Pilgrimage guides

The yatras families plan for months: when to go, festival crowds, darshan and dress-code tips, the nearest stations and airports, the temples and sights nearby — and a day-by-day plan you can turn into your own trip in one tap.

• Tirumala Tirupati BalajiTirupati, Andhra Pradesh · 2 daysSeptember to February is cooler.
• Srisailam Mallikarjuna JyotirlingaSrisailam, Andhra Pradesh · 2 daysOctober to February.
• Sabarimala AyyappaSabarimala, Kerala · 2 daysThe temple opens for the Mandala–Makaravilakku season (mid-November to mid-January) and for the first days of each Malayalam month.
• Mata Vaishno DeviKatra, Jammu and Kashmir · 3 daysMarch to June and September to October.
• Kashi Vishwanath, VaranasiVaranasi, Uttar Pradesh · 3 daysOctober to March.
• Puri JagannathPuri, Odisha · 2 daysOctober to February.
• Rameswaram RamanathaswamyRameswaram, Tamil Nadu · 2 daysOctober to April.
• Madurai Meenakshi AmmanMadurai, Tamil Nadu · 2 daysOctober to March.
• Shirdi Sai BabaShirdi, Maharashtra · 2 daysOctober to March.
• Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), AmritsarAmritsar, Punjab · 2 daysOctober to March.
• Ajmer Sharif & PushkarAjmer, Rajasthan · 2 daysOctober to March.
• Guruvayur Sri KrishnaGuruvayur, Kerala · 1 dayAll year; October to March is pleasant.
• Bodh GayaBodh Gaya, Bihar · 2 daysOctober to March.
• Velankanni BasilicaVelankanni, Tamil Nadu · 1 dayNovember to March; the annual feast in late August–early September is the busiest time.
• Simhachalam NarasimhaVisakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh · 1 dayAll year; the hills are greenest from July to October.
• Mantralayam Sri Raghavendra SwamyMantralayam, Andhra Pradesh · 1 dayOctober to February.
• Yadadri Lakshmi NarasimhaYadagirigutta, Telangana · 1 dayOctober to March; weekends are busy.
• Bhadrachalam Sri RamaBhadrachalam, Telangana · 2 daysOctober to March; the Godavari is in spate during the monsoon.
• KedarnathKedarnath, Uttarakhand · 4 daysThe temple opens around late April–May and closes around Diwali (October–November).