A Travelescape guide · 45 stories and guides
A Spiritual Journey Through India
Temples, ashrams and yatras across India, written by the people who went: how to plan, what to wear, where to stay.
This page gathers ten years of Travelescape writing on temples, ashrams and pilgrimages, from Himachal to Tamil Nadu, by our writers and guest contributors.
Start with the three below if you are planning now. Each group after that holds one kind of journey: the yatras with a route and a season, the ashrams where you stay a while, the river towns of the Ganga, and the temples of the South, East, West and North.
Some of these guides are several years old, and each says when it was written. Timings, fees and rules at temples change often: check with the temple's own website before you travel, and see "Before you go" at the end of this page.
Start here
Three to begin with
-
5 Shakti Peethas of Himachal Pradesh (हिमाचल के पाँच शक्तिपीठ): A Darshan Guide
The most-read guide on Travelescape: the five Shakti Peeths of Himachal, their stories and how to reach each, in English and Hindi. Checked October 2026.
-
Ashrams in India: Free Stay, Volunteering and Courses
Can you stay in an ashram for free? What is really free, what needs seva, and 20 ashrams compared. Checked October 2026.
-
Vaishno Devi Travel Guide
The RFID yatra card, the 13 km from Katra to the Bhawan, routes and the best time to go. Checked October 2026.
7 stories and guides
Shakti Peeths and the great yatras
Journeys with a route and a season: registration, queues and the walk are part of the pilgrimage.
11 stories and guides
Ashrams, retreats and meditation
Places to stay a while. Most keep a timetable (early mornings, silence hours, set meals), and some take volunteers.
7 stories and guides
Rishikesh, Haridwar and Varanasi
The river towns of the Ganga: the aarti at dusk, the ghats at dawn, and the ashrams in between.
13 stories and guides
Temples of the South
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana: dress codes, darshan queues and early starts.
7 stories and guides
Temples of the East, West and North
From Puri and Konark on the Bay of Bengal to Somnath on the Arabian Sea, and up to Amritsar and the hills.
Plan it
Before you go
- When to go
- The Himalayan shrines (Kedarnath, Badrinath, the Char Dham) open from about May and close for winter around October or November. The plains and the South are kindest from October to March. Festivals such as Navratri and Shivaratri mean crowds and long queues.
- Register first
- The Char Dham yatra needs registration with the Uttarakhand government before you travel. Vaishno Devi needs a free RFID yatra card from the Shrine Board (maavaishnodevi.org); see our Vaishno Devi guide.
- What to wear
- Shoulders and knees covered. Shoes come off before the shrine, and stone floors get hot by noon. Many temples keep leather out.
- Phones and cameras
- Several large temples, Tirumala among them, do not allow phones or cameras inside. Use the lockers or cloakrooms at the entrance.
- Ashram stays
- Book ahead and keep the ashram's timetable. Some offer free stays in return for seva (volunteer work); Ashrams in India says which, and for how long.
- Money
- Pay only at the temple's own counters and official websites. Nobody can sell a guaranteed darshan or a VIP pass.
Questions
What readers ask us
Which spiritual journey suits a first trip?
Rishikesh is the gentlest start: ashrams, the Ganga aarti and short walks, an easy journey from Delhi; see our Rishikesh guide. For a pilgrimage with a clear route, the five Shakti Peeths of Himachal can be done as a circuit by road.
Can you stay in an ashram for free?
Sometimes, in return for seva (volunteer work), usually for a minimum of two weeks or more. Most ashrams charge modestly for rooms and courses. Ashrams in India compares 20 of them: what is free, what it costs and how to apply.
When is the Char Dham yatra open?
From about late April or May, on dates the temples announce each year, until they close for winter around Diwali. Register with the Uttarakhand government before you go. Our Char Dham guide was written in 2021, so check current dates.
Do I need to book Vaishno Devi in advance?
You need the free RFID yatra card, online or at the counters in Katra, and it comes with time limits. Helicopter seats and stays at the Bhawan fill up on festival days. Details in our Vaishno Devi guide.
What should I wear to a temple in India?
Clothes that cover shoulders and knees; some temples in the South ask men to wear a dhoti or veshti and women a sari or salwar for darshan, so check before you go. Shoes come off at the entrance.