishnu. Spread over 25 acres, these shrines were built across slanted hills near Padavali. The temples were constructed in the 8th to 10th century AD probably during the Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty. The complex was dilapidated. About 60 temples were restored by Padmashri K.K Muhammed of ASI beginning in the year 2005.

The colossal monolith deity of Gomateeswara is in Sravanabelagola near Hassan in Karnataka. It is 17.5 meters high and is sculpted from a single piece of granite. It was sculpted in the late 10th century and the complex was gradually expanded since then.

Tabo is the oldest and continuously functioning Buddhist Monastery in the Himalayan region. The history of this Monastery goes back to 10th century A.D. In this period the most of the monasteries in the Himalayan region were founded by the members of the dynasty of the kings of western Tibet. They were called Purang by the Historians of ancient India and Tibet, as their political centre was in Purang and the religious centre was in Guge. Among these many establishments were of the great Lotsaba Rinchen Sangapo. Tabo Monastery was founded in A.D. 996.

Unakoti means less than a koti (or crore) in Bengali. The site is in Tripura along its eastern border with Bangladesh.

The Jakhoo temple is at the top of the ridge and is the highest point in Shimla. It marks the place where Hanumanji heard Sage Yakoo’s chanting and stopped, before resuming his search for Sanjeevini. The temple complex has a 108 feet tall Hanumanji who looks down at the mall road and Shimla ridge below. The sunrise and the sunset are fabulous at Jakhoo. The slanting rays break through the tree leaves to light up the saffron coloured temple walls from different angles.