Sacred India through the ages
71 milestones, from the Rigveda to the Ram Mandir: when texts were composed, temples built and rebuilt, and saints taught. Each one rests on at least two independent written sources unless marked. Dates are labelled by kind: a scholar’s estimate, an inscription, a building date, a reign or a tradition. The epics are given their composition ranges only; their events are not dated.
Before 300 CE
| When | What | Where | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1500–1000 BCE estimated date of composition | The Rigveda is composed The hymns of the Rigveda, the oldest Veda, are composed in the north-west of the subcontinent and passed down orally. | Punjab region (Sapta Sindhu) the region where scholars place the composition | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| c. 800–500 BCE estimated date of composition | The earliest Upanishads The Brihadaranyaka and Chandogya, the oldest prose Upanishads, take shape in the Gangetic plain before the time of the Buddha. | Videha / Mithila (north Bihar) the region where scholars place the composition | Wikipedia (English) · World History Encyclopedia |
| core c. 750–400 BCE; later layers to c. 300 CE estimated date of composition | Valmiki's Ramayana takes shape The Sanskrit Ramayana attributed to Valmiki is composed in stages, its core in the mid-first millennium BCE and later books by about the 3rd century CE. | Ayodhya (setting of the epic) where the story is set; not a place or date of events | Wikipedia (English) · World History Encyclopedia |
| c. 5th century BCE – 1st century CE (most often 2nd–1st century BCE) estimated date of composition | The Bhagavad Gita Krishna's teaching to Arjuna, part of the Mahabharata, is composed; most scholars place it in the last centuries BCE. | Jyotisar, Kurukshetra (traditional site of the teaching) a place associated by tradition | Wikipedia (English) · World History Encyclopedia |
| c. 400 BCE – 400 CE estimated date of composition | The Mahabharata is compiled The great epic, traditionally attributed to Vyasa, grows over several centuries into its 100,000-verse form. | Kurukshetra (setting of the epic) where the story is set; not a place or date of events | Wikipedia (English) · Wikipedia (English) · World History Encyclopedia |
| late 2nd century BCE (c. 135–110 BCE) dated by an inscription | Heliodorus pillar honours Vasudeva A Greek envoy, Heliodorus, raises a Garuda pillar to the god Vasudeva at Vidisha: one of the earliest dated records of Vaishnava devotion. | Besnagar, Vidisha the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| c. 3rd–10th century CE estimated date of composition | The first Puranas are composed The first versions of the eighteen major Puranas are composed over many centuries; most later revised. Rests on one source family so far. | Naimisharanya (traditional place of recitation) a place associated by tradition | Wikipedia (English) · Wikipedia (English) |
300–1000 CE
| When | What | Where | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 401 CE dated by an inscription | Udayagiri cave shrines consecrated Gupta-era cave shrines near Vidisha, with the great Varaha panel, carry an inscription of Chandragupta II's reign dated 401 CE. | Udayagiri Caves, Vidisha the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · World History Encyclopedia |
| late 5th century built or consecrated | Bhitargaon brick temple The oldest surviving roofed brick Hindu shrine with a tall shikhara is built in the Gupta period near Kanpur. | Bhitargaon, Kanpur Nagar the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · World History Encyclopedia |
| mid-5th – 6th century built or consecrated | Elephanta cave temple of Shiva On an island in Mumbai harbour, the great cave of Shiva with its three-faced Sadashiva is carved. | Elephanta Caves the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| late 5th – 6th century (c. 500 CE) built or consecrated | Dashavatara temple, Deogarh A Gupta-period stone temple to Vishnu, famed for its Anantashayana panel, is built on a raised platform beside the Betwa. | Deogarh, Lalitpur the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Uttar Pradesh Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh · World History Encyclopedia |
| c. 6th–9th century; compiled 9th–10th century estimated date of composition | The Alvars sing to Vishnu Twelve Tamil poet-saints compose hymns to Vishnu; Nathamuni later gathers them as the Four Thousand Divine Verses. | Srirangam (foremost temple of the Alvar hymns) a place associated by tradition | Wikipedia (English) · Wikipedia (English) · Sahapedia |
