According to the sacred texts of the Hindus, there are seven holy cities called Sapta Puri in Bharat Barsha, each city having a strong association with Hindu deities. These are the seven holy cities you must visit to attain salvation.
“Ayodhya Mathura Maya Kasi Kanchi Avantika |
Puri Dvaravati chaiva saptaita moksadayikah ||”
Ayodhya
Ayodhya is the land where
Bhagwan Ram was born. Bhagwan Ram is said to be the seventh incarnation of Bhagwan Vishnu. It is the holiest city of India and has always been a major part of Uttar Pradesh with respect to economic, political and historical background. Ayodhya is located about 6 km from Faizabad on the banks of river Saryu. This holy city has more than 700 temples which makes it one of the holiest cities in India.
Varanasi
Varanasi, which is known as the city of Shiva, is said to be the oldest city in India. There are around 20,000 temples in the city which you can find on every street corner. It is said that Bhagwan Shiva built the holy city of
Kashi with his own hands and hence it is called the spiritual capital of India. There is a popular belief that if you die here you will attain salvation.
Mathura
Mathura is the birth place of Bhagwan Krishna which is located near the city of
Vrindavan and
Govardhan hill in Uttar Pradesh. Bhagwan Krishna is also believed to be an incarnation of Bhagwan Vishnu who came to save the earth from the evil and powerful king Kansa. The best time to visit this holy city is during
Krishna Janmashtami when the whole city is in full swing and everyone is excited to welcome Krishna on his birthday.
Haridwar
Haridwar literally means Hari's Gate (the gateway of Bhagwan Vishnu). It is the place where Hindus come for a ritual bath in the holy waters of the Ganges River before embarking on the Char Dham Yatra (the four abodes of Hinduism). According to Hindu religious texts, Bhagiratha worshiped Bhagwan Shiva and succeeded in bringing Ganga to earth for the welfare of humanity.
Har Ki Pauri is said to be the place where the Ganga first descended. The famous
Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years in this holy city of India.
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram is one of the seven holy cities of India because of its divine temples. Kanchi, situated on the banks of the Vegavati River, is also known as the City of Thousand Temples and the City of Gold. The great Hindu philosopher,
Adi Shankaracharya spread Advaita philosophy in this city. Kanchipuram is just 75 km from Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state. This is the reason why it is one of the most visited holy cities of India.
There are about 108 Saiva temples and 18 Vaishnava temples in Kanchipuram.
Ujjain
Ujjain Sapta Puri - one of the seven holy cities of India, situated on the banks of the Kshipra River. It is believed that this holy city originated at the time of Samudra Manthan. Out of the
12 Jyotirlingas, the
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is located here. Ujjain has a deep connection with Bhagwan Krishna as Krishna is said to have come to Ujjain with his elder brother Balarama to receive education from Muni Sandipani. There is a Gopala Mandir in Ujjain, which has silver idols of Bhagwan Krishna, Balarama and Muni Sandipani.
Dwarka
Your Sapta Puri trip would be incomplete without visiting
Dwarka, which is said to be the place where Bhagwan Krishna lived his life after killing King Kansa. This is another holy place in India to visit for mental peace. Poetess
Meerabai was also from this divine city who taught the world devotion to Krishna.
India is the land where people have strong faith in God and you can get eternal peace by visiting these holy cities of India.