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India.com
2 days ago
- India.com
From Varanasi To Rishikesh: 10 Best Spiritual Destinations To Visit In India For Healing, Meditation, And Divine Connection
photoDetails english 2928550 From the ghats of Varanasi to the serene banks of Rishikesh, India is home to powerful spiritual destinations. These sacred places offer spaces for healing, meditation, and connecting with the divine. Whether you're seeking inner peace, self-realization, or a deeper cultural experience, these 10 sites are must-visits. Each location holds centuries of spiritual energy, tradition, and transformative potential for every traveller. Updated:Jul 08, 2025, 01:47 PM IST 1 / 12 India is a land of deep-rooted spirituality, home to ancient temples, serene ashrams, powerful pilgrimage sites, and sacred rivers that have drawn seekers for centuries. Whether you seek inner peace, divine energy, or cultural richness, these spiritual destinations provide a transformative experience. Here are 10 must-visit spiritual destinations in India that every traveler should explore at least once. Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh – The Spiritual Capital of India 2 / 12 One of the oldest living cities in the world, Varanasi (also known as Kashi or Benares) is considered the holiest city for Hindus. Located on the banks of the Ganga River, it's believed that dying here ensures moksha (liberation). Visitors witness the mesmerizing Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat and explore centuries-old temples like Kashi Vishwanath. Rishikesh, Uttarakhand – The Yoga Capital of the World 3 / 12 Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, Rishikesh is a peaceful haven for yoga, meditation, and spiritual learning. Sacred spots like Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Triveni Ghat, and the Beatles Ashram attract global seekers. It's also a gateway to the Char Dham Yatra, making it a must-visit for both spiritual and wellness journeys. Bodh Gaya, Bihar – Where Buddha Attained Enlightenment 4 / 12 Bodh Gaya is one of the most sacred sites in Buddhism. Under the Bodhi Tree here, Prince Siddhartha became Gautama Buddha. The Mahabodhi Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, draws monks and travellers from across the globe. Meditating in this energy-rich location is an experience of deep inner stillness. Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh – Home to Lord Venkateswara 5 / 12 The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati is one of the richest and most visited temples in the world. Devotees climb thousands of steps as an act of devotion to reach the hilltop temple. The powerful aura, rituals, and community service around the temple make it a spiritually uplifting visit. Amritsar, Punjab – The Golden Temple's Divine Serenity 6 / 12 The Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, is the holiest shrine of Sikhism. Set amidst a sacred pool (Sarovar), the temple glows with serenity and selfless service. Visitors are also welcome to the Langar (community kitchen), where thousands are fed daily in a spiritual act of equality and service. Kedarnath, Uttarakhand – A Himalayan Pilgrimage 7 / 12 Tucked high in the Garhwal Himalayas, Kedarnath Temple is one of the Char Dham and a key Jyotirlinga dedicated to Lord Shiva. Pilgrims trek or take helicopters to this remote yet deeply spiritual location. The combination of natural grandeur and divine presence makes it unforgettable. Shirdi, Maharashtra – Land of Sai Baba's Miracles 8 / 12 Shirdi is a spiritual hub centered around the life and teachings of Sai Baba, a revered saint known for uniting all religions. The Shirdi Sai Baba Temple attracts millions who come seeking blessings, healing, and peace. The daily rituals and aarti are deeply moving and filled with devotion. Auroville, Tamil Nadu – A Global Spiritual Community 9 / 12 Not just a spiritual site, Auroville is an international township built on the vision of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. At its heart is the Matrimandir, a golden meditation dome where silence speaks volumes. The community promotes inner growth, sustainable living, and conscious evolution. Pushkar, Rajasthan – The Sacred Lake and Brahma Temple 10 / 12 Pushkar is one of the few places in the world with a temple dedicated to Lord Brahma, the creator. The Pushkar Lake is considered sacred, and bathing in it is believed to cleanse sins. The town's spiritual energy is enhanced by its ghats, rituals, and annual Pushkar Camel Fair that draws devotees and travelers alike. Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh – Where the Buddha Taught the Dharma 11 / 12 Just a short drive from Varanasi, Sarnath is where Buddha gave his first sermon after enlightenment. It's home to the Dhamek Stupa, ancient monastic ruins, and museums rich in Buddhist history. It remains a serene and contemplative space ideal for learning and meditation. 12 / 12 India's spiritual destinations are not just places — they are living experiences. Each site holds a unique vibration that invites introspection, peace, and a connection with the divine. Whether you're on a religious pilgrimage or a personal journey of self-discovery, these destinations offer timeless wisdom and soulful transformation.
