Be it the Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu and Kashmir and the famed Kumbha Mela and Char Dham Yatra of Uttarakhand for Hindus, or the Golden Temple in Amritsar for Sikhs and Ajmer Sharif Dargah in Ajmer for Muslims, North India is the cradle of pilgrimage tours and religious monuments that attract millions of devotees every year.

Temples in North India
Vaishno Devi Mandir in the state of Jammu and Kashmir is famed and one of the most visited pilgrimage destinations in India, but not restricted to Hindus. It is dedicated to Goddess Shakti, referred to as Mata Vaishno Devi or Mata Vaishnavi, who is believed to have spent some time in the cave of the temple site while observing various spiritual disciplines. The temple has a yearly visitor footfall of around 60,000.

Yamunotri Temple, Gangotri Temple, Shri Kedarnath Temple and Shri Badrinath Temple are the 4 holiest and most sought after religious sites in the mountainous state of Uttarakhand, together forming Char Dham Yatra, one of the most important pilgrimage tours for Hindus, revered to be taken at least once in a lifetime.

The myriad temples in the holy city of Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, drag thousands of Hindu devotees from across the country. The most revered and popular are Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple, Durga Mandir and Parshvanath Jain temple dedicated to Jainism.

Haridwar is world-renowned for Kumbha Mela, celebrated every 12 years with millions of devotees congregating. Temples in Haridwar are Chandi Devi Temple, Mansa Devi Temple and Maya Devi Temple. Twin cities Mathura and Vrindavan are relevant to Lord Krishna whom the temples proclaim in various avatars. Kesava Deo Temple,Banke Bihari Temple and Radha Raman Temple are prominent ones.

Mosques in North India
Jama Masjid in Delhi is one of the largest mosques in India with a capacity of accommodating more than 25,000 people. The dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti is situated in Ajmer, Rajasthan, known as Ajmer Sharif Dargah or Ajmer Sharif. An estimated count of 150,000 pilgrims visits the site every day. Bara Imambara is a majestic Imambara complex in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh built in 1784 by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Awadh. Among the grandest buildings in Lucknow, it provided employment to people when Awadh was in the grip of a terrible famine.

Gurudwaras in North India
The Golden Temple in Amritsar is a historical heritage monument and the most important pilgrimage site for Sikhs in India. The unparalleled reflection of the pious golden edifice on the ambrosial lake sees hordes of pilgrims throng to the shrine every day. Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev in Jammu is another significant religious monument in North India.