Namaskar ji,
A tough question indeed! I hardly know where to start... "all"? I hope to be able to see all of the Jyotirlinga one day, and of course there are the famous Shiva temples. But on the practical side of where I am almost certain to visit again: Chennakeshava Swamy Temple, Karmanghat Hanuman Temple, Sri Subrahmanya Swami Temple, and Balkampet Yellamma Temple are among the first of my list for around Hyderabad.
in Jaipur I was immediately drawn to Sri Jagat Siromani Temple and Sanghi Jhumtharama Mandir but never got to visit. When we go back I am definitely going to them:
While researching these temples to find out which they were I learned of a few more I would like to visit: The Jain Sun Temple, Sri Laxmi Narain Temple and Ambikeshwar Mahadev Mandir, all in Amber Town and also the Kund near Ambikeshwar. And then there is Moti Dungri Temple in Jaipur.
There are also a few more temples I would like to see in Mysore and Indore, but I am not sure how likely we would go to either again.
I do want to see all of the Jyotirlingas, but I most definitely feel like i need to go back to Ujain. I think we missed the Shaktipeetham there, which I would very much like to visit as well as Mahakaal again, and there are so many more in that city that sound nice. And I want to go back and find the temple I had such an experience in, it was in the same gated area and open quad area as Mahakaaleshwar Mandir, across the square from the Omkareshwar Mahadev shrine entrance, if I remember corrcetly. Nandi sat outside the entrance to the ante-chamber on a high pedestal, with a carved stone roof over him. I just realized it was a separate temple/shrine the other day. If anyone has been and might know it, I would be very grateful.
In the US, I would love to see the Mahakaaleshwar in Baja, the Saiva Siddhanta Church temple in Kauai as well as the Ganesha shrines in the Rudraksha forest there, The Shiva Vishnu Temple of South Florida in Southwest Ranches - though I intend to visit the South Florida Hindu Temple again, which I went to last year, and they are both a long drive that I may have trouble talking my rides into. And the Hindu Temple of Cincinnati, though it may be some time before I get back out to Cinci again - unless I can get my other half interesting in some cave hikes. Here in MA, I plan to visit Sri Lalitha Peetham next, and want to go back to Ashland's Sri Laxmi Temple sometime. There is another further out west that I would like to visit sometime, and a Hindu Temple of NH not so far away.
I have to say, though I agree with EMji on his point about non-hindus, I also don't know if I would have had the same experiences if I had been kept out of the Mahakaaleshwar complex on basis of my skin and hair color. In fact at the time, I would not have said I was Hindu in faith, and that would have been a fair assessment, I didn't know what I was then and it had long been a source of pain for me. Being allowed to make offerings and receive Darshan... well, maybe I might have had that experience if I had to stand outside the temple and look in, but somehow I doubt it. That's not to say all tourists should have carte blanche in very sacred spaces, but not every tourist is irreverant and crude either. And a lot of assumption appears to be placed on physical appearance which leads to a double standard - even here in this country. Again, not without some kind of reason, but I still don't like it any more than I like any other kind of discrimination. Do ends justify means ever, really?
Also, a person of any religion can go into any Christian church and receive sermon, benediction, confession and blessing. Some people may wonder at it if it were someone who "looked like" they "should be" a different religion, but that person will still be allowed and accepted. I've even known people who are not catholic receive catholic communion - and protestants do no restrict communion to those who have received doctrine and first communion at all, anyone can partake. I've never been in a church that practiced otherwise. Just don't bring in a camera, and be respectful is all. This feels like the beginnings of exclusionist or isolationist movements in a faith that purports to be for everyone and welcoming of all, and so these measures seem counter to the point. In the end it might hurt more than help, such movements rarely seem to be beneficial to a majority. But then again, I am speaking from ignorance, so please forgive me if I'm wrong in my thinking and if you have a moment, teach me better.
How does one "prove" one's faith anyway? It seems I am already at enough of a disadvantage in being female. Perhaps traveling with my best friend and sister to places this might be questioned would help, or no? I like the idea that if I'm meant to go there it will work out and if not no bother, but I know there are a few places I would like to go that I will most likely face this.
~Pranam-s
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