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Business Standard
01-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Bihar govt launches paid internship scheme to support youth employment
The Bihar government on Tuesday launched the 'Mukhya Mantri Pratigya' scheme to provide financial support to youths for carrying out internship programmes after clearing their class 12 board examination. The decision to launch the paid internship program, which aims to address youth unemployment and enhance industry readiness among students, was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday. "The Cabinet approved the 'Mukhya Mantri Pratigya' scheme on Tuesday. Under the scheme, youths aged between 18 and 28, having either trained under skill development programme or those who have passed Class 12 Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) diploma, graduate and post-graduate will get financial support for availing internship training," Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat) S Siddhartha said. The youths during their internship programme will be given financial support for a period ranging from three months to 12 months. Those who have cleared the higher secondary exam will get Rs 4,000 per month for internship. ITI diploma pass candidates will get Rs 5,000 per month while graduate and postgraduate youths will get an internship of Rs 6,000 per month, he said. Apart from this, youths who will go for internship programmes out of their home district will get an additional Rs 2,000 per month as livelihood support while those doing internships out of the state will get additional Rs 5,000 per month. The livelihood support will be available for a maximum period of three months, Siddhartha added. The payment of the internship amount will be sent directly to their bank accounts, he said, adding that a committee has been constituted in this regard. The panel will be headed by the Development Commissioner, while members of industries will be part of it, the officer said. In another decision, the cabinet approved a proposal of the Art, Culture and Youth Department to give a pension of Rs 3000 per month to the artists under "Mukhya Mantri Kalakar Pension Yojana", he said. Pension will be given to those artists who have given at least 10 years to traditional classical visual and performing arts in order to help preserve the state's rich cultural heritage. "The criteria for availing this pension are that the artist's age should be at least 50 years while their annual income should not exceed Rs 1.20 lakh," he said. The cabinet also approved "Mukhya Mantri Guru-Shishya Parampara Yojana" in order to preserve, promote and develop the state's rich cultural heritage including its rare and endangered arts, the officer said. Under this scheme, talented youths will be given a two-year training by gurus (teachers) to preserve the rare and endangered arts besides publicising them, he said. "Under the scheme, gurus will be given Rs 15,000 per month as an incentive, while musicians will be given Rs 7,500 and pupils will be given Rs 3,000. A total of Rs 1.11 crore has been sanctioned for the current financial year," Siddhartha said. The cabinet also gave its approval to the labour resources department's proposal to amend the Bihar Factory Rules 1950 that allowed women, except pregnant and lactating mothers, to work in factories which are considered hazardous, he said. The cabinet also decided to extend the benefit of giving grants from "Mukhya Mantri Chikitsa Sahayta Kosh" to the elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions. As per the details of the decision taken in the Cabinet meeting, the elected representatives suffering from cancer would get from Rs 80,000 to Rs 1.20 lakh for surgery, while heart patients would get between Rs 60,000 and Rs 1.80 lakh for various ailments. Besides, they would get Rs 3 lakh for brain surgery, Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 for eye surgery, Rs 1.80 lakh for spinal surgery, Rs 3 lakh for kidney transplant, Rs 1.70 lakh for total hip replacement, Rs 1.50 lakh for total knee replacement, Rs 1 lakh for trauma/accident/brain haemorrhage. The cabinet also approved "Retired Chief Justices and Judges Domestic Help(s) Rule and Other Benefits Rules, 2025" to provide domestic help and telephone reimbursement to retired chief justices and former judges of the high court and former Supreme Court judges. "The high court shall provide a consolidated amount of Rs 55,000 per month to a retired Judge or spouse to engage domestic help(s)/driver(s) and Rs 60,000 per month to a retired chief justice or spouse or retired judge who has been elevated as a judge to the Supreme Court or their spouse," the rules said. Besides, chief justice, judges or their spouses or retired judges elevated to Supreme Court judges or their spouses will be paid Rs 15,000 per month for cell phone, landline expenses, internet service, secretarial and security services etc.