| c. 500–1000 CE (final redaction often placed in the 9th–10th century) estimated date of composition | The Bhagavata Purana The Bhagavata Purana, central to Krishna bhakti, reaches its final form, probably in South India under the influence of the Alvars. Rests on one source family so far. | South India (probable region of composition) the region where scholars place the composition | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| late 6th century (Cave 3 inscription 578/579 CE) dated by an inscription A single source gives: Saka 500 = 578/579 CE | Badami cave temple of Vishnu At the Chalukya capital Vatapi, Mangalesha dedicates Cave 3 to Vishnu; its Kannada inscription dates the Badami caves. | Badami cave temples the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
| late 7th – 8th century built or consecrated | Durga temple, Aihole An apsidal Chalukya temple with a pillared ambulatory is raised at Aihole, the 'cradle' of Deccan temple building. | Durga temple, Aihole the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · World History Encyclopedia |
| c. 700–728 CE (reign of Narasimhavarman II) dated by the ruler’s reign | Shore Temple, Mamallapuram The Pallava king Rajasimha raises one of South India's earliest structural stone temples on the seashore. | Shore Temple, Mamallapuram the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India · World History Encyclopedia |
| 8th century CE estimated date of composition Other dating: 700 CE–750 CE (current scholarship (Wikipedia)) Other dating: 788 CE–820 CE (older 19th–20th-century dating (Wikipedia; Bharatkosh)) Other dating: 509 BCE–477 BCE (tradition of some mathas (Wikipedia)) | Adi Shankara teaches Advaita The Advaita teacher Shankara writes his commentaries; tradition says he was born at Kalady and travelled the length of India. | Kalady (traditional birthplace) a place associated by tradition | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) · Wikipedia (English) |
| traditionally founded by Adi Shankara (8th century) date from tradition | Dwarka Sharada Peetham (western matha) One of the four cardinal mathas that tradition says Adi Shankara founded at the four quarters of India. | Dwarka Sharada Peetham, Dwarka the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) · Wikipedia (English) |
| traditionally founded by Adi Shankara (8th century) date from tradition | Jyotirmath (northern matha) One of the four cardinal mathas that tradition says Adi Shankara founded at the four quarters of India. | Jyotir Math, Joshimath the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) · Wikipedia (English) |
| traditionally founded by Adi Shankara (8th century) date from tradition | Govardhana Matha, Puri (eastern matha) One of the four cardinal mathas that tradition says Adi Shankara founded at the four quarters of India. | Govardhana Matha, Puri the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) · Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
| traditionally founded by Adi Shankara (8th century) date from tradition | Sringeri Sharada Peetham (southern matha) One of the four cardinal mathas that tradition says Adi Shankara founded at the four quarters of India. | Sringeri Sharada Peetham the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| 8th century (reign of Lalitaditya, c. 725–756) dated by the ruler’s reign | Martand Sun temple, Kashmir King Lalitaditya Muktapida builds a great temple to Surya on a plateau near Anantnag; it now stands in ruins. | Martand Sun temple, Anantnag the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
| c. 740 CE built or consecrated | Virupaksha temple, Pattadakal Queen Lokamahadevi builds the largest of Pattadakal's temples to mark her husband Vikramaditya II's victory. | Pattadakal the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India · UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| c. 756–773 CE (reign of Krishna I), with later additions dated by the ruler’s reign | Kailasa temple, Ellora Under the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I, a complete temple to Shiva is carved downward from a single basalt cliff. | Kailasa temple (Cave 16), Ellora the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) · UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| compiled 10th century (hymns 6th–8th century) estimated date of composition | Tevaram hymns gathered The Shaiva hymns of Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar are collected into the Tirumurai by Nambiyandar Nambi. | Nataraja temple, Chidambaram a place associated by tradition | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| c. 950–1050 CE (main phase) built or consecrated | Khajuraho temples Chandela kings build some 85 temples, Hindu and Jain, of which about 25 survive, including the Kandariya Mahadeva. | Khajuraho the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · UNESCO World Heritage Centre · World History Encyclopedia |
1000–1500 CE
