Sacred circuits — the pilgrimages of India's temples

A circuit is a set of temples that tradition visits as one pilgrimage: the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva, the 108 Divya Desams of Vishnu, the six abodes of Murugan, the Char Dham of the Himalaya. Each circuit page lists every temple on it, with how to reach each one, and lets you mark the ones you have visited.

Char Dham (Chota Char Dham) — 4 temples, Uttarakhand. The four Himalayan shrines of Uttarakhand, traditionally visited in order from west to east. The route opens around Akshaya Tritiya and closes near Diwali; the shrines are inaccessible in winter.

Twelve Jyotirlingas (Dwadasha Jyotirlinga) — 12 temples, All India. Twelve shrines where Shiva is worshipped as a pillar of light. They span the country from Gujarat to Tamil Nadu and are the most widely undertaken Shaiva circuit.

Arupadai Veedu (The six abodes of Murugan) — 6 temples, Tamil Nadu. The six battle camps of Murugan, all in Tamil Nadu. Each marks an episode in the tradition surrounding him, and together they are the principal Murugan pilgrimage.

Pancha Bhoota Stalam (The five elements) — 5 temples, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Five Shiva temples, each representing one of the five elements. Four are in Tamil Nadu and one in Andhra Pradesh.

Ashtavinayak (The eight Ganeshas) — 8 temples, Maharashtra. Eight Ganesha temples around Pune, each with a self-manifested idol. Tradition holds that the circuit should end where it began.

Navagraha Temples (The nine planetary shrines) — 9 temples, Around Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu. Nine temples around Kumbakonam, each associated with one of the nine celestial bodies of Indian astronomy. Visited to address the influence of a particular graha.

Char Dham of India (Bada Char Dham) — 4 temples, All India. The four abodes at the corners of the country, as Adi Shankara is held to have defined them: Badrinath in the north, Dwarka in the west, Puri in the east and Rameswaram in the south. Distinct from the Himalayan Char Dham of Uttarakhand.

Panch Kedar (The five Kedars of Garhwal) — 5 temples, Uttarakhand. Five Shiva temples of the Garhwal Himalaya, each holding one part of the bull-form Shiva took to elude the Pandavas: the hump at Kedarnath, the arms at Tungnath, the face at Rudranath, the navel at Madhyamaheshwar and the hair at Kalpeshwar. Visited in that order; all but Kalpeshwar close for winter.

Pancharama Kshetras (The five Aramas) — 5 temples, Andhra Pradesh. Five Shiva temples of coastal Andhra, each said to hold a piece of the single lingam Kartikeya broke when he slew Tarakasura. All five are Shivalinga shrines and all five are visited as one pilgrimage.

Ashtadasa Shakti Peethas (The eighteen Shakti Peethas of the Ashtadasa Shakti Peetha Stotram) — 18 temples, All India, with one each in Sri Lanka and Nepal. The eighteen seats of the Goddess named in the stotram attributed to Adi Shankara. Longer lists of 51 or 108 Shakti Peethas vary between traditions; this list of eighteen is fixed by the hymn itself, and it is the one followed here.

Pancha Sabhai (The five halls of Nataraja) — 5 temples, Tamil Nadu. The five halls in which Shiva is worshipped as Nataraja, the dancer, each named for its material: the golden hall at Chidambaram, silver at Madurai, copper at Tirunelveli, ruby at Tiruvalangadu and the hall of pictures at Kutralam.

Nava Tirupati (Nine Vishnu temples of the Thamirabarani) — 9 temples, Tamil Nadu. Nine Vishnu temples along the Thamirabarani river near Srivaikuntam in Thoothukudi district, each associated with one of the nine planets. All nine are Divya Desams. Listed in the Wikipedia article "Nava Tirupati" (revision 1370505967).

Nava Kailasam (Nine Shiva temples of the Thamirabarani) — 9 temples, Tamil Nadu. Nine Shiva temples along the Thamirabarani river in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts, each associated with one of the nine planets. Listed in the Wikipedia article "Nava Kailasam" (revision 1343596039).

Pancharanga Kshetrams (The five Ranganatha temples of the Kaveri) — 5 temples, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Five temples of Ranganatha, the reclining Vishnu, in order down the Kaveri from Karnataka to the delta. Listed in the Wikipedia article "Pancharanga Kshetrams" (revision 1376851749).

Nalambalam (The four temples of the sons of Dasharatha) — 4 temples, Kerala. Temples of Rama and his three brothers in Thrissur and Ernakulam districts, visited together on a single day in the Malayalam month of Karkidakam. Listed in the Wikipedia article "Nalambalam" (revision 1374027400).

Sapta Badri (The seven Badris) — 7 temples, Uttarakhand. Seven Vishnu shrines of the Garhwal Himalaya, from Badrinath down the Alaknanda valley. Some are reached only on foot. Listed in the Wikipedia article "Sapta Badri" (revision 1368413906).

Ashta Veeratta Stalam (Eight temples of Shiva's victories) — 8 temples, Tamil Nadu. Eight Shiva temples, each marking one of his victories over a demon or god. Listed in the Wikipedia article "Ashta Veeratta Stalam" (revision 1361950014).

Divya Desam (The 108 Vaishnava shrines of the Alvars) — 108 temples, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and the north. The 108 Vishnu temples praised by the twelve Alvars in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. Eighty-four are in Tamil Nadu, the rest across Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Nepal; two - Thiruparkadal and Paramapadam - are not on earth and are listed as tradition lists them. The list follows the Wikipedia article "Divya Desam" (revision 1373499550, CC BY-SA).

Shakti Peethas of Maharashtra (Sade Teen Shakti Peeth (three and a half)) — 4 temples, Maharashtra. The three and a half Shakti Peethas of Maharashtra: three full seats of the goddess and Saptashrungi, counted as the half. Listed in the Wikipedia article "Shakta Pithas in Maharashtra" (revision 1367337561).

Mahamaham temples of Kumbakonam (Twelve Shiva and five Vishnu temples) — 17 temples, Tamil Nadu. The seventeen Kumbakonam temples connected with the Mahamaham festival, held every twelve years at the Mahamaham tank: pilgrims worship at the Shiva temples before bathing. Listed in the Wikipedia article "Mahamaham" (revision 1376494917).

Paadal Petra Sthalam (The 276 Shiva temples sung in the Tevaram) — 276 temples, Tamil Nadu, with a few beyond. The Shiva temples praised in the Tevaram hymns of Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar, arranged as the tradition arranges them by the old Tamil regions - Chola Nadu on either bank of the Kaveri, Tondai Nadu, Pandya Nadu, Nadu Nadu, Kongu Nadu - with the handful in Kerala, Karnataka, Sri Lanka and the Himalaya. The list follows the Wikipedia article "Paadal Petra Sthalam" (revision 1372784978, CC BY-SA).

Saat Behna (The seven sister goddesses) — 7 temples, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Seven goddess shrines of the north-western hills, regarded as sisters, with Vaishno Devi as the eldest. Listed in the Wikipedia article "Saat Behna (seven sister goddesses)" (revision 1375455436).