India Gazette
28-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Welcomed with open arms, lots of love and friendship": Group of representatives from Montana hail study visit to India
New Delhi [India], June 28 (ANI): The national capital is hosting ten representatives from the American state of Montana, who are in India on a study visit. The Americans praised their experience in the country and hailed India, calling their time here 'magical'. While speaking to ANI, Jason Smith, member of the board of directors of the Montana World Affairs Council, said, 'I've had the good fortune to visit India twice before. I've been eager to come back, and coming back with this group of young people and seeing it through their eyes is very special. I've always found my time in India to be magical. The people are warm and wonderful. The sights and the sounds are so unique. There's no place like it on planet Earth.' He noted that being in India with a group of eager students has made the experience much more special. Smith said, 'To be in this place with so many warm and wonderful people, with an eager group of young people, has made it just that much more special for me. There are so many wonderful things about living in Montana in the United States. It's beautiful, it's rural. There are many open spaces, but we do not have good Indian food. For someone like me, who loves to eat good food, being in Delhi and sampling some of the finest Indian dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is a real treat'. Jason Smith is one of a group of ten representatives from Montana, comprising seven high school students and three chaperones (from World Affairs Council, Montana), who are on a study visit to India. Clara Depuy, while speaking to ANI, mentioned that she is looking forward towards exploring the fauna and flora of India, which is vastly different from that of Montana. Upon her visit, she highlighted, 'I've already learned so much just about expectation versus reality. Coming to India, I did not have anything to expect, but I had these kinds of preconceived notions just from what we learn in school or what we see from over on the other side of the world. And I think that's important to know that not everything is always exactly as it seems from the media, or just what you see on the outside'. Lara Larson, a graduate from Lockwood High School in Montana, told ANI, ' It's been really, really exciting to be able to come to a place that's so wildly different from something that I'm used to. So many flavours, so many colours, it's been so exciting to experience. I'm really, really excited for the Taj Mahal... I'm also really excited to experience the culture and learn more about the religion, especially. We read Siddhartha in our world class this year, and it felt very well timed with this trip because I really enjoyed that book, and I'm really looking forward to talking to people and getting to learn more about how people live their lives' Emily Brandenburg told ANI that reading about Siddhartha made her feel connected to India because it was her first experience with a 'non-Westernised version of religion'. She expressed enthusiasm for Bollywood and the Indian film industry. Alli DePuy, a teacher, told ANI, 'We have been welcomed with open arms, with lots of love, with delicious food and friendship.' The Consulate General of India selected the delegation in Seattle after their outstanding participation in EconoQuest 2025 at Montana State University and Academic WorldQuest 2025 at the University of Montana in Missoula. (ANI)
Hans India
26-06-2025
- General
- Hans India
Book turns spotlight on Yashodara, Buddha's forgotten wife
'Her quiet refusal to reduce herself to victimhood was central to how I envisioned her. Yes, she grieves. Yes, she questions. But she does not let those emotions harden into resentment. I saw her as someone who, over time, begins to understand that Siddhartha's path, however painful for her, was not about abandoning her, but about seeking something larger than both of them' Siddhartha Gautama walked away from royalty and family in search of truth -- and became the Buddha. His story is etched in history and the spiritual annals of millions. But what about Yashodara, the wife and mother of a newborn son, he left behind? That's where 'The Illusion of Illusions: The Story of Yashodara, Buddha's Wife' (Rs 295, Rupa) by Sunita Pant Bansal comes in. The new book tells the story of the courage and silent resilience of the woman remembered only as 'the wife Siddhartha left behind'. But her story is far more complex and layered, said the author who sets out to give voice to an untold story. 'Yashodara's story also falls into the long and painful pattern of historical overshadowing, where the women closest to iconic men are erased, simplified, or remembered only in relation to the men they were attached to…,' Bansal said. 