| When | What | Where | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1003–1010 CE (consecrated 1010) built or consecrated | Brihadisvara temple, Thanjavur Rajaraja I builds the 'Dakshina Meru', a granite temple to Shiva with a 66-metre vimana, and consecrates it in his 25th regnal year. | Brihadisvara temple, Thanjavur the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India · UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| 1017–1137 (tradition); modern scholarship suggests c. 1077–1157 date from tradition Other dating: 1077 CE–1157 CE (modern scholarship (Wikipedia)) | Ramanuja and Vishishtadvaita Ramanuja, born at Sriperumbudur, gives Sri Vaishnavism its philosophy of qualified non-dualism and leads the Srirangam temple community. | Sriperumbudur (birthplace) a place associated by tradition | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| after 1026–27 CE built or consecrated | Sun temple, Modhera Under the Chaulukya king Bhima I a temple to Surya with a great stepped tank is raised in north Gujarat. | Sun temple, Modhera the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| completed 1035 CE built or consecrated | Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple Rajendra I completes a great Shiva temple at his new capital, named for his campaign to the Ganga. | Gangaikonda Cholapuram the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| late 11th century (c. 1090–1104) built or consecrated | Lingaraja temple, Bhubaneswar The great Kalinga-style temple of Shiva as Tribhuvaneshwara takes its present form in Bhubaneswar. | Lingaraja temple, Bhubaneswar the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
| 12th century estimated date of composition | Jayadeva's Gita Govinda Jayadeva composes the Sanskrit song-cycle of Radha and Krishna, which is still sung nightly in the Jagannath temple at Puri. | Jagannath temple, Puri (liturgical home) a place associated by tradition | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| 12th century built or consecrated | Jagannath temple, Puri The Eastern Ganga king Anantavarman Chodaganga begins the present temple of Jagannath, one of the four dhams. | Jagannath temple, Puri the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
| 12th century (earliest shrine inscription 1189) built or consecrated A single source gives: 1189 inscription | Vithoba temple, Pandharpur A shrine to Vithoba is founded at Pandharpur on the Bhima, the goal of the Varkari pilgrims. | Vithoba temple, Pandharpur the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) · Maharashtra Tourism, Government of Maharashtra |
| 1117 CE built or consecrated | Chennakeshava temple, Belur The Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana consecrates a richly carved temple to Vishnu at his early capital. | Chennakeshava temple, Belur the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) · UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| 12th century (land grant 1121; work continued) built or consecrated | Hoysaleswara temple, Halebidu At the Hoysala capital Dorasamudra, a twin-shrined temple to Shiva is built and lavishly carved over decades. | Hoysaleswara temple, Halebidu the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) · UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| 12th century (c. 1131/1134–1196) estimated date of composition | Basava and the Vachana movement Basava, minister at Kalyana, leads the Lingayat movement and its Kannada vachana poetry; his Anubhava Mantapa welcomes all castes. | Basavakalyan (Kalyana) the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
| 13th century (1199–1278 or 1238–1317) date from tradition Other dating: 1199 CE–1278 CE (Wikipedia (first option); Bharatkosh birth 1199) Other dating: 1238 CE–1317 CE (Wikipedia (second option)) | Madhvacharya and Dvaita at Udupi Madhva teaches the dualist Dvaita school and is credited with founding the Krishna Matha at Udupi. | Udupi Sri Krishna Matha the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| begun 1213 CE (work continued c. 40 years) dated by an inscription | Ramappa (Rudreshwara) temple The Kakatiya general Recharla Rudra begins a sandstone temple to Shiva with floating bricks and fine bracket figures. | Ramappa temple, Palampet the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| traditionally 13th–14th century; palkhi from 1685 date from tradition A single source gives: palkhi custom begun by Tukaram's son Narayan, 1685 | The Pandharpur wari Varkari pilgrims walk to Vithoba at Pandharpur each Ashadhi Ekadashi; from 1685 they carry the saints' padukas in palkhis from Alandi and Dehu. | Pandharpur the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Wikipedia (English) · Maharashtra Tourism, Government of Maharashtra |
| c. 1250 CE (reign of Narasimhadeva I, 1238–1264) dated by the ruler’s reign | Sun temple, Konark Narasimhadeva I builds Surya's temple as a giant stone chariot with twenty-four wheels on the Odisha coast. | Konark Sun temple the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · UNESCO World Heritage Centre · World History Encyclopedia |
| 1290 CE estimated date of composition | The Jnaneshwari The teenage saint Jnaneshwar gives the Bhagavad Gita a Marathi verse commentary, among the oldest surviving works in Marathi. | Nevasa (Newasa) a place associated by tradition | Wikipedia (English) · Wikipedia (English) · eSamskriti, reprinting Bhavan's Journal (Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan) |
