Vaishno Devi

Nestled in the Trikuta mountains, Vaishno Devi Temple, 61 km from Jammu, is visited by thousands of devotees every year. It is considered to be one of the holiest pilgrimage places for Hindus in north India. The temple is perched at a height of 5,200 ft and Goddess Shakti is worshipped here in forms of Maha Kali, Maha Saraswati and Maha Lakshmi. A cave temple, the shrine houses three sacred ‘pindis’ or stone representations of three energy forms, which are worshipped as the aforementioned goddesses.

Amarnath

The holy shrine of Amarnath Ji, or Amarnath Temple, is located at an elevation of 3,888 meters approx, about 29 kilometers from Pahalgam. Inside the cave is a Shiva Lingam (a phallus shaped formation made of ice), considered to be the most holy symbol by Hindus all across the globe. Devotees visit it in large numbers from June to August, with the pilgrimage tour famously known as Amarnath Yatra, which begins from Chandanwari. It is considered to be one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas.

Chardham

Uttarakhand, also known as Devbhoomi or the Land of Gods, is home to numerous temples and welcomes devotees all year round. Among the countless religious sites and circuits that devotees visit in Uttarakhand, one of the most prominent is the Char Dham Yatra. This Yatra or pilgrimage is a tour of four holy sites - Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath – nestled high up in the Himalayas. In Hindi, 'char' means four and 'dham' refers to religious destinations.