India is a land of spiritual beliefs and devotional attitudes towards life. Since ages many legendary impressions have motivated people, not only the locals but the foreign visitors too. It is a land of charismatic past, vibrant present and a promising future; a one stop destination for all those who come here to experience its judicious mix of culture, heritage, spirituality and natural charms.

The holistic approach and the incredibility of the nation have encouraged the trend in international and domestic tourism. Being a huge brand in Global Tourism Industry, Indian tourism has many things to offer you. Understanding the huge potential of being a spiritual destination for tourists from all across the globe, the ministry of tourism is taking some enormous steps to promote and position India as a spiritual destination. These steps will torch the potential of spiritual tourism in the country and will perform an initiative to invite people from all over to come and explore the devout way of life within the circumference of Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism.

The ministry of tourism is bringing hospitable approaches for the development of this section by facilitating the basic infrastructure, State information centers and accommodation in and around the country.

Some of the vast areas which the India Tourism is planning to cover for promoting the religious realm of India are:

• Pilgrimages to several world renowned spiritual sites
• Festivals and fairs
• Information on the mythological significance of the place
• Traditional dances, music and theatre related to the religious shrines
• Discourses on the essence of the religious beliefs
• Workshops on yoga and Ayurvedic practices

The tourism department is planning different circuits for all the religions in consultation with the stakeholders and inputs from the National Level Consultants.
Here are the circuits to be covered for Jain tourism:

• Jodhpur-Bikaner- Udaipur- Chittorgarh- Nagaur
• Bengaluru- Mandya- Hassan- Dakshin Kannada- Udipi
• Muzaffarpur- Bhojpur- Patna- Nalanda- Girdihr- Navada- Jamui- Banka- Bhojpur and
• Bhavnagar- Mehsana- Patan- Udaipur- Sirohi- Pali- Jaislamer- Jodhpur- Bikaner- Nagaur

Similarly, to follow the Sufi circuit for spiritual promotion

• Delhi- Agra- Fatehpur Sikri- Ajmer
• Mumbai- Aurangabad- Shirdi
• Sufi Circuit of Bihar
• Hyderabad- Bijapur- Gulbarga
• Dargahs of J&K, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and
• Sufi Circuit of Awadh Region

The government is also targeting the Buddhist rich destinations of Himachal, Orissa, Arunachal Pradesh, J&K, Sikkim and Bihar- the state where Prince Siddhartha achieved enlightenment and became Lord Buddha, under the Bodhi tree.

Along with that, the ministry of tourism is also implementing the ‘Hunar se Rozgar’ scheme to develop skills among the manpower needed for the development and promotion of various spiritual circuits. The National Level Consultant is also identifying the infrastructure deficiencies in the existing destinations and suggesting improvements in consultation with the related State governments.

The spiritual tourism in India is an unmatched experience and the Indian government is opening a new chapter by identifying its potential to promote this sector in a planned way. This planning along with the assistance of the stakeholders and the surges will surely showcase nation’s reverent treasures in the best possible way.