List of Famous Temples in India - Important Temples for General Awareness

Aspirants of Various Government Exams like SSC, RRB, Bank, UPSC, etc. must read detailed articles on Famous Temples in India as General Awareness is a part of most of the Exams. The article talks about the Famous Temples in India. Temples in India are an important part of the General Awareness section of various competitive Exams.

Some of the great people who lived on earth have praised India. Different religions, languages, dialects, traditions and customs provide many aspects of the majestic country called India. Temples have been an integral part of Indian society for centuries. Unique in their beauty and artistic grandeur, these temples have survived as exquisite works of art and have given rise to various architectural styles that have evolved over hundreds of years.

List of Famous Temples in India

Temples called ‘Mandira’ in Sanskrit reflect the history of a place and cultural glory. The geographical land of India has many marks of faith which are spread across its length and breadth. In some structures many centuries of devotion support them, which provides greater authenticity and reverence. Below given is the list of famous temples, the states and the prominent feature or fact associated with it. 

Famous Temples in India
Temples in India	State	Features/facts
Lord Venkateswara Temple	Andhra Pradesh	The temple on Tirumala hills is also known as Tirupathi Balaji temple. It is also called a temple of seven hills. The temple is in Dravidian Architecture style.
Mahabodhi Temple	Bihar	It is a Buddhist temple. The Central Tower Of Mahabodhi is 180 feet tall i.e. 54 metres. It is one of the oldest brick structures. The brickwork depicts the life of Buddha. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Somnath Temple	Gujarat	It is lso known as Deo Patan. It is one of the 12 jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva. There is no land in between seashores from Somnath temple to Antarctica. Constructed in Chalukyan style. 1947 – Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel ordered the reconstruction of the temple that completed in 1951.
Dwarkadhish Temple	Gujarat	It is also known as Jagat Mandir. It is one of the four Hindu pilgrimages (Char Dham). The original structure was destroyed by Mahmud Brgada in 1472. Presently, in the Chalukya architecture style.
Vaishno Devi Temple	Jammu & Kashmir	It is 5200 feet above sea level atop Trikuta Hills. It is a Cave temple
Amarnath Temple	Jammu & Kashmir	A cave temple situated at an altitude of 3888 metres. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peeths. It is believed that Bhrigu Muni (A great sage) was the first to have discovered Amarnath.
Virupaksha Temple	Karnataka	Built by Lakkana Dandesha, a chieftain under the ruler Deva Raya II of the Vijayanagara Empire. It forms a part of Group of Monuments at Hampi that is designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Gomateshwara Temple	Karnataka	It is also known as Bahubali temple. The tallest monolithic statue (Of Gomateshwara) in the world carved out of a single block of granite. It is a Jain temple that is 57 feet high. Bahubali statue is one of the largest free-standing statues in the world depicting the prolonged meditation of Bahubali.
Padmanabhaswamy Temple	Kerala	The architecture is the fusion of Chera and Dravidian styles.
Khajuraho Temple	Madhya Pradesh	They are a group of temples built by the rulers of Chandela Dynasty. There were 85 temples scattered over an area of 9 square miles, of which only 25 temples are remaining. Famous for nagara style architecture and known for extensive erotic sculptures.
Siddhivinayak Temple	Maharashtra	It is one of the richest temples in India. It was constructed by Laxman Vithu & Dubai Patil in 1801.
Konark Sun Temple	Odisha	Build in the 13th century by King Narasimhadeva I (AD 1238-1264) during the Ganga Empire. It is conceived as a gigantic chariot of the Sun God built in Kalinga architecture (Odisha style of architecture).
Jagannath Temple	Odisha	It is also called Yamanika Tirtha. This temple in Puri is famous for its annual chariot festival, Ratha Yatra. The first Jagannath temple was commissioned by King Indradyumna. Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are a trio of deities worshipped at the temple.
Golden Temple	Punjab	It is a gurudwara, built in the 15th century. It is also known as Harmindar Sahib. Temple was plated in Gold in 1980 from the wealth and material donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Ramanathaswamy Temple	Tamil Nadu	One of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples built in the 12th Century. It has the longest corridor among all Hindu temples in India. It is built in the Dravidian style of architecture. Creators – Pandyas and Jaffna Kings There are 64 Tīrthas i.e. holy water bodies in and around the island of Rameswaram. It is also one of the Char Dhams.
Meenakshi Temple	Tamil Nadu	It has Dravidian Architecture and over 40 inscriptions. There are 985 richly carved pillars that depict scenes from the wedding of Meenakshi (Parvati) and Sundareswarar (Shiva). It is famous for its 3 storied Gopuram at the main entrance.
Ranganathaswamy Temple	Tamil Nadu	One of the most important of 108 (Divya Desam )Vishnu Temples. It is built in Dravidian style, constructed in Vijayanagar Period. It is located on the island formed by twin river- Cauvery & Coleroon. 1st temple to be awarded by the UN Body for protecting and conserving cultural heritage. Its Gopuram is the biggest Gopuram in Asia. Also, it is the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world.
Brihadeeswara Temple	Tamil Nadu	Also known as Raja Rajeswara Temple located at Thanjavur. This Dravidian style temple was built by the Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola I. One of the tallest temples in India that is completely made of Granite. It is one of the Great Living Chola Temples, along with Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple and Airavatesvara temple. It is also called Dakshin Meru and is situated on the bank of Cauvery river. It is a part of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Rajagopalaswamy Temple	Tamil Nadu	It is created in Dravidian style, it is also called Dakshina Dwaraka. It has one of the largest temple tanks in India called Haridra Nadhi.
Nataraja Temple	Tamil Nadu	The temple wall carvings display all the 108 karanas from the Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni; these postures form the foundation of Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance. It was built in the 10th century when Chidambaram was the capital of the Chola dynasty. It is one of the oldest surviving active temple complexes in South India.
Kashi Vishwanath Temple	Uttar Pradesh	The original Vishwanath temple was destroyed by the army of Qutb-Uddin Aibak in 1194 CE when he defeated the Raja of Kannauj. There is a small well in the temple called the Jnana Vapi also spelt as Gyaan Vapi In 1669 CE, Emperor Aurangzeb destroyed the temple and built the Gyanvapi Mosque in its place. In 1780, Malhar Rao’s daughter-in-law Ahilyabai Holkar constructed the present temple adjacent to the mosque It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas.
Badrinath Temple	Uttarakhand	It is located in Garhwal hill along the banks of Alaknanda River. It is at an elevation of 3,133 metres i.e. 10,279 ft above the mean sea level. The temple is mentioned in ancient religious texts like Vishnu Purana and Skanda Purana.
Yamunotri Temple	Uttarakhand	Situated at an altitude of 3,291 metres i.e. 10,797 ft. It is located on the backdrop of Bandarpunch It is dedicated to goddess Yamuna.
Gangotri Temple	Uttarakhand	It is located on the banks of the river Bhagirathi at an altitude of 3,415 m (11,204 ft).

About Temples of India

India being a part of the world's oldest civilizations is a land of rich history, countless beliefs, traditions and legends surrounding religions. India takes pride in the country's rich cultural and religious history as it is the birthplace of the traditions of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. India is a land where people of different religions live in harmony and brotherhood. Hinduism is considered to be the oldest religion in the world. Unlike other religions, Hinduism has no founder, rather it is a fusion of religions. Various ancient manuscripts and scholars have described religion as a traditional way of life, a religion whose beginning and end cannot be traced.

The heavenly abode of the Almighty on earth is called 'temple' by Hindus. You will find majestic temples in most corners of the country. Every temple has a unique history and legends associated with it. In ancient times, Indian rulers patronized artists and sculptures to build extraordinary masterpieces in the form of temples during their reign. Tour My India introduces you to some of the most popular and magnificent temples in the country.

FAQs Related To Famous Temples in India

For a better understanding of the famous temple topic of India for competitive exams, it is important to know the scope of questions asked in the exam based on it. Hence, Some Sample Questions asked in the General Awareness section of various government exams are given below.

Question 1. Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and _____ are collectively called Char Dham. Which is the fourth pilgrimage site?

1. Jagannath
2. Badrinath
3. amaranth
4. Jagnathi

Answer (2) Badrinath

Question 2. Where is Padmanabhaswamy Temple located?

1. Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
2. Mumbai, Maharashtra
3. Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
4. Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

Answer (3) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

Question 3. To which deity is the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple dedicated?

1. Lord Vishnu
2. Lord Shiva
3. Goddess Lakshmi
4. Goddess Durga

Answer (1) Lord Vishnu

Question 4. Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is also known as

1. Chamundi Temple
2. Tirupati Balaji Temple
3. Bhimashankar Temple
4. Sringeri Math

Answer (2) Tirupati Balaji Temple

Question 5. Where is the Golden Temple located?

1. Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh
2. Jaipur, Rajasthan
3. Ahmedabad, Gujarat
4. Amritsar - Punjab

Answer (4) Amritsar Punjab