India GOIndia GO · 29
Saints and teachers
Who they were, what they are remembered for, and the places and festivals linked to them.
Buddhism
AshokaAshoka, Mauryan emperor (r. c. 268–232 BCE): the Kalinga war, his turn to Buddhism, the rock edicts and where his lion capital stands today.
B. R. AmbedkarB. R. Ambedkar (1891–1956): who he was, his role in India's Constitution, his 1956 turn to Buddhism, and Deekshabhoomi and Chaitya Bhoomi.
Buddha ShakyamuniWhy the Buddha is called Shakyamuni, the four places of his life, where to see his traces in India and when Buddha Purnima falls.
PadmasambhavaPadmasambhava, the 8th-century master who brought tantric Buddhism to Tibet: history and legend, the Rewalsar lake, Mindrolling and Hemis Tsechu.
TaraTara is the Buddhist bodhisattva who rescues: what her name means, Green and White Tara, the 21 Taras, her Indian origins and monasteries to visit.
The 14th Dalai LamaWho the 14th Dalai Lama is, why he lives in Dharamsala, his statement on a successor and the Tibetan places in India linked to him.
Christianity
Apostle ThomasWho the Apostle Thomas was, the tradition of his mission to Kerala, his tomb at San Thome in Chennai, feast days and the Malayattoor pilgrimage.
Mother TeresaMother Teresa (1910–1997): from Skopje to Kolkata, the Missionaries of Charity, the Nobel Prize, the criticism, and how to visit her tomb at Mother…
Saint AlphonsaSaint Alphonsa (1910–1946), Kerala’s Clarist nun: her life and illness, canonisation in 2008, the 28 July feast and her tomb at Bharananganam.
St Francis XavierSt Francis Xavier (1506–1552): Jesuit co-founder and patron of Goa. His life, why his body rests in Old Goa, the Exposition and the 3 December feast.
St Kuriakose Elias ChavaraSt Kuriakose Elias Chavara (1805–1871): Syro-Malabar priest, co-founder of the CMI, educator and printer in Kerala, canonised in 2014.
The Virgin MaryHow India honours the Virgin Mary: her great shrines from Velankanni to Bandra, the September feasts, and why Hindus and Muslims come too.
Jainism
BahubaliWho Bahubali is in Jainism, what the name means, the monolithic statues at Shravanabelagola and Karkala, and the next Mahamastakabhisheka.
MahaviraMahavira, the 24th Jain Tirthankara: his life, the five vows, how he relates to the Buddha, Mahavir Jayanti dates and temples where his image stands.
MallinathaMallinatha, the 19th Jain Tirthankara: why Shvetambaras say she was a woman and Digambaras a man, her symbol, and where to see her image.
NeminathaNeminatha, the 22nd Jain Tirthankara: his kinship with Krishna, the wedding he abandoned, Rajimati, Mount Girnar and the Kulpakji temple.
ParshvanathaWho Parshvanatha was, the four restraints he taught, why a cobra shelters his statues, and the temples and hill named after him in India.
RishabhanathaRishabhanatha (Adinatha, Rishabhdev), first of the 24 Jain Tirthankaras: his story and family, Akshaya Tritiya, his temples in Rajasthan and…
Sikhism
Guru Gobind SinghGuru Gobind Singh (1666–1708): the Khalsa, the four sahibzade, the wars with the Mughals and the takhts from Patna to Nanded tied to his life.
Guru Granth SahibGuru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture and eternal Guru: who wrote it, what is inside, how a gurdwara treats it, and what to know as a visitor.
Guru Har KrishanGuru Har Krishan (1656–1664), the eighth Sikh Guru: Guru at five, his last months in Delhi's smallpox epidemic, and Gurudwara Bangla Sahib.
Guru NanakGuru Nanak (1469–1539): his life, what he taught, why his birthday falls in November, and where to see Gurpurab, next on 24 November 2026.
Guru Tegh BahadurGuru Tegh Bahadur (1621–1675), the ninth Sikh Guru: his life, 116 hymns, martyrdom in Chandni Chowk and the gurdwaras of Delhi and Agra that mark it.
Islam
Amir KhusrauAmir Khusrau (1253–1325): court poet of the Delhi sultans, disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya, credited with qawwali. Life, works and his tomb in Delhi.
Haji AliWho was Haji Ali? The 15th-century merchant-saint from Bukhara, the legends of his shrine off Worli, built in 1431, and how to time a visit with the…
Khwaja Moinuddin ChishtiWho Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti was, why he is called Gharib Nawaz, the Ajmer Dargah and the cave of his first retreat, the Urs dates and etiquette.
Sabir KaliyariAlauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir Kaliyari (d. 1291), Baba Farid's nephew and founder of the Sabiri Chishtis: his story, the dargah at Piran Kaliyar and the…
Sheikh Salim ChishtiWho Sheikh Salim Chishti was, what he foretold Akbar, who built his tomb at Fatehpur Sikri, the thread custom and how to visit the dargah.