'History tends to spotlight the ones who left, who acted, who preached, who conquered, and rarely the ones who stayed, endured, reflected, or transformed quietly. In spiritual narratives too, the focus has largely been on renunciation as the ultimate act of courage,' says Bansal, whose bestselling books include 'Everyday Gita', 'On the footsteps of Buddha', and 'Krishna: The Management Guru'. She describes Yashodara as a mother, a seeker, and eventually a spiritual adept in her own right who was cast into the margins. The idea behind 'The Illusion of Illusions' is to 'pull Yashodara out of the shadows, not as a footnote to the Buddha's story, but as a luminous presence in her own right'. The result is a 211-page story in Yashodara's own voice, beginning with her encounter with an enlightened Buddha and ending with her attaining nirvana before him. The book explores the gamut -- ranging from a fairytale wedding to her witnessing her husband's transformation from a reserved prince to a man with a mission, along with the many 'red flags' she overlooked during their 13 years of marriage. It traces her overwhelming grief when Siddhartha leaves on the very day their son Rahul is born, her sorrow as her seven-year-old son leaves to join his father in the Sangha (community of Buddhist practitioners), and ultimately her quiet yet courageous journey towards acceptance and forging her own path. According to Bansal, Yashodara's account could have been easily told through 'betrayal, bitterness, or fury'. However, she chose to highlight Yashodara's strength, her rebellion and finally her resilience. 'Her quiet refusal to reduce herself to victimhood was central to how I envisioned her. Yes, she grieves. Yes, she questions. But she does not let those emotions harden into resentment. I saw her as someone who, over time, begins to understand that Siddhartha's path, however painful for her, was not about abandoning her, but about seeking something larger than both of them,' the author explained. Telling the story of someone who has largely been confined to footnotes or fragments in Buddhist texts and folklore is no easy task. Bansal, who undertook the painstaking work of drawing from early Pali sources, Buddhist commentaries and regional retellings, acknowledged the challenges in writing what she described as not a biography or a scripture but a 'blend of history, imagination and emotional truth'. 'The biggest challenge was the silence itself, the absence of detail, of voice, of first-hand insight into Yashodara's mind. That silence gave me space, but it also came with responsibility. I had to inhabit that silence with care. Fiction, in such a context, becomes a form of respectful restoration. I used creative license to give emotional flesh to the truth… to imagine what it might have felt like to be Yashodara, the wife, the mother, the abandoned and the awakened,' she explained. Besides Yashodara, the book offers a deeper look into the lives of other lesser-known women figures who played significant roles in the couple's story. These include Buddha's aunt and foster mother Mahaprajapati Gautami as well as Yashodara's mother Pamita, who is also a distant cousin of Siddhartha's father King Shuddhodana. However, Yashodara stays firmly at the centre, never eclipsed. 'When you write about the lesser-known partner in a legendary relationship... it's easy for the gravitational pull of his legacy to take over the story. But I was clear that this was her journey, not an echo of his. Ultimately, the challenge was not to dim Siddhartha's light, but to reveal that Yashodara had a light of her own, one that did not compete, but completed the story. And I think that's what makes her journey all the more profound,' she added. Bansal now dreams of seeing it adapted for the screen. In fact, a few informal conversations about adapting the book for film or television are already underway. 'What gives me hope is that we are now in a moment where audiences are ready, even hungry, for layered female narratives... If told with care, I believe her story will not only resonate, but also heal, by offering a new lens on history as well as the human heart,' pointed out Bansal, who has also authored numerous children's books on scriptures and folk literature. The book is endorsed by celebrated filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and bestselling author Anand Neelakantan.
India Today
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
No human damage: Actor Nikhil Siddhartha reacts after India House set accident
The set of Ram Charan-produced and Nikhil Siddhartha-starrer 'The India House' was flooded during the shoot when a water tank burst on Thursday. Now, Siddhartha has reacted to the incident, ensuring human safety. In his post on Friday, he expressed gratitude to the technical staff and the crew who took immediate the incident on X, Siddhartha called it a 'huge mishap'. He confirmed that there was no loss of life and detailed what happened. He wrote, 'We are all safe. Sometimes, in our quest to give the best cinematic experience, we take risks. Today we survived a huge mishap thanks to the Alert Crew and Precautions taken. We lost expensive equipment but by God's grace there was no human damage. #IndiaHouse (sic)."advertisementHere's his post: Photo: Screenshot of Nikhil's X post. Producer Abhishek Agarwal also confirmed the safety of everyone on set, writing, 'A mishap occurred on the sets of #TheIndiaHouse while shooting today. Everyone on the sets is safe and sound. Thank you for all your concern. #JaiMataDi (sic)."Ram Charan's production house re-tweeted posts by Nikhil and out the post here: Clips circulating online showcased the cast and crew screaming as water floods the sets of the upcoming film. Some are seen trying to escape the rush of water, while others attempt to save the equipment. The sudden flooding, caused by the bursting of a water tank, injured a few crew members. The video shows massive damage to the set, and shooting has now been disrupted.'The India House' is being directed by debutant Ram Vamsi Krishna and produced by Ram Charan and Abhishek Watch
