Sikh Pilgrimage:

Sikhism emerged during the early 16th century in the state of Punjab in North India. The founder of Sikh religion was Guru Nanak and was then mentored by nine successive gurus in fifteenth century Northern India. The principal belief of Sikhism is faith in the Universal God. Guru Nanak preached the message of unity of both Hindu and Islam religions. Main Sikh Pilgrimage includes Anandpur Sahib, Golden Temple, Hemkund Sahib and Takht Sri Damdama Sahib. North India Pilgrimage Sites are the hubs of thousands of devotees, who visit these sites wishing for their God's blessings and asking for forgiveness.

Sikhism propounds a distinct element of Indian religious tradition and culture and these famous Sikh places of worship in India are the holy shrines which propagates brotherhood amidst the people. Located on the lower Himalayas Anandpur Sahib is beautiful surrounded with River Satluj and natural abundance. Anandpur Sahib is known as 'the holy City of Bliss' and is considered very sacred for Sikh. Sikhism preaches the message of devotion; truthful living and remembrance of God and these Sikh Pilgrimages in India are the propagators of a sense of brotherhood and fellowship. The Golden Temple is the most magnificent Sikh pilgrimage, this temple is located in the holy city of Sikhs- Amritsar which was once a dense forest home of Guru Nanak. The temple is famous for its golden dome and is built on a 67 ft square of marble. It is believed that Guru Ram Das- the fourth mentor of Sikhism excavated a tank which was named as Amritsar meaning Pool of the Nectar of Immortality and hence the temple is the supreme centre of Sikhism. Other important Sikh Pilgrimages in India include Hemkund Sahib and Takht Sri Damdama Sahib. Hemkund meaning Lake of Gold is perched on the beautiful spots of the central Himalayas and is naturally embellished with a beauteous lake surrounding the temple. The place is believed to be the abode of the 10th Guru of Sikh- Guru Govind Singh. Takht Sri Damdama Sahib is one of the five Takhts or Seat of Temporal Authority of Sikhism which is situated at Bathinda in Punjab.

Hindu Pilgrimage:

Hinduism differs from Christianity and other Western religions in that it does not have a single founder, a specific theological system, a single system of morality, or a central religious organization. It consists of "thousands of different religious groups that have evolved in India since 1500 BCE."

Hinduism has grown to become the world's third largest religion, after Christianity and Islam. It claims about 837 million followers - 13% of the world's population. It is the dominant religion in India, Nepal, and among the Tamils in Sri Lanka. According to the "Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches," there are about 1.1 million Hindus in the U.S. The "American Religious Identification Survey" is believed to be more accurate. They estimated smaller number: 766,000 Hindus in 2001.

Hinduism is generally regarded as the world's oldest organized religion.

Most forms of Hinduism are henotheistic religions. They recognize a single deity, and view other Gods and Goddesses as manifestations or aspects of that supreme God. Henotheistic and polytheistic religions have traditionally been among the world's most religiously tolerant faiths. However, until recently, a Hindu nationalistic political party controlled the government of India. The linkage of religion, the national government, and nationalism led to a degeneration of the separation of church and state in India. This, in turn, has decreased the level of religious tolerance in that country. The escalation of anti-Christian violence was one manifestation of this linkage. With the recent change in government, the level of violence will diminish.

Islam Pilgrimage:

The Muslims are about 12% of India's population. But their influence on the Indian society was much stronger. The main reason was that there were many Muslims rulers in different parts of India. Most of the Muslim rulers of India were invaders from the west. Islam was established in Saudi Arabia. But most of Islam's spreaders in India arrived from non-Arab countries (It must be noted that Arab traders and travellers had arrived into India even before Islam was established in Arabia. These Arabs probably had their own places of worship, later on transformed into mosques.). The first spreaders of Islam in India were individuals who saw in spreading Islam a holy precept. They began coming to India from the 11th century . They arrived in India from Bukhara, Turkey, Iran, Yemen and Afghanistan. The most famous preacher of Islam in India was Khwaja Chishti, who arrived from Iran and his sect is called Sufism. But the accepted assumption in India is that most of India's Muslims were converted to Islam through the sword. Meaning the Indians were given an option between death or adopting Islam. The third option was getting examined in Islam religion along with heavy taxes- Jeziya (poll tax) and Kharaj (property tax).