There are many Vishnu temples all over India though some temples hold a little superiority over the others. Surrounded with folklores and history that dates back to AD’s that will leave you spell bound and awed by the beauty and tranquility, these famous Vishnu temples in India are a must visit for one and all. Here’s a list of 9 must visit Vishnu temples in India.
* Badrinath Temple in Badrinath, UttarakhandOne of the four Char Dhams, Badrinath temple is located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Lord Badrinath is worshipped in the temple who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Badrinath temple is one of the most visited pilgrimage centres in India. It is situated along the beautiful banks of river Alakananda. The temple houses a black stone statue of Vishnu which is 3.3 ft. tall and falls under one of the eight swayamvyaktakshetras (self-arising).
* Jagannath Temple in Puri, OdishaSri Jagannath temple is also one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage spots of the country and a famous Vishnu temple in India, it is located in the coastal town of Puri. It’s a well-known famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Jagannath means lord of the world, thus the place is often addressed as Jagannath Puri. The temples construction started in the early 11th century but it wasn’t until the end of 11th century that the temple was completely formed. The deity of the lord is made out of wood and changed every twelve or nineteen years. The presiding deities of the temple are Lord Jagannath, a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu along with his brother Lord Balabhadra, sister Goddess Subhadra and Lord Sudarsana.
* Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple at Tirupati, Andhra PradeshSri Venkateswara Swamy temple is considered to be one of the richest temples in the world along with being the most visited place of worship in terms of donations and wealth received. It is located in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati. The temple worships the idol of Lord Venkateswara, are incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The temple is constructed in Dravidian architecture and is known as ‘the temple of seven hills.’ Legend says that the lord had taken a loan for his wedding from Lord Kubera, the donations made by people is part of the loan repayment.
* Varadharaja Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram, Tamil NaduThe temple of Varadharaja Perumal temple is located in the holy town Kanchipuraman, dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The Dravidian styled magnificent structure is also a display of brilliant architecture. According to several different folklores, Lord Vishnu relieved a curse here and decided to stay back.It is also one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Every day, the temple follows and performs six rituals along with celebrating yearly festivals.
* Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvanthapuram, KeralaPadmanabhaswamy temple is a Dravidian styled architectural marvel located in Thiruvanthapuram. It is also the richest Hindu temple in the world. The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Vishnu who is enshrined in the position of ‘Anantha Sayanam’ or the eternal yogic sleep of the serpent Adisheshan. The temple has a strict dress code and is open to only Hindu devotees. The riches of this lord Vishnu temple in South India were only discovered in the recent years, a door is still kept locked, as folklore belive that Lord himself resides behind the door and opening it can cause immeasurable amount of destruction.
* Koodal Azhagar Temple in Madurai, Tamil NaduThe Koodal Azhagar Kovil temple which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu is situated in the centre of the temple city, Madurai.Koodal and Azhagar are Tamil words which respectively mean the city of Madurai and ‘the beautiful one’, respectively. This temple falls under the 108 Divyadesams. Koodal Azhagar has three postures which are the sitting posture, the standing posture as Sri Surya Narayan and the reclining posture. The presiding deity of the temple is taken for a dip in River Vaigai on the festival of Chitra Purnima. Also, a 10-day boat festival is celebrated on Masi Magam day.
* Sri Ulagalanda Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram, Tamil NaduSri Varadharaja Perumal is one of the significant vishnu temple in South India. It is located in Kanchipuram and dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is also one of the 108 Divya Desams of Vishnu. This temple in considered to be one of the most sacred by Vaishnavites(ardent followers of lord Vihnu)and was originally built by the Cholas in 1053. The temple has a shrine of Varadharaja or Vishnu perched on a small hillock. The major festivals celebrated here is Bhramotsavam when pilgrims flock the temple in great numbers.
* Asvakranta Temple in Guwahati, AssamAsvakranta temple located in Guwahati, Assam. The temple is considered to be sacred by ‘yogic tantra’ and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The presiding deity of the temple is Anantashayana Vishnu which is reclining position of Lord Vishnu on the body of a serpent. The temple also houses an idol of Lord Brahma sitting on a lotus emerging from the navel of Lord Vishnu. There are other beautiful idols too within the temple complex.
* Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, Tamil NaduSri Ranganathaswamy temple is situated in Srirangam and is one of the largest functioning temples in India. The temple structure is enclosed by prakarams which are seven concentric walls and there are 21 enclosed gopurams. This Vishnu temple in South India temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and has 49 shrines, all dedicated to him. Parts of the seven concentric walls, three are used for private commercial establishments like hotels, restaurants, residential area and more.