India is a land of pilgrimages. A person is likely to stumble across a temple or a mosque in every neighbourhood. While you would not need necessarily need to put in a lot of effort for finding a religious place, there are certain pilgrimages that may require devotees to trek several kilometres in difficult weather conditions. If you are looking to put your nerves to the test while on a pilgrimage, this list of hard-to-reach temples is for you.

Kartik Swami Temple: Located in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district, this 200-year-old temple is the only one in the state dedicated to Lord Kartikeya, the elder son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Kartikeya. Reaching this temple requires one to trek for three kilometres through a dangerous path. You will need some serious lung capacity since the temple is located at an altitude of 3050 meters.

Shikhar Ji Temple: Parasnath Hills of Girdih district in Jharkhand is home to the Shikhar Ji temple– one of the most auspicious sites for Jains. Belief is that 20 of the Tirthankar attained Nirvana here. To get to the holy site, you need to make your way through steep rises and deep descends on a roughly 28-kilometre-long trek.

Amarnath Cave: Facing beautiful natural scenery, the enigmatic Amarnath Cave is situated t at a height of 3888 metres. The cave-temple houses a naturally formed ice Shiva Linga.

Phuktal: Also called Phugtal, this is a stunning monastery carved entirely out of a mountain. Located in the Zanskar region of the union territory of Ladakh, this Buddhist shrine is the most isolated monastic establishment in the country. One needs to trek for seven kilometres to reach the monastery, perched at a height of 3850 metres.

Kailash Mansarovar: Mt Kailash and the Mansarovar lake are the prime attractions of this pilgrimage spot. Mt Kailash is believed to be the heavenly abode of Lord Shiva. Reaching this pilgrimage spot, located within China-Occupied Tibet, is an extremely challenging task.

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