Top 10 Most Famous Lord Vishnu Temples in India

Hindu mythology sees the whole cosmos as birthing from the dream of Lord Vishnu, whose name is a literal rendition of His omnipresence (since ‘Vishnu’ means all-pervasive), in his idle reclination over the coils of Shesh Nag along with Mother Lakshmi in Vaikuntha. How can then a mortal human mind delimit the span of His benevolent grace by citing only a few prominent temples of His? In fact, the entire universe is considered to be His temple, pregnant with His essence and safeguarded under His role as its Protector. Still, for the sake of practical purposes, let us string together a list of the top 10 temples in India dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

Sri Jagannath Temple, Puri, Orissa

This temple, the only one of its kind to worship Sri Krishna with both His siblings – Lord Balarama and Subhadra, celebrates perhaps the most famous temple-procession in India in its annual Rath Yatra. The temple’s present architectural template dates back to 10^th century, although its initial conception is said to have even earlier roots. This forms a part of the all India Char Dham initiated by Guru Shankaracharya in the eighth century.

Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala

Tirumala heralds Lord Vishnu’s benevolent embodiment to save the mankind from the tribulations of kali yuga as “Kaliyuga Pratyaksha Daivam”.  In fact, Tirumala, the sacred land chosen for conception of Vishnu’s quintessence as Sri Venkateswara is called as ‘Kaliyuga Vaikuntam’ (‘the Vaikuntam of kali yuga’). Howsoever you address the deity of the temple as- Srinivasa, Balaji or Govinda, you cannot rule out visiting this sacred land once in your lifetime in you are a true devotee of Lord Narayan.

Badrinath Temple, Uttarakhand

As per Skanda Purana, no sacred shrine upon earth or Heaven comes close to the blessedness pervading the holy dham at Badrinath. Badrinarayan temple forms an integral part of both the char dham – Chota char dham in Himalayan ranges and all India char dham. Helicopter service to Badrinath Yatra has made the pilgrimage so much more convenient, comfortable and easy in the modern day.

Dwarkadhish Temple, Gujarat

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One can only marvel at the more than 2000 year old temple at Dwaraka, whose present architectural model, after its enlargement in the 15^th /16^th century, consists of five stories and more than 72 pillars.  Dwaraka, in the Dwapara Yuga, saw Lord Krishna as its ruler. And the temple celebrates Krishna as the ‘ruler of Dwaraka’.

Bankey Bihari Temple, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh

One cannot exclude the Vrindavan temples when the conversation is about temples of Lord Vishnu. After all, it is at Vrindavan that Sri Krishna, Lord Vishnu’s most celebrated incarnation, grew up. The city houses multitude of temples dedicated to Sri Krishna in memory of the gaiety and cheer he spread along its Yamuna banks. The temple owes its historical roots to its enshrinement by Swami Haridas.

Guruvayoor Temple, Kerala

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God’s own country worships the principal deity of Guruvayoorappan in its ancient, beautiful temple at Thrissur. This renowned Dwaraka of the South‘s mythic history is full of miracles of answered prayers reported by sincere devotees of Lord Narayan.

Sri Ramachandraswamy Temple, Telangana

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Sri Ram is said to have given his darshan as Vaikuntha Sri Ram to his ardent devotee Bhadra in this holy site. The self-manifest form of Sri Ram is worshipped along with Sita and Lakshman in this sacred land.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Trivandrum

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One of the oldest, richest and most renowned temples in Kerala, this temple worships Lord Vishnu in his posture of yogic sleep, ‘Anantha Shayanam’ as the familial deity of the Royal family of Travancore. In fact, even the state capital ‘Thiruvananthapuram (the city of Lord Anantha, another name for Lord Vishnu) is named after the deity.

Asvakranta Temple, Guwahati

The temple premises is said to have been where Lord Krishna took refuge along with his consort Rukmini on their way back after their Gandharva Vivaha. In fact the temple is blessed to contain the footprints of Lord Krishna. This spiritually potent shrine is situated on the banks of Brahmaputra River.

Vitthal Temple, Maharashtra

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Shri Krishna is worshipped as Vitthal along with his wife Rukmini Devi in this temple at Pandharpur. The most visited of all sacred shrines in Maharashtra, the temple lets devotees to touch Vithoba’s idol and pay obeisance to the deity. Historical roots of the temple dates back to 12^th/13^th centuries, but the central structure must have been built only around 17^th century.

May you heed your soul’s yearning to seek Shri Krishna in the sacred shrine of its choice!