| 1296 CE date from tradition | Jnaneshwar's samadhi at Alandi The poet-saint Jnaneshwar takes samadhi at Alandi at about twenty-one; his palkhi still sets out from here for Pandharpur. | Alandi the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
| 1336–1565 (Vijayanagara period; Krishnadevaraya's hall 1510) dated by the ruler’s reign | Vijayanagara and the Virupaksha temple, Hampi Hampi, the Vijayanagara capital, grows into a city of temples around the old Virupaksha shrine until its sack after 1565. | Virupaksha temple, Hampi the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) · UNESCO World Heritage Centre |
| 15th century (c. 1398–1518) estimated date of composition | Kabir's songs in Kashi The weaver-poet Kabir sings of a formless God beyond temple and mosque; his verses are later gathered in the Bijak and the Guru Granth. | Varanasi (Kashi) the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| 1468 or 1494 (sources differ) date from tradition | Sankardev founds the Bordowa Than At his birthplace Sankardev raises the first than (kirtan ghar) of the Ekasarana Vaishnava faith, the model for Assam's namghars and satras. | Bordowa (Batadrava) Than, Nagaon the site itself | District administrations, Government of Assam (Nagaon; Kamrup Metropolitan) · Wikipedia (English) |
| 16th century (born 1478 or 1483) estimated date of composition | Surdas and the Sur Sagar The blind poet Surdas, of Vallabha's Ashtachhap, sings the childhood and loves of Krishna in Braj Bhasha. | Braj (point: Mathura) the region where scholars place the composition | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| 1486 CE date from tradition | Chaitanya born at Navadvip Chaitanya, who will spread congregational chanting of Krishna's names, is born at Navadvip in Bengal. | Nabadwip (Navadvip) the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| 16th century (c. 1498–1546) date from tradition | Mirabai's songs to Krishna The Rajput princess Mirabai, married into Mewar, sings her devotion to Krishna; her bhajans spread across north India. | Chittorgarh Fort (Mira temple) a place associated by tradition | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
1500–1800 CE
| When | What | Where | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1501 CE built or consecrated | Tripura Sundari temple, Udaipur Maharaja Dhanya Manikya builds the Matabari shrine of Tripura Sundari, a Shakti Peetha, in Bengali ek-ratna style. | Tripura Sundari temple, Udaipur, Tripura the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
| 16th–17th century rebuilt or re-consecrated | Meenakshi temple rebuilt and expanded The Madurai Nayaks extensively rebuild and enlarge the temple of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar with its towering gopurams. | Meenakshi temple, Madurai the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| c. 1514–1534 date from tradition | Chaitanya's last years at Puri After taking sannyasa, Chaitanya spends his last two decades at Puri near the Jagannath temple. | Puri the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| traditionally 16th–early 17th century (lifetime of Tulsidas) date from tradition | The Hanuman Chalisa (traditional) Tradition credits Tulsidas with the forty verses in praise of Hanuman; the date and place come from tradition, not from a dated record. | Tulsi Ghat, Varanasi (traditional) a place associated by tradition | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| 1565 CE rebuilt or re-consecrated | Kamakhya temple rebuilt On Nilachal hill, the Koch rulers rebuild the great Shakta shrine of Kamakhya in a distinctive local style. | Kamakhya temple, Guwahati the site itself | District administrations, Government of Assam (Nagaon; Kamrup Metropolitan) · Wikipedia (English) |
| begun 1574 CE (VS 1631) estimated date of composition | Tulsidas begins the Ramcharitmanas On Rama Navami of Vikram Samvat 1631, Tulsidas begins his Awadhi retelling of the Rama story at Ayodhya; parts were written in Varanasi. | Ayodhya the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| first half of the 17th century date from tradition | Tukaram's abhangas at Dehu The Varkari poet-saint Tukaram composes Marathi abhangas to Vithoba at Dehu near Pune. | Dehu the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| 17th century (1672 per Wikipedia) built or consecrated A single source gives: 1672 (image moved from Govardhan) | Shrinathji comes to Nathdwara The image of Shrinathji, moved from Govardhan to escape Mughal persecution, is installed at Sinhad in Mewar, which becomes Nathdwara. | Nathdwara the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| 1610 CE (reign of Raja Wodeyar I) dated by the ruler’s reign | Mysuru Dasara begins at Srirangapatna Raja Wodeyar I continues the Vijayanagara Mahanavami festival at Srirangapatna; it later moves to Mysuru. | Srirangapatna the site itself | Deccan Herald · Wikipedia (English) |
