Religious Places in Gujarat To For A Spiritual Journey

Located in the Kalupur area of Ahmedabad, Shri Swaminarayan Temple is a shrine dedicated to Narayan Dev. This splendid religious place in Gujarat was built in the year 1822 on the instructions of Swaminarayan, who was the founder of the Swaminarayan sect of Hinduism. Embellished with kaleidoscopic colours and intricate carvings, this temple is a marvellous example of the architecture of the nineteenth century. Inside the sanctum, the deities are decorated with ostentatious ornamentations and beautiful fabrics. The temple attracts a million people on the day after Diwali for darshan.

Dwarkadhish Temple also known as the Jagat Mandir, is a Chalukya styled architecture, dedicated to Lord Krishna. The town of Dwarka has its history dated back to the Kingdom of Dwaraka in Mahabharata. The five storied main shrine is grand and marvelous in itself constructed of limestone and sand. The 2200-year-old architecture, is believed to be built by Vajranabha, who constructed it over the land reclaimed from the sea by Lord Krishna.

The Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple is first of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva. It is located on the western coast of Gujarat and is one of the oldest temples of the country. It has been mentioned in ancient texts like Shreemad Bhagavat Gita, Skandpuran, Shivpuran and Rig-Veda which signifies the importance of this temple as one of the most celebrated pilgrimage sites. The temple is located on the ancient Triveni Sangam or the confluence of three rivers - Kapila, Hiran, and Saraswati.

Kirti Mandir, a pleasant and bright place of respect, was built in the honour of Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba Gandhi in Porbandar in the Indian State of Gujarat. The ancestral house of Mahatma Gandhi is located right beside this religious place in Gujarat. Visitors can enter the ancestral home from the temple. Walking through its corridors and witnessing the daylight coming through the teal coloured window frames is a mesmerising experience.

Sun Temple, Borsad is situated in the town of Borsad in Anand, Gujarat, dedicated primarily to the Sun God. The Sun Temple of Borsad is known to bestow divine grace upon those who visit and relives them from ailments which might cause them unhappiness. Hence, people from all over the world visit the Sun Temple enthusiastically. The history behind this religious place in Gujarat is quite of a vague kind, which dictated that the temple is built at the instance of God himself.

Given, the immense amount of population of Jains in the state of Gujarat, the Jain temples have always been an important part here. Though these religious places in Gujarat are dated back to the 14th-15th century, they have been refurbished overtime and they reflect the beautiful stone images of their respective Tirthankaras.

The oldest and the most celebrated temple in the vicinity of the Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park is the Kalika Mata Temple. A long flight of steps leads one to this temple as it is located at a cliff at quite an altitude in between the dense forests near Halol.

A small structure is an important shrine dedicated to Krishna's beloved consort, Rukmani Devi. Not as majestically gigantic, this shrine is an architectural masterpiece in itself. The rich paintings on the walls depicting Rukmini and Krishna as old as the 12th century, the intricate carvings on the walls leave the beholder spellbound. It is a beautiful religious place in Gujarat to visit for a spiritual encounter.