Pilgrimage Tourism in East India has significant religious centres present in the eastern Indian states, which belongs to various religious communities. The states of West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand are renowned for their innumerable pilgrimage spots which include temples, mosques, churches and other types of religious organisations. These places are thronged by millions of devotees throughout the year by regional as well as those belonging to other parts of India and even abroad. Hindus, Christians, Parsis, Buddhists and Jains pay visit to these different pilgrimage centres.
Pilgrimage Tourism in West Bengal
West Bengal has been greatly revered for its beautiful pilgrimage sites which involve Belur Math and Dakshineshwar Kali Temple in Kolkata, Chaitanya Temple in Hooghly District which is one of the ancient Bishnupur Group of temples, Kalighat Kali Temple, temples of Lakhnauti, Thanthania Kalibari, Siddheswara Temple at Bankura, Shree Sheetalnathji Temple (Jain temple), Ghum Monastery at Ghum in Darjeeling, Tamang Buddhist Monastery in Darjeeling and so on. The different mosques existent in this part of the country consist of Adina Mosque in Malda District, Nakhoda Masjid in Burrabazar area of Kolkata, Katra Mosque in Murshidabad, Tipu Sultan Mosque near Esplanade in Kolkata, Bari Mosque in Hooghly District, Khustigiri Mosque in Birbhum District, Furfura Sharif Mosque and Hooghly Imambara in Hooghly District and much more. Christians and tourists often visit the spectacular regional churches of this state which comprise St. Paul`s Cathedral, Kolkata, Bandel Church at Bandel, St. James Church, Kolkata, St. John`s Church, Kolkata, Osmond Memorial Church, Kolkata, St. Thomas Church, Kolkata and Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth in Kolkata. The Parsi (Zoroastrian) Fire Temple of the city of Kolkata is the only singular Parsi temple of this area. West Bengal has the medieval monasteries which are located in Medinipur District of South Bengal. Moghalmari Monastery is one of the most important monasteries in Midnapur District of West Bengal, now in ruins and is preserved by Archaeological Survey of India.
Pilgrimage Tourism in Odisha
There exist numerous Hindu, Jain and Buddhist Temples in the state of Odisha which are immensely popular for their architectural grandeur. Some of the magnificent Hindu temples situated here are Muktesvara Temple in Bhubaneshwar, Jagannath Temple of Puri, Laxminarayan Temple in Therubali, Lingaraja Temple, Chamundeshwari Temple, Vaital Deula, Sinhanath Temple in Cuttack, Astashambhu Shiva Temple, Swarnajaleshwar Temple and Biraja Temple of Jajpur District amongst numerable others. Odisha is known for its Buddhist religious sites which include Brahmani Temple which is dedicated to Goddess Chamunda, Dhauli Hills, Udaigir, Lalitgiri, Pushpagiri Mahavira and they are enriched with various Buddhist relics and stupas. One will also come across significant Jain pilgrimage centres in Odisha which involve Parsvanath Jain Temple, Digambara Jain Temple in Khandagiri Hills, Jaugada Fortress and some rock-carved Jain caves. Capital Mosque at Bhubaneshwar, Shah Mohammad Hanif at Dhamnagar, Jama Masjid at Cuttack, Molana Shaduddin Ahmed (Molana Saheb Baba) at Dhamnagar, Kadam Rasul (Jagti) at Dhamnagar, etc. are a few of the local mosques.
Pilgrimage Tourism in Bihar
Jains, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims pay visit to innumerable pilgrimage spots within the state which also serves as interesting tourist destinations for travellers. Some of the Hindu temples located here are Pataleshwar Mandir at Hajipur, Aami Mandir, Mangla Gauri Temple at Gaya, Shitla Mata Temple at Patna, Baithakji Hajipur at Hajipur, Chandika Sthan in Munger, Viraat Ramayan Mandir in Kesaria, Vishnupad Mandir in Gaya, Mundeshwari Temple in Kaimur District and many others. Pathar ki Masjid located on the banks of Ganga River close to Takht Shri Harmandir Saheb and Sher Shah Suri Masjid at Patna are the important mosques of Bihar. Jains worship their deities at Bahubali Jain Temple, Chaubishi Jain Temple, Shri Adinath Temple, Nandeshwar Dwip Mandir, etc. The Mahabodhi Temple situated at Gaya in Bihar is the most famous Buddhist temples in this state.
Pilgrimage Tourism in Jharkhand
Jharkhand is home to some beautiful Hindu temples like Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga at Deoghar, Sri Sri Kalika Maharani Temple, Sri Sri Kalika Maharani Temple in Bokaro, Chhinnamasta Temple in Ramgarh District, Jagannath Temple at Ranchi and Harihar Dham Temple and many more. Apart from these pilgrimage spots, Jharkhand also possesses several Buddhist stupas.
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