5 Spiritual Destinations On Your Bucket List For A Fun-Filled Bus Trip

For travelers across the world, India stands as one destination that has a lot to offer, whether it’s the food, the culture, the people, or the diverse landscape. The country is highly accessible by road, rail, and air, with bus journeys, in general, a sight to relish, courtesy of India is blessed with mountains, beaches, forests, as well as deserts. However, one aspect that one cannot ignore is that for traveling, India is not just a physical voyage, but a spiritual quest. Be it ancient temples at mountain tops or near coastal regions, the country offers travelers many spiritual destinations and most of them can be reached by taking a convenient bus ride from many cities. According to Rohit Sharma, COO AbhiBus, India’s highest rated bus booking app here are five spiritual destinations that you must have on your bucket list:

1. Tirupati

When you embark on a bus journey to any spiritual destination across India, you are bound to explore both the inner and outer landscape, and one place that you must visit is Tirupati. The religious destination is a very popular region for pilgrims and is easily accessible from Hyderabad, Bangalore, Vijayawada, Guntur, and Kurnool. Popularly known as Tirupati, it is often referred to as Tirumala and rests as one of the cities in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The region’s Sri Venkateswara Temple sits at the perch as one of the 7 peaks of the Tirumala Hills, and the spiritual destination has a lot more to offer than just temples. It is home to the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park and also possesses a waterfall and cave which many believe to be sacred. Travelers can comfortably travel via bus, with the destination situated at a distance of 556 km from Hyderabad, 134 km from Chennai, and 259 km from Bangalore.

2. Shirdi

If you’ve been to Maharashtra, or anywhere across the country, you must be aware that Shirdi isn’t just any common spiritual destination. It stands as one of the prominent religious locations in the country, being famous for the Sai Baba Mandir. Scores of tourists and devotees visit Shirdi every year to perform religious practices and pray for their loved ones. It is located in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, making it very easy to reach to, be it from Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, and Baroda. The Shirdi Bus Stand is often flocked with long queues of buses throughout the year, with many tourists flooding the region to pray at a holy place that was once home to the revered spiritual leader Sai Baba. Shirdi also has a devotional theme park called Saitheerth, and people can also choose to visit the Shani Shingnapur, which is one of the most famous Shani temples in India.

3. Kottayam

Once called Cotym and Kottayam during British rule, Kottayam is one destination that you cannot miss out on if you plan to take a religious journey in Southern India. Regarded as one of the biggest centers of literature, Kottayam has been called Akshara Nagari or Land of Letters, and this is one of the reasons why travelers flock to the region throughout the year. Kottayam rests in the lush landscapes of Kerala, and can be reached from Bangalore, Calicut, Trivandrum, Thrissur, and Coimbatore. The culturally rich region is home to the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church as well as the Thirunakkara Mahadeva Temple, which is the reason why pilgrims seek the destination to pray, meditate, and perform rituals. The bus ride to Kottayam is a pretty convenient one, with the region very well connected in Southern India.

4. Varanasi

If you live in India, you know that there’s something completely surreal about a holy place like Varanasi. The revered city has built a name for being a world-renowned destination celebrated for its iconic Ghats and ancient temples. Resting alongside the sacred Ganges River, which holds profound significance in Hinduism, Varanasi boasts a rich spiritual heritage. The renowned Kashi Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and counted among the 12 revered Jyotirlingas in India, is actually located in the heart of the city. Importantly, the city is very well connected to other cities like Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, and Agra. Therefore, a bus ride to Varanasi will be an experience unlike any other.

5. Rishikesh

Surrounded by the mystical beauty that is the majestic Himalayas, Rishikesh is one of the most popular religious destinations in the country. Considered a big spiritual heaven, the city of Rishikesh resides in India’s northern Uttarakhand state. Not just that, Rishikesh holds a lot of profound significance in Hindu mythology and spirituality. Be it the magnificent Lakshman Jhula or Ram Jhula, Lucknow is filled with ashrams, ancient temples, and plush ghats. This is not to forget that, each year, thousands of devotees travel all the way from Delhi, Lucknow, Agra, Jaipur, and Gurgaon. To conclude, we can understand that India is naturally blessed with fabulous spiritual destinations, which can all be comfortably traveled by boarding a bus. From the sacred heights of Tirupati and Rishikesh cradled by the Himalayas to the holy regions of Shirdi, Kottayam, and the many Ghats of Varanasi, visitors are promised adventures filled with inner exploration and cultural discovery. One just needs to get on a bus to witness an unforgettable journey that guarantees a mystical allure, inner reflection, and a much deeper connection with the spiritual side of the country.