{"id":58359,"date":"2016-06-14T15:20:36","date_gmt":"2016-06-14T09:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/?p=58359"},"modified":"2017-04-03T14:59:43","modified_gmt":"2017-04-03T09:29:43","slug":"famous-temples-in-delhi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/india\/famous-temples-in-delhi","title":{"rendered":"Famous Temples in Delhi"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Famous<\/a><\/p>\n

A traveler coming to Delhi<\/a> for the first time would normally explore its striking Mughal architecture, colonial edifices and shopping streets. However, this city\u00a0also boasts of a rich heritage of temples that may appeal to one’s spiritual sensibilities. Following is a list of temples one should\u00a0visit when in Delhi:<\/p>\n

Akshardham Temple<\/a><\/h3>\n

The Akshardham Temple is one of the most famous of its kind in Delhi. It happens to be much more than\u00a0just\u00a0a place of worship. It is primarily known for its grand architecture, which also makes it one of the must-see tourist attractions in\u00a0the capital city. The huge shrine is ensconced amidst lush gardens on the NH24 in the vicinity of the Commonwealth Games village. Its presiding deity is Swaminarayan Akshardham. There are\u00a0plenty\u00a0of things to do and see here apart from the regular religious duties among which\u00a0the light and sound show during the evenings tops the list. Tourists, however, are not permitted to enter the temple with baggage, cameras and phones over here.<\/p>\n

Lotus Temple<\/a><\/h3>\n

This is easily one of the most iconic as well as easily-identifiable temples in Delhi. It belongs to the Bahai faith, one of the newest ones of its kind in the world. Located in\u00a0the southern corner of Delhi, the shape of this temple is one of its primary attractions. The main building has a huge prayer hall and there are several entrances to the same. An interesting fact about\u00a0this temple is that it has no\u00a0conventional symbol\u00a0to suggest that it is a place of\u00a0worship \u2013 there is no altar, no symbol, no idol and no religious artefact. It is a very peaceful place where devotees can spend many hours in contemplation and meditation. This is what makes it so unique.<\/p>\n

Bhairon Temple<\/h3>\n

This temple is formally known as Shri Kilkari Bhairav Temple and is located at Old Fort\u2019s (Purana Qila) backyard in Pragati Maidan. Legend has it that the Pandavas built this\u00a0temple. It\u00a0is also perhaps the only temple in India where devotees are permitted to offer alcohol to the deity! The temple has a couple of wings \u2013 Kilkari Bhairav Temple and Doodhiya Bhairav Temple. The first one is where devotees can offer alcohol and the second one is where milk is offered. In case anyone wants to offer alcohol to the deity Bhairav it is better to carry such drinks with oneself since the temple itself does not deal in alcohol, nor are there any such shops in the vicinity.<\/p>\n

Gauri Shankar Temple<\/h3>\n

This is an age-old temple located at Delhi’ s heart in the\u00a0Chandni Chowk area\u00a0in close proximity to the Digambar Jain Temple. It is said that a soldier had erected this\u00a0temple after vowing to do so should he be able to recover from injuries sustained in a battle. The Shiva Linga here is said to be 800 years old. Here one can see idols of Lord Shiva, Lady Parvati and their sons \u2013 Lord Ganesh and Lord Kartik. The major attractions here, however, are the silver paintings on the walls depicting various images from Lord Shiva\u2019s life. One would find the maximum crowd on Mondays. Shivratri would be the most opportune time to visit this temple\u00a0when\u00a0it is wonderfully adorned and looks out of the world.<\/p>\n

Hanuman Mandir<\/a><\/h3>\n

It is an ancient temple located at Baba Kharak Singh Marg\u00a0in\u00a0Connaught Place. It is purportedly\u00a0one of\u00a0the five temples that was constructed during the Mahabharata era. The present structure was built by Maharaja Jai Singh in\u00a01724. It also happens to be one of the most popular temple\u00a0destinations in the city. As may be evident from the name, Lord Hanuman is the presiding deity of the temple. On the ceiling, one can see embossed images of Lord Rama. The temple is mostly frequented\u00a0on Saturdays and Tuesdays. The temple also features in the Guinness Book of World Records for an unabated chant of Sri Ram Jai Ram, Jai Ram.<\/p>\n

Hanuman Mandir at Jhandewalan<\/a><\/h3>\n

This temple is regarded as one of the most popular ones of its kind in the city. It has a huge statue of Lord Hanuman \u2013 one that measures 108 feet. It\u00a0is easily one of the most prominent attraction for tourists. Most of the devotees come here on Tuesdays but the temple is never closed. The temple\u2019s entrance is quite interesting as well. It looks like the mouth of the presiding deity. A passageway leads to the main shrine. Tourists can catch a spectacular sight during the evenings \u2013 the statue\u2019s arms move back, the chest opens and one can see lovely images of Devi Sita and Lord Ram.<\/p>\n

Following are some other major temples of Delhi<\/h2>\n