| 1695 CE (Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh) estimated date of composition | Earliest written record of the Kumbh Mela A Persian chronicle of the Mughal empire describes the twelve-yearly 'Kumbh' fair at Haridwar: the oldest surviving text to use the name. | Haridwar the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · The Hawk (news, Uttarakhand) |
| 1731–1733 CE rebuilt or re-consecrated | Padmanabhaswamy temple renovated Marthanda Varma of Travancore rebuilds the temple of the reclining Vishnu; in 1750 he dedicates his kingdom to the deity. | Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram the site itself | Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) · Wikipedia (English) |
| 1780 CE rebuilt or re-consecrated | Kashi Vishwanath temple rebuilt Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore builds the present Vishwanath temple beside the site of the earlier one. The earlier temple was destroyed on the orders of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb; several historical accounts date this to 1669. | Kashi Vishwanath temple, Varanasi the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India · Bharatkosh / bharatdiscovery.org (Hindi encyclopedia) |
| 1790s (reign of Sakthan Thampuran, 1790–1805) dated by the ruler’s reign | Thrissur Pooram begins Sakthan Thampuran of Cochin brings the temples around Vadakkunnathan together in a single grand festival of elephants and percussion. | Vadakkunnathan temple, Thrissur the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Kerala Tourism, Government of Kerala · Onmanorama (Malayala Manorama) |
1800 CE to today
| When | What | Where | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| early 19th century (c. 1830) date from tradition | Ramnagar Ramlila begins The Maharaja of Benares starts a month-long Ramlila at Ramnagar in which the whole town becomes the stage for the Ramcharitmanas. | Ramnagar, Varanasi the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
| 1846 CE (rebuilt 1876) built or consecrated | Shree Govindajee temple, Imphal Maharaja Nara Singh of Manipur builds a temple for the royal deity Govindaji; it is rebuilt in 1876 after the 1868 earthquake. | Shree Govindajee temple, Imphal the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
| 31 May 1855 (consecration) built or consecrated | Dakshineswar: Ramakrishna's temple Rani Rashmoni's Kali temple opens on the Hooghly; its priest Ramakrishna lives and teaches here for some three decades. | Dakshineswar Kali temple the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
| 9 December 1898 built or consecrated | Vivekananda founds Belur Math Back from the West (his Chicago address was in 1893), Vivekananda consecrates Belur Math, headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. | Belur Math, Howrah the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India |
| 1950 CE rebuilt or re-consecrated | Sabarimala shrine rebuilt The forest shrine of Ayyappa is rebuilt after an arson attack; Sabarimala grows into one of the largest annual pilgrimages. | Sabarimala temple the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Kerala Tourism, Government of Kerala |
| 1951 CE rebuilt or re-consecrated | Somnath temple rebuilt After Independence the Somnath temple, destroyed and rebuilt many times, is reconstructed in Chalukya style at Prabhas Patan. Its first recorded attack, by Mahmud of Ghazni in January 1026, began centuries in which the temple was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. The present temple was consecrated on 11 May 1951. | Somnath temple, Prabhas Patan the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India · Press Information Bureau, Government of India |
| 1987 CE built or consecrated | Srirangam's rajagopuram completed The thirteen-tiered outer gateway tower of the Ranganathaswamy temple, left unfinished for centuries, is completed with the support of the Ahobila Mutt. | Ranganathaswamy temple, Srirangam the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Guinness World Records |
| 6 November 2005 built or consecrated | Swaminarayan Akshardham, Delhi BAPS opens a vast hand-carved stone temple complex on the banks of the Yamuna in Delhi. | Swaminarayan Akshardham, Delhi the site itself | BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham (temple organisation) · Wikipedia (English) |
| 22 January 2024 (consecration) built or consecrated | Ram Mandir, Ayodhya consecrated The image of Ram Lalla is consecrated in the new Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple at Ayodhya; construction of the complex continues. The temple stands where the Babri Masjid stood until it was demolished in 1992. On 9 November 2019 the Supreme Court of India gave the disputed land to a trust for building the temple, and directed that five acres elsewhere in Ayodhya be given for a mosque. | Ram Mandir, Ayodhya the site itself | Wikipedia (English) · Press Information Bureau, Government of India · Wikipedia (English) · Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore |