Places Of Worship

India is known to be one of the most secular nations in the world. People of various religions and cultures co-exist in perfect harmony here. Delhi, the capital of India is an apt representation of the country’s secular character and therefore there are lots of places of worship in the city to satisfy the devotional needs of the people who follow different religions, whether big or small.

There are many places of worship in Delhi to cater to the needs of the diverse population. These places are scattered all over the city depending on the concentration of people following certain religions. There have been no complaints so far about the place for having more number of temples and not enough of mosques, churches or Gurudwaras. The devotional places are in proportion to the number of people practicing that particular religion. These places spread positive energy all round and are visual treats for tourists.

In addition to their pious and positive-energy exuding character, these places of worship are architectural masterpieces and have continued to surprise the tourists who come from far off places. The Lotus Temple and Akshardham Temple are few examples of the architectural sophistication that the places of worship of Delhi possess. Tourists come to Delhi mainly to enjoy the beauty and serenity of the temples, mosques, Gurudwaras and so on. It would be apt to say that a visit to Delhi would be complete only when one visits the places of worship here.

Just next to New Delhi Railway station is the famous Birla Temple that you simply cannot afford to miss. Mahatma Gandhi lived here temporarily during the Independence struggle. This temple is dedicated to Vishnu and His consort, Lakshmi. If you further move to Kashmere Gate, a narrow and dirty street runs by the side where you can spot the historic Hanuman Temple. Once you visit the temple, you will forget the ordeals that you suffered while visiting this place. You must not miss the largest temple in India, Chhatarpur Temple. A huge and massive structure, built of exquisite marbles, this is a building that attracts lots of tourists every year, though it is not much of a worship-place any more. Some of the relatively new but famous temples are ISKCON and Akshardham. These temples have excellent architectural features and are a huge tourist attraction in Delhi. The ISKCON temple is known for its intricate carvings and the Akshardham temple is known for its sheer magnificence. Built predominantly using yellow sandstone, this temple costed a staggering 100 million USD to construct.

The Jama Masjid definitely deserves the first place among the mosques in Delhi. This is the largest mosque in India. Built of red sandstone, this mosque is a perfect representation of Mughal architecture. There are three domes here and the minarets stand quite tall. Other than the regular praying hours, visitors can enter into the mosque freely. The Fatehpuri Masjid in the crowded Chandni Chowk market is another architectural marvel made from red sandstone. This is slowly losing its sheen now, nevertheless, the intricate Naqqashi work on this mosque deserves a special mention. The tombs of Hazrat Nizammudin and Khwaza Bakthiyar Kaki are also visited by many tourists to enjoy the Qawwali music played here every Thursday.

There is a reasonable number of Sikhs living in Delhi which explains the presence of 9 Gurudwaras in the city. The most famous of them is the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in the busy area of Connaught Place. There are lots of visitors to this place throughout the day. The peace and serenity that these Gurudwaras exude should be experienced to be understood. The other famous Sikh place of worship is Shish Gunj Gurudwara in Chandni Chowk. Bala Sahib and Nanak Piao are also visited by lots of Sikhs.

A minor section of Delhi’s population follows Christianity and there are quite a few churches here, the most well-known among them being, the Church of Redemption. This structure entirely built of red sandstone is a hot favourite among foreign tourists following the Anglican or Protestant faith. Sundays are busy days at the churches as lots of devotees come to the church to attend the mass, communion and other discourses that are organized on Sundays.