The Ganpati festival is one of the most public celebrations in India. Ganpati is welcomed to households; and to neighbourhoods. Some deities are small and made of clay while giant Ganpatis are made out of plaster of paris. The deities are worshipped for several days starting Vinayak Chaturthi and then immersed in lakes or in the Sea. The last day of immersion is ten days after Vinayak Chaturthi.

The Ranakpur temple is dedicated to the first Tirthankara – Adinatha. The temple is designated as Caumukha, with four faces. It was built in the early 15th century. It covers an area of 3716 square meters and contains twenty nine halls. It contains four hundred and twenty pillars and no two are alike. The temple is full of exquisitely carved marble sculptures. It inspired other Caumukha temples like the Dilwara Caumukha temple dedicated to Parsvnatha and Palitana.

Sarahan marks the killing of King Banasur by Lord Krishna and the kingdom that Krishna’s son, Pradyumna, started. It is deemed to have had an uninterrupted reign till modern times. The Bhimkali temple is one of the 51 Shaktipeeths (as per local belief though it is not formally recognised as one) and Sati’s ear is supposed to have fallen here. The temple also has a fearsome reputation of human sacrifice until 17th century, which travellers have written about. The temple is mix of stone, wood and slate, it both stands out and blends into the landscape.

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 1982. The idea of Vivekananda Memorial was conceptualised on his birth centenary in 1962.

The temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram is a short distance away from the Big Temple at Tanjore. It is built by Rajendra Chola, the son of Raja Raja who built the Big Temple. Is commemorates the conquest of the gangetic region by Rajendra Chola. Its architecture is similar to that of the Big Temple and it slightly shorter than the Big Termple, in deference to Raja Raja. Both these temples, along with Darasuram temple, are part of the Living Chola Temples in the UNESO World Heritage list.

The Mukteshwara temple is regarded as a gem of Orissa architecture. The temple has an elaborate makara torana which is a unique entrance torana among temples in India. The temple is exquisitely ornate and well proportioned. The Shikara is five storeys high and is intricately carved. It is considered to have been built in the 10th century AD.

The Chidambaram Nataraja temple in Tamil Nadu is about thousand years old and has been continuously restored, expanded and renovated. The deity is a rare representation of Shiva in his dancing form, and not as a traditional Linga. The temple is also renowned for its representation of the 108 poses of Bharatanatyam in sculpture and for the Malabar style Vimana. The temple is also one of the five Shiva temples in south India which represent the five elements of the Universe. Chidambaram represents space. The other four temples of the group represent water, fire, air and earth.

Lord Rama is supposed to have shot an arrow into the ground to make Ganga spring forth. Banganga was also the location of the hermitage of Sage Gautam. He advised Lord Rama to worship Lord Shiva to get back his wife. Accordingly Lord Rama made a shivling from the sand (Valuka in Sanskrit) and so the word Walkeshwar Mahadev of the Walkeshwar temple.

The Gwalior Fort is atop a cliff. The Jain community had carved immense sculptures on the vertical rock faces of the hill. These are spread over five locations around the fort. These sculptures date to 15th century AD though some of them are believed to be from the 7th Century AD. These are immense in size but were destroyed by the army of Babur. Jains continue their worship in some of the sites.

Badrachalam is on the banks of the river Godavari. It is considered as one the places where Lord Rama lived. It is also believed that Sita was abducted by Ravana from Badrachalam, a belief which is also attributed to Nashik. Unlike in other places, Lord Rama appears with four hands, carrying traditional bow and arrow; and also Sankha and Chakra, characteristic of Lord Vishnu.