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. Yamunotri is a short trek of 5 kms form the nearest road head Janki Chatti.

The temple site was a location for Navratri celebration and devotees used to worship Durga on a temporary platform. When a decision was taken to build a permanent temple, disputes arose and the local Government imposed curfew in the area. The movement to build a temple continued and eventually the temple was built and consecrated amidst curfew. The locals named the temple Curfew Wali Mata Mandir and the name continues till date. The temple, though small, is very popular and there is a steady stream of worshippers at all times.

Bharmour is surrounded by 16,000 feet high mountains on three sides. It is set deep within Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh and is one of the remotest locations of India. The Chaurasi temple complex at Bharmour is at a remarkable setting, open on five sides. It is a collection of temples, 84, believed to represent Lord Shiva’s 84 companions on his journey to Manimahesh. Many temples are tiny and many deities share a common space. The central temple of Manimahesh stands alongside a deodhar tree, almost double its height. The present temple structure is atleast 1100 years old.

Puri is one of the Char Dhams of India, the other three being Rameswaram, Badrinath and Dwarka. Puri is a revered pilgrimage destination for all Indians and is especially revered in Orissa. It is also one of the Shakti Peeths with the Goddess Vimala within the temple complex. The annual Jagannath Rath Yatra is grand and attracts several lakhs of pilgrims. The deities in the Puri temple are made of wood and are replaced regularly with fresh carvings.

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 Bijli Mahadev temple is situated at the edge of a cliff overlooking the confluence of the rivers Beas and Parvati. It is regularly struck by lightning breaking the Shiv Ling, which is then put together by application of ghee. The name Bijli Mahadev is a result of these events. A tall staff with a metallic tip serves as a lightning attraction. There are signs warning the visitors not to touch the staff. It is a short trek from the road head approachable from Kullu.

The Kashi Vishwanath temple is in Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand. It is considered as a very sacred temple, equivalent to Kashi. It is on the way to Gangotri from Rishikesh and the Char Dham pilgrims stop and pray at Uttarkashi temple.

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.

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 Harmandir Saheb or Golden Temple is the holiest of the Sikh temples and is in